December 2024 - A house in South Kensington, one of my favourite areas in the city.

This is a Christmas story; just bear with me, OK?

I'm not going to lie. I hateddddd London for a while. August 2023, specifically, was one of my personal hellholes.

Flashback June 2023

Nottingham to Hither Green

July 2023 - A selfie in Hither Green, London. My hair was a bit botched because I had no money so it was a homemade job!

I really wanted an internship in London for my CV. So, when I got an offer in June of 2023, I jumped at the chance. But… I only had 2 weeks notice to move to London & find housing. F**k!

Plus, London is expensive! I could only find Airbnbs to live in, so for the first half, l rented a room and lived with the landlady in Hither Green. It was a residential area. I had a TV. I could catch an hour train to work & got off at London Bridge Station & walked the final 10 minutes. Totally fine.

Hither Green to Reading

For the other half of the internship, however, I lived in Reading… I rented out a studio in a dorm building that was open for the summer. When I moved in, it reeked of vape and McDonald’s which I still am haunted by to this day.

Reading, by train, was two hours away from my office…one way! So, I was commuting four hours per day, waking up at 6:00 AM and returning by 7:30 PM each day to then completely crash.

Did I mention I also had bronchitis & had my period all summer? And I had undiagnosed/unmedicated depression. All my friends lived far away. I hadn't been home in almost eight months. I was in a foreign country.

And let's be real, Reading is not that adorable, like at all…

My Breaking Point: The Laundry Machines

My breaking point was when the laundry machines weren't working, and neither were the useless front desk people, who legitimately did not even get up from the chair to come assess the problem.

Morning desk man: “I dunno. The night lad will be able to help you.”

Evening desk man: “Don’t know. The morning person knows.”

Great…

An oddity about Reading is that there are no Ubers. And taxis only take cash. So, one summer morning after my phone charger had been stolen in London the night before…

I dumped my two weeks’ worth of dirty clothes into my two suitcases and dragged them 3 MILES UPHILL to this crusty laundromat where I camped out ALL DAY.

I want to say that this was not my first experience in a laundromat. Most of them are just fine. But this one, muddy floors, big hair globs in the dryers, people who looked like they would choke you if you didn’t hurry it up…

So, basically, I was beyond DONE WITH London and wanted to flee home to America ASAP. I was contemplating coming back, but I was a bit traumatised.

So, what did London remind me of, you ask? Unmedicated depression, being broke, loneliness, extreme exhaustion from daily 4 hours on the train, the stinky room I had to deep clean upon arrival, roadmen of Reading, my non-stop period, and a nasty plague-like cough.

All of the stress was making me have hair loss!! I was pale, weak, balding. No wonder I hated London.

December 2024

So, fast-forward to Dec. 2024. I’ve completed my first term in Durham, feeling good (on my Lexapro), living life.

My friend Arohi had generously offered to host me for Christmas Day. She lives in west London on which worked out really well, as I could fly from London Heathrow for my international Christmas trip!

December 2024 - Some of the amazing architecture in London I fell in love with again.

Getting Glammed for London

It was a few nights before Christmas, and all through my flat, I needed to have a glow-up and it needed to happen stat!

You would be surprised by how small the UK actually is. I run into people from different parts of the country all of the time.

In Edinburgh, I ran into an acquaintance from Nottingham. When I started at Durham, I ran into a classmate from Nottingham on the first day. A man I recently went on a few dates with who went to an entirely different uni has the same friend of a friend as me.

And don’t even get me started on mutuals on Instagram. That said, you never know who you will see in London, especially in the popular places, given the whole country is basically a class reunion.

I always like to be prepared. Fake tan? On. Haircut? Chopped. Makeup by Mario bronzer stick? Got it. You can never be too prepared for these things…

Of course, because I was prepared, I didn’t run into anyone. Getting down on the train from Durham to London with all of my bags was actually a huge clusterf*ck but at least I looked good.

December 2024 - Everything I carried with me from Durham to London on the train and the tube.

Reclaiming London

I decided that I wasn't going to let any memories of bronchitis (et al.) ruin my Christmas or my perception of London anymore. I decided to fight back! With the help of a fake tan and some prayers, I now love London again.

December 2024 - A stunning cathedral I stumbled upon.

I thought, “What the hll! I'm in one of the world's best cities. It's Christmas. I'm with a dear friend, and I'm going to enjoy each moment, dammit!”*

On Christmas Eve day, while Arohi, who is wayyyy smarter than me, was working her adult investment banking job, I played tourist and had myself a damn day.

December 2024 - A flower market in London.

I got up early and took the tube into Kensington. My first stop was Leto Cafe, which is a glamorous little spot with the cutest cakes and pastries. I then took a stop across the street to check out a gorgeous cathedral and wandered around Kensington Gardens and the palace.

I ran a few errands, including buying a UK to EU adapter, which oddly makes me feel very accomplished in life.

December 2024 - A quote from Queen Victoria about Albert, too sweet.

I took a stop at my guilty pleasure of Joe & The Juice and met Arohi back home to watch Harry Potter all evening and indulge in camembert, bread, and mulled wine.

December 2024 - My gift for Arohi. Yes, that is a wrapped baguette so we could have it with the camembert.

Back at home in Missouri, my family always hosts Christmas Day, which is fun but is always high-key stressful with my mom fussing over 100 appetisers, my grandma aggressively scrubbing the kitchen baseboards, and half the relatives showing up 2 hours early to “help.”

Although I did miss my family dearly, it was lovely to be with Arohi and her family, shake it up a bit, and love London again.

Reclaiming London on Christmas Eve