Welcome to my new travel series for 2017! It's one that's so close to my heart that I can feel that weird throbbing sound in my head as I'm writing this. Before we kick things off I think I owe you a little story time (no, I have not been kidnapped by an Uber driver nor have I killed my high school teacher - how do YouTubers even come up with these?! Jesus!). I don't often talk about why I have moved to the UK or what I have done here in my pre-blogging years and to put the series into context you do need to know this little, slightly lost snippet of my life.
🇬🇧 Why have I come to the UK?
I've always been a study kid. You know the one who always knows the answer when the teacher asks and sometimes pretends not to just so it doesn't look so damn ridiculous? The one that writes whole books and then ties them up in bunches because - hello, I'm the writer and the publishing house (at the age of 6). I even had my first English lesson at the age of 6. And every time I spot a typo in my already published post I die a little inside. Yeah, that's me. When I was 11 I started attending a grammar school. Ever since then (and the Harvard/Yale episode of Gilmore Girls) I knew that I wanted to do something bigger & better. At that time I lived in a little village - there were no kids to play with, just fields and ponies to talk to. When I was about 16 I spent my first summer in Prague living with my then boyfriend and working about 432420 different summer jobs because I wanted to try every grown up life I possibly could. But Prague just didn't seem to cut it for me at the time. I wanted to have something even bigger and even better (what a greedy little shit).When I was choosing my university I slipped in a few UK applications just for the laughs (and cried inside because I didn't think they'd accept me - I'm a village kid, a reasonably clever one but still a village kid with ambitions of an elephant and social skills of a fly on a turd). Well that was only until UCAS had sent me a letter of acceptance. It was back in the days when Erasmus wasn't a big thing and studying abroad was dead unbelievable (like, how did you do that?). But I did it - my family were ever so amazing, pushing me to actually go (because despite desperately wanting to fly out of the nest once you have your suitcase packed it suddenly doesn't seem all that appealing) and to dream even bigger than I had. Almost 9 years later and here I am - in Birmingham, with two degrees, a full-time job I've created for myself, two cats, bigger than ever dreams and even slightly improved social skills (don't quote me on the last one please, ta).
Those 9 years have taught me bucketfuls of things. Bucketfuls. Not just being able to speak fluently about inward investment, impacts of fiscal economy and how utterly rubbish some feminist ideologies are in a language that's not my own. It has also thought me that I had the best childhood ever, that my own country isn't half that bad (it's in fact pretty damn brilliant) and that integrating into another culture won't make you stop feeling homesick every now and then.
✈️What's the '8 reasons why you should move to my city' series about?
8 reasons why you should move to my city is a collection of very thoughtfully curated guest blog posts where bloggers (and non-bloggers for that matter) talk about their cities with teetering hearts and with knowledge only locals have. These are not your regular travel guides - they are 8 reasons why you should MOVE to their city - because I strongly believe that everyone should leave their city for another. At least once in their life. Have that summer romance with a city you've always admired. Book an apartment for a month or two. Or just move there for a couple of years.You will learn so much about yourself, about the city you're in love with and also about your home. You might have gotten the gist that I love Prague. I used to think it was a bit dull with boring houses and even more boring parks, freezing cold that gets into your bones and heat that makes your feet burn even though you're wearing platforms. Looking back I've realised it's the most beautiful city I've ever seen. It has everything - cheerful houses in pastel colours, vast parks that make you forget you're just a two minute walk from a shopping centre, freezing cold that makes a fire place the cosiest place on Earth and summer heat that gives you a damn sexy tan! Just imagine what you could learn about your own city if only you left it for a while and put on those tourist glasses on.
These guest writers will tell you why living in their city is just THE BEST - they'll make it easier for you to find a city to have a little cheeky affair with!
Next week you can read about 8 reasons why you should move to Prague!
(because that city will always have the biggest soft spot in my heart)
Have you ever moved to a different city before?
What did it feel like & what have you learnt?
Have you ever moved to a different city before?
What did it feel like & what have you learnt?
8 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD MOVE TO MY CITY
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