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January 15, 2022

What I learned after 5 years living in the UK

Hey There!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for joining the community by subscribing to the newsletter.

This year marks the 5th year of me living in the UK, I can’t believe it! The journey has definitely not been a smooth ride, there were bumps along the way but mostly it’s been rewarding. 

I’ve also changed so much as a person and I think that’s what living abroad and fighting for what you want with minimal support will do for you. With all that being said, here are the 5 things I learn after 5 years in the UK.

Being bilingual has a downfall

Ofcourse it’s cool and useful to be fluent in more than one language. However, I find myself struggling to remember Thai words from time to time as I don’t speak Thai on a daily basis. You know when people say “If you don’t use it, you lose it”. 

No one is really thinking about you

When I first moved here I used to constantly worry about what people thought of me. Being non-native English speaker I was worried about what people would think about how I spoke, silly things I said due to cultural differences, or how drunk I got at work parties (Yikes!). But in all honesty, people are too busy thinking about their lives than caring about what you say or do. 

Moving abroad is expensive

It just is. The visa, deposit for a flat, buying new furniture, new clothes due to the weather, etc. There are just lots of costs associated with settling down in the new country. It can then take months or years for you to get your finances back in order.

Don’t believe what you see on social media

You have probably heard this million times before but I’ll say it again, don’t believe everything you see on social media. No one posts photos of dirty London underground stations, homeless people begging on streets or road rage in London. But that’s what you’ll see every single day living in the city.

No one from home will truly understand my life

I realised this during the lockdown in the UK in 2020. Back then, Thailand didn’t have a strict lockdown, people could still go out. It was impossible to explain to them my mental state having stuck at home 24/7 for months in a small, dark and cold flat. They live different lives and they’ll never truly understand what I’m going through.

Love,

Poppy