We are in London

IU asked my story about Cardiff and I realised that very little of my old mates knew how in the world I ended up, of all places, in Cardif. It was the start of my adventures in the U.K. A lot of people thought a). I was sent here on work i.e. I enjoy the enviable expat benefits that came with it or b). I married an ang moh. It was neither.

I have always wanted to travel and if I had been a few inches higher, I would have tried to join an airline. Maybe that is a blessing in disguise because I could never fit into that famous sarong kebaya. Just like my profile said, I grew tired of working what it felt like, non stop for Cold Storage. Somehow, Man knew I was getting restless and it was not a bed of roses at all for him at work too. We decided to do this when we are without any responsibilities like mortgage and kids and that was it.

I started prepping about a year before we went – reading up on all that I could get my hands on. We stumbled upon the Working Holiday Visa which not very many Singaporeans knew about. Basically, any Commonwealth youth (under the age of 28) can apply for a Working Holiday Visa to the U.K. where they have leave to stay for two years and most importantly, legally entitled to work. Apparently, other countries like New Zealand and Australia had similar arrangements as well.

It was a stroke of luck since Man and I were nearly 28/27 respectively. I wished we had known sooner. For a lot of UK, Saffa (South African), Australian and NZ uni students, this is so well-known. They usually take Gap years in their studies to do this trip. Maybe it is not so well-known in Singapore because inevitably, uni students would try to finish their course as early as possible before landing a job before graduation. Having taken this time out from Singapore, I believe it would be beneficial if one has the means. Let’s not talk about expanding your horizons – the least that you can achieve by going away is to appreciate what you have back home!

There was a lot of paperwork to do – forms to fill, a mini-essay to write and finally an interview at the British High Commission. You also have to show that you have the means to support yourself during your stay (an equivalent of £2000 must be available in your bank account). Man and I did a nifty trick by shifting the amount between our accounts and asking for statements. Heheheheh.

We finally did it! We got a stamp in our passports, tendered in our resignations, packed our bags and said goodbye to family and friends. It was a first long flight for us and we were very excited when we touched down at Heathrow. London looked grey and the airport huge. We took the airport bus to Euston station and took the Tube.

I think the first “What the hell am I doing?” when we took the Northern Line to Tufnell Park. Oh my God! The train has wooden floors!! How far removed are we from MRT spacious carriages and clean clean floors. And you have to take a creaky, cargo like lift to exit the station. For two virgin backpackers, it was a little scary. However, all fears evaporated when we had a proper look at London the next day. We woke up in the morning, momentarily disorientated and not entirely believing “We are in London!”