Starting with Geography, here’s a fun fact for you: the UK is made up of 4 countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Being the Kwaku the traveller that I am, I’ve been to at least 2 cities in 3 of the 4 countries within the UK (unfortunately haven't been to Wales yet). There are no “states” or “provinces” in the UK, not any formalized one, at least like we sing of the 36 states of Nigeria or the 50 states of the US. If you Google it, however, you will discover that there are 4 countries, 48 ceremonial counties, 83 metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties and 650 constituencies.
You need to know the exact name of the place you’re going to within the city you’re in; if not, you can end up somewhere you don’t know. Cue epp me epp me, dem dey carry me go where I no know. E.g. just within London, there is Tottenham Court Road and Tottenham. Don’t make the mistake of thinking these are the same place or close neighbours because they are, in fact, very, very, VERY far apart. Another one is Finchley Road and Finchley the place. There is also a Loughborough Road in London, not to be mistaken for Loughborough town in East Midlands. So, if you’re one of the few people who thinks everywhere in the UK is London, you might be in for a rude surprise when you find out that Loughborough Road is several hours away from Loughborough University.
Like every country, the UK isn’t a monolith. Every place, of course, has its own character. Non-Londoners generally view Londoners as cold, unhelpful people who mind their business to a fault. For example, Londoners don’t talk to their bus drivers when they board the bus because, to be fair, we really don’t have to. All you have to do when you enter a bus in London is tap your contactless card or use Apple/Google Pay on your phone to pay, irrespective of your destination.
In Cambridge, for example, I remember getting the stare of a lifetime from a bus driver when I boarded the bus and proceeded to tap my card without saying anything to the driver. I was carrying some luggage and a pillow, so the driver immediately knew I wasn’t from around town. And she probably guessed I was a Londoner because I didn’t bother saying hi or anything. Anyways, after a few seconds of irritation with me, she said, “You have to tell me where you’re going, Miss 😒"
So I told her she tapped a few things, and the machine then showed a fee for me to tap and pay.
In some parts of the UK, e.g. in some far parts of Northern Ireland, you can’t pay for a bus using a card. You MUST pay with cash. This came as a rude shock to me, who hardly ever goes around with cash or even my bank card. I had to beg someone to transfer to their bank account, so they withdrew from their bank to get cash. I could imagine how suspicious the whole thing must have seemed, but thankfully, the girl let me do this. That was a weird one.
Speaking of withdrawals, the UK is the opposite of Nigeria. ATMs give you your card first before your money. In Nigeria, when you withdraw from an ATM, you get your money first and then wait for your card. So if you’ve withdrawn several times in Nigeria, your mind concludes the withdrawal process by the time you get your money, or you subconsciously think the withdrawal was unsuccessful if you get your card without cash in hand.
You must mentally train yourself to know that the money comes AFTER the card, not before. I had to learn this when I moved here. Thankfully, I never forgot money at an ATM (to be fair, na only who get plenty money fit forget some somewhere 😅). I was only just confused the 1st time I got my card back without cash. I later discovered their arrangement.
To banks: Unlike Nigeria, banks don't charge any of the weird (quite frankly daylight robbery) maintenance fees, card replacement fees, or money to book Wizkid to perform at the Christmas party fees 😏. In fact, when you open a bank account, all you need to do is provide your details, and within a few business days, you'll have your bank card delivered to your house. In Nigeria, this'd cost some naira, and then you'd often have to go to the bank to pick it up 😒. And it's not like banks here don't make money. It's just that Nigerian banks are comfortable taking the easy way out, and regulators don't force them to do better.
Of course, the constant electricity, water and other amenities are a plus. Coming from Nigeria, this is a big deal, but I imagine it'd be less of a big deal if I was from Egypt, for example.
The best thing the UK gave me was access. Access to greater opportunities, to apply for visas and have a slightly better chance with my Nigerian passport just because I lived in the UK. Access to other countries that a UK visa gives you visa-free entry into, like Gibraltar. Access to one of the most iconic cities in the world and entering spaces with some of the smartest, most powerful people in the world. I mean, I did meet Boris Johnson when he was still Prime Minister 😅 So yea, great access that I may NEVER have had as a young person in Nigeria.
But these are all the things I liked, what about the things I didn't like
The weather is shit! Although the UK claims to have summer for 3 months in the year, they only get consistent sun for like a few weeks every year, which is incredibly annoying. Like this year, I was wearing a puffer jacket in summer! It makes no sense!
The UK weather is always a topic for discussion because it's constantly changing. Someone said if you don't like the UK weather, check again in 5 minutes. To depict the dynamic nature of the weather. The world was recording the hottest July in history, but that one no consign the UK; we were moving in doom and gloom! 😑 One day in 2021, I saw 4 seasons in 1 day. It rained, snowed, was mildly cold and then we got some sunshine. All within the space of 12 hours! The weather is always giving multiple personality disorder!
Everything is smaller than elsewhere (except Europe). Houses are small, often with only 1 bathroom that everyone shares. As someone who grew up in a house with ensuite rooms, it was incredibly shocking to me that people who should "be better off" were living in smaller houses than I lived in and were forced to share 1 bathroom. That's the real ghetto!
Roads are also small, and cars are small to fit in the small roads. I feel the cars have to be meticulously measured to ensure enough space for parking and driving cos the roads are so small. Any large vehicle would just block the whole thing for everybody.
Even people start to dream small and are more conservative in goals than Americans are. British people are generally more conservative with their goals and are comfortable living a simple, comfortable life where they eventually buy a house, take the occasional annual holiday to somewhere in Europe or the US, send their kids to free primary and secondary government school, the kids take student loans for uni and then start working, parents retire and live off pension (i.e. national insurance).
There is no British dream, as there is an American dream. And I respect it! I think every working economy should allow the vast majority of people to be average and comfortable. You shouldn't need to be exceptional to have the simple comforts life offers.
People are less giving, but that's completely understandable because people don't have as much to give. British people earn less than their American counterparts. It's also because they often work less and have better benefits such as free national healthcare in the person of the NHS (which is crumbling, by the way), over 25 days paid annual leave and just generally better work-life balance. So they trade that off for less money. Is that a worthy trade-off? It depends on who you're asking, but I wish people had more so they could give more.
People talk about the UK being lonely, but it's not something I mind too much, so I can't complain. Someone tweeted that within 6 months of moving to the UK, people generally cry because it's tough, and one man said it's mostly women who do this. Well, I'm happy to report that I never cried because of being in the UK or within my 6 months of being here. In fact, I had a pretty swell time in my time here. Of course, there were ups and downs. The months I spent looking for a job were no fun at all! But I had food in my belly, a roof over my head, constant electricity, wi-fi, and water. So I can't complain.
After 4 years in the UK, I don't sound any more British than I was when I moved there 😅 I've lived in the big city, London and small towns, Loughborough and Northampton. I appreciate both lifestyles and see the appeal both can have for different groups of people at different stages in their lives.
More broadly speaking, I have experienced the life of someone in a developed country, functioning, comfortable public transport, constant electricity, water, contactless payments, ApplePay, and structures that work more often than not, and that has really broadened my worldview.
After 4 years in the UK, I'm moving to Australia. Thank you for the great memories, UK. I'll always remember you.
Comments