Here are the 5 most anxiety-inducing things I've noticed about living across the pond.
1. I don't know how to cross the street.
First of all, London is not built like a grid. Apparently there's a long history in this city or something (Who knew?!), so the majority of London is made up of town squares and the streets that were later built to connect them. Not only does this make it difficult to acquire any sense of direction, but it also means that the streets are laid out in the most random way possible, and cars come at you from every which way you can imagine. And if that weren't confusing enough, they're driving on the wrong side of the road! It's basically a free-for-all, and I'm pretty sure one of the Americans is going to die while we're here.
2. Coffee isn't a thing here.
They have it, but they don't have it. Because they're too busy drinking tea to appreciate everything that coffee has to offer. There are lots of cafes around, but they're Starbucks-style expensive. I just want my gas station coffee that is equally cheap and delicious, and these Brits don't understand what I'm going through.
3. Hulu, Netflix, and Pandora all have international restrictions.
I realized on my first day here that I wouldn't be able to keep up with my shows. And I'll be damned if I don't get my daily dose of General Hospital and see how Glee handles the loss of Cory Monteith in realtime. Luckily, I'm a media major, and I've found a way around this silly little thing called international law.
4. People here actually look like me.
At home, I dress and act differently than most people. Good, bad, or ugly, that's just the truth. Not many American guys have to get up an hour early to get ready and blow dry their hair. But here, that's just the norm. It's that whole European thing, I suppose, and all of the guys do it. But it's strange because I don't really know how to fit in. I'm used to people looking at me out of the corner of their eye as I walk by, and just strutting my stuff. But now that I'm in London, it's just like, "I'm here. I'm perfect. Why aren't you looking at me?" I don't want to be normal. Normalcy is for peasants.
And it's really throwing off my gaydar.
5. I'm actually homesick.
I honestly didn't think that homesickness would hit me this hard, and definitely not this early. I won't lie, I've cried a few times, but I suppose that's part of the experience I'm gaining. Being away from home isn't easy, but it's part of being a grown-up. You know what they say: You can take the celebrity out of the small town, but you can't take the small town out of the celebrity.
Ok, no one says that.
