It’s an exciting day for me: I’ve been living in London for 8 years today! It’s hard to believe so much time has gone by since I quit my job, got a visa, and moved to London to see where life would take me. It’s been a great adventure, though, and running the A Lady in London blog throughout my time in the UK has been one of the biggest highlights.

View of London from the London Eye

Living in London for 8 Years

Being an American expat in London isn’t always easy, but it has been a great experience overall.

I’ve been through phases of loving the UK, being frustrated that I will never quite fit in, and accepting that there will always be things I don’t know or cultural references to obscure 1980s rugby matches that will perpetually go over my head.

I’ve learned how not to look like an idiot while ordering tea (a very important thing in this country). In fact, I’ve learned all about tea etiquette.

I’ve been taught that I should always order at the bar in a pub (no table service in pubs here), and that pants are underwear in British English (a surprisingly useful thing to know if I don’t want to sound inadvertently crass. Which I don’t).

I’ve learned that the Queen is a pretty amazing lady (don’t tell the Founding Fathers) and that the class system is alive and well in the UK (and that money has nothing to do with class here, something that perpetually confuses American expats when we first arrive).

8 Year Anniversary in London

But beyond the little cultural differences (and the big ones), I’ve learned that London is one of the most amazing cities in the world.

From its cultural diversity (I never really feel foreign in a city full of people from all across the globe) to its world-class everything (museums, art, music, theater, sport, culture, and increasingly food), London has so much to offer that I could live in this city for the rest of my life and never feel like I’m done exploring.

And that’s one of the reasons I stay. Like any expat, I get homesick from time to time. I was in California last week and couldn’t help thinking how nice it would be to move back and enjoy the comfort and sunshine of my home state.

But as soon as I arrived back in London, the city’s energy welcomed me, inviting me to explore new-to-me London neighborhoods and all the exciting events popping up from Notting Hill to Hackney, Highgate to Peckham.

And that’s to say nothing of how easy it is to travel from London to almost anywhere in the world. With five international airports and a train station with services to Europe, London makes it easy for me to run a travel blog for a living and still have a life at home.

So here’s to a great 8 years of living in London, and hopefully a lot more adventures in the UK and abroad!

Are you an expat? What has your experience living somewhere away from home been like?

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56 Comments on Lady’s 8 Year Anniversary in London

  3. Happy Anniversary!

    I arrived in London slightly more than 2 years ago, and it’s such a fantastic city that you feel compelled to write about it and share its charme with others. So I ended up blogging too!

    Ok, coming from Italy is not a big jump: it’s just a 2 hour flight, but it’s a huge cultural distance (although there are so many Italians living here that sometimes you don’t really feel abroad; apparently London is now the third largest Italian city!)

    I enjoy reading your posts and I love your pictures of London.

    Best wishes.
    Filippo

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  5. Love this! We totally feel the same about London – we’re currently back here for the second time from Australia! Cooper and I are new fans of your site – thanks for all your lovely stories.

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  7. We follow you and thank you for all the tips, guidance and suggestions. We are figuring out the details of our London trip coming up soon and are so excited to visit 1 of our favorite cities. You’ve once again in today’s blog you taught me something new! Had no idea there was a proper way to order tea! Keep up the good work!! Congrats!

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  11. I just moved here, but I do hope I won’t have to stay that many years. One thing I say to everyone is that I can’t feel a stranger in here since everyone is a stranger on the streets. I do receive another questions, though: how do you handle being in a city with 8 million people. I reply: I’m doing fine as I don’t have to carry any of these 8 million people. 😀

    Happy blogversary!

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  16. Wow! 8 Years, what an accomplishment! You were so brave to go across an ocean to another country and you’ve thrived there! We miss you in the US though!

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  17. London means one thing to me – it’s the capital city of the English language. Deep within it’s soul is the living life of all who have created the mother tongue. Perhaps that’s an antiquated notion – yet, for an American – to hear the language spoken properly, it’s a revelation.

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  20. Fantastic article! Homesick is inevitable! I moved to Europe 3 years ago. I still missed my small country in Africa. Culture shock could cause a lot of troubles. Greetings!

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  21. Heya! I am also an expat here in London, and I feel the same way, except that It’s been only 2 months since I arrived.
    I am LOVING here and London don’t let me get really homesick. London is 2cool 2b homesick hehe.
    Btw, love your blog and insta, I’ve been reading it for 2months hehe

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  24. Congratulations on the 8 years in my favorite city anywhere. I have to admit I’m a bit jealous. I wish I could have done what you are doing when I was younger. I’m at this moment planning my next trip to London for late spring. As many times as I’ve been there, I think only once was in the spring/summer. I’m hoping to do some exploring out of the city on this trip.
    I love reading your travel blog. Keep up the great work and enjoy!

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  25. It’s been 6 years for me – and it has gone by very fast. The city kind of draws you in and doesn’t want to let go 🙂

    Congrats!

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  26. Happy anniversary! I’ll hit my 8-year mark as an expat in a couple months and it’s been the best decision I could have made way back in 2008 🙂 So wonderful to have met you in London and safe travels!

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  27. Hello, I definitely know how you feel. I am not an expat, but a migrant. Turkish originally, and have been a dual citizen two months ago. It’s exciting and makes you definitely stronger. I am happy that I experienced this adventure 🙂

    Reply

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