From the City of Gold to the Big Smoke
07:00. 17/08. *Text message – ding!* “Welcome to UAL, Keira!”.
13:54. 21/09. Screeching trains, busy platforms, this is London. The unusual amount of police sirens and ambulances speeding down the roads is unfamiliar, nothing like back home. The grey skies and chilled breeze is even more strange for me, as someone who is used to being in the desert with year round sunshine and blue skies. The only familiarity I have right now is my parents, waiting for me on the other side of the train platform, but I know they’ll be gone in a few days…
10:02. 22/09. Moving day. I’m finally going to see where I’ll be living for the next year, and who I’ll be living with. I’m not too worried about meeting them, but I think I’m just anxious of being by myself, being a true adult and dealing with grown up problems.
23:11. 22/09. I love my apartment. I haven’t met all the girls yet but they all seem so nice, I can tell we’ll all get on well. They invited me out tomorrow night to go clubbing and I think I’m gonna go.
03:42. 24/09. Yeah, I don’t think clubbing is my thing…
15:31.30/09. Just finished my first day of classes! The people seem so nice, I think I’m gonna like it here!
22:01. 21/10. My friends are great but I miss my family, it’s not the same as back home. I miss my friends from school, the constant seeing them everyday, 5 days a week. I miss the inside jokes and laughing for hours with my best friends, the people I can just go sit with and not have to do anything interesting, just be ourselves.
12:30. 23/10. London is hard. I can’t seem to get used to the noise, the constant movement, it’s like the city never sleeps. The only time I really feel safe is when I’m doing touristy things with my friends, but even then I’m praying my phone doesn’t get stolen. But even still, after all that, I love this city? As much as it gets me down sometimes, there’s something so magical about it. The beautiful architecture and history that I never really got from Dubai, the culture and unique parts of the place that make it so interesting and diverse have me so encapsulated that I never want to leave. I think I just need more time to get used to it…
13:26. 16/11. A lot has happened in a month. I’ve met so many people, some who I think will become really good friends, some who I’m never going to speak to again. I’ve started to explore by myself (became a master of the tube system), became more confident with handling the environment and immersing myself in the society, I’m getting there. I can’t wait to go home but also can’t wait to come back and see what else my life here has in store for me.
Notes;
I wrote my short story in the form of a diary entry to create a personal, almost humorous tone, using informal language to keep it light and fun as it is about me starting to find my own way in life. I highlight the struggles of being a new adult and moving to a completely new environment through emotive language and personal opinions/anecdotes. I showcase the early stages and development of my new life, the good times and the bad, and how much I’ve grown over the last few months.
To add on, I titled my story ‘From the City of Gold to the Big Smoke’ as these are nicknames used for Dubai and London. Dubai being the City of Gold as it’s known for its gold markets and exportation of gold, and London being the Big Smoke as it is where the industrial revolution started, hence the pollution and the ‘smoke’.