Hoi.
About two months ago I celebrated my 4 year anniversary of when I moved to London
Those 4 years have flown by
but it's also been such a long time I can barely remember the person
that I used to be before I moved here.
and I figured now might be a nice time to do a Q&A about living in London, moving abroad etc.
so I asked you guys to send your video snaps to my snapchat which is booksandquills
and today I am going to answer them.
For those of you who don't know by the way I was originally form the Netherlands
where I grew up and went to university
and then after I graduated I moved to London.
See if it works. Question number 1:
Hi Sanne my name s Maggie I'm from Mississippi in the United States and I was wondering if you had any advice
for someone thinking about either doing a gap year or grad school in the UK.
I had actually had a chat with someone about this recently
and they were talking about potentially doing a study abroad thing.
I think that if you want to experience living in a different country
or the is specifically a country that you have your eye on.
doing it as a student is the most amazing way.
it will be expensive but it will definitely be easier than it is to do it on your own
because there is so many specific things for students to make it easier
cause they sort of know you wont have a full time job etc.
so there is student accommodation there is exchange programs.
so first of all yes if you want to do an abroad thing or you just want to try it out
or you think it will be your only opportunity to do it please do it as a student.
I'm so greatful for the time I spent in the US
cause if I would have to try and figure that out right now it would be absolute madness.
When it comes to doing a gap year in the UK I think London very is expensive
a lot of people choose to live way further out so you have to take a train for an hour/45 minutes
to get into central. If that is the best way for you can afford to live in London
then I think it's still worth it. Besides it being really expensive do I think that this city has so much to offer
it's easy to get around there is exciting things happening everyday
it doesnt matter what you're into there will be something for you here
and if you dont think you would want to live sort of long term
then going here for a year and saving up before hand
and really knowing what you're getting yourself into I think is really good thing to do.
My one big tip for anyone looking to move to London and maybe wanting to get some part time work
make sure that you have some experience either like working in a bar,
waitressing, working at a shop stuff that will make easier for you to get a part time job here
cause I didn't do that and that was stupid.
Was it hard ot get adjusted to living abroad like learning the language or customs?
The language was easy cause I already spoke English pretty much fluently so that was fine.
For me coming form a small town and having always lived there
the hardest thing maybe was living in a big city
and also one of the things that was hard and I was a student before this and
I was living in my parents house. So I was adjusting to living in a new country
but also like being adult and having to care of my own stuff for the first time
so there was a lot of dead lines I missed for forms and also stupid stuff
like I got a fine for leaving my garbage in the wrong place.
Custom wise I was hilariously was saying hi and waving goodbye to all the bus drivers in London
cause that's what people mosly do in the Netherlands at least where I am from
and I was just flat out being ignored
and when I went back to the Netherlands I forgot to say hi to a bus driver and he got really pissy with me.
One of things in London that was quite interesting was sort of learning how to hustle
standing on the right side of the escalator not holding people up
sort of figuring out the flow of people which is often tourists wont have down but locals do.
Alright the next one.
Do you have some like big peices of furniture that you are really attached to
that would be hard to leave behind you ever move back?
I did something that I now regret which is I took this massive wardrobe I had in the Netherlands
like three compartments wide and my parents brought it all the way to london for me
which is such a nice thing for them to do.
Then after a couple of years I had to move to a room, this one
where it didn't fit so I sort of had to leave it behind
I wasn't attached it but I sort of went "I don't know why I brought this".
A lot of places that you rent will come with a bed and some sort of wardrobe.
So this bed was already here this wardrobe was already here.
The one thing I have bought here was my big sherlock holmes style reading chair
but again it's from Ikea so if I had ever to get rid of it and then move to different country again
then I guess I could sell it then re-purchase it cause it wasn't that expensive.
I think you're moving to a different country getting stuff that is lightweight
and easy to put together and take apart or carry somewhere
is really good I've got this little rack from Ikea that I think it was on sale for like £10
and it barely weighs anything but it can store quite a lot of stuff cause you just put things on top of it
with the exception of this year I basically moved every year/year and a half since I've arrived here
I feel like the one thing that's really weighing me down is all my books
way too many books every time I move I have to clear out a ton
but I don't really see that changing any time soon.
Hi my question is what was the actual difference between english taught in class before
and then living in an english speaking country?
So the difference between english being taught in class
was that you didn't really get forced that much to have conversations
and actually I loved english class so I would always put myself forward to do the reading and stuff.
And by the time I moved here I had already lived in the U.S. for a while
I had lots of english friends I had been making videos in english for four years so that was all pretty much fine.
It was mostly figuring out the little phrases that people say in shops.
And even though my English is pretty American
I feel like when I go into a shop I go into British conversation mode and then
jump back to American if the conversation gets longer.
So it's the saying "hiya" in a shop and stuff like that
that gets really normal when you live here for a while
I found it really funny that when I went to norway that people say "hei hei" in a shop
I feel like every country has their little greeting that you might not specifically learn in class
but you'll pick up really easily.
I'm just wandering how you got the courage
how you felt you were independent enough to really make the move?
So I kind of made this move a little bit on whim
and one of main reasons was that Marion who you guys probably know
was moving from the US to London to study here for two years.
and she was looking for someone to share an apartment with
and she sort of said "would you like to come move to London?"
so the fact I was moving there with someone else
was probably the reason I actually went ahead and did it.
The other reason was that I had just graduated
I didn't have a job to go to, I was living with my parents, I had money saved up
so I had all the things that made it easier for me
just to sort of leave one country behind and go to the other one.
Thinking back to it I'm still like "I can't believe I did that that. I actually went".
And the other part that made easier it for me was the idea that
it doesn't have to be a failure if it doesn't work out.
And sort of in my head I was like I'm going to try it for a year
and then by the end of it I'm mega broke I don't have a job and it hasn't happened
then I can always move back in with my parents, find a job and then move out in the Netherlands
and I'm not going to lie it did come pretty close to that.
Do you think missing your family is one of the hardest thing of living abroad?
And if it is how do you handle it? Bye. Thank you.
I think I'm quite lucky in not living that far away form my parents
cause it's like an hour by plane which is totally fine.
and also my parents visit 2 to 3 times a year. They always come over for my birthday
I go back maybe like 3 times a year as well.
I actually see my parents a lot more than some people who have moved from the north of England to London
and also it's kinda cheaper for me because trains in the UK are so expensive.
Other things we do is Skype from time to time and obviously chat to each other on Whatsapp
and my parents also follow me on social media
so sometimes when we have a chat about something they will have already seen what I've been up to.
How do you make your new place overseas feel like home?
She also said she is going to study abroad next year.
I'm a huge nester. I have a lot of trinkets I have a lot of stuff.
One of the things you can do to make a room way more homie
is like I never use the big over head light I always put up fairy lights and little bedside lights and I only use those.
Maybe bringing one of your posters that you had in your old room like rolled up is really nice.
Postcards that people send you. As you can see I have a print up there postcards here
I usually just fill my room with stuff.
If you cant have that much stuff cause you're moving back
then anything that can be rolled up or folded up is really nice
also definitely buy some plants to make it feel like home.
Did you have any friends when you moved to London
or anyone you already knew here? Or did you have to make friends from scratch?
I was really lucky and moved in with Marion and, Rosiana, and Kayleigh.
Rosiana, and Kayleigh at that point I didn't know that well. And Marion I had been friends with for 5 years.
I knew a couple of people in London but to be honest not that many
but I vividly remember going to a youtuber's birthday party
within the first two weeks and meeting lots of people there
some people I had like chatted to on the internet but some people I hadn't but maybe i had seen their videos.
Then we also hosted a Thanksgiving party at our flat
and thats where I met loads of people that I'm still friends with now.
It's definitely gradually but very much I was meeting people
through the like couple of friends I already had
and then once I started work obviously I would meet people there as well.
Oh this is my friend Lilia.
I did no know this was here. And I though of you.
Not a question but she spotted a Lush somewhere.
Alright so that was it. Thanks so much for sending in your questions on Snapchat
I find this such an interesting topic to talk about
cause everyone's situations are obviously entirely different
and I didn't really have anyone whose videos I've watch or blogs I could read for what it was like for them to move
so whenever I can ever share my story I love doing it.
Finally a little reminderthat if you'd like to see me at Vidcon Europe/Amsterdam my home ground
or vidcon U.S. you can put me forward as a suggestion I'll put two links in the description
you sort have to put in the persons name and what they talk about etc.
I'd be really grateful if you guys can put me forward cause I would love to go there and be on some panels.
That's all I have for now.
I hope you guys enjoy this video if you've more questions of course feel free to leave them down below
and if you have any tips to share for other people that'd be great as well.
And I'll talk to you guys later.
Doei