Fili’s world

I’ve visited London-UK more than I have to any other city in the world, and I still haven’t quite figured out what I feel towards this city.

My first visit was with my parents and family when I was in the 2nd grade, probably my first visit abroad ever. Most of what I remember has to do with feeling confused about a language that I don’t speak, people that I don’t understand and what I thought were the oddest things in the world. I can recall quite clearly my dad explaining to me what those strange rooms in the middle of the streets were for and me sometimes saying that I needed to go to the toilet just to see how those work. There was the Harrods experience, nothing that my Israeli background prepared me for which my parents told me wondrous tales about of selling anything that us kids dreamed about back then and challenging us to find it across the store. There was the backwards traffic that I was always told to look out for - coming at us from the wrong way, policemen with funny hats that looked like construction workers with a really large forehead and that awful London weather - you can never escape the London weather. It all came into a more sane perspective as we continued into France and Austria.

Second time was with my sister. Both my sister and I can’t quite recall what brought us to come visit London and most of all - together, but it was an overwhelming experience. That was my first real encounter with what might be termed the London tourist experience, with seeing the Miss Saigon musical, having endless food sensations in Covent Garden, Soho and Camden Town and visiting all the obvious tourist attractions - the Dungeon, the London Tower - as well as some Israeli delights of hiding our Israeli identity while listening to anti-Israel enthusiastics in the Hyde Park speakers corner. London loves its tourist and finances aside - tourists like it back.

Third time was kind’o a surprise, with the events of 9/11 that resulted in a surreal backpacking extraordinare through some of south England’s beautiful sites - Brighton, the Isles, New Forest etc. My London experience during that visit was quite a trauma as it contradicted everything else that I’ve experienced during that visit and which I considered beautiful and special about England. As a backpacker in London you get the see the ugliest side of things, with the most horrible over-priced hostels and neighborhoods with lots of booze, drugs and prostitution. My fellow backpackers liked to term it "authentic" and "dodgy" but that didn’t quite capture the sensation. I hated every moment in London and was utterly relieved when I finally arrived to stay with a friend in NY’s Central Park West.

In the past year I came in to visit here twice, almost a month every time, and at both times it was a new experience - a new London that I haven’t experienced before. I first learned how international this city is, which is  something that I hold the highest respect for, and what it’s like to be an international student. Having been to a few countries around the world I’ve come to appreciate the quality of life some of the Londoners enjoy and adore their life style.

In a recent pub get-together with an Italian student here in London I was asked what I thought of London. Without giving it much thought I responded that I find London to be "too familiar" and when asked what I meant I said "it’s almost not culturally challenging enough, ironically - I’d rather be somewhere that would make me feel alive". I soon heard that this was far from the Italian student’s experience of struggling daily to overcome budget and culture difficulties in London, having come to a point were she hated London so much - she fell in love with it. I then realized that I do have a complicated love/hate relationship with London, where on one day I might think that people living here are very fortunate and on another - wonder how anybody could ever stand it.