London, Somehow

I still often feel deeply grateful for the life I have now. Not everyone gets the same opportunity I do: to be 26 years old and living in one of the centers of the world.

Every time I walk through London and see The Shard near where I live, St. Paul’s by the Thames, or simply wander through the streets of the City of London, I am reminded of how lucky I am.

Naval was right. One of the most important decisions in life is choosing where to live, because everything else, work, friendships, and the circles you move in, will unfold around that choice.

London belongs to the world by nature. Unlike Taipei, which belongs mainly to Taiwan, here you meet ambitious people from everywhere. Even though London’s weather is often grey and rainy, people’s eyes still seem to shine.

Some coincidences in life make you feel how beautiful it all is. One sunny afternoon, I had Korean barbecue with a Malaysian engineer. Afterward, I walked by the Thames with an Indian friend and bought a cup of Japanese matcha. Then we rode e-bikes to his place and spent the evening with a Russian and two British roommates, enjoying nature’s gift and watching the sunset.

That night, I grabbed a pint with an artist who was also from Taiwan. Then she invited me to a newly opened gallery nearby, and I accidentally found myself inside a gathering of London’s sharpest artists. People stood close together, talking in clusters. She taught me how to recognize designers: look for whether they add a subtle twist to a classic outfit. I do not remember much else from the conversations, only that they circled around art, life, hometowns, and the future.

For some reason, I have always resisted being labeled as part of any specific tribe. Are people not allowed to have many different kinds of interests? I do not want to become just one member of some labeled group. I only want to be myself. I am me. Being nine thousand kilometers away from home has made it easier to find myself. The accumulation of the past twenty-five years shows up in how I move and speak, but at the same time, the old assumptions no longer exist. Although conversations often begin with work, people are also curious about everything else that makes you who you are. Because everyone is the same: equally brave, equally lonely.

Compared with the excitement I felt when I first arrived, my life in London now carries more weight, and also more gratitude. In this city, everyone is trying hard to live, earning wages to pay expensive rent and living costs. But the city is also full of energy and life. People talk about embracing more uncertainty, stepping onto bigger stages, and influencing more people. I long for the same things too. I long for dreams to come true.

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還是時常對於現在的生活感到眷顧，並不是所有人都享受和我一樣的機會，能夠在26歲的年紀處在世界的中心之一。

每每散步在倫敦街頭看著租屋處旁的The Shard、泰晤士河旁的St.Paul、以及單單走在倫敦金融城街道上都提醒著我的幸運。

Naval說的沒錯，人生中可以做的幾個重要決定之一便是選擇居住的地方，因為其餘的，例如工作、交友、和生活圈都會圍繞著展開。

倫敦先天就是屬於世界的，和台北只屬於台灣不同，在這你能遇到來自世界各地野心勃勃的人們，儘管倫敦的天氣陰雨綿綿但人們的眼神卻閃耀光芒。

有些日子裡的巧合讓人不得不感嘆生命的美好，例如某天陽光燦爛的中午和馬來西亞的工程師吃韓式烤肉，結束後和印度朋友到泰晤士河邊散步買了杯日本抹茶，接著騎電動單車到他住處和一個俄羅斯人跟另外兩名英國室友享受大自然的饋贈看著日落。

晚上則和一位同樣來自台灣的藝術家grab a pint，接著被邀請去附近一家剛開幕的畫廊，誤入倫敦精銳藝術家們的聚會，人們簇擁著交談，她教我辨識設計師的方式，重點是觀察穿著是否在經典的套裝上加入巧思，其他談了什麼不太記得，但話題圍繞藝術、生活、家鄉、與未來。

不知道什麼緣故，總是排斥被貼標籤為某特定族群，人難道不被允許擁有多種多樣的嗜好嗎？我想要成為的不是任一種標籤化的群體之一，而僅僅是自己，我就是我，遠離家鄉九千公里更能找到自己，過去二十五年的累積反映在舉手投足，但同時不存在一切先入為主的既定印象，儘管多數時候從工作切入，但同時也好奇你這個人的一切，因為大家都是一樣的，一樣勇敢，一樣孤獨。

對於倫敦相較剛來時的興奮多了生活的重擔和油然而生的感謝，在這座城市每個人都努力地活著，賺取工資才能付上高昂的租金跟生活開銷，但同時這座城市也充滿活力和生機，大家都談論著如何擁抱更多未知，前進更大舞台，影響更多人們，我也是這樣憧憬著，憧憬著夢想成真。

• Tags:
• London
• Life
• Reflection