about the pinay londoner
Are you planning on moving or working as an expat in the United Kingdom, and start a new life? How about, going as a tourist and visit London to get away briefly from your boss? Or, let’s keep it plain and simple: are you just randomly curious about what living abroad feel like?
Welcome, whoever you may be, you arrived at the right site.
The Pinay Londoner, translated as “The Filipina Londoner,” is a site full of helpful guides, and tips in moving or living as an expat in the United Kingdom.
We'd like to help you get started
Know what to prepare
on your Move to the UK
Being in a country for the first time where familiarity is a struggle, the least you want is go running like a headless chicken who’s completely clueless on what to expect.
To some, fitting three years of their lives in a 46-kg luggage bag is grueling enough. Not to mention the hustle of complying with all documents in the embassy and sending back and forth emails to your agency.
I know that. That’s why this blog is here to help.
This blog aims to provide useful information to help you move to the UK and make it your second home.
Check on the articles under the categories: moving, living, working, saving in the UK, as well as traveling in the UK and beyond, to know more. Plus, head on to the UK Expat Diary for more articles on the journey of living abroad.
Meet The UK Expat
Hi, I'm Grace
Kamusta? [How are you?]
Ever remember the first time you set foot at the Heathrow Airport? As for me, the first thing I asked myself was, “Is this still the airconditioning, or is this really how cold it is outside?” As somebody who never flew on an international flight before, it took quite a moment for me to convince myself, I was 6,969.39 miles away from Iloilo (my home province in the Philippines).
So here it goes. Let me just tell you some more.
Life as an expat
I was 24 when I moved to the UK for the “Greener Pasture.” For somebody who has never traveled outside the Philippine archipelago, taking this leap is my “one for the books” story.
I was curious about the world beyond the tropics. There I was, consumed by the excitement of the adventures and misadventures in the waiting. All I felt was the pump, the adrenaline. Finally, “London” is not just one country’s capital in my Almanac.
But here’s the plot twist. You won’t be breathing fairy dust when you start a life abroad (at least at first). Of course, starting anew turned out a little bit complex to what I prepared myself into.
My first night in the UK, I cried. Wait, don’t judge 😅. Sure, I’ve been to science camps before. However, that time I realized I camped a 14-hour long flight away from home, a bus may reach in its 10 lifetimes. I left the Philippines not even knowing how to cook a single meal, except for frying. I never traveled longer than 54 kilometers away from my hometown (on my own). I used to speak English in school, but oh boy, it did not sink in, I have to use the language day in and day out.
Honestly, what was I thinking? Lol 😅
I struggled with the tiniest adjustment of my new normal. From wanting to use an umbrella when it’s warm and sunny, to just keeping it in my bag or else people will think I’m awkward and weird. From scavenging for rice meals in Deliveroo, to shopping for quick snacks at Tesco.
Years after years, things got better (thank God). I learned to perfect the art of following cooking instructions online, to get more comfortable being tan, and to leave my umbrella when it’s sunny. Yipee!
Needless to say, these might be the most superficial case in the history of how challenging living is as an expat (Oh, I think it is 😅). I am just merely oversimplifying this. There are more other serious examples but writing everything here will bore you for a day or two.
So, I’ll spare the yawning.
The side hustle
Full-time Nurse Part-time Writer
I went to the UK under a working visa. Despite having a full-time job which makes me draw up drugs in syringes every day, I was vulnerable to the gravitational pull leading me to my pen and paper [I mean, my laptop with a Starbucks coffee on the side 😅].
I have been writing for school publications since grade school. But in writing pieces online, I was a late bloomer. I wrote two articles for my blog on a free WordPress site in 2015 but got caught up in work and play, and later on, forgot it even existed. Not until April 2020 when I wrote an admiration post on Facebook for my colleagues during the COVID19 crisis, I remembered how I used to enjoy pouring out my thoughts. through writing back in the days. It took some time to scrape off the rust but I gave it a go, and soon lead to the birth of ‘thepinaylondoner.com.’
Finally,
I made this blog with the ultimate goal of helping new expats in making the UK as their second home. The topics I have included were the very same questions I had, which I hope I had quick answers before. I believe settling to foreign land shouldn’t be that hard if you are psyched-up and well informed. More so, I want to encourage other people to experience more of London and the UK.
I enjoy sharing my experiences and tips with you, and I hope you could share your experiences and expectations too through the comment sections.
If you don’t want to miss on the journey of living as an expat in the UK, type in your email, and let’s stay connected.
Thanks again for stopping by. Talk to you soon, pretty human!
Always,
