Where to begin?... Somehow it's a feeling that time is up. I first arrived in 2000 to study fashion and pursue my dreams. The funny thing about London is how edgy this city is, you end up in places you've never anticipated, not even in your wildest dreams. Life is unpredictable and everything passes by in a flash. Here this feeling is incredibly vivid, people come and go and things change all the time.
During my student years, it was a mission to juggle part-time work, assignments and a whole series of dinner parties and new clubbing experiences. These took up a whole new level when I got my first proper job, by then it would require some serious management, from organising guest lists to many fleeting friends to wardrobe styling: it was all about sexy dresses, eye-catching high heels and beautiful clutch bags. These posh evenings at exclusive members clubs would alternate with all night long dancing in old jeans and comfortable trainers in crazy warehouse parties in East London.
That time was marked by working hard as a broadcasting producer, this would include working bank holidays and doing one week of night shifts per month, which completely messed up my body clock, as I was regularly shifting from day to night and night to day. My way of coping with this was to party harder, from private parties at the top floor of Shoreditch House and Sketch, to holidays in Ibiza where I would spend a whole month's salary in just a week... It was definitely a rollercoaster ride!
Suddenly on my birthday, life as I knew it collapsed, slowly becoming just a distant memory... On that day, when redundancy of the whole team was announced, someone told me it was "a blessing in disguise". And so it was. A new chapter in my life started to unfold, there was time to take a good look at the person I had become and the direction my life was taking, and to actually make a conscious decision to change everything.
My spiritual development became my number one priority, and to this day, there is definitely an active engagement on my part to live wholeheartedly and die peacefully. My initial fashion career goals never came to fruition in London, but I have tried my best to make them happen so there are no regrets. I haven't given them up just yet, but will probably try somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, I still love this city but really need to move on right now.
As a farewell to London, here are some of my favourite things:
It challenges your perception - you can never predict how someone really is, and even if you do, chances are you will be surprised! The wide range of nationalities, ways of living, attitudes, beliefs and style makes London quite unique;
It surprises you - no matter how much you think you know this city, there are always unexpected places and sights just around the corner;
It nurtures you - London offers such a vibrant cultural life: inspiring art exhibitions, thought-provoking open air theatre, mesmerising ballet dancers, engaging talks...;
It entertains you - From super stylish bars to Michelin-starred restaurants, catwalk shows to magazine festivals and events, there's always something interesting happening, so the difficulty is to keep up with it.
It sets you free - whatever you're into, you will surely find it here, and will be able to explore it fully without any constraints.