What a year!
I cannot think of a single year in my life when living in London has been so historical. We have had a Prime Minister ousted, brought down by scandal. It was only a few months ago when decorated soldiers marched, gilded horses trotted, and trumpeters blew their horns as I, plus hundreds of thousands of others, surrounded Buckingham Palace to pay tribute to the Queen's 70-year reign. A milestone not reached by any other British monarch.
Read MoreSince moving to England, there have been a few cultural adjustments, some societal compromises I needed to make. The most obvious was the weather. It didn't matter what the forecast, there was always, always a chance of rain.
Then, there was the desensitizing to that “C’ word that the Brits like to drop, as frequent as the chance of rain. To put that into some much-needed context, Brits have over a hundred different words or phrases to talk about rain. I’d further like to add 94% of British people admitted to having talked about the weather in the past six hours
And of course, the horror when it’s discovered that not only do I not have a football club (soccer for my North American friends) I support, I actually don't give a shit about the sport.
But the one thing I’ve been able to climb on board with is their quizzes. Now for all those who have never attended a Quiz Night with me, my contribution to the team (other than getting us all into the Soho House) could to summed up with only two categories; 1970’s US Television Theme Songs or Fun Facts about Colin Firth Movies. But somehow I’ve managed to park my humiliation and every month I look forward to it.
This is to say, that my interest in unless trivia (that you would never need to know unless you are at a Quiz Night) has peaked.
As a North American living in London you have a certain vantage point, you're able to see what is uniquely British AND what is not. While the Americans or Canadian's tend to look for the newest, biggest and shiniest next thing the British celebrate the oldest, dustiest and longest standing. It is proudly written in gold glided letters outside store fronts "established in" or on a historical plaque telling you who was "nearly done in" at this place hundreds of years before you were even born.
Read MoreIt is believed to be started by a faulty appliance. The fire broke out in Grenfell Tower, an apartment building in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea not far from where I live. Grenfell is located in a pocket of social deprivation within one of the wealthiest areas of Britain. London's wealthiest borough yet its poorest neighbourhood.
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