Living in London vs Leaving London

While people in London are all complaining about the weather, I am back home living in the sunniest part of France. I wanted to make a list of things that have changed since I got back home for the summer.

1) The food: I have been complaining about the food in London, maybe because I missed French bread so much. Comparing French food to English food was not really a hard thing to do for me. I have to admit that being a French person living in England is hard with the larger choice of chocolates and Ben & Jerries' ice cream, as well as the existence of Nando's restaurants were not going to keep me alive. Especially since I was trying to be healthy.

2) The weather: The sun is a natural source of vitamins, and I do not know how English people or people living in the UK survive. The bad weather puts me in such a bad mood and the lack of natural vitamins is not healthy.

3) I live in the middle of nowhere: Well technically this isn't true since I live in between the Italian border and Monte Carlo, but there is not as many things to do as in London. There aren't any Westfields, or museums, or exhibitions planned everywhere and on everyday of the week. I've got to concentrate on tanning at the beach and visit the Italian pizzerias. For us girls, there are not as many shopping places but the landscape is very different and satisfies many tourists.

4) Luxurious world: Monaco is a bit like ‘Made in Chelsea' and is the home of many grand hotels, luxury yachts and cars, and a casino complex for all the gambling tourists.

Cannes offers luxury boutiques and is home to one of the oldest film festivals in the world. This is all very different from London university where everyone is used to updating their statuses on the social networks claiming they are ‘skint.' The Riviera is not so different from London regarding the clubbing habit, with many clubs, notably in Saint Tropez.

5) Welcome, bienvenue: London and the Riviera are similar regarding the number of international people. No one speaks English in London just like no one speaks French in the Riviera. The place is famous and attracts visitors from all over the world willing to discover beautiful landscapes that make a real change from London.

I hope I have convinced you to come pay me a visit in the 'sunshine French-land'.

Manuela Constantini is a French student currently studying for a degree in Communication Studies at the University of East London. Read more posts by Manuela here.

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