It’s a bit of a personal post today… The catalyst for this is something that happened yesterday morning. Not sure if I should share it or not, after all this is a wedding blog… But it’s part of who I am and as I said before, I feel that it is important to allow you to get to know me… So here I am, pouring my heart out to you.
I met a girl on the train platform today that reminded me of myself when I first came to this country. She is young (only 20, bless her!) and has come to England to achieve her dreams, big things, plans that the Italy of today wouldn’t allow you to achieve.
It made me think about how much I love and hate London (I know, hate is a strong word, but I can’t help the feeling) and how much these feelings translate into even more love and hate for my own country – Italy.
I love London because it’s where I met my husband. And this country is what makes him who he is, the man I love and wouldn’t live without.
I love London because it has allowed me to go back to university and study the way I like to study – in practical terms.
I love it because some things run like clockwork – precisely, orderly, and mostly fairly.
I love it because it is giving me the opportunity to be self-employed and pay the most reasonable amount of tax, and more than anything, because despite the cluttered market, it’s giving me an opportunity to start my own business as a wedding planner, while in my own country some of the very few planners that have started trading go out of business because being self-employed is exceptionally difficult and costly.
I hate London too, however, and not for that many reasons, but simply because it has robbed me of that Dolce Vita feeling that only Italians possess – the good food, lazy meals, afternoon naps, the summer and winter holidays in your own country, the pedantic attitude towards aestheticism and beauty, and the general sense of respect children learn at school, because if you haven’t studied, you will have to go back and repeat the year – a lesson that teaches everyone, even 6 year olds, that bad behaviour is not tolerated and that your actions lead to consequences.
Please forgive me if you think I’m crossing the line. As I said, this country has given, and is constantly giving me so much. Every summer, actually no, every day the sun is out, I fall in love with London all over again. After all, I’ve spent a 1/3 of my life here. Sometimes, as I’m on a train into London and as I approach Charing Cross, I look at the London Eye, Bankside, the green parks, and I tell myself that I am incredibly lucky. So many young Italians would do anything to be in my shoes. But, you see, for us Italians good food and weather are ingrained in our makeup. You take these things away from us, and life is no longer the same. You’ll manage for 5-10 years, but after a while it shows.
However, the lack of these things is what makes me more determined to succeed in what I do have and make the most of it. I’m really determined to make my wedding planning work – in fact, if you do know of any bride-to-be who’s about to start planning her wedding and needs help, please do let me know. While I’m not planning to work for free, I’m happy to do one or two weddings at a nominal fee…
I want the blog to pick up pace too, but I need your help. While I don’t want to step on anyone’s shoes, I know that lots of bloggers get literally inundated with submissions, and they are not always in a position to accept all submissions, so if you are a supplier or photographer and you want to submit something, or if you are a bride and you want to submit your wedding, please check our submission page.
Have you too left your own country to live somewhere else, perhaps to follow your other half, or follow a career? If yes, how do you find it? Are you enjoying it or do you find it challenging? I’d love to hear from you.
x Betta
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