necessary roughness

today, we went to see the first of a number of leads on flats. it was definitely an enlightening experience.

prior to coming here, we had received excellent, detailed descriptions of the different areas of london. it included commentary on relative costs, the types of residents that live there, activities, and recommendations on where to go, if possible, and which areas to stay away from. we were advised to stay away because certain areas of london can be quite 'rough.' we put it in quotation marks not because it's not true, but because, before coming here, it was difficult for us to assess what is meant by 'rough.'

as an added complication, we have been amazingly blessed with our current accomodations. the location is great because it's central and we can walk to a lot of places and thus save on the cost of taking transit everywhere. (as a side note, we've been walking around for six straight days now, and our legs are starting to feel it. it's one thing to know that people elsewhere in the world walk a lot more than north americans and quite another to actually experience it first-hand.) the downside to where we live right now - if there can even be a downside - is that it gives us a very skewed picture of what london is like. like we said, it's very central, and so there's always a lot going on and it's fairly safe. (we're quite glad it's safe because, otherwise, our first night would have been quite scary indeed, trudging along at a slow pace with all our luggage)

that's not necessarily reflective of how all of london is. another friend mentioned that rough areas can't be avoided in london, and it's quite hit or miss. you can go out on a street and look in one direction and it'll look very pleasant. but you turn your head the other way and it looks 'dodgy,' as they say here.

but again, that begs the question: how rough is 'rough'? are we going to be walking in mortal fear for our lives? or is it just a little more rustic than a typical upper middle class neighbourhood in a toronto suburb? i mean, some might say the area around downsview park is a little 'rough', but it's not really on the same level as, say, flemingdon park, or regent park (in the old days).

but back to london. we went to a place in the north part of the greater london area, by finsbury park tube station. we managed to walk out of the wrong exit at the station and in the wrong direction. we were actually half-looking for the lidl - a discount grocery store in the area, but realized after a while that we had taken a wrong turn somewhere and corrected our course.

we finally ended up at the flat we were going to view, which was located in a council flat - the british term for government-subsidized housing blocks. the flat was on the top floor of one of the blocks, and the stairwell smelled strongly of burning incense. the current resident was a very nice girl, albeit a bit different from what we're used to. (she was a self-professed 'lady of leisure' and if you're not familiar with the term, it can be quite alarming at first, especially if you saw how she was dressed)

and i guess that's the point. from the second we stepped out of the station until we got back on the train, both of us were a little on edge. it was different from what we were used to, which is a good thing. God loves to challenge us to get uncomfortable. if we feel safe all the time, we have no need for Him. of course we want to find a flat in a place that's a) safe, b) central, c) nice (as in clean, modern, etc.), and d) inexpensive. tell any londoner that list of criteria and they'll tell you instantly that it's not possible. our challenge is to stay open to where God wants us to be.

in all fairness, when people say areas in london are 'rough', they actually are quite rough. the council flat we were in had the same vibe as regent, alexandra park or warden woods in toronto. but who knows, God may challenge us to live in one of the 'rougher' areas of london. maybe He doesn't want us to avoid these areas, but embrace them. it's definitely not the london tourists want to see, but it's london all the same. and we've grown from the experience of just walking around the area today.