Letters from the Equator

Rather than taking pot-shots at one side of the fence, I’ll share a bit of my experiences transitioning from KL to London.

I’d like to state that my objective was for career progression and a change in environment. As a previous employee with a UK company, I had already gotten a taste of London through several business trips. The rain and gray skies don’t bother me that much, since we get a lot of that back home. I prefer the weather here, and that makes a big difference in decision making.

Affordable living depends on a lot of things

As you would expect, London is a very expensive city. But a lot of people stop there. Why is it expensive? What exactly is expensive about it? Does that mean I have to be a rich guy to survive?

Well, it depends. Take a look on the other side. There has been a growing concern about rising food prices in KL. A plate of mee goreng will probably cost you RM3.50 to 4, depending on where you are. It’s not a whole lot, but it’s a psychological effect that ngaws at you, time and again. Simply because salaries aren’t increasing. I believe it is the perception of the value you get out of the entire work-life experience. Everyone seems to be saying the same time – KL is getting more expensive every day.

London is expensive because the £2 you spend on your latte can go to saving up for an ipod touch, which will cost 50 times more. To me, that’s like constantly choosing between having food and having a cool gadget. Most of the time, people choose food. And people drink a lot here. Beers go from £2 to £5? Stop drinking beer a few dozen times and you’ll be able to afford a branded portable stereo.

Lifestyle matters

I think that’s the hardest thing about London, because I come from a country where food is taken for granted.

Of course, not everyone compares London like that. If you compare it to a lot of European cities, well… things start looking more obvious. In Denmark, shops close really early. 5.30pm on weekdays, 1pm on Saturdays. Don’t even think about Sundays. It’s quite the same story in Germany, and many other European countries. The UK is part of the EU, but it’s got a slightly different culture. Maybe you can call it an island mentality. I don’t know.

If you think about it, if you don’t have any place to spend your money, you’ll save more. It’s not easy to do that when London is so vibrant and everyone meets at a pub or celebrates birthdays at posh restaurants.

It’s funny that in KL, you have that too – eating out is very, very common. Especially with people in their 20s to 30s. I think my parents did a wise thing to cook at home a lot. But for me, I was always eating out. That used to eat into the wallet a lot.

Now, I cook a fair bit more. At least 50% more, I’d like to think. Sometimes less, sometimes more. I do it partly out of necessity. And I do it partly because I don’t get home-cooked food.

Work culture

People here address each other by their first names. They don’t call their professors “sir” or “miss”. They don’t call their bosses “Mr. Chan” or “Mrs. Smith”. People work because they can do the work, it’s okay, as long as it doesn’t invalidate their preferences and self-esteem.

I think that a lot of Malaysians are more forgiving, in the sense of getting work done and doing what the boss wants. But it works the other way too – it’s quite easy to assume the boss knows what to do, and it’s easy for the boss to dictate the work.

But here, it’s kind of a peer thing, almost. It’s not quite polar opposites, but there’s a bit more transparency. It wasn’t always like that, though. And there tend to be a lot more small companies who can get good projects. And back home… well… a lot of big projects are awarded based on preferential relationships.

But it’s not bad either way. It’s just two different cultures.

Look and feel of a city

For some reason, the Brits are big into museums and maintaining the charm of a neighborhood. Back in Malaysia there are numerous streets that have replaced so many old ones, I can’t quite remember what it was like 20 years ago. Street names being changed and all.

Here, everything needs to go through a very long process to get approval. Even if Starbucks wants to put their seats outside, they have to put up a sign telling people that they can contest that if they wanted. There are pros and cons. If you live in the neighborhood and don’t want Starbucks cluttering the sidewalk, you can contest that and it’ll probably work.

Culture in the London is a lot more diverse and complex. There are over 7 million people living in the city. There’s a lot happening. It’s quite hard to get bored of this place.

KL feels really cosy in comparison to London. Even if it felt like a lifetime driving from my house to my aunt’s place in Melawati, it’s nothing compared to the M25.

If you’re coming to London, plan to stay at least a week. There’s lots to see and do. And if you’re visiting KL, make sure you plan your journey around food stops. I personally love both cities, but I’m liking London a lot right now.