The Brit Abroad has landed in London

On August 1st, I woke up somewhere I never thought I'd be: London. Don't get me wrong, I've woken up in London many times before, but this was the first time I woke up there as a resident. Yes folks, I have broken my vow never to live in the capital, much to the puzzlement of friends who have endured my protestations over the years.

Based mostly on an ill-informed dislike of big city living and a wish to escape the stress and frenetic pace of London, I'd always chosen to job search elsewhere, mainly in my beloved Spain. In 2009 I moved to Madrid, another city which initially overwhelmed me and sent me running for the safety of my barrio, but which finally won me over and gained a permanent place in my heart. It was here in Madrid that I first tested the travel blogging waters with Tales of a Brit Abroad, my take on being the alternative 'Brit abroad', and a  guide to Spain, of sorts.

After a year of expat life, I finally felt ready to haul an obscene amount of luggage onto the 11am Luton-bound flight and make the long-delayed career move to England's capital. Now that I've finally recovered from hauling half my body weight in baggage from Luton to my temporary (I must stress, temporary) home in Stepney, I'm beginning an unexpected process of cultural adjustment. After living in Madrid for a year, I was surprised to find myself more used to Spain's cultural norms than my own country's. This is most evident on the public transport spiderweb that is the metro. Err, I mean the tube. Whipping a wooden fan from your handbag and waving it frantically in front of your face while huffing about the heat is standard behaviour in Madrid, but here it earns you odd sideways looks. Yes, sideways: it's not OK to stare in London. In Madrid, I had grown used to - although I can't say I was exactly a fan of - the head-to-toe stares of fellow passengers, presumably appraising my hairstyle, choice of footwear and everything in between. The problem was, I'd even started doing it myself. Now I have to remember to keep my eyes firmly on the Metro rather than dissecting the man next to me's sartorial worth. Another issue is how to greet friends and new acquaintances: go in for the kiss or not? One kiss or two? Shake hands? A process of awkward movements and ear kisses (or misses) inevitably ensues, no doubt leaving everyone wondering why I'm trying to foist faux-European customs on them (or sniffing their hair).

Social readjustment aside, I'm taking to London living far easier than expected. I can't say I have the tube (there, I said it) map stored in my head yet, but I'm starting to get used to its gargantuan size and work out how it all fits together. The grey weather will take a little more time to acclimatise to, but for now, I'm looking forward to scratching the surface of London's saturated events calendar and getting to grips with its dining scene. Watch this space for tales of cultural mishaps, restaurant reviews and city stories, as well as my all-important search for Spanish-style coffee in England's capital.