London Discoveries: Love and Affection. *

London is in love. The whole city. Everyone in this city is infatuated with love and affection. Every single person I have met since arriving here has either been in love, falling out of love or on the never ending, soul destroying, life-affirming search for love.

.

This could not be more different from Ireland. At home, you’d be lucky if your friends would tell you they liked you, never mind a fella telling you he loved you. In fact, I’m not sure if I can fully remember the last time my father, the one man who’s SUPPOSED to love you told me he loved me.

So, it’s safe to say that this came as a shock to the system and initially, if I’m honest, it bothered me slightly. Is there an urgent need for you to chew his mouth off in the station? Must you keep pestering me for my number? Is there any such thing as just a bit of craic? I used to roll my eyes at any member of the opposite sex showing an interest in me and tut loudly at the eejits standing in my way kissing goodbye but now? I’ve come to love it.

"Love is the only one and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence"

Today alone I have encountered several people who look so hopelessly in love that I couldn’t bear to roll my eyes at them, I’ve been asked for my number, a gesture I don’t think has EVER been extended to me at home and I’ve witnessed the most adorable “make up” beside the Thames in the rain? Proper movie scene stuff.

Today alone, I also realised how much easier it was to simply express yourself, honestly. If someone asks you straight out for your number you know they like you and if you willingly hand it out, they know you’ve an interest in them. One hurdle jumped in less than 15 minutes? This has been known to take a few months, at least, at home.

While I don’t think I’ll ever get fully used to people eating the face of each other in broad daylight without a drop of alcohol in their systems it’s kind of nice sometimes to know that someone loves someone else so much that they simply cannot keep their hands off them one second longer.

What with there being millions upon millions of people in London (another hyperbole, Love Them I tell ya!!) how much easier does it make things when people are honest with one another and no one seems to be afraid of rejection. They approach someone and if they’re interested great, if not, wonderful, at least you’re not wasting time thinking about them when they have less interest in you than I do in getting up for work in the morning. It’s all seamlessly easy. No one is ever embarrassed about being rejected or about approaching anyone (on the surface anyway). Everyone is happily dating and no one is cringing at other people being overly affectionate because it was them last night.

I might stay here forever!

*quite text heavy, apologies