Having spent 6 weeks in the city, I think it is safe to say that I have been immersed in the culture here quite a good amount. Experiencing the city as a tourist during the first few weeks of going to the most popular landmarks and museums is different from living in the city and carrying out my daily activities.
Before coming to London I had known about the commonality of strikes in various places but it wasn’t until I was affected by a tube strike that I realized how these strikes actually affected the scheduling and day-to-day of thousands of people. The fact that tube strikes are acceptable is pretty mind-blowing because in several other countries the people of the city would be very unhappy with the fact that they must add commute time to their day which effectively slows down their day and reduces productivity.
When I came back from traveling Europe one day, it just so happened that there was a tube strike, and my friend and I could not get on any trains. The airport was filled to the brim with people and everyone was in a scramble to purchase coach or bus tickets back to the city. It took over an hour to wait in line for the bus and when we finally did, the bus took half an hour more than it would have taken us by train. This was an experience for me, but when talking to people who were waiting in line with us, they were very calm and civil about it, saying that “it’s how things are in this country”. Another line I hear very often is “it is what it is”.
Dealing with tube strikes can be quite troublesome when you are new to the city, but now I have learnt to accept that it is a ongoing thing so be sure to check when the next tube strikes are happening online before getting on the tube next!