Rich People Live Here

11-25-2008

Since the first day we moved in on York Terrace East, I could tell lived in a nice area of London. But it took me a few weeks to realize how nice it was. The flats across the street from MTH and to our right and left are millions of pounds.

My first clue was Regents Park. It’s the most beautiful park in London and to have it in your backyard must not come cheaply.

My second clue came from my walk I take just about every day to ISH. In my walk, I always pass by a flat that has it’s lower window lit up as if they are proud to display what disgusts me. A zebra pelt rug laying on the floor ears attached, neck mane draped to one side, and clearly is not an imitation. On the couch next to this unjust death rug is a blanket made of raccoon pelts with the tails decoratively dangling from the edges. This one could very well be a fake, but judging from how much money these people must have, it’s probably not.

Another clue that really solidified my knowledge of where exactly I was living came from two east Londoners. Joe and Ben came to west London just looking for a little night out and ended up running across the ISH bar and the Wisconsin ladies. These guys were awesome though because they didn’t discriminate. They bought just as much alcohol for us guys as they did the girls. Eventually we got around to the topic of where we live and we said, “well, we live here.” Their jaws dropped as they said, “do you realize where you are?” They continued to tell us how Madonna has a flat not far from here and that millionaires are the only ones that call the Regent’s Park area home.

So, am I a millionaire? No, far from it. But the International Students House is subsidized by the government and allows for students to live cheaply where they would otherwise only dream of living. It’s a sweet deal for ISH, because they also house a club in the basement that carries big name acts. So essentially, they have a government subsidized club. Talk about bank.

The last and final clue I have for knowing where I live is the reminder I pass by every day that is written on the size of the International Students House:

And while we are students scraping by here in London, we are living in London. So that statement holds quite a bit of truth.