135- You Always Remember Your First.

An utterly scratched up, overused, cliche, this one.

"You always remember your first."

-Your first love.
-First day at university.
-First this, first that.

When I moved to London in 2016, my first stop (apart from Heathrow Airport) was Walworth Road, in Elephant and Castle. From what I've learned, this section of the borough of Southwark, has got itself quite a reputation. Some have said that this part of South London is shady, unsafe, and economically downtrodden. Others have said that Elephant and Castle is emerging as a hipster haven, with new coffeeshops and artistic spaces popping up left and right. But what is Elephant and Castle to me? Compared to other folks, I tend to take a "Penny Lane" approach to places I live in. I say this because I tend to be fascinated by what goes into fully immersing one's self in a neighborhood, and not just being a passer-by. I did live in Elephant and Castle for a good year, and so, I do have quite a few things to say about it- from the silly, to the serious, from the essential, to the utterly mundane.

Shopping For Essentials

Every neighborhood needs a set of grocery stores to help keep mums, kids, and students like myself fully stocked with grub. My apartment was situated at the mouth (or early on into Walworth Road from the Elephant and Castle tube station) of Walworth Road. Given this, one had four options for getting groceries sans having to go too far.

*The Shopping Center- Ah, yes, the Elephant and Castle shopping center. Gritty, grimy, with a functioning branch of Gregg's, Peacocks, and Boots. And oh, the joint's got a Tesco that's been around since the sixties (I think), and an Iceland. And oh, there's a Poundland there too. For things like tissue paper, cotton swabs, energy bars, and the occasional bottled drink (I purchased a bottle of water there once when my friend Joven and I decided to have dinner at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant), I'd usually go to Poundland. For good meat, good heat-them-up-and-you're-set food, and cheap five liter bottles of water (I later discovered it was cheaper to buy numerous smaller bottles from places like Sainsbury and Lidl), I'd head over to Iceland. For juice, soya milk, breakfast breads, and yogurt, I'd do Tesco. Yes, I am a bit of a supermarket nerd.

*The Asian Joint Adjacent to My Building- Oh Aobaba, how I miss you. Aobaba is a chain store that consists of an Asian grocery, and a small Asian cafe. The prices of supermarket good there, to my recollection, were pretty high, so, I'd only buy from there if laziness struck and I needed to address an Asian food fix with dumplings or salt and pepper beef. As for the Asian cafe, I have a lot of good memories associated with the place. This was the first restaurant I had a proper meal in in London, the first place where I ate in with friends, where I'd get Vietnamese noodles before and after doing tough school assignments, and where I'd go after school for dinner on cold days for some squid and a Banh Mi. I may live miles from and E & C now, but whenever I do get the chance to head South, I always visit (or at least consider going to) Aobaba.

*Further Down Walworth- As one goes further down Walworth High Road, one encounters a bevy of shopping options. There's Sam's Convenience Store for little knick knacks and cheap sports drinks (stopped buying the ones Sam's sold after awhile after determining that the sugar content was way too high). I also recall buying my first pieces of Tupperware when I first got to London, from Sam's. Then you have your token Tesco Express, with goods priced slightly higher (sometimes) than stuff you can buy at larger Tesco outlets, but frequently visited by residents nonetheless due to its strategic location and long operating hours (it was the only supermarket along Walworth open past five o'clock in the afternoon on Sundays...it was a lifesaver especially after evening gym sessions). After Tesco, you'd see Morisson's Southwark, or MoMo, as I like to call it. I think I enjoyed shopping at Morisson's the most, given that the prices were lower than Tesco, Sainsbury, Iceland, and Aobaba, and because the place had a lot to offer- from shrimp curry dishes, to baked chicken, to microwaveable rice, to rice crackers, to good fruits, veg, and breads. And oh, I got myself a MoMo More Card. So there, I've professed my love for MoMo. I'd also bump into my friend Kat a lot in this part of town, not too surprising considering that Kat worked, lived, and went to church near Walworth Road. Past MoMo, there was another Poundland, an Iceland, and Tesco Camberwell. The case of Tesco Camberwell is quite interesting. The shop would work with long operating hours just like the Tesco Express nearer my flat. I'd buy last minute snacks and rations from here after working out on some nights, given that this Tesco branch was located just two doors down from my gym (The Gym Walworth Road).

*CeX Walworth- The store I'd always visit for browsing, but never for buying. I think I've gone to so many branches of CeX to browse (Wood Green, Tooting Broadway, Cambridge, Newcastle, etc. etc. etc.) but have never ended up buying anything because of sudden moments of me telling myself, "oh you don't need that", or, "I can just get that DVD from Amazon or Ebay". Eye candy for sure, but that's it. Just eye candy. "How much is that doggie in the window?" moments galore.


The Gym

Among the gym chains in London which I've encountered over the past year (Easygym, Virgin, Fitness First, etc.), The Gym always managed to fit my needs, and my budget, perfectly. The place managed to offer me a no-frills, all business, venue within which I could train, relax my mind, and kick myself in the ass. I've spent many a day at gyms pondering on life, trying to get over a bad day, a bad decision, or, pushing myself towards getting physically and mentally stronger in preparation for a race. Loyal customer here, folks, as I've found myself moving my membership to a branch of The Gym near where I live today.

Being an exercise club member does have its quirky moments. I remember always seeing this gentleman in a hoodie, in The Gym at Walworth. He would sit on one of the leg curl machines and eat, and listen to music via his gigantic headphones. I'm not sure how much work he'd actually get in, but he certainly always did seem relaxed. Then there would be knowing which treadmills to use, and which to avoid. Some treadmills at the place would have loose belts, which would then make slipping off the darn thing and making a scene a distinct possibility. Avoid treadmill five, row two, from the left side of the gym. It'll toss you off it like no one's business.


Central Perks 

Living at the E & C meant being in London's Zone 1. Being in Zone 1 means being in close proximity to the city center. Because this is South East London we're talking about, this also meant living near the River Thames, and some pretty famous bridges. I can say that I've done long runs wherein I've crossed London, Lambeth, Victoria, Battersea, Waterloo, Blackfriars, Southwark, and Millennium bridges over my time in the UK. That's how much I love running, running in London, and running by the water. I'd run for miles and miles from my flat at the E & C, going through to places like Kensington and Victoria in the West, towards Stratford in the East, to Clapham in the South, or, just around the many side roads which would bring me around places like Kennington Road, Vauxhall, Waterloo, and Bermondsey in case I didn't have the luxury of time, or, in case the weather wasn't being cooperative. I've resigned myself to exploring cities through running. I've done running in North London too, but, there's something about living in the South, near the river, that made things a wee bit more engrossing.


The Wheels of the Bus Go Round and Round

One of the things I liked about living along Walworth Road was that you could hop on a bus that would take you as far east as Stratford City, and as far west as Shepherd's Bush. Everything seemed within reach from this little enclave in South East London. A National Rail station, along with Bakerloo and Northern Line Tube stations, were also always within reach.

Whenever I wanted to save on a few bucks, I'd avoid walking over to New Kent Road to take the number 1 or number 188 bus to Canada Water. Why? Because Canada Water houses a branch of renowned sports outlet Decathlon (which just recently opened a branch in Manila). Me going into Decathlon with a loaded debit card equals me going home with a boatload of new stuff. Good, but not good. Not good, but good.


Surprises

On the outside, the E & C may seem like a drab part of London, but in between the old flats and antiquated shopping centre, lay some surprises. There was the Coronet Theatre, a venue that opened in 1879, and one that claims to have hosted performances by Charlie Chaplain (who was born in Southwark) way back when. The place has dodged moves to have it demolished, but, according to some articles I've read, may be in real danger of kissing the sledgehammer in 2018. I've been in the place for some independent wrestling shows over the past year (WCPW, now Defiant Wrestling). The authorities should at least consider renovating the place before concluding that it needs to be torn down. Historical sites are always worth saving.

Then there's Mercato Metropolitano near South Bank University London. Expensive food, yes, but a nice atmosphere to bask in over a bottle of vino with friends. The station building for the E & C's Bakerloo Line has been preserved, and rightfully so, given its classic red, terra-cotta tile, Leslie Green exterior. Further down the road, you'll find Geraldine Mary Harmsworth park, a patch of green that would often house its share of local weirdos (some blokes who'd had way too much to drink), active types (bikers, and runners like yours truly), and families and lovebirds out for a stroll (especially in the summertime). A notable gem within the park is the Imperial War Museum, which moved to GMHP in 1936 from Crystal Palace. The place houses an fairly extensive collection of artifacts from World Wars 1 and 2. Their holocaust exhibition, which I went to earlier this year, infused me and a friend from school with enough grief to last a lifetime. Enthralling, but oh so sad.

E & C is just a short, pleasant, walk from the Lambeth North, Blackfriars, and Waterloo areas. I've passed through these roads countless times over the past year during training runs. I'd pass Lambeth North whenever I wanted to run through to Westminster. I'd head off to Waterloo, well, to pass Wasabi in Waterloo's National Rail station at the end of my run to buy dinner before walking back home to Walworth. I'd do Blackfriars whenever I'd opt to run East, or, run down through South Bank, or, make an alternate approach to London Bridge.


Before I Flew Over

I did research on the E & C before moving to London in 2016. Initially, I was worried that I'd be moving to a rather unsafe place, given that the first video that comes up on Youtube when you search "Elephant and Castle Walworth Road", is footage of riots that occurred along Walworth in 2011. Then I read about the infamous Heygate Estate that was described in a number of pieces I encountered as a hotbed for crime. A few weeks before I moved in, a dead body was found in one of the side streets adjacent to Walworth High Street.

While it is only logical for one to worry upon reading stuff like this, I did try to keep an open mind upon leaving the Philippines. Every big city in the world has its share of gritty districts, and in a number of ways, the E & C is one of London's rougher areas. Rough, yes, but there are places far more dangerous, and intimidating. All in all, my year there turned out to be one without incident, save for one time when a bunch of drunk local youths jeered at me for no apparent reason as I walked home from the gym on an otherwise nondescript Sunday evening.


Postscript

I will always remember the E & C to be my first port of call in London. The place has its positives, and its negatives, but all in all, I'm thankful to have experienced a less glamorous part of London first before having been exposed to the city's more posh sections. Living in South East London gave me a sense of perspective about how typical Londoners lived their daily lives, and the fact that my school was so near home didn't hurt, either.

Things have come full circle for me in the span of a year. From beginning my postgraduate student journey in the South, to now, concluding it as a Northerner, the entire London experience has been a blast. For a time, I got the chance to "be", and not just "pass through".

I've got so many more stories to tell. I'd be glad to share more here. I just had to begin at E & C, though, as that's where my airport taxi left me and my bags one chilly September evening in 2016.

MC