Inside London's Smallest Apartments

Rent prices in London are so expensive that most people cannot afford to live in normalsized apartments.

>> This is like living room space.

>> This means that people must get creative and live smaller if they want to

be in Europe's most desirable city.

>> This is the whole space right here.

>> Today I'm on a mission to track down residents living in the most claustrophobic spaces.

And we begin with >> Oh, good. >> How's it going?

Oh, you're good, man.

>> Who built his entire life on top of a literal dumpster.

>> You actually live here?

>> I live here full time.

>> Wait, there's no lock? It just opens?

Well, there was supposed to be a little bit of a lock.

>> Aha, there is a lock.

>> This is the the technique.

This is also nice security measure.

Someone did break in. >> Oh, no.

>> And I came home one day.

They were sitting out here smoking

and I was like,

By the way, this is a skip, which in the UK is basically a dumpster. >> Yeah. Yeah.

>> So, you live in a dumpster?

>> So, I do live in a dumpster.

>> Let's do it, man.

Entering the skip house of London. >> Wa. Cool.

It's not an easy

entrance initially, but it's you get used to it.

>> Dude, you actually live here.

This is freaking safe, bro.

What is going on?

Just a hop, skip, and a jump. >> bro.

This is so freaking cool.

This is the entire place.

How long have you been living here?

>> 2 and 1/2 years now.

>> And you built it yourself? >> I built it? Yeah. Myself.

>> You seem like a construction type guy.

>> Yeah, that's pretty much my job. Architecture.

cuz I came up with the idea

3 years ago when I was looking for places to live.

As everyone knows, London rent is craziest.

So I was like, "Oh, there's got to be another way for me to

find a place to live and I'd already done two or three projects with

Skips before and so then I kind of connected the dots and I was

like, I wonder if I could live inside one."

>> You literally built this.

>> Came up with the idea, did the design.

>> How long did it take you to build it?

>> Took three or four weeks. >> That's it. Just you?

>> Me and mainly one of my friends.

>> Do you actually pay rent here?

I pay a little bit towards the land.

Like a tiny little thing.

>> Like 100 quid a month. >> 250 a month.

Now >> Harrison, do you mind giving me a little tour here of how things operate? >> Of course.

We'll do the main things first.

Bed is above my head.

So I have a ladder

all the way up.

>> So this is technically a living room.

>> This is like living room space >> slash everything.

Storage is all up on the side.

So this is all clothes.

>> You're hanging up jackets. >> Yeah. Uh, toiletries. >> Toiletries.

This drawing I got for my third birthday from my dad. >> That's awesome.

What is this thing? Rock >> Rock climbing.

If you notice, there is a whole route. >> What?

>> All the way up.

>> You know what I'm going to ask you next,

>> I can't see a rock climbing route without taking it.

I'm going to try it, too.

But just show me the first step.

How do you do it?

>> These were just like second hand. Okay.

>> This is the start position.

Both feet up and then there's two holes

behind and then you can swap your feet. >> Okay. There's another hole.

>> So, the game is don't The ground is

>> Can't touch the ground.

>> Then there's one more there.

Every night one there.

And then that's the last hole. >> Nice, dude.

Then you jump in the bed from there. >> That is crazy.

This dude's rock climbing.

How many square meters is this?

>> You could say it's like four square m.

>> On this side right here is the kitchen.

I see we got a sink.

Do you have running water?

I have a tap outside which comes

through a hose from my very kind neighbor.

So I basically carry this out

pretty much every day. >> Yeah.

You hear that every night when you >> I do. >> Oh my god.

So we got incense here smelling good.

>> We got Buddha something over there. Whatever that is.

We got another Buddha cat thing.

>> That was my first gift.

The day I literally moved the skip into the land.

Somebody walked past and I spoke to her.

It's only good luck if the left arm is moving. >> Yeah. Well, >> wait. You can't. There you go.

The left arm should always be moving.

>> You got some Russian money up there.

You got some photos. Skips.

Whatever that >> Skips in a skip.

>> I like your little travel section. That's cool. You have power. >> I have power.

>> How do you have power in here? >> Water.

There's an electrical box like just behind here.

So, I literally run an extension cable through here >> for free.

>> I pay for it.

I pay It works out as like £30 a month.

How much have you spent to build this house?

>> It cost me about £45,000

over the course of

since I've been here now 2 and 1/2 years.

Then it's it works out as a good

>> I'm heading upstairs to Harrison's

bedroom, but in order to get there,

I'm going to rock climb.

So, if I remember correctly, you start here.

>> Yeah, you might want to face the other >> I'll take any tips if you have them. >> That's the one.

>> I'm also pretty short.

>> No, this is good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's it. That's it.

There's another hold up the top as well.

And then foot across. Yeah. That's good. There's an accident. Damn, dude.

>> And then there's a there's another little foot here.

>> Another little foot ski.

>> It's not the best.

>> And there's a hidden hold behind this. >> I got it.

>> Working up a little sweat here.

>> And then the last hole was off. >> Oh, got it. >> Don't crash down. >> I made it. Damn.

Like this is actually insane.

Just for the fresh breeze.

So this is where you sleep. It is.

>> So I imagine in the summertime it's really hot and winter time is really >> Yeah.

>> Summertime I have like

fan here full blast straight on me.

And then winter I got heated downstairs and actually that works pretty good.

>> If you wake up from a nightmare and you stand up, you're going to

boom bang your head.

So you got to be careful.

Do you have Wi-Fi? >> Kind of.

I have like >> kind of >> I have a hot spot like a

like a 3G dongle thing.

So, you have water, you have electricity,

you kind of have internet.

Those are all pluses.

>> Those are all pluses.

>> Where's the bathroom, bro?

>> Bathroom, shower, desk, not so big problem.

Water potty is the toilet.

That's all I've got. And then shower. A shower.

The gym, my shower, work. >> Wo.

Okay, now we just got more intense. There's no shower.

Just outside the skip house, 5 m away, is the L.

>> They come and empty it like every couple >> Which is amazing. >> Couple weeks.

So, it's must be pretty stinky in there.

>> Your tools stored here as well.

>> I've never in my life seen a bathroom used as a storage unit like this. >> Okay.

Couple of spider webs and stuff, but

>> you got a place to do your business

and that's all you really need.

>> That's all you need.

>> A shower is what you need.

>> I show I really need a shower right now. >> Wow.

Harrison, the main question I want to ask you,

are you happy in the Skip >> Of course. Very happy.

I put that Yeah.

I'm trying to convince myself here, but I'm happy.

>> Harrison isn't the only one getting creative to save money on rent.

On the other side of London, I connected with a girl named Shannon, whose

home is a self-made boat on the canal.

It's quite the hipster part of town.

A lot of cafes, bars.

This must be the canal right here. Little Amsterdamy vibes.

Wo, this is cool.

This is the way down. It's over here.

Looks like a proper squatter area. Smells like piss.

Super interesting, this neighborhood.

A lot of graffiti on the walls.

Nice to meet you. >> All right.

This is Shannon's place.

>> Well, it's a little bit sketchy around here, so just don't leave anything out cuz

I got my phone swiped the other day. >> The other day? >> Yeah.

So, someone came past on a bike and took the phone out of my hand. >> Yeah.

So, you have to be quite careful. >> Right.

So, you come straight into my

>> If you can call it that.

It's basically a cubby hole for my bed.

So, when I go to sleep, I'll move all that into the living room. >> Love it.

>> You come straight through into my kitchen

and it's proper little kitchen.

And I have a gas oven and hob water.

So that's drinking water and that's uh just

>> You have a tap for drinking water. >> Yeah.

So I have like a filter under here.

So that basically filters it to make it fresher essentially.

I've even got a little fridge freezer that actually does work.

A can of celler and some Lucas aid cuz hung over last time I came in here.

>> So that's all you have in here.

That's a sad fridge. >> There's no food.

>> And then you come into the bathroom

>> So it's a little tiny toilet and a shower. Yeah, of course.

I have to get cleaned somehow.

It's not the canal.

I'm going to jump in the canal, am I? >> That's the toilet. >> That's the toilet.

So, the toilet looks normal from that side, right?

If we go here, I'm not going to actually open it.

Don't worry, cuz it's gross.

Under here is where you put your cassette.

Uh, that's where all my poop and piss are.

But, basically, I take that out and you screw off the little yellow thing.

And you put it in the canal. No, I'm joking.

You don't do that.

You have a thing called an Elan, which is basically a giant well, and

you basically empty it all in there.

It's the Canal and River Trust, who are basically the governors of the canal.

They basically say you need to put it in there.

So it's like a designated area.

>> How often do you remove your poop?

>> Probably every two weeks, every three weeks maybe, but I have another one of those.

So I interchange them.

So there's actually one at the front that's full

that I'm waiting till I get to the point then I'm going to empty

them both >> and shower.

How does that feel?

>> Um shower's really good surprisingly.

I actually have a really good shower.

I have hot water.

I have a boiler.

Yeah, I can show you that if you come in here.

So that is my electricity.

That's for coming windows it's cold.

That's my boiler basically.

So that is really

>> You even put storage behind.

>> Every every nook and cranny has to have something in it.

Honestly, even here, look, I've got dining table. >> What? Show me. Oh my god.

My back is against the wall here.

I'm like, how do I film this?

>> I can't get it out. It's too big. He basically unclips.

And then these will come down.

So there you go.

And then you can fold it out and put it in there.

>> This is so unique.

What do your friends and families think of your lifestyle?

My parents thought I was absolutely mad.

Um, and my friends love it.

My My parents love it now as well.

I think people aren't surprised that I do it because I'm a bit of

that sort of person.

Like I just kind of jump into crazy things.

>> You consider yourself a minimalist? >> Yes, I think.

But that's more cuz my head is so busy that I like to have

simple pleasures in life so I can keep active doing other things.

>> And if you stay in here for more than like like if you're sick

and you're just stuck in here, do you feel claustrophobic

or do you feel lonely in >> No. Never. Never.

I like being on my own.

When I got it, it was like a really ugly pale blue.

So, as soon as I came, I was like, can I make it a bit funky?

Cuz I'm an artist and that's what I do.

>> How long have you lived here?

>> 2 and 1/2 years. Yeah.

It's been a struggle.

I'm not going to lie.

It was um a massive learning curve and a lot of

I have a wood burner here

that you basically put your wood in.

It's very clean at the moment cuz I haven't used it for a while. >> It actually works.

>> Yeah, it works really well.

You can actually boil the kettle

on top and you can put a jacket potato inside and

cook a jacket potato in there if you want.

It's a jacket potato. >> Oh, a jacket. A baked potato.

A jacket potato is what we call >> a jacket potato.

That's a funny Britishism. A jacket potato.

>> He's like he's wearing a jacket.

>> So, two and a half years.

What's been the best and the worst part about living

>> The best part is definitely the community.

Like the Bing community is all

very creative, very fun, very free.

And obviously you're right next to nature, so you get to see like all

the little birds and like just amazing things.

And you get to move everywhere.

The worst >> you actually drive the boat around. >> To go anywhere. >> Yeah.

Even on the main Tames River River T. >> You can. I haven't.

>> You have to be like a certified driver to own this, right? >> you don't.

>> Anyone can do it.

>> Do you often host guests here or you just kind of stay alone when

you're >> I have a lot of parties here. Yes.

>> What's the maximum capacity to do?

>> Um 10, >> but in summer we could sit on the roof.

>> The government legally allows you to park on the side of the canal and just stay here.

>> So the maximum is 2 weeks.

So you can't stay longer than that.

And that's basically to keep the canals going cuz otherwise everyone would stay.

But who's checking how long you stay? >> There are people.

They go up and down and they check your number plate.

That's That's maybe why mine is facing inward.

>> Mine's facing the wrong direction.

They're not going to say >> checking. Now you're checking.

Wait, hold on a second.

What if you stay 15 days?

They could actually give you a

>> They give you not a fine, they give you a warning.

They basically can ban you from having a boat license.

And the boat license isn't like a driving license.

It basically means that they've allowed you to be on the canal.

Can I ask you how much you spent on this whole project?

>> The boat itself for 24,000

and I've obviously upgraded it in certain ways.

I've given it better electricity.

All in all, probably about £26,000.

But I was paying rent before for £1,000

a month in for one room in a three bed >> So that's like 2

years of rent there.

And now you have your own place and I have my own place.

>> How much does water and electricity cost?

>> Uh electricity and water free.

>> Because I got solar panels.

You seem really happy and excited to live here and that's amazing. >> I love it.

I find it quite freeing.

So, I had to get rid of a lot of my items

and I think living very minimally

is a good way of like being happy. >> What's your job?

>> I'm a video producer.

Um, and I also teach art classes and I'm an artist.

>> Speaking of, can I see your your art on your arms? >> Oh, yeah. >> Like it's cool.

It's it's like so it's like a vine.

>> Yeah, there are different flowers basically.

Um, and that's my dog Gilbert.

He's not here today obviously. Oh, where's Gilbert?

>> He's um with my boyfriend.

He's a bit of a nightmare.

He's a little pug and he just doesn't >> I have a pug, too.

>> You have a pug?

>> Yeah, I have a little black pug. >> Oh my. >> There's Gilbert.

>> Wait, why is he not here? Damn.

I love I'm like obsessed with bugs.

>> He just gets in the way when I'm trying to do things like this. >> What's in this?

Just random stuff over >> Yeah, that's just all my storage.

Like >> you have to make use of every

>> Yeah, even under here is storage. Just >> Okay, gotcha. >> Oh, my clothes.

Oh, you get a lot of >> Oh my god. Oh my god.

I I hate spiders. He's right there.

>> You don't mind holding? >> I love spiders. >> You love spiders?

>> Yeah, they get rid of the mosquitoes. >> Oh my god.

You're actually playing with a spider right now.

That doesn't freak you out. >> No.

And I'm not going to get rid of him either.

I'm going to keep him in here. >> I hate spiders. >> My resident spider.

>> We are now going upstairs. >> Let's go out. Let's go out.

>> So, do you want to actually get on the >> Sure. >> Why little drifter?

Did you put that on >> No, but um

it was called that before, but I will show you something. that's cool.

>> He's on me forever.

So, you basically just need to give yourself a big jump, get on top.

>> Can we sit on the solar panels?

>> Yeah, of course can. >> Wow.

So, the solar panels actually charge everything that you need.

>> So, when you're sitting on top of your

house and there's people walking down the street, do you get weird looks or

do you have people say, "Is that your

>> Uh, I have everyone talking to me or taking photos.

Especially when I was in Camden.

I think there's a lot of tourists around there.

And someone actually pokes their head into my

um hatch to look in and I was like, "Oh,

>> Do you suggest it to people?

Do you think it's a good lifestyle?

>> I think it's a lot of work.

You need to be a little certain person to do it.

You have to get your hands dirty.

But if you like adventure

and you like exploring new places and you don't mind being on your own

and you work from home, that helps. Go for it.

>> Shannon's life on the canal shows just how much sacrifice

people will make to live in London.

But just wait until you see what's next.

I'm taking the tube to South Kensington to meet our next interesting character of

the day named Caesar.

From what I've gathered so far, he lives in a tiny, tiny space.

Excited to meet him and excited to take the tube.

It literally is a tube, by the way.

That's why it's called the tube. Quiet in here. Nobody talks. Weird. Travel tip.

If you come to London, take the tube.

It's like two times faster than sitting in traffic. Trust me.

This is a nice little area here.

Fancy buildings, double-decker buses.

Random thought here as I'm walking the streets of London.

I can't tell if I like New York better or London better.

They're both really similar in my mind.

The biggest difference is that there's no huge skyscrapers here.

But as far as like the diversity on the streets and the vibe of

the different neighborhoods, it's pretty comparable to New York City.

I'd like to hear your guys' uh thoughts in the comments down below.

Which one's better, London or New York?

I'm going to say London.

If we're going to talk about food, it's New York.

But if we're going to talk about culture and just cooler things to do,

I'm going to go London.

Look at this little charming

side street that I found. Lovely.

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And now, let's go to the next tiny flat in

>> Good to meet you.

>> Hey, nice to meet you. How's it going? >> Yeah, good.

>> I show you my my tiny home. >> Come out. >> I'm coming.

>> Let you come into my lovely home. >> Meos. Yes.

>> This is cool, man.

>> This is the whole space.

>> This is the whole space.

You seen the bed is on top.

This is my living

sitting area where I have food, where I study, where I work sometimes.

>> Dude, it's my home.

>> Arizona is where where I live. >> You've been there?

>> I've been to so many places in America.

This is the whole space right here.

So like does everyone have a space this small?

Every flat here is this >> No.

This is I think this is one of the smallest places in in in

London cuz this place used to be a K cardboard.

>> Do you pay much less rent than the other people here?

>> Uh yeah, I think so.

But you know the rent in London is crazy. It's crazy.

I pay around £1,400

>> pound for this place. >> For this place? Yeah.

>> That's a lot, bro. >> that's too much.

The location is High Park where we're going for a run is my garden.

So, >> can I do a little tour?

Take off my >> You have a little sink area here.

>> Is this a rice cooker?

>> It's it's kind of like a air >> Air fryer. >> Air fryer.

>> This is like your little hideout area. >> Yeah.

This is I'm working from home today.

So, this is this is where where I work today.

This is my sofa.

So, down here I always put the winter clothes in >> Wow, that's smart. >> It's very smart.

>> You need winter clothes here.

Yeah, it's very This place is very well well designed, right? Oh. Um Oops. >> That's your mirror.

>> Yeah, I got this from China when I was

>> You can't even stand up.

>> Yeah, because Well, I'm not very tall either, but even I can have to

walk like >> So, is that stressful that you can't stand up?

>> No, it's okay for me. It's fine.

It's very quick to get into my bed.

Just I need to climb the stairs.

Uh here I am in my lovely bed.

>> How many years have you been living >> Nearly 5 years.

>> And you like you love it?

>> Yeah, I love it.

I love the place.

>> Do you have any plan to leave or you going to stay here?

>> Well, uh, at the moment, my landlord, who is a really good friend of

mine, is in the process of

selling the flat, so I don't know what's going to >> Oh, you might lose it. >> that's sad.

>> Are you going to live in a bigger space?

>> I have I prefer

location rather than a space, but

>> we will see what happens.

I I'm not too >> What's your job?

>> I do office work.

>> And how many years have you lived in >> Nearly 17 years. >> Oh, wow.

Wow, it's a great city.

>> Everybody I talk to is like, "I can't afford it.

I can't afford it."

So, tell me about the prices here.

>> Yeah, the prices here are insane.

>> It's like a coffee is like £5.

It is like £15.

For me, I think

accommodation is the most expensive thing in in London, in the UK.

So, if you go further out, it will get cheaper, but it's is crazy this.

You need to have a really good job if you want to have a

easy life here because I have some friends, they have two or three jobs

cuz they have to pay rent

or you know, they share a flat.

You never thought about living in a different area to be

>> I feel like this is my home.

So, I really like living in here.

I prefer to spend more money living in a small place

close to my garden, high park, then leave

further out and then have to commute.

Let me show you the bathroom.

There's not much much space in here.

In here, I have some of my running shoes hanging here.

And then this is the bathroom.

>> This is the whole bathroom.

>> Yeah, this is the whole bathroom.

And then this is the shower. And that's it. The sink.

The toilet >> Sink is quite small. >> Yeah, very small.

And I have a

cupboard >> This is yours?

>> Yeah, it's also mine.

>> It's in the hallway.

>> Yeah, in the hallway. Yeah.

>> Wait, so nobody steals anything?

>> No, I always leave it open.

So in here there are some more running shoes.

>> We're actually in the middle of the hallway and got extra.

Did you put this here or it was already?

>> No, it was it was already there.

>> And your landlord just said, "Hey, you can take this as more storage." >> Yeah, sure.

I think every flat every flat in this building has has one of >> It's

just funny cuz like this is a staircase and people

people live in the

>> I've never seen that before.

Dude, it's it's so small in here but like it's cozy.

Do you understand what I mean?

>> Like it's I'm not like stressed about it. Like it's fine. >> Yeah, me too.

It's super well organized.

You can if I disconnect my laptop from here

and then I put this here,

I can do this

and then I have more space.

So yeah, it's really cool.

>> And you just when you watch TV, you just lay down here.

I lay down here.

>> This is all your marathon stuff.

>> Yeah, I've run >> Dude, you're crazy.

>> I've run 22 marathons

in five continents for

water a is a it's an NGO that provides

clean water and sanitation

facilities for for everyone everywhere.

I also raise funds.

I have a website as well called ransar.com

and so far I've raised nearly $25,000. >> Yeah.

Thank you so much.

>> That's so inspiring, man.

How you just you do it all yourself? >> Yeah. All by myself. Yeah.

What is your motivation and your drive to like do good for society?

>> My dad suffered from cancer and then he got cured.

So, and then I said, "Oh, I wanted to do something to,

you know, to give back to the community."

So, then I started running and then I run 10 marathons to fund for cancer research.

>> Dude, you're very you're like a really genuine person. It's crazy.

>> like you don't of I don't often meet people that are like really

like when they speak from the heart, you can feel it.

You know what I mean?

>> I think my mom and dad made me like this.

So, you know, it's like >> you're very honest.

>> I get a lot of recognition.

For example, I won I won an award a few years ago

signed by Be careful with you.

>> I just came in here and I bang my head on the ceiling.

>> I won an award signed by King King Charles.

I don't do charity work or help people to get recognition.

It's nice to get recognition, but I I do it because I think is

is >> the right thing to do. >> Yeah. Right.

I think everyone should do

at least something with their life to help people.

Do you have any final words of wisdom about life? About anything?

>> You just need to find your eeky guy.

You just need to find your purpose in life.

So my purpose in life is helping people and supporting communities.

So that's that's my advice for everyone.

Caesar's story is a reminder that in London,

location matters more than size.

But what makes a city truly great isn't just the neighborhoods, it's the diversity.

Every corner of London feels like a different country.

So my next stop takes me to a hood called Hackne, where I'm ready

to experience a little slice of Bangladesh.

I'm here with Amina

and we actually met in Bangladesh

a few weeks ago which is pretty cool. Hi >> Hi everyone. >> How are you?

>> I'm very good thank you.

>> Tell me about this like area.

This is called Hackne. What is Hack?

If you talk to anyone from London, what do they say about Hackne?

>> Oh, I mean it's always considered

the most dangerous area. Really?

>> Um I grew up here

so I've seen it all.

>> What makes this place so

sketchy or dodgy as you would say?

>> Oh, it used to be.

I would say it's a lot nicer now.

What kind of people live

>> Where we are right now, it's a little bit nice.

If you look around, you can kind of see it's a little bit nice.

So, on one end of the street, you'll get really nice streets like this.

And on the other end, it's a stark contrast.

>> Look at these Jews. Shalom.

Look at these crazy these like pisic Jews.

This is >> Do you see how it's changed?

And it's the same road.

>> Like, we've just taken one road up and we're just like in this

really ultra orthodox community.

We're rolling up to Amina's

building in lower Clapton

>> So basically this is all former council estates.

A private company came and bought it.

So now we have lists

which we didn't have before.

So >> So if you live on the top, you have to

>> You would have to walk up. Yeah.

>> So wait, this is actually really interesting.

Like all of the buildings around here, they're just made from the same brick

and they all look the same from the outside. >> Yeah, they are.

>> So growing up in a community like this, like you must know all your neighbors. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah.

I always knew all of my neighbors here.

>> Do you have a lot of Bangladeshies in the community?

>> Um, so here in particular,

we don't have many Bangladeshi

families, so it's really diverse here.

>> This is your childhood house.

>> Yeah, I grew up here. >> That's cool. >> Oh, guess what?

>> Like everything, the door's broken.

>> That's how you know what you're coming >> Up we go.

>> When you walk out your front door, you just see

like a hundred rooms in another building. Yeah. >> Like that's it. This is home. >> Yeah.

This is where I run around, learn how to ride a bike. Everything is here.

>> Welcome to my crib. I'm joking.

>> So, here is the kitchen. Okay.

You can't have a dryer and a washing machine, so it's very, very difficult. Yeah. L shape.

And then >> starting to smell like curry. What's over here?

>> My mom is What is that? Dal. Yeah, that's lentils. >> That smells good.

This is a kitchen situation here.

It's This smells incredible in here.

Like everything looks really fresh. Oh my god.

You must have had a lot of great meals in this >> I did. Yeah.

>> Is there like all the curry powders in here or something?

>> It's the the first one I opened. >> Do it. Stay away.

Stay away from the You know what that is? >> Her room. >> It's my room.

>> You cannot look at this cuz this is crazy.

First of all, I have been traveling.

I'm allowed to have this. Okay. Get out.

>> Nice to meet you. What? What's your name? I'm Fatima. >> Fatima. Lovely name.

Wait, we're not >> Say again. >> No. No.

>> I hate you guys.

>> So, this is a makeup makeup. >> You know what?

This is actually a lovely thing.

You should maybe This is Amina.

Somebody actually drew them.

>> Yeah, that's really nice.

>> These are like uh new earrings that I bought from Bangladesh and they're like gifts.

So, for >> I've unpacked them, but I've not >> How many times have you been

to >> At least six times.

You live in London, which is like polar opposite of Dhaka. >> Complete opposite, honestly.

>> Do you feel like half of you belongs in Dhaka and half of you belongs in London?

>> I do have an identity crisis all the time.

Like when I'm over there, I don't really feel like

I belong there and they treat me very different.

And over here, like there are some moments where I feel like I belong,

but certain scenarios feel like I don't really belong here. >> Do you agree?

>> They just think I'm a foreigner. >> Sorry.

People in Bangladesh can smell me.

They can literally smell me and they know that I just don't fit in.

>> Well, you look Bangladeshi,

but when you talk and when you act like what's the difference?

Like if you're walking on the street, how would someone know you're not from there?

>> First of all, I think uh my eye color is not very Bengali. >> Is it green? >> Yeah.

Um and obviously >> I act

bit snobbish like >> And how do you feel about

like which one do you prefer?

I have a looney

>> Is there any reason you would prefer Dhaka over London and for any category,

food, culture, anything like >> Oh yeah, the the food is amazing

over >> And you speak Bengali? >> Yeah.

My sister speaks even better than me.

Like she can do

uh two dialects really well.

>> but we also speak another dialect.

>> We can swap into another one >> from

so you know it would be something like to me.

>> That means she gave it to my daughter and I wore it. >> Okay.

So, what else can you show me?

>> This is the living room.

My mom's like, >> She's

she's tidying it up.

>> Thank you for letting me in your house.

>> My mom uh is actually practicing her English. She's quite good.

She can actually speak a lot better than she g herself credit for.

>> Are you from Taka? >> Originally? Yeah, originally.

>> it's my mom that's from Taka.

My dad is from Slip. >> Got it.

It looks nice in here. >> Yes.

So, actually, these are like my dad's old books. We've kept them. That's me.

I don't know why. Hold on.

Actually, I got one even better.

If you stay right here, I'll bring it for you.

That's me standing right here.

>> Oh, in this spot. >> Yeah.

And if you see,

this was our old front door. >> M. That's cool.

>> This is in my living room.

I don't know why I'm putting this face.

>> At one point, we actually had like

another three two different families staying with us. Yeah.

>> So, how many humans slept in this house at once?

>> Probably about a good 50.

>> But this is very Bangladeshi.

We we just make space.

We're all, you know, we >> And you all had one bathroom. >> Absolutely. Yes.

>> So, what if two people needed to use it at the same time? >> You're waiting.

>> Knock on the door and say,

We would just knock on the doors and like get out.

>> The size of the home really doesn't matter in our culture.

It's the size of the heart that really matters.

We have really big heart. >> That was lovely.

Because it's so diverse here and you said there's not a lot of Bangladeshies in this community.

Is it harder to

get along with people?

Is there kind of this like separational >> Not at all.

>> Are there clicks in this community? >> No.

Do you know when >> No. And yes.

>> What do you mean?

>> No, there are no clicks

because think about it.

like all the juicing.

>> When I grew up here,

we got along with everyone.

We knew all of our neighbors, right?

You never really felt like the divide in terms of you're from here, you're from there.

It was nothing like that.

It was just you're simply from >> That's it.

>> Do you consider this a small house?

>> It's this is normal.

>> It's very normal >> for this neighborhood. >> Yes.

All of them are like this. They're quite identical.

>> This is British English versus American English. I have a canker.

Do you know what that means?

>> Never heard of it.

It sounds like kangaroo.

>> It's not Aussie English.

A kangaroo is usually called a mouth ulcer. >> Say it. >> Oh, thank you. >> Thank you. >> Yes. Good.

I was going to say >> it's watermelon. Thank you.

>> Do you like watermelon? >> You want some? >> Ah, it's cold.

>> So, in Bengali it's called tormos. >> It's really good. Thank you.

>> Okay, I have some more words. Ready?

>> Truck is a truck. >> Lori.

Lord Lori is the name of a woman in my country.

A sweater, >> Yeah, trousers.

>> So thing is, you know all the words because you've seen movies.

If you just said to me, "What is a nappy?"

I wouldn't know what it is. >> torch. >> You're fast.

>> No, you're like, >> you said you said we're playing a game. I'm really competitive. >> Vacation >> holiday.

Eraser on the opposite side of a pencil. >> eraser. Rubber.

Sorry, I could rubber. >> I could not.

>> Try to say try to say like me. Rubber. >> Rubber.

>> Try to say rubber in American English. >> Rubber.

>> I think all of us did that.

We rolled the tongue. >> Rubber.

Just want to let you know the watermelon was very delicious.

>> Look, she started getting you more.

>> What is this one?

>> I'll try the mango.

You see, we are hospitalitable people.

>> Yeah, I never said you were.

>> And we continue We continue to feed.

>> I feel like so cultured being here. This is great.

I completely forgot I was in the United Kingdom for like the last hour.

>> Except for your accent.

>> After visiting four of London's smallest homes, one thing is clear.

This city pushes people to be creative if they want to live here on a tight budget.

From tiny dumpsters to homemade boats to micro apartments, Londoners

are reinventing what a home can look like.

The question is, would you ever live this small just to be here?