Hey everyone! Long time no see! Before I left the UK, many people would ask me questions about mine and my husband's decision to live in the United States over living in England. So, I thought I'd share with you guys how we came to that decision.
As always, you might want to grab a cup of tea and a snack. Ready? Okay, let's go...
So, unlike a great many people in the world, I never had a desire to live in the United States.
I always wanted to visit the US for a holiday/vacation but there was never a particular area or state that I distinctively wanted to go to; I just wanted to see the US in general and find out what people there were like.
Americans have always fascinated me, admittedly because of movies. When I was a child I used to think the US was like the Grease movie. It wasn't until I grew up that I realised that Grease was fictional, set in the 1950s and that most people did not wear leather jackets.
Living in the United States is nothing like how you see in movies...okay...it is a little...but less dramatised, obviously.
Many people who know me, will know that I've always had a fascination with other cultures, and even from a young age I was intrigued by people from other countries and wanted to know what their lives were like.
However, despite what some people may believe, the love for my own country, history, and culture far surpasses any love I have for another country. I never planned on leaving or dreamed of leaving.
With this said, the decision to move to the United States was both difficult and easy at the same time.
It was an easy decision because I knew I wanted to be with my husband, and nothing was going to stop that.
We never actually discussed who would make the sacrifice to move because the answer was a no-brainer.
My husband was established in his career, with a stable job and good income; whereas I was still studying for my degree and figuring out what I wanted to do. It made sense for me to leave because we would have a better head start in the US.
It was difficult because I love the United Kingdom, and I have lots of unfinished business in my homeland. I still haven't visited Northern England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, or Northern Ireland. In terms of mainland Europe, I have only ever been to France. I spent so much time visiting far off places because I took Europe and the rest of the British Isles for granted, which I now regret. I had the mentality that I could visit mainland Europe and the British Isles anytime I wished. Of course, it's not the be-all and end-all, I will visit these places eventually, it's just it will cost more now, and I'm a Scrooge.
It was also a difficult decision because my roots are very much connected to the British Isles and as cringe as it may sound, I feel that spiritually.
As for leaving my family, I had mentally prepared myself for it and had also lived far from them before, although granted only 77 miles away and not over 4,000. I've always been independent, and I guess a little selfish in that sense but leading my own my life was always encouraged by my parents. At some point in our lives, we have to take our own paths... ...............................
... sorry, when I wrote that I suddenly heard Pocahontas' dad's voice in my head.
Anyway, my point is, we can't live for other people, we have to make our own decisions about how to live our lives. Life is full of sacrifices, especially when you're married but it was the right decision for our family and our future!
Would you ever move to another country?
If you have, did you ever think you would leave your homeland?
Leave a comment below :)
As always, thank you for reading!
- Kerry
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