Expats

Moving to a new country is so exciting but with the excitement comes nerves and anxiety.

I know when we moved it was actually a bit of a culture shock. England to America we expected to be an easy transition. However, we were wrong. I’d say it took a good 6 months to adjust to our new surroundings.

New weather, new vocabulary, new beliefs, new products, different mannerisms and personalities. Not to mention the place and everything in it is huge!

So to be sat at the pool and hear a familiar twang, an accent you can immediately locate, well its exciting! There is an instant familiarity meeting another British person. Honestly most of my first conversations with other expats normally involve discussing a love of greggs, chip butties, pie & gravy and of course the weather!

When we moved out here I was lucky enough to have an English lady (now friend) reach out to me and arrange playdates for our kids. We’d sit and talk about the area, good shops and restaurants – tips I needed! A love of Primark would often come up to!

The longer we’ve been here the more British people we’ve met and we all enjoy each others company. We’ve even set up a Facebook group for expats in the local area.

Nights out have been arranged and enjoyed. We get to relax and say all our english words (including swear words 😁) as much as we like!

Today we watched the England v Panama world cup match together. I was so pleased the dads did exactly what they would have in our local back home- cheered, shouted, jumped up & down patting each other on the back! The kids all got to feel the atmosphere.

Immigrant’s from all different countries seek out their own countrymen. Its not because we don’t want to make new friends, I have plenty that I love and learn from. We just want that familiarity every now and then.

I hope my recent and future blogs can help an expat or immigrant to America. I’ll share tips and reviews but mainly I hope it shows that moving can be a great experience and to make the most of your new country!