Greetings, new blogger friends!
My name is Amanda and as part of the 20-Something Bloggers “blog swap” event, Misha and I have traded blogs for the day! I hope you enjoy my guest post. Check out my blog to see Misha’s guest post, too! http://amandamolly.blogspot.com/
Like Misha, I have also left my home country (America) for adventures abroad. After over a year of planning, I moved to England in May to join my husband. Although I haven’t been here for very long, it has certainly been an adventure already.
One question I get a lot is why I/We decided to move to England instead of moving the Brit to Washington, D.C. I’ll admit the decision was mostly mine and made from various factors. I thought my qualifications in social work would land me lucrative job opportunities quite quickly (and has since proven to not be the case, FML). I was looking forward to being close to Kieran’s family (which has fortunately resulted in many home cooked meals by the MIL—amazing!). And finally, I felt I needed a bit of adventure.
Be careful what you wish for, it might actually come true. Adventure I wanted, adventure I got. Adventures in unemployment, getting evicted, bug infestation in the flat (not related to the eviction, btw), being a new wife, driving on the left, measuring in metric and temperatures in Celsius, giving up my car for a bike, making friends, messy nights out, and trying to have some fun in between. It’s been eventful, but I know there’s still more to come on the horizon—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Although it hasn’t always been sunshine and daisies since that tearful goodbye with my parents in May, I still wouldn’t change this experience and the impending ups and downs of this roller coaster ride. Furthermore, I would recommend to others to try the experience of living abroad. Before I studied abroad in college, I was told by the international coordinator, “even though some students have a better experience than others, not one person regrets doing it.” The most bitter regrets I have from my short life so far are the things I didn’t try cause I was scared. I’m glad I took the opportunity to live and study abroad when I did.
At the end of the day, I’m content and happy. After all, I live here:
I’m married to the coolest guy ever:
And I’ve got an abundance of love and adventure in my life.
No regrets.
Wanna read more about my adventures across the pond? Check out my blog!