An Expat's Anniversary

First let me preface this by saying no you are not seeing things, this IS my first blog post in nearly two years. However, this post does not herald the return of Quintessentially English. Rather, it is a special exception as today is a special day. 

After my alarm went off this morning, and before I dragged myself from bed, I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline, a ritual I do after waking up most days. I had the standard "You have memories to look back on.." notification, which I usually review but rarely comment on. However, one of today's memories made me pause. For today is quite a special day, as without realising I have been living in England for 6 years!

Which means....

Happy Six Year Expat Anniversary to Me!

When I first moved across the pond, I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself in for. I'd not really planned anything other than getting on the plane. My only real certainty was on the other side would be the man I loved and who loved me.

Looking back, it's crazy to think about everything that's changed since then. These six years have been an incredible journey, some of which I've shared with my readers, but some of the highlights are;

1. I've gotten married

2. Lived in 7 different locations, albeit some only for short periods of time

• In Manchester while Luke finished his degree
• With the in-laws in Southam, just after Luke gradutated
• In Worcester after Luke found a job there
• With the other in-laws in a village outside Milton Keynes when I found a job here
• In Milton Keynes when we both found jobs here
• In a different village outside Milton Keynes when we bought our first house
• In the same village as the other in-laws after we sold our first house and bought a new one

3. Bought 2 homes

Our first home

4. Made a successful career for myself
I've just started a new job as Head of Digital Marketing for UnGagged - an SEO/digital marketing conference company

5. Become a mum to Hugo the Springer Spaniel

6. Had my accent morph into a transatlantic confusion
People have asked me if I'm American (yep), British and oddly enough one I get often is Irish.

7. Learned to drive on the wrong side of the road

8. Made some fantastic friendships
Thanks to all who have been along for the ride on both sides of the pond.

Lastly,  I would like to dedicate this post to Luke. He's the whole reason I came to England in the first place. Words cannot really describe what he means to me. He is my best friend, partner-in-crime, sounding board

Our Love Story

Tomorrow Luke and I will be returning to Pau, France to attend a friend's wedding, after nearly four years of being away. Pau holds special significance for us as it is the place our relationship began and I thought I'd take this opportunity to share our love story.

In January 2009 I left Las Vegas to study abroad at the Université de Pau in France. Whilst there I lived with a French woman named Domi and her son, Yann. It was Domi who told me about an English stagiaire who worked for her that she wanted introduce to me. Sure enough, when I checked my Facebook that first night I found a message waiting in my inbox.

Hi Erin,

I stumbled across you on the Pau study abroad group. My boss has just taken in an American called Erin and I put two and two together.

Hope you're settling in and getting on with Domi.

If you want to be shown around or need any advice I'm happy to help. I've been here 4 months and my flatmate is French so we could be useful. Lol.

Luke

PS Domi has my number

Luke and I met that Friday and while I wouldn't call it love at first sight (I don't believe in it) there was a definite connection from the moment we met. We began seeing each other soon after and it was just casual. I was going back home to America and Luke was returning to England after our time together in France after all.

The first night we met at L'Esprit in Pau. Paul-Etienne (L) is our friend getting married.

I don't think either of us ever thought it would turn in to anything serious but much to our surprise it did. We're not sure exactly when, perhaps it was when we went to San Sebastián together, you can read more about that here. Next thing we knew I was going on holiday with him to meet his family and my parents were flying over to France to meet him! As my host mother often teases, meeting Luke certainly didn't improve my French.

 

Meeting Luke's family at Park Güell (Gaudi Gardens) in Barcelona

Meeting my parents at Place Clémenceau in Pau

After my time in France, I spent a month in England with Luke before I returned to America to finish my university degree. Leaving Luke in England was one if not the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I sobbed from the moment I walked through security at London-Heathrow and didn't stop until I landed in Las Vegas.

Having a long-distance relationship was hard, anyone who has ever had one can tell you that. We missed each other a lot and it's difficult to be apart for special occasions. Even when I was enjoying myself I always knew one thing that would make any occasion better - his presence. I never felt like we weren't going to survive the distance. I think a lot of people are sceptics when it comes to long-distance relationships, I myself used to be, but for the right person anything is possible.

In June 2010 I graduated from university (with a BA Honors in Film Studies and French might I add) and after what seemed like an eternity, made the move across the pond to England. You know the story from there.

Luke and I at Disney's California Adventure (December 2012)

Q: What is your love story? Do you have a place that has a special meaning to you?

Erin x

Things I Miss About America

In honour of the Fourth of July, or Independence Day if you prefer, I thought I'd share a list of the things I miss about America. Don't get me wrong I love living in England but any expat will tell you there are things they miss about their home country. Here are my top 5 things I miss about living in America and to all my American readers...

 5. Radio. If you listen to the radio in England, your choices seem to be Top 40, Top 40 or Classic FM. I miss having a choice on the radio and I especially miss my classic rock stations!

facebook.com/bbcradio1

4. American Food. You may laugh and think "what's that?" but I'm serious. Besides the abundance of sushi (read my post 'I Love Sushi') I miss frozen yogurt or froyo, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, In-N-Out Burger and good Mexican food. Just to name a few!

Luke and me at In-N-Out Burger on our last trip to Las Vegas.

3. Driving. As practical and useful as public transportation is and as good as Luke is as my chauffeur, not driving can be a pain in the bum sometimes. Now I realise this is something I can control as I do have the ability to drive. However I have no idea how to drive manual (which most cars in the UK are) or drive on the left. There is also a cost issue involved, putting me on the insurance is going to be a bloody fortune!

Luke driving in America.

2. Customer Service. 'The customer is always right' is not a phrase the English understand and 'service with a smile' you can forget about that! I remember when I first moved to England I used to say hello to the shopkeepers whenever I entered because I felt so awkward at not being greeted.

Ingimage | Royalty Free

And the number 1 thing I miss about America...

1. My family and friends. This goes without saying really. The hardest part about being an expat is being a part from your loved ones. I don't think any expat would disagree with me on that one. The problem now is when I move back to America, and it will happen at one point, I will miss my family and friends here. 

A few of my friends and me at my surprise 'Bon Voyage' party!

I'm linking up for the first time with for The Expat Diaries 

with Chelsea (Lost in Travels) and Rachel (Postcards from Rachel).

Q: What do you miss about your home or what would you miss if you left?

Erin x

My American Care Package

On Thursday I received a care package from my Mom for my birthday! It was full of American goodies, plus so little extras. My Mom really does know me, the only things not included in the care package were sushi (from I Love Sushi), frozen yoghurt (from U Swirl) and an In-N-Out burger. I suppose I'll let her off on those though! 

My care package included (from left to right):

• Peacock Pashmina
• Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
• Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• Hidden Valley Ranch
• Disney Recipe Book
• Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Mix
• Onion Fridge Mate
• Tomato Fridge Mate
• Lemon Fridge Mate
• Fluffy Socks
• Christmas Classics DVD
• Hallmark Mother/Daughter Ornament
• Williams and Sonoma Red Velvet Cupcake Mix
• Serving Dishes
• Duncan Hines Cream Cheese Frosting
• Cupcake Wrappers
• Minerals Makeup Box
• Physicians Formula Nude Blush

It truly was filled with some of the things I miss from America, bare the obvious exceptions. I don't really think I'd want week old sushi or frozen yoghurt arriving at my door though. It really got me thinking about the little things you miss from your home country when you're living life as an expat.

Q: What do you miss about your home country? 

Or what do you think you'd miss?

Erin x

Remembering 9/11

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It's hard to believe it has been 11 years since the 9/11 attacks, I remember them quite vividly as I'm sure many of you do.

I was just starting 8th grade and had the flu so was planning on staying home. My Mom was in her bathroom getting ready and I was sleeping in her bed when the phone rang.  

On the line was my Grandma calling to tell us to turn on CNN that a plane had crashed into the Twin Towers. At the time the second plane hadn't hit and many people thought it was just an accident. We had been viewing the footage for only a minute when the second plane hit and that's when everyone knew this was no accident.

I remember feeling confused, my Mom said it was a terrorist attack and I didn't really know what that meant. The footage was scary but I couldn't take my eyes away from it.

Instead of staying home alone, Grandma came and took me to her house so I wouldn't be left alone watching the news with no one to explain it to me. In fact my grandmother was given specific instructions from my mother to not allow me to watch the news all day. I of course wanted to watch the news and my Grandma gave in and let me sit with her all day watching.

My Grandma was worried about her friend, Phyllis, who was in New York at the time and according to her itinerary was supposed to visit the Twin Towers that very morning. Of course with so many people having loved ones in the city the phone lines were busy and it was a long time for us to get confirmation that she was okay. Thankfully we were one of the lucky ones, Phyllis had awoken with a migraine that morning and had decided against visiting.

Of course it wasn't just the Twin Towers that were attacked that tragic day, there was also the Pentagon and United Flight 93 that went down in Philadelphia. So many senseless lives lost that day at the end of evil. So although 11 years have passed no one will ever forget.

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children." - President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

Q: Where were you when you found out about September 11th attacks?

Erin x

What Happens in Vegas

Whatever happened to 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?' This is a question I'm sure Prince Harry and his press team have been agonising over these past few days. The digital world has been buzzing over the news that Harry was caught partying in Vegas, wait for it - naked! Shock! Gasp! Horror!

I don't think I'm the only one who thinks it's completely ridiculous that this is even an issue. It's no big deal and people should just let it go. I realise I'm being completely hypocritical here in writing a blog post about this very subject but I felt compelled to defend my hometown and the Prince of my current country. Call this my 'Leave Britney Alone' moment, but without the awkward crying.

Is Vegas the city of Sin? I'm going to let you all in on a little secret, it's called marketing! And very clever marketing at that. This whole do anything you want philosophy makes people feel secure, like they can let lose and not get into any trouble. When really, you can get into the same amount of mischief in Vegas as you can in any other city. But remember it was Vegas where OJ Simpson was put behind bars, when he got away with murder in California. I say this to remind you, we have a police force and trust me when I say they don't always have the best sense of humour.

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Does being royal mean you can't have a life? I'm sorry, I didn't realise being part of the royal family meant you had to be a saint. They're human and as such make mistakes. I would also hasten to add I don't believe this to be one.

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I personally haven't seen the photo(s) of Prince Harry in his birthday suit, and if I can help it I'm not going to. I think the boy has a right to privacy and shame on whatever American website posted the photo(s). I am however very proud of the British press for not breaking the code of conduct and publishing them. I must say even with the rules in place, I expected some tabloid rag to pick up the photos. It must be absolutely killing them that they can't.

The moral of the story? Everyone has a right to party, even a Prince, but perhaps choose your fellow revellers more carefully. Now can we all get back to the real news!

Erin x

Quintessentially English's August entry for Post of the Month Club

Independence Day

This is the one holiday that truly makes me miss living in America. Who wouldn't miss a hot summer day spent by the pool sipping cocktails, listening to music, and having a bbq. To not enjoy the day would be well, un-American.

This year has me particularly homesick for the Fourth of July festivities and the Vegas summer. The weather outside makes it hard for me to believe it's July. Instead of the bright blue summer skies I'm accustomed to in England, all I see are grey clouds accompanied by a constant drizzle. If I didn't know any better I would think I was in the first chapter of the sixth Harry Potter novel and that this constant drizzle is in fact Dementors. The few rays of sunshine we've seem today make me remain hopeful that the summer weather will appear soon and I can then have my long awaited barbecues. Until then I must be reminiscent of barbecues past.

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Every fourth of July of my childhood, as far back as I can remember, we would get together with the Schreiber and the Jones families, usually at our house. The adults had all been neighbours and newly-weds before having us kids come along at relatively similar times. Those childhood bbqs changed slightly over the years. As we got aged less accidents involving sparklers occurred, rivalry in pool games like 'Marco Polo' 'Colours' and 'Shark' intensified, and did accusations of cheating. 

But some things didn't change like Pat could always be counted to be seen at the barbecue preparing the hot dogs and hamburgers. In fact that might be the main image I remember from those childhood barbecues, Pat at the grill. As soon as it got dark we'd rush outside to light off the fireworks, before ending the night watching the fireworks go off across The Strip.

As I got older I began to spend Independence Day with my friends. We would still bbq and play games by the pool but now the games were 'Beer Pong' 'Flip Cup' and 'Kings'. After a few rounds of drinking games we would then sing Team America songs at the top of our lungs, which I'm sure the neighbours absolutely loved. I hope that some day the theme song from Team America becomes our new national anthem, but somehow I doubt it.

Explicit Content Warning: If you are easily offended do NOT watch this video.

It is only today that I realise the last fourth of July I spent in America was four years ago. Since then I have been in either France or England. Which makes me think I'll have to make it back to America for a 4th of July real soon. I'm sure Luke will love the banter he receives from my family and friends. I just keep telling him things like 'this is the day we invented freedom'.



Happy 4th of July to all my lovely readers!

Erin x

An Email from the Queen

Note: I did not write this, I received it in an email and found it too funny not to share. I would like to give credit where credit is due though, so if you know where this is originally from please let me know.

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To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your immediate failure to financially manage yourselves and also in recent years your tendency to elect incompetent Presidents of the USA and therefore not able to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, David Cameron, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated sometime next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').

2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'

3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. New Zealand beer is also acceptable, as New Zealand is pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

11. You will cease playing American football. There are only two kinds of proper football; one you call soccer, and rugby (dominated by the New Zealanders). Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the Australians (World dominators) first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save the Queen!

Erin x

Shocking State-istic

Just a quick one today. I was reading The Sunday Times' Style magazine yesterday and came across a shocking statistic that I thought I would share with you fine people.

"The average [British] tourist packs on 8lb during a typical two-week trip to America..."

I always knew our portions in America were large, but 8 lbs in two-weeks?! That's absurd, and yet sadly not unsurprising. I remember on Luke's first visit we went for breakfast at The Original Pancake House . All he wanted was some bacon and a pancake with maple syrup, but his eyes practically popped out of his head when they brought him a stack of pancakes the size of Mount Everest and a whole plate of bacon. The answer seems so simple, just don't eat everything on your plate but the primal instinct in everyone seems to be that you simply must finish. This is why I don't agree with parents who force their children to finish every morsel of food, especially when the portions are so unhealthily large. America really needs to change it's eating habits, and fast, or it really will turn into a country full of those massive McDonalds-munching stereotypes.

Erin x

Don't let this happen to us!
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