You all bring up so many things that can't occur to us that haven't been there yet that it can't help but make us try to deal with what is coming for us.
This is a very good point. There are many things for which I was simply not prepared. Each time I had been to the UK before moving here, it was as a tourist. And as a tourist, you don't have to deal with the practicalities of living here. Things like weather reports and ovens being in Celsius, not being able to find the brand names you are used to, me saying and meaning one thing, yet the Brits interpreting it as something totally different.
These things seem trivial to me now because I've either overcome them or learned to deal with them. But at the time, they were pretty darn frustrating.
I never thought about the depression that seems to set in. Did you experience that too? If so how did you deal with it? If not, why do you think you didn't? How prepared were you to make your move?
I've never been depressed whilst living here. I did, admittedly, cry about 6 months before I left. I was sitting in my bedroom, looking at my artificial Christmas tree in the living room, knowing I'd not be able to take it with me. Then it hit me how much of my life I was going to have to leave behind because it didn't make sense to ship it. The books I was going to have to weed through, the knick-knacks to be given or thrown away, the things I had horded and cherished for years.
I think there are few reasons that I've never been depressed about living here. Primarily it's because I have such a supportive husband, who's really everything to me ... best friend, lover, sounding board, etc. Secondly, I didn't have very much family left in the US, and what family there was, I wasn't that close to and that meant very few ties.
As far as being prepared, I thought I had all my bases covered. Shippers arranged, visas sorted, medical and school records in my possession, flights booked, and a wedding fully planned. I thought because of all my preparations that slotting in over here would be a dottle.
It was the little things that got me. Not being able to find things in the supermarket, washing machines the size of my TV back home. Just the thousands of things I dealt with everyday back home and took for granted, but here, they were either done differently or not at all.
I hope my rambling missive hasn't put you off. I do love living here, but I also like to complain (and very loudly as my hubby would say) when things frustrate me. That being said, I've learned to cope with many of the differences and actually enjoy quite a few now.
By the way, I'm looking forward to visiting Wales soon. I've read several books on historical North Wales and can't wait to see the places, and try out a bit of Welsh.
