Getting to know you (again)!

Hello all. I am Courtney and I first found UKY in early 2005 whilst researching what it was going to take to move to the UK. I ended up making the move in April of 2006 on a 5 year work permit with my company. I was quite active on the board for a while, but haven't been around for a while. My WP is expiring and I am applying for my ILR in March so I am back to catch up on the latest info.

I am 43 and grew up in southwest PA. After high school, I moved to southern CA and lived there (except for a brief stint in Harrisburg) for almost 20 years. Now I am living in Ealing (London) and am happy to call all 3 locations "home"

My reasons for moving to the UK were complicated and include: a (failed before I even moved) attempt to re-unite with a British ex, my disgust with the second selection of Dubya and the political climate in the US, a curiosity about living/working abroad, as well as a desire to easily travel to and explore Europe. My transition to life here was pretty straightforward and I have been really lucky to land a job that I enjoy.

I have been with my current partner for 3 years and we share a passion for exotic travel and good food. He loves the outdoors so we do a lot of biking, country walks, picnics, etc.  We are trying to decide where our next holiday will be which is always great fun. I love sorting through the endless possibilities.

It's nice to be back to UKY. The support/knowledge offered was priceless to me when I needed it and I am pleased to see that it is still available. It's so comforting when you're stressing over whatever step you are on to read that someone else has made it through successfully.

I did this once but deleted it because it didn't sound very interesting at all.  And because y'all are here to stay and I'm not. 

It started with a library book by Bernard Cornwall, "Sharpe's Eagle".  That led to a google search of Sharpe's videos, then Sean Bean, then Sheffield United Football Club and then a Blades message board where I became internet friends with a group of people who invited me to visit and see some football with them. 
I made my first trip to England in April 2004.  I met DH at a pre-game gathering of fans and we kept in touch.  I came back in April 2005 and in Feb 2006.  By my fourth trip in October 2006 we were a couple. 
After LOTS of back & forth (too much really) I returned in October 2008 with a fiance visa.  We married in Feb 2009.  We live in a tiny village in North Yorkshire.  DH works in Harrogate and I work in the village preschool.  There are some lovely people here but I'm way too isolated.  I would've been happier living in town but DH couldn't see the sense in making changes when we plan to move to the US soon.   
DH doesn't have much family here and they're not especially close.  I have 3 grown children and 4 wonderful grandchildren back home.  I want to be near them.

Hmmm...  it doesn't sound very interesting the second time either.   

Sounds pretty interesting to me, June! Especially the bit about the library book leading to football etc. etc. 

Sounds pretty interesting to me, June! Especially the bit about the library book leading to football etc. etc. 

I agree.  I love hearing about how something that seems rather inconsequential at the time can lead to such life altering events.  That is what makes life fascinating!

I have just been going thru my old messages...I have 1322 of them (sad I know)....and there are ppl on there that I haven't thought of quite awhile...I wonder where they are at now and what they are doing....

Some of them very controversial!!!!

I have just been going thru my old messages...I have 1322 of them (sad I know)....and there are ppl on there that I haven't thought of quite awhile...I wonder where they are at now and what they are doing....

Some of them very controversial!!!!

I know a few who are another related forum. I wouldn't call them controversial though. Not the ones I'm referring to anyway.

Yay for more posts!  I'll have to update the little clickity-links later this week! 

Great seeing some long-time members post as well as newer peeps.

I live in a suburb of Leeds, about 5 minutes away from Mrs R although I don't see the lovely expat ladies often. I'm shy. 

Lol!    (Ashley is another one of our Global Mods too.)

I did this once but deleted it because it didn't sound very interesting at all.  And because y'all are here to stay and I'm not. 

Aww - I didn't think it was un-interesting at all!  And I wouldn't assume that every single person on this is here to stay...well I am, I think...but I don't think that's necessarily true of every poster here. 

I have just been going thru my old messages...I have 1322 of them (sad I know)....and there are ppl on there that I haven't thought of quite awhile...I wonder where they are at now and what they are doing....

Oh I really need to do that too!  Lol!  You're right, for those of us who have been around awhile, we have seen a lot of folks come & go.  I've had at least one dear friend leave the forum altogether, and others I wonder what happened to.

However, I do tend to think that the people who choose to be here now (who want and/or need to be here) are just the ones who are meant to be here now.  It's great to see new people join in, for one thing.  And also, I think sometimes that when people move on (or simply lurk & maybe post less often) - maybe things are going well for them, in the sense that they have found their expat/settlement feet (or moved back if that was their desire), are out living their offline lives & just getting on with it.  Nothing wrong with that.  Nothing wrong with spending time here either. 

I know a few who are another related forum. I wouldn't call them controversial though. Not the ones I'm referring to anyway. 

Oh well there's always been other forums.  Choice isn't a bad thing.  Viva la difference! 

I did this once but deleted it because it didn't sound very interesting at all. 

Liar- that was very interesting! 

Nothing wrong with spending time here either. 

I love this little online community.  However, I probably spend too much time here    My virtual life that I am obsessed with and my internet addiction isn't healthy, according to J. And he's right. 
Oh well! 

I love this little online community.  However, I probably spend too much time here    My virtual life that I am obsessed with and my internet addiction isn't healthy, according to J. And he's right. 
Oh well! 

I just get the mopey-faced 'why aren't you spending all your free time with MEEEEE?!' puppydog look here at ours.  (except when he wants to use the computer for hours on end, then that's different, of course) 

I just get the mopey-faced 'why aren't you spending all your free time with MEEEEE?!' puppydog look here at ours.  (except when he wants to use the computer for hours on end, then that's different, of course) 

Of course 

I just get the mopey-faced 'why aren't you spending all your free time with MEEEEE?!' puppydog look here at ours.  (except when he wants to use the computer for hours on end, then that's different, of course) 

Ah, well I see that I'm not the only one that gets this!  Of course it's different when he's spending his time on his favourite football team's forum!

Oh yes!  If it's his fantasy football website, or his photos, or some online arcade game from his youth - that's important business.  But if it's something I'm doing, then that's frivolous time spent, of course.  So annoying. 

Liar- that was very interesting!

LOL   

I just get the mopey-faced 'why aren't you spending all your free time with MEEEEE?!' puppydog look here at ours.

Oh yes, I know that face too.   

My name is Karen and I've been on UKY since 2005.  

I am Canadian and I married a medical scientist whose quest for the elusive academic position has taken us on 12 years of travel with two kids and a cat in tow.  

We lived in San Diego CA for 6 years, a year back in Canada and then 5 years in the UK.  We have just very recently moved back to our hometown in Canada - something we never in a million years expected would happen but like a perfect puzzle, the pieces just fell into place and we found you can indeed, go home again!  

I came to the UK on a UK Ancestry Visa - my paternal grandmother was born in Solihull, Birmingham.  We lived in Leicester, about an hour away from Solihull and we even went to see my grandma's birth home at one point.   I joined UKY basically because I was looking for information about living in the UK.  It is a wealth of information that I am so grateful to have had.  

My kids are now 19 and 16 and they both did exceptionally well in the UK.  My son in particular who is passionate about football, misses it terribly. Our cat, who was the one constant in my kids' crazy lives,  saw us all safely home and sadly died 3 months after we moved.   We adopted a dog while in the UK and moved him with us, and he has taken over the mantle as constant in the cat's absence.  

I did a lot of volunteer work in the community in the UK as a Girl Guide leader and working with youth football and now, I'm turning that into a career as I'm going to University taking a degree course in volunteer and charity organization administration, which is my first love.

I check UKY from time to time just to see what everyone is up to and I can still chime in about our experiences moving over with teenagers.  

Funny thing is that in the UK, we had a weekly tradition of X-factor and pizza saturday nights.  My son has figured out how to stream x-factor so we can keep it up in Canada!  That, and he misses his squash...  

  

Good to hear from you again, Karen. So glad things are working out well for you!