10 years ago
A decade ago today I flew from Heathrow Airport to Chicago with two suitcases, a rucksack stuffed with some photos, a work visa and an address of an apartment building.
I had always wanted to experience living and working abroad, and on that Tuesday 10 years ago, I was finally going to realise my ambitions. Mind you if I was told before boarding that plane that I would still be away 10 years later, I wouldn’t have got on, no chance. That was certainly not in my plans.
I wrote a diary those first few months, and I re-read back the first week recently. It was a mixture of sadness, apprehension and wide-eyed excitement.
Moving was both selfish and satisfying. My life is better, and at crossroad decisions I have been both lucky and brave but every day without fail I think about the vacuum in my life that is deeply missing family, friends and a certain little football club you may have heard off.
Nonetheless flying to Chicago that day was the singularly best thing I have ever done. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been rewarding and exciting. The land of opportunity gave me just that and I have found more here in Bermuda.
I have chronicled most of that 10 years here and here, for which I am ever so grateful and my ambition remains to experience things that I want to share. Onto the next decade then….
“The journey is the destination.” ― Dan Eldon
I left the UK about 13 years ago to come to the USA. I moved firstly to Colorado and after 3 years I moved to Illinois. I came here for love. I already had a good life in the UK. I was born in Abbey Wood SE2 and like you I am a Charlton fan.First game was Sam Bartram’s 500th at the Valley. I dont regret coming in fact I feel I lead a very English life style watching premiership football and premiership rugby on the tv.
Gerald, although I remember when I first got to the US in 2003 there being little English football on the box. There can’t have been much at all in 2000.
I wonder what it was about the early 2000’s that made Charlton fans emigrate in droves? I left for the US 11 years ago and it has been a life changing experience. I enjoy London much more as a tourist than I ever did living there.
That is a very good point SLC. I still consider myself a Londoner and London as home, but I think I have come to appreciate it more now that I go as a tourist or with work and not live there or commute into it.