Living in America....... summer 2010!

[redflipflops]

So.... new thread.... please join me

introductions:

redflipflops - California (central Coast)

Marenmj - yes I have the Seattle, sort of, conversation too!

I work for Microsoft too so I'm not exactly a Microsoft widow except since having my little one I only work three days a week so am sort of a part time Microsoft widow now

tad - do you miss the smell of tad? i used to sniff the beer as i drove past - i lived in york & taught in leeds for 5 years. never did manage to get a teaching job in york (over 200 applicants for 1 post i went for!!)

i still remember the smell of chocolate from york, it kind of greeted you as you arrived.

i use lots of !!! too!! one is never enough!! (and i taught english!)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the info everyone. Will also pass the tips onto my sister (who is visiting with family this summer and planning on trips up North!).

Hi - Spamm here, now in NOVA (Northern Virginia), which is quite a change from a small village outside Andover in Hampshire. I say NOVA because my colleagues keep on correcting me - I initially thought I was coming to Washington DC, but I am actually working in Arlington , so I am in Virgina, even though I can see the Capitol and the Washington Monument from my office window.

We have been here just seven months and are trying to settle in. It is quite a change and my DH has found it quite difficult. We moved for my job, and it is quite complexe for him to find a job here due to certain restrictions in his sector.

DS is 5 and is doing well. His pre-school is great and he is picking up many US words and expressions, but his accent is still very British. But at least we can find Marmite, which keeps us sane!

You could only smell the beer if the wind was in the right direction! I miss the dray horses that Samuel Smith used to deliver the beer around town, though bizarrely enough, you can get Sam Smiths in almost every supermarket here in Bend!

I taught in Boston Spa for a year then after my maternity leave I got a job at Jo Ro, purely because I wrote to them and said I wanted a part-time job. I did my masters at Leeds so it was a good place to live! Oh, and the Terry's factory is closed in York but Nestle is still open.

yes, i know about terry's - i applied for a job at boston spa one time too! i used to teach at braim wood boys' in leeds - it was quite notorious. shut now, of course. i'm still in touch with my old york crowd via facebook, but have no idea when i'll see them again.

hi spamm dd is one of those kids who is american in school & british at home - i don't think she even knows that she does it.

marmite easily available here, though one place keeps it next to the yeast in the home baking section!

Hi new people. Hi all. I can't believe I've missed so much talking on this thread. It must be because it is so shiny and new. For all the new ones, I'm in the Portland, Oregon area. I'm American and never been to the UK, but I discovered MN 6 years ago. I have a 6yo DS and a 4yo DD.

It has been coldish and raining a whole lot here, but we missed it all because we were in San Diego for the week. We went with the kids and in laws and had a great time. We actually go there about once every 2 years or so, and always have a great vacation. However, I'm not a Southern California girl in the least, and it is nice to be back home, clouds and all.

Hi dooney

it has been so hot here. i'm pulling weeds up out of the garden like crazy, and getting depressed cos they're right back there the next day!!

looking forward to the memorial day parade (can you tell we're small town), dd could have been in it, but declined as she wants to collect candy instead. we haven't quite run out of easter candy yet, which arrived just as the valentines candy was nearly at an end, which replenished the stocks that had dwindled since halloween - life for a 6 yr old is just measured in which candy tradition is going to be next, isn't it?

Pretty much, Kickass.

I have a 2 month rule. 2 months after the holiday, the candy gets tossed. I hate the candy tradition, because all of it is crap, and I'm trying to give my kids a more refined palate.

ok, so i have a slight dilemma.

i have a wreath which i hang by the front door & give a seasonal decoration. there are some obvious things to put on - halloween, christmas, easter/spring, but now it is summer - would it look stupid if i put red, white & blue ribbons on it? cos i'm thinking that mem day - jul 4 is kind of 'american' time, but we're not american, so would that look daft?

and then, what can be the decoration for later july & august? by sep, obviously, i will be back to autumn.

Hi Kickass..

well, people leave their Christmas lights up all year (Santa on roof etc) and some of our more patriotic neighbours have their red/white /blue decorations out ALL YEAR...so i think anything goes!

Happy Memorial weekend everyone!

so you wouldn't all think i'm a bit odd for doing the red, white & blue thing, even though everyone knows i'm british? you wouldn't secretly have a bit of a laugh that i've come over all american?

i could ask my 'girlfriends' group, but they're all so polite i wouldn't know what they really thought!

I wouldn't think it was odd, I'd think it was nice that you were taking part of the culture of the country you were living in. (Especially since the country you came from was on the losing end of the war that the holiday's based on. .

dooney - you've just explained something to me!!
i have asked people why mem day is now, but they didn't know - they were amazed that most of 'westernised' world uses 11th Nov as their memorial day, and had never heard of 11/11/11 & poppies etc from WW1.

NOW i get it - i'm guessing it's based on a date from the US Revolution (note, only in the US is it called 'THE War of Independence') - and that predates the WW1 armistice. off to google it now.

gosh, every so often i have a 'light bulb' moment when my perception of something shifts & clicks into focus! the last one was less profound - i suddenly understood the lyrics to 'knock on wood'.

uh oh!

dooney, i hate to burst your bubble, but here is waht wikipedia says
'First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I to honor dead Americans from all wars'
so civil war, not when you were revolting

Oh, I was thinking you meant you were decorating for 4th of July. I didn't do such a great job of reading the Mem. day-4th of July part of your post. Which actually we can't do right, either, and should be celebrating July 2nd. I really think that Memorial, 4th of July and Labor day don't mean anything to the general American public other than a day off, barbecue, camping and beer.

Actually I made the losing end of the war comment, because of a history class I once had in college. We were discussing the American Revolution, and when we got done, there was a decidedly British accent that popped up from the back of the class, that said something to the fact of "Well, that may be how YOU teach it, but that's not what I learned", and we all got a good laugh out of that one.

Has The Bunny abandoned this thread now that she's a Brit again?

Hello!

New Thread with new faces, how lovely.

I'm SuperBunny, Brit living in the UK after 6 1/2 yrs in the US (CT & Chicago).

Have not caught up with thread properly but will do that now and pop back

Hello SuperBunny - how has life been back in the UK? Has it been easy to settle back and pick up on old friendships etc.. Do you have DC? Six and 1/2 years is a long time - so big change. I do sometimes wonder how it will feel to return after being away - how easy it'll be to slot back into life.

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day. We didn't camp in the end... quite glad as it did seem busy. Might try and camp on a regular weekend (not yet been with youngest DC!).

Schools here break for Summer next week! (is v early compared to UK!). We have 10 weeks... no wonder Americans all sign up the kids for summer camp!(before living here didn't appreciate that). Anyone going back to blighty for the summer? We're not going this year (I might go on my own in the autumn fall to visit elderly parents). Only been here six months so thought it was too early and would rather spend DH annual leave on seeing some more of California.

we're planning a short trip up north to Mackinaw - which is where some of the Great Lakes 'meet' and there's a huge bridge from 'Mainland Michigan' to the 'Upper Peninsular' - known as the UP. Saying you're a 'UPer' (or youper) is like saying you're from hicksville - they have bears up there!
It is v hot here for this time of year - high 80s most of this week.

dd's school ends next week, and they don't go back til the 2nd week of Sep. Eeek! I'm frantically trying to de-weed the garden so that it's just maintenance,as I won't have any time to myself once school is out. I just can't bring myself to part with dh's money to put her into camp, when i could take her places with me.

I always wanted to go to Mackinac Island, Kickass. They make good fudge up there. Have fun, Kickass

Life in the UK is good, on the whole but then I was quite miserable in the US and was desperate to leave. DS is loving nursery and is looking forward to startng school in September and my job is good. I am not living near any of my old friends but have new ones, which is lovely. I am enjoying things like an endless supply of marmite, Tartex and Angel Delight.

Does Ali still post here? SittingBull? They were some of the first expats I started chatting to on these threads. And Dooney, of course

Just wanted to say hi to gotmunchies! I'm in the La Jolla/PB area. Are you in the British mums group? I went along once but haven't got round to going again... Lovely people but I'm just crap at organising myself!

Posted a bit quick in my excitement. I see your children are probably a bit old for mums and tots

Thoroughly recommend TTC. I had baby #3 over here after a five year gap. He's definitely improved life I'd love to go for #4 but the job market isn't so kind to us at the moment.

Hello!

I'm Hootie, a Brit living in the USA for 17 years, currently in Charleston, SC.
I was asked this morning if I was from Australia or New Zealand!

Hi everyone and welcome all newcomers to the Brit thread!

Hi CarmenSanDiego

I'm just north of you! Solana Beach area. Seems like loads of Brits around here. Was just at the beach today. How long have you been in La Jolla? I was at George's on the Cove Terrace for lunch on Sunday, it was lovely.