I am 35 years old and was born in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK), studied an undergrad degree in Manchester (UK), lived 6 months in Barcelona and then 9 years in London, I finally think I have found myself in the city of my dreams; New York. After many years of visiting New York for weekends of business and pleasure and wishing we could be relocated here, we were offered the opportunity with my husband’s job. Definitely be careful of what you wish for since in my experience it can come true!
How long have you lived there and how long will you stay? What keeps you there?
Initially we said we would come to New York for at least a couple of years but probably for “as long as we were happy to stay” was the mutual agreement. 3 years on and we are more than happy in the city, my husband’s job is going well, and we are green card holders. We have one little girl with her dual nationality and another on the way this Fall.
What do you do to make a living?
The majority of my time in the city so far seems to have been spent being pregnant or looking after a small baby, however, I have managed to squeeze in a few freelance projects working on event production, which was my previous life in the UK. Having always enjoyed writing I recently started a weekly blog. I write about things I am passionate about therefore the New York Friday Lunch Club website features my observations on life in the city and all my favorite places to drink coffee, eat cake, drink cocktails, shop for clothes & shoes and to take a mani / pedi – Spas, bars, boutiques and cake, is the theme.
Describe your average weekday and weekend day.
One thing I love about my life in New York is that to a certain extent I am able to avoid routine and able to meet so many different people. The networking opportunities in New York are way beyond those in London. I’m sure it’s the mindset. If I have an average day it involves getting up with my daughter around 8am when my husband leaves for work. I am lucky in that she is not an early riser. On a day when I have work or my website to attend to she will spend a few hours with her nanny while I either have meetings or write. We have landed ourselves an apartment in Soho with a garden, or a yard (it has grass and a tree, therefore I think it qualifies as a garden?) When the weather is fair our afternoons are spent either in the garden with friends or in the parks and playgrounds around the city on playdates. Where possible I try to meet up with my other expat friends with their kids for coffee and lunch.It may just sound like a cliche but looking after children really is a full time job. Weekends involve brunch and family time and when possible escaping from the city and heading to the beach or upstate. I appreciate the great babysitters we have on hand who allow us time to go out on an evening with friends so we can still appreciate the restaurant and bar scene in NY which was the big magnetic pull for us when we first decided to relocate from London.
What skills have you learned while living abroad?
Since being in NY I’ve had the opportunity not so much to learn new skills but to identify and utilize my current skill set that I had nurtured probably throughout my whole life, but had not always used to its full potential. This means putting myself out there when it comes to identifying new freelance opportunities, developing new circles of friends and acquaintances and using my organizational skills to balance some kind of work life with a family life without having my UK family and friends network around me as a support system.
What are you missing (professionally) by not being in your home country?
Maybe I just haven’t realized it yet but I don’t think I am missing any aspect of professional life in the UK. Since being in the city it has afforded me the opportunity to explore so many new creative and professional avenues in the last 3 years that London would probably not have done.
If you could live anywhere, where would that be and why?
Right now New York is where my husband and I want to be living. If it wasn’t we would leave. We like to imagine that at some point we might have the opportunity to live in Italy, or at least spend a decent amount of time there. We were married in Tuscany and love the landscape, the cuisine, the language, and the culture steeped in the renaissance history just about completes the whole picture.
What is your favorite gadget that makes your work life abroad better?
The Apple brand in general makes our lives so much easier whether it’s watching movies, browsing the web, using social media, listening to music, reading a book or newspaper – it is all through our Apple gadgets including the iphone, MacBook, Mini mac, ipad…we will probably end up buying shares in the company.
Do you have a favorite book that inspired you to travel or consider a different way of living?
I’ve always travelled extensively when I’ve had the opportunity and have managed to experience parts of Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and of course the Americas. Although there isn’t one book that inspired the travel I loved the escapist feel of Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart. Originally the drummer in the band Genesis he retired aged 17 and became a travel writer and sheep shearer and eventually moved to a remote farm in Andalucia with his wife, where they started a family.
Do you have a favorite expat blog?
I read many blogs, although not religiously every day. Since fashion is my passion, one expat blog I refer to often is Notes from a Stylist written by Sara Delaney.
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