We had some sweet times with my dear friend Abby, her husband Gareth and their sweet baby girl Sophie. This was a big introduction too because Sophie is my goddaughter and this was our first meeting! She is adorable (not that I am biased)- See below!
Leaving England was harder this time than it's been in a while. I think it just felt like I had missed so much life in the almost 2 years I had been gone. In that time friends have got married, divorced(sadly), had babies, graduated from school and others from college. My friends don't look that different, but as I saw how grown up their children had got I knew I had been away too long.
I am seeing how torn I really am between life in Seattle and life in England. When I am in Seattle it can be easy to put it out of my mind but once I am back and immersed in England life, I am hooked again. That makes it really hard to leave. In England there are just some things everyone knows; you know who killed Archie Mitchel, and you think it's weird that Katie Price married a guys that looks exactly like Peter Andre. We remember when Ant and Dec were on Biker Grove and feel a little bit of pride about how successful they are now. We watch the Eurovision song contest and we appreciate the silliness of Comic relief. When someone offer me tea, the only variants are milk and sugar. We eat our beans on toast. We get excited about the Christmas number one, and we call those little pouches that old men wear bum bags NOT fanny packs.
It felt good to be in the same page as the rest of the country. I didn't realise how much I missed that feeling of belonging. The longer I am here in Seattle, the more comfortable I begin to feel but as soon as I am in England again I am reminded that I have a long way to go. Now, I am not saying the US is a total mystery to me; I laugh when people talk about living in a "van down by the river" (although most SNL skits go right over my British-sense-of-humoured head).
The USA didn't raise me, I am a product of good ol' blighty. And I miss her.
Now we are back in Seattle, driving on the wrong side of the road again. I think it will take a little while to get rid of my culture shock!! But in other news, it's good to be home.
Yes, I am a complicated woman.
ps, Just wanted to add one pic from our wedding blessing service.
glad you had such a great time at home. must have been really fun, relaxing and special.
ReplyDeletei know what you mean about living in another country. for you there are very big and obvious differences from england and america. canada and america are also very different, it's just not as blatant. i used to think i wanted to live in the usa, but as soon as i moved home i realized how much i love my country.
hope you get many chances to visit england and watch the eurovision song contest.
manda xo
i know exactly how you feel.
ReplyDeleteim glad we have eachother as a little piece of home.
i love you.
Katie
Ohhhh you speak my language! lol there is something that happens isnt there when you move to another country and start a new life....life still happens in your past world and when you go back all those emotions, all those "things" and "isms" are still there. That is so important to have and I am so glad that you had a nice time while you are here. I am the same when I go to the states...but England is becoming more and more home...the longer I am here the more I think of myself as british (not english) but british, and I am ok with that! Thank you for having such a beautiful country....the nice thing about having two "homes" is that you are never lost because home really is just around whichever corner you are traveling on. Love you and good luck with jet lag! xx
ReplyDeleteI saw the pictures of your wedding blessing on Facebook and was touched by how well loved you and Jeremy seem to be. And was very glad that you got to wear your wedding dress a second time. How often does that happen?
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