I have lived in the USA now for four years, and the single most common question I am frequently asked is, which country do you prefer? Being totally honest, it is a hard question to answer. The US has provided me with so many new and exciting opportunities I did not have in the UK. Since I have moved to the US I have had three jobs (still employed at two), I have been able to drive since I was sixteen and a half years old, graduated high school and started college, and finally and most importantly, lived a completely different life. But on the other hand, my entire family is in the UK and I only get to see them once every year or so.
The best way I can describe my US vs. UK conundrum, is asking people to think about their lives from birth to age fourteen, then compare that to the time period of fourteen to eighteen. Yes, you probably enjoyed your childhood and had some incredible memories, but think about the one memory that stands out to be the best or most exciting. It’s (for peopled ages 16-18) probably within the last four years, because in that space of time you have gain more rights and freedoms; seen more and done more than ever before. We have all gained some level of independence, whether it is getting your driving license and being able to go wherever whenever, or moving out of your home and going to college. We have all done things we only dreamed of when we were younger and are proud of that. I have so many good memories from the UK, but many are trumped by similar ones from the US.
The biggest misconception about the UK is that the whole country is the city of London. It’s not, I have been to London once my entire life, and it was to go to the US embassy. Where I used to live was a town at the opposite end of the country, hours upon hours away from London. The town of Newton Aycliffe, where I used to live, has half the number of people of Franklin, MA my current hometown. My entire life upgraded when I moved.
Once the wheels of the plane touched down my life seemed to upsize, my house got bigger, my school got bigger, my town got bigger, and I love it. I got a job at the age of sixteen, bought a car and learned to drive, at seventeen I quit that job and got a job at a local country club, the same place I still currently work at, from there I became a lifeguard and was promoted to lead guard within four/five months, I graduated Franklin High School and now attend the University of New Haven, these memories are completely incomparable to my life in the UK. So, if I had to decide between living in the US and UK, I would choose the US.
Don’t be scared to move somewhere new, because life has a great way of working itself out for the best.
