Yesterday, I was spending too much time and energy stressing about England--where we're going to live, with whom, for how long, where I'm going to work, etc.
Then, I stumbled upon a link to the Somerset Cider Festivals
http://www.somersetmade.co.uk/ciderfestivals/festival.php .
Yes, that's right, FestivalS. Plural. It turns out that we're going to be living in the epicenter of the hard ciders of the world--Somerset County, UK.
That's when I knew--it's going to be alright.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Welcome!
Chad and I (Sarah) have started this blog to chronicle our move to the UK, as well as our experiences there. We currently live on a small island off the coast of Maine called Vinalhaven, swinging hammers for a living.
Last June, Chad was accepted to the University of Bath in Bath, England. We deferred his acceptance a year and are preparing to move to the UK in September of 09. We're also preparing our dog, Nugget, and our cat, Thelma, for the voyage. We decided to take the animals because we're not sure how long we'll be over there (Chad's programme takes 12 months, but he may very well stay on for the PhD), and we love our furry critters. It just seemed like the responsible thing to do.
So now we're trying to sort out as much as we can before we leave. For example:
1. Trying to take advantage of the low pound:dollar exchange rate and buy up as many pounds as we can, preferably in a bank in Britain.
2. Finding an apartment in Bath, or the surrounding areas that we can afford, and that accepts our animals. We go back and forth about what kind of lodging we'd like. Finding a house to share would be super because the rent would be cheaper, and there would be an instant social network. However, finding a place of our own would be great, too, for visitors and such, as well as maintaining our autonomy. Problem is, a place of our own may be expensive, and most of the people who are looking to share are looking for a single professional, not a couple.
3. Finding a job (assuming the work visa thing works out) for me. I'm currently training to be a massage therapist, and will easily meet the criteria to be one in the UK, but I know it's tough to find employment, and am already looking on job search sites for possibilities.
4. Applying for scholarships. Chad's finding all sorts of good looking scholarship opportunities, so hopefully there will be lots of organizations who want to give us oodles of money.
5. Making contacts in and around the Bath area so we aren't SO alone when we get there.
For those of you who don't know, Chad is going to Bath to study a specific sub field within the discipline of sociology at the Centre for Death and Society. He's a hospice volunteer now, and hopes to become a professor in the field.
Hope you've enjoyed the first installment. There will be more to come.
Last June, Chad was accepted to the University of Bath in Bath, England. We deferred his acceptance a year and are preparing to move to the UK in September of 09. We're also preparing our dog, Nugget, and our cat, Thelma, for the voyage. We decided to take the animals because we're not sure how long we'll be over there (Chad's programme takes 12 months, but he may very well stay on for the PhD), and we love our furry critters. It just seemed like the responsible thing to do.
So now we're trying to sort out as much as we can before we leave. For example:
1. Trying to take advantage of the low pound:dollar exchange rate and buy up as many pounds as we can, preferably in a bank in Britain.
2. Finding an apartment in Bath, or the surrounding areas that we can afford, and that accepts our animals. We go back and forth about what kind of lodging we'd like. Finding a house to share would be super because the rent would be cheaper, and there would be an instant social network. However, finding a place of our own would be great, too, for visitors and such, as well as maintaining our autonomy. Problem is, a place of our own may be expensive, and most of the people who are looking to share are looking for a single professional, not a couple.
3. Finding a job (assuming the work visa thing works out) for me. I'm currently training to be a massage therapist, and will easily meet the criteria to be one in the UK, but I know it's tough to find employment, and am already looking on job search sites for possibilities.
4. Applying for scholarships. Chad's finding all sorts of good looking scholarship opportunities, so hopefully there will be lots of organizations who want to give us oodles of money.
5. Making contacts in and around the Bath area so we aren't SO alone when we get there.
For those of you who don't know, Chad is going to Bath to study a specific sub field within the discipline of sociology at the Centre for Death and Society. He's a hospice volunteer now, and hopes to become a professor in the field.
Hope you've enjoyed the first installment. There will be more to come.
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