The Pond between us…

A Guest Post by Charlotte

I am a well-travelled person, and love the challenge of absorbing new places. After all, I learned from the best. My parents were living in New York when I was born, and we travelled back to live in the UK when I was six weeks old. As a child, we had a map of the world fastened to the kitchen wall and I would mark a spot every time my mum travelled to a new place. It became quite a busy picture. I lived in South America for a year during university, and then Chicago for my Masters. So moving abroad is not a big deal for me. But relocating as a family, with a young child and a husband felt completely different. We had established friendships, a routine, a life.

However, from day one of this adventure it has always felt like the right thing to do. There have been some hiccups, but Alice is very settled in her school and beginning to pronounce a few words like a true American. Chris has a great job that he really enjoys, and spends a lot of his free time in the neighbourhood pool pounding out laps. I have made so many lovely friends, and have three amazing part-time jobs. But there is so much more that has made this transition feel so seamless. Here are a few of the reasons.

Fashion (I know not essential, but it does enhance ones wellbeing :))

Did you know that many of Alice’s friends here in South Carolina are dressed in Mini Boden? Boden has its own US website and distribution here in the US, so you can order it with local or free shipping and have it to your door within a few days. It’s very popular here, and I must admit came as quite a nice surprise. I can still dress Alice in British styles, even though she really wants to dress like an All-American Girl.

Asos is the same, as is Topshop and Zara. Although my husband will remind me at this point that we are really not supposed to be spending money. And let’s be frank, there is more than plenty of great shopping in the US without these brands but it is nice to have that option.

Communication (An obvious one, but so important)

When my mum was working at the United Nations in New York in the 70s, she was away from her family in the UK. If she wanted to call her parents, she would have to call the switch board and see if they could connect her. Flights home were possible, but not as normal or accessible as they have become. Steve Jobs and Apple have changed that for all of us. I can FaceTime my parents every week, or even daily. We can text them, call them and email them with a lot less bother and expense. Alice keeps in contact with her grandparents and friends. Social media makes us feel like we are closer to our friends living around the globe. However Alice, Chris and I still do write letters and cards, as you can’t beat the old-fashioned way of communication. But even a handwritten letter can arrive pretty quickly.

TV (some would say crucial…)

So when we were living in the UK, Chris and I pretty much only watched US TV shows. Since coming here, we have watched BBC productions of Happy Valley, The Night Manager and almost anything else British we can get our hands on. Although I have to say not Downton Abbey and Grantchester, which comes as a great shock and possibly disappointment to our Anglophile American friends who have watched every episode and are more familiar with the English actors than I am. But I did have a very good chat with a friend the other day about famous redheaded British actors. So you see, even television shows are globally friendly. And Chris and I are still obsessed with US TV shows.

Last but not least…Food (another essential…)

I am pleased to say that we still have a pot of tea and biscuit (or two) every afternoon. After trial and error with tea, we have found Yorkshire Gold tea leaves in a upmarket shop about 10 minutes from the house. Scones are readily available in most supermarkets and bakeries. And of course Cadbury’s has been bought by Kraft, so I get our supply of Fruit & Nut from Target on a regular basis 🙂 Ice Tea is a Southern Drink, but hot tea drinkers are increasing and I think I may have to make Tea & Cake Day a US National Holiday.

As we know globalisation has indeed changed the world, and makes it feel almost smaller and more accessible place. Of course we are not yet true Southern charmers – we do have British accents, and can’t give our loved ones a hug whenever we feel like it. But that was pretty hard to do in the UK anyway with the busy lives we all lead. Our new friends are not just from South Carolina, and whilst many are – others are from New York, Delaware, Adelaide, Switzerland, Germany. It turns out my new hairdresser is originally from Newcastle, via Bermuda and one word in ten sounds Geordie. What’s more, the lady working in the department store last week (I wasn’t shopping Chris, just trying on…) was from Huddersfield and offered to be Alice’s babysitter. Everyone, whether native to Charleston, or a transplant like us, has been so welcoming. It just proves that the UK is really now just a hop across the pond.