(C) Bethany Wolfe 2012
I’ve lived in the UK for a year now. One year, with only a brief sojourn back to the States. One year.
One year. One year. Living on my own. Responsibilities. Education. Academia. Heartbreak. Making friends. Seeing these friends move away. Interviews. Starting jobs. Design. Worrying. Worrying about if the government will let me stay here, or if I’ll have to return to the States. Will I get to immigrate? Will I have to return to the land of my birth (I don’t call it ‘home’)?
Trips to London. Trip to the Highlands. Pilgrimage to Manchester. Concerts. Theatre. Adventures. Swing dancing. Saying hello. Saying good bye. Moving. Leases. Commutes. Thoughts too complex to be expressed as any more than phrases. Moments. Music. Friends. Poetry. Film-making. Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Fish and chips. Forays into vegetarianism. Bacon beckons. Tea. Biscuits. Brie. Late night chats. Early morning conversations. Sometimes the same thing. Mistakes. Regrets.
Laughter. Tears. Sobs into the night. Loneliness. Frustration. Disappointment. Elation. Love. Token American. Belonging.
Ned Wolfe 
I know exactly what you’re going through. I made the right decision for me and it worked out great and hopefully everything works out for you too! Good luck with the visa process, mine dragged out for over a year and that was by far the most painful aspect especially once I decided I was moving back to the US.
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Thanks Geoff. The UKBA’s recently changed the immigration laws, so it’s a bit of a toss-up with whether or not I’ll be able to stay. I’m supposed to be returning to the homestead for Christmas; however, I’m not sure I’ll be able to due to processing times. If that happens, it’ll be the first Christmas I’ve ever spent away from my family (though I bet my sister will try to visit me).
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Yeah – they had just changed them when I was there, but I know they’ve gotten a lot more intense this past year! Hopefully everything works out for you. (Plus you’ll have to keep us updated, I was stuck [not that it was a problem, I had a part time job thankfully] without a passport for almost 9 months.
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Will do! I’ve got a few posts up my sleeve and a few adventures to be had.
Oh man. I can’t imagine being without my passport for nine months. I was going mental when my student visa was being processed and I didn’t have my passport for about a month!
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