What brought you to the USA?
Feb 11th 2006, 1:10 am
#1
Blondie22
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,738
What brought you to the USA?
What was the original reason that you moved to the USA or Canada? Not necessarily what keeps you here (there), but what made you come here in the first place. So many of us seem to say that we would go home in a heartbeat, so what was the event or reason that made you take the plunge and move? For me it was meeting my American husband 16 years ago in Britain and moving with him. If it had not been for that chance meeting my life would be so incredibly different right now and I would probably still be living in Britain.
Feb 11th 2006, 1:14 am
#2
Paul
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Templeton, MA
Posts: 109
Re: What brought you to the USA?
Work three years ago 
I had just happened to make friends with several people in Boston, and had been out for two vacations to stay with them ... my company also happened to have an office here, so I applied for a transfer. Moved over on an L1-B visa.
3 years later, I'm married to one of those friends, and don't want to move back!
I had just happened to make friends with several people in Boston, and had been out for two vacations to stay with them ... my company also happened to have an office here, so I applied for a transfer. Moved over on an L1-B visa.
3 years later, I'm married to one of those friends, and don't want to move back!
Feb 11th 2006, 1:33 am
#3
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 8,271
Re: What brought you to the USA?
Opportunity. We got offered work based GC's (wife is a nurse) so thought what the hell.
I think we are in better situation being both Brits than mixed US/UK couples as we could just go back to Europe without any hassle if we wanted to. But for now we are here for the duration. Probably at least until the kids have left home in 8 years or so. By then who knows? Probably will have done the dual citizen thing.
I think we are in better situation being both Brits than mixed US/UK couples as we could just go back to Europe without any hassle if we wanted to. But for now we are here for the duration. Probably at least until the kids have left home in 8 years or so. By then who knows? Probably will have done the dual citizen thing.
Feb 11th 2006, 1:39 am
#4
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 30,102
Re: What brought you to the USA?
A plane....
Feb 11th 2006, 1:52 am
#5
Mr. Grumpy
Joined: Jun 2003
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 3,100
Re: What brought you to the USA?
met a hot southern girl
Feb 11th 2006, 1:59 am
#6
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 8,271
Re: What brought you to the USA?
Originally Posted by gruffbrown
A plane....
Feb 11th 2006, 2:04 am
#7
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 30,102
Re: What brought you to the USA?
Originally Posted by Angry White Pyjamas
Is that an airplane or an aeroplane though?
Feb 11th 2006, 2:04 am
#8
Account Closed
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,019
Re: What brought you to the USA?
sadly had to come to collect the pay checks 
Feb 11th 2006, 2:15 am
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 274
Re: What brought you to the USA?
Originally Posted by blaze
What was the original reason that you moved to the USA or Canada? Not necessarily what keeps you here (there), but what made you come here in the first place. So many of us seem to say that we would go home in a heartbeat, so what was the event or reason that made you take the plunge and move? For me it was meeting my American husband 16 years ago in Britain and moving with him. If it had not been for that chance meeting my life would be so incredibly different right now and I would probably still be living in Britain.
Feb 11th 2006, 2:23 am
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: AZ
Posts: 374
Re: What brought you to the USA?
Like AWP we came as i'm a nurse and we all got GC's thought it would be a good life experience for us all particularly the kids. Are we here forever, can't imagine so but who knows.
Feb 11th 2006, 2:27 am
#11
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: SC
Posts: 4,153
Re: What brought you to the USA?
I worked for an American owned company in the UK and offered to spend my last 12 months here passing on my working experience. Met my future wife although I was not looking, and am here to stay. I prefer it here to the UK. The UK is like grandchildren, love to visit but always happy to be in our own home.
Feb 11th 2006, 2:29 am
#12
Mummy and baby 1982
Joined: May 2003
Location: North West Chicago Suburbs
Posts: 1,067
Re: What brought you to the USA?
Met and married my husband 4 years ago who is UK/US citizen and he's been here in the US around 19 years. We have 5 kids between us, 4 live with us and my 24 year old daughter lives in the UK waiting the long wait for a visa. Don't know what we'll do when the kids have all left home. Maybe go home to UK, maybe move into Chicago or maybe retire somewhere warm, but who knows by that time, our youngest is 12 so we've got quite a while yet!
Maggie
Maggie
Originally Posted by blaze
What was the original reason that you moved to the USA or Canada? Not necessarily what keeps you here (there), but what made you come here in the first place. So many of us seem to say that we would go home in a heartbeat, so what was the event or reason that made you take the plunge and move? For me it was meeting my American husband 16 years ago in Britain and moving with him. If it had not been for that chance meeting my life would be so incredibly different right now and I would probably still be living in Britain.
Feb 11th 2006, 2:35 am
#13
Position - Offside
Joined: May 2005
Location: Harvest, Alabama from Newport Pagnell, Bucks/Mitcham, Surrey
Posts: 413
Re: What brought you to the USA?
My husband was head hunted by a company here who could not find anyone experienced enough in their field of engineering. The offer was too good to turn down.
Feb 11th 2006, 2:43 am
#14
Pagan Sex God
Joined: May 2002
Location: Living in Oblivion
Posts: 3,668
Re: What brought you to the USA?
I had an overwhelming urge to feel superior for large portions of the day and a longing to mock a culture so self involved they no nothing of the world outside their borders.
Oh, and I met an American bird stupid enough to marry me!
Oh, and I met an American bird stupid enough to marry me!
Feb 11th 2006, 2:43 am
#15
Homebody
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: HOME
Posts: 23,182
Re: What brought you to the USA?
Originally Posted by Angry White Pyjamas
Opportunity. We got offered work based GC's (wife is a nurse) so thought what the hell.
I think we are in better situation being both Brits than mixed US/UK couples as we could just go back to Europe without any hassle if we wanted to. But for now we are here for the duration. Probably at least until the kids have left home in 8 years or so. By then who knows? Probably will have done the dual citizen thing.
I think we are in better situation being both Brits than mixed US/UK couples as we could just go back to Europe without any hassle if we wanted to. But for now we are here for the duration. Probably at least until the kids have left home in 8 years or so. By then who knows? Probably will have done the dual citizen thing.
And where will your kids go when they leave home?
This is a big worry for me. We moved here (for DH's work) when our sons were already teenagers. One definitely wants to go back, one doesn't have a clue what he wants to do, but I could imagine that # 3 might stay.
Since at least two, possibly all of them, will go to uni here, there is always a chance that all of them will get stuck here - either because of work or if they were to marry a local...
DH and I definitely want to move back to London when he retires. (BTW, I know I grumble a lot about life here, but that's more because I miss London and all it has to offer, not so much because I dislike my life here in California...)
But I definitely could not imagine living here for the rest of my life. One day I shall want to go home!
