FAQs

Hi there! I hope you've been having a good time getting to know me here at Running Across the Pond, but you still have lots to find out! Allow me to answer your frequently asked questions! Of course, if there's anything else you want to know, feel free to email me at runningacrossthepond@gmail.com.

How did you move to England? What type of visa do you have?
You can read about how I got my visa and moved across the pond here! Once we got married, I had to get a new visa. I'm in the process of writing a post about that, so stay tuned!

I want move to England, too! Do you have an recommendations on how to go about it?
Honestly, there are many ways to move, none of which I would deem "easy". Feel free to email me and I can try to help you out as much as I can about the different options. I know how frustrating it is wanting to move but feeling so overwhelmed and helpless, so I love helping people try to make their way here!
Also click on any of the links in the right side bar for Taylor approved expat sites with other forums, blogs, and articles!

Where did you and Alex meet?
We met at a kids summer camp. He was able to work there through a program called "Camp America". The rest is history!

Camp Color War. We were on opposite teams! Oops!

When did you get married?
If you're from America, I got married on 2/8/13. If you're from the UK (or everywhere else in the world), I got married on 8/2/13.

Do you have any tips for couples in long distance relationships?
TONS. Here are my top ten tips for LDRs! 

Would you ever move back to America?
Yes, I definitely would. And according to Alex he definitely would, too. However, that being said, I don't see us moving to America any time soon. I have a full time job, a mortgage, a cat that I'm obsessed with and couldn't leave, and loads of other ties here. 

What do you think of the food portion sizes in England?
This may seem absolutely random, but this is definitely the most common question I get asked. In truth, I don't actually notice portion sizes. I mean, I've never left a restaurant going 'OMG I'm still so hungry, those portion sizes were so tiny!' The only thing I do know is that at McDonalds, an English large is an American medium, and they don't even have an American large here. Other than that, I like food in all shapes and sizes on any continent.

What do you miss most about living in America?
Ridiculously superficial things. I would give anything for Target to make its way across the pond. And Publix; if you're from Florida you know nothing compares to a Pub Sub! Buffalo Wild Wings is another one, or just any buffalo chicken wing restaurant; the concept hasn't really made its way to England yet! Good margaritas, big roads, cheaper Lululemon. You  were guessing I was going to say friends and family, weren't you? Yeah, I miss them too.

What was the hardest thing to get used to in England?
That's difficult to answer because I feel like there's always something I'm getting used to over here. When I first moved I had to get used to living far away from everything that was so familiar to me. About a year later I had to get used to the cars and roads here. Now I'm getting used to the fact that my friends and family's lives are going on without me right next to them.

Do you drive in England? What is it like?
Yes I do and I drive a manual! I lived in England for about a year and a bit before doing lessons with an instructor. I'm going to be honest: there were lessons where I cried and wanted to give up. It was frustrating because I had been driving since I was 16 in America (an automatic, of course) so I felt it should have been easy to drive here and it was not. My instructor was so patient and helpful. I cannot reiterate the importance of learning with someone who you are comfortable with. After 6 months of lessons I passed my test on the first attempt!
Driving in general is completely different over here. There are 2 types of roads: small and smaller. Sometimes a road that's 2 lanes here is about the size of 1 lane in America. And because I drive a manual I have to be much more aware of things like the road gradient or what the parking situation is going to be like where I'm going. It's all second nature to me now.

Do you travel a lot?  
I don't travel as much as I would like to but I have travelled quite a bit since I moved over here! (Fun fact: England was the first place I travelled to that was outside the US! I didn't get a passport until I was 19!) Besides America and the UK, I've been to Canada, Mexico, Antigua, St. Lucia, France, Germany, Spain, Egypt, Belgium, Holland, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden. I definitely have the travel bug and I want to go everywhere!