As my European adventure comes to a close, a lot of people have come to me with questions about how I made the move abroad and how they might be able to do the same. When I was applying to grad school two years ago (I can't believe it's been two years!) and doing some research on how to do so, I found online resources surprisingly slim. That is why I've decided to construct of list of helpful advice to potential expatriates. Remember: only 13% of Americans have active passports. Expats are among the few and the proud.
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From the outside, making the move to Europe may seem a lot harder than it actually is. Logistically, it really is very simple — a job or university placement, a visa, and some money. Psychologically and emotionally, it may be a bit more challenging but what it really boils down to is one question: How bad do you want it?
Personally, I left long-term employment, a four-year relationship, my family, my friends, and my dogs (with my mom). I'd be lying if I said these hurdles were easy — they weren't — and I'm aware that some people are just not prepared to do such. However, the lesson it taught me is priceless: I can accomplish anything through hard work and sacrifice, the only bounds are those which we impose on ourselves. This excludes walking through walls, telepathy, and making myself invisible, of course.
My point is, if you put in the effort — that is, if you jump through all the necessary hoops, incur the debt, and make all the sacrifices — the dream will most likely happen. Honestly, even though I'm $35K in the hole after a year-and-a-half of studying abroad, I wouldn't trade my experiences (or my master's degree) for the world.
Now that all the sentimental, Tony Robbins-esque musings are out of the way, let's get down to the practicalities. The following is a list of helpful tidbits I've collected since moving to the United Kingdom and thus entering the expatriate lifestyle.
"Uni."
Take time with your application and, specifically, your cover
letter. I truly believe that my cover letter and my portfolio are what got me into so many UK universities. Well, that and the collegiate thirst for exorbitant non-EU, American tuition fees. At any rate, I wasn't exactly a bad undergrad but I did have a
few instances where I kind of effed up — a semester of snoozing through Chemistry or a summer of boozing through Biology. If you're like me, your cover
letter can help clear up these blemishes and even set you apart from the rest of the application masses.
Housing.
Once you're accepted to university or have secured a job, then you can
must next consider accommodation. If you're a prospective student,
chances are, your university will promptly follow-up your placement
offer with a housing offer. Don't live in
student housing. Even though my anxious mother begged me to "play it safe" and even though it really did seem like a good idea at first, in the end it was a mistake.
Sure, I met my future flatmate Alissa through dorm life and, through Alissa, my boyfriend Nick, but all and all the experience was expensive, intrusive, and you'll feel like you've regressed a decade.
Trust me, you'll save so much money by staying in a hostel for the week after you arrive (you only need a couple of days, really), going on Gumtree (look under the "Flats to Share" section), shooting off some e-mails, and eventually finding a cheap place to live. Nick did this and found a flat within a day. I understand that an innate American paranoia tells us that meeting roommates online is just asking to get murdered and hacked to bits but it's safe, I promise. Really, almost everybody does it like that in Europe. Just make sure you live with other students, as the UK charges an exorbitant Council Tax for non-students.
Visas.
They're
expensive and you can't apply for them until three months before you
actually move abroad. With that, you have to provide proof of an offer
from the university, proof of an accommodation offer (Avoid
student housing, I'll get to that later), and proof of funding.
Funding.
This is a doozy. I went through
Sallie Mae for my Stafford and Grad PLUS loans. I wouldn't recommend
getting the Grad PLUS because the interest is very high. It does however give you some added cushion and reduce the stress of finding a job immediately after you arrive. It also increases your level of debt-related stress upon arriving back home.
Stuff.
Conveniently, most accommodations in Europe are furnished, unlike many places in the States. That means all you really need is a bag of clothes and some toiletries. Or not. After all it is Europe.
Jokes aside, sell or give away unnecessary junk before leaving the States. You'd be surprised how much you don't actually need. Honestly, I put a lot of my irreplaceable stuff in a climate-controlled storage unit in Texas but, in retrospect, I could've tossed a lot of it.
Clothing
The most important item you could bring with you abroad, aside from the obviously legal and monetary necessities, is clothing. Especially in the UK, where meteorologists are always wrong and the weather varies by the minute, proper clothing is key.
You need four quality things: a rain jacket, a winter jacket, an umbrella, and a good pair of rain boots. Do not skimp on these items, trust me, you'll thank yourself later. Here are some of my personal suggestions:
- Marmot Precip - This jacket has been my best friend. I got mine for $60 on eBay new, but they typicallly go for $99.
- ShedRain WindPro stick umbrella - This durable umbrella goes for $40 and can withstand up to 30 mph winds without inverting.
Jobs.
I say, get a
job when you get here. You'll have to get a National Insurance Number
(NIN) first, though. The NIN is like a Social Security Number and supports the National Health Service (NHS) scheme, which provides "free" or low-cost health care to every resident and visitor of the UK. A NIN isn't difficult to acquire but you will have to undergo a
phone interview.
A phone.
A "mobile," as
it is called in the UK. Avoid pay-as-you-go. People will tell you that
this is a good option, and it would be if you were only staying for a
three-month spell, but in all likelihood you're not. Just get on a year plan. You'll save money, trust me.
Money.
The dollar is weak. We know this. That means you basically have to save double stateside before you move, which
sucks because when you first get here you'll only think in dollars. When I first moved to Scotland I was such a cheapskate! "I'm not paying £2 for a carton of milk – that's almost $5!"
Once you get in the pound frame of mind and stop using your greenbacks, you'll see that everything is relative. Getting a job helps with this.
Travel.
Do
as much as you can. You'd be surprised how prison-like UK towns can
become when you don't have a car. (insert inter-UK travel) That's why it's important to get out every once in a
while, catch a Ryanair (Europe's discount airline) flight, and go somewhere cool. Only thing about Ryanair
is that the deals seem really good, save the fact that they always fly
into commuter airports outside major cities and you always end up spending
about what you would've spent if you flew EasyJet. Doh.
Clothing
Good waterproof jacket, umbrella, and some wellies.
Supermarket
Believe it or not,
Taxis
Avoid Black Cab and, rather, call a private hire.
"Love of my life," "Husband," "Sonic soul mate" — over the years, I've called John Vanderslice a lot of things. That's why, when I saw that he was scheduled to play Sneaky Pete's in Edinburgh on Nov 5, I instantly booked a ticket.
The past three times I've seen him, he's performed in crowded venues in New York and Austin. To my surprise, only about twenty people were in attendance Thursday night, allowing for a really special and intimate performance from Vanderslice.
Here's a link to a rendition of "Keep the Dream Alive" that I took at the end of his set: KTDA.
Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, is essentially Great Britain's response to Halloween. That said, the two traditions couldn't be more different. On Halloween, children and adults don costumes, attend parties, and destroy the enamel on their teeth. On Guy Fawkes Night, which takes place five days after Halloween, children construct an effigy of Guy Fawkes, the Catholic conspirator involved in a 17th century plot to burn the House of Parliament, beg for money on the street, and later burn "the Guy" in a bonfire. A lot more morbid than our pagan holiday, I think.
Technically, Guy Fawkes Night was last Thursday but the celebrations spilled over into the weekend, including a fireworks display in the town of Gourock. Our friend Natalie has a home there and was nice enough to invite us out to the festivities on Saturday night.
Thanks to Alissa and Chris for the photos.
The display was actually in the neighboring town of Greenock, in Battery Park.
Here I am with Natalie and Chris, singing the Scottish version of "Con Te Partiro."
Alissa said that it included a line about Inverclyde.
Back at the house, Nick requests Jethro Tull and brings the "party" down a bit with "Aqualung."
I just stuff my face with shoestring crisps.
Natalie found a pair of bread slippers online and decided to try and eat them.
The next day, we had to head to the train station early in order to make it back to Glasgow by noon.
We were showing my room to potential occupants, in anticipation for my move back to the States in a month.
On the train, Nick and I were up to our normal shenanigans.
I'm not sure which of the two of us is "hammier"
The week before Halloween was a mad dash to finish our costumes, buy decorations for the party, decide on spooky-themed treats, and actually pull the whole thing off. Well, we did it and we've got pictures to prove that people actually showed up. In fact, quite a few people showed up and the last one didn't leave until 5 o'clock in the morning.
Thanks to Alissa and Chris Fyvie for the photo documentation.
I was the national drink of Scotland: IRN BRU.
This is Chris Fyvie.
He's... "the 70's"
My flatmate Chris was the Mad Hatter.
John, Robin, and Robin's boyfriend Brad hover near the snack table.
Nick dressed as Scotland's favorite treat: A Cadbury Freddo.
People ADORED this costume.
Our friend Nick Green didn't have a costume so we gave him the sandwich board cards in our closet.
Alissa was a dinosaur and even sewed the tail and spikes on herself!
Nick was so dedicated to his costume, even though it inhibited many of his senses.
Someone was playing my song.
After slaving over my costume for the past week-and-a-half, tonight I will see my vision realized!
Stay tuned for photos from what is sure to be the best Halloween ever! Yes, even better than last year's Halloween under the same prelude...
A couple Saturdays ago, while on the lawn bowling courts at Kelvingrove Park, I had the odd and utterly awesome privilege of playing beside Belle & Sebastian front man Stuart Murdoch and his wife. Although I recognized him, I was unable to place his face, even after one of their balls rolled into our court, it was not until I went home and Googled who I thought he was that I indeed discovered it was Stuart Murdoch.
Two weeks later, that's yesterday, I was working the regular Saturday night shift at my job and guess who sits down at a table in the back? None other than Stuart Murdoch and his wife. We ended up chatting about Glasgow for a while, my master's degree, and the state of the journalism industry! He even suggested that I write a novel to curb the economical impact of the recession!
Star-worship aside, the music nerd in me thinks that this is probably one of the coolest Glasgow experiences that I've have. After all, we are talking about the genius behind Dog On Wheels, Tigermilk, If You're Feeling Sinister, and The Boy With the Arab Strap!
Stuart Murdoch, lead singer of Belle and Sebastian
Fortunately, the first part of the hike gave decent weather.
We even lost the trail and had to come down a bit early.
Here's the last photo of the trip, a waterfall on our long journey home.
When we woke up, it was Nick's birthday!
It is thought that the protruding pinnacle of the rock resembles the nose of an old man.
Another view of the landslips and vandalized sign advising hikers that
"[we] are advised (not) to go beyond this point"
I decided that the mountaineering life is not for someone prone to vertigo.
Here I am defeated and humbled.
Hiking down we found a little pond carved into the side of the mountain.
Two things you can find everywhere on Skye.
Okay, phone booths, sheep and ruins.
When we made it back to Portree for dinner, a flock of seagulls massed to our parked car.
This one landed right outside the window.
It was one of the windiest and rainiest camping experiences of my life.
As it turns out, we had inadvertently stepped into the middle of parking lot dispute
between the hostel and neighboring residents.
At this point, he was thinking about writing a hateful note to the Slovak that keyed our car.
I think it closed with something like "you're a horrible, horrible person."
I tell you, we barely made it out of Inverness alive.
At Johnny Foxes, I found a piece of steel wool in my Guinness pie and, on the way back to our car,
a stranger accidentally punched me in the stomach.
Then, we confronted the suspected vandal and I thought Nick was going to get punched out.
For one, we found this giant Nessy statue.
Proves there's always a rainbow after 18 hours of very strange (and intermittently painful) dark clouds.
Nick looking very dad-like again.
Urquart rhymes with...
Between 1919 and 1932, the castle was restored to its original splendor.
Across the Loch, I found a patch of blackberries.
I always get so excited when I find edibles in the wild!
They were mostly good.
and onto to our campsite in Portree, at the base of the Trotternish Ridge.
Nick said it was like driving a roller skate.
Snobs!
The ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral,
built in 1158 and destroyed by Protestants during the Reformation.
Still exploring the St. Andrews cemetery.
Nick looks like a dad in every picture of this trip.
Most of these tombstones predate the United States and some of the occupants
died in other areas of the world, as part of historic American exploration efforts,
and were shipped back for proper burial in Scotland.
Everyone loves a good Scottish ghost story, right?
The Haunted Tower is part of the fortified Abbey Wall around the St. Andrews Cathedral,
used to bury bodies during the plague of 1605 and sealed until 1868.
This is home to "The White Lady of the Haunted Tower."
St. Andrews Castle, the former Bishops' Palace prior to the Reformation.
This is the home of the British Open, the best green in the world.
Famous golfer such as Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods regard this course to be the best in the world.
The expedition launched in 1901 and brought five years worth of provisions, a flock of 45 sheep, and 19 sleigh dogs.
As an early birthday present, I gave Nick an Antarctica patch on the decks of the Discovery.
Can you spot me?
In every other bunk there were creepy wax figures of the men from the crew.
I swear I must have jumped at the sight of these things at least three times.
Nick was OBSESSED.
Yet another great example of a "dad" photo.
All you need to do is Photoshop a six-year-old child beside him.
"Into the ice, men!"
After leaving Dundee, we made our way up the rural two-laned A92 toward Inverbervie.
She told us that we just had to visit the Bervie Chipper, voted best chippy in Scotland in 1998!
It's name and flavors precede it.
Nick got the fish and chips, a noble selection.
Sadly, there was no whiskey in sight.
Just south of Stonehaven and about ten minutes north of Inverbervie, we found Dunnottar Castle.
This was the site of many murders, including William Wallaces victory over the English in 1286
and a Covenanters torture and massacre in 1639.
with the North Sea in the background.
Totally not Denmark!
This place, with its mossy cliffs, wind-torned walls, and "grizzly" past, was by far my favorite of the trip.
yielding high winds, rain and a gradient of colors in the sky.
The cows were unfazed by the weather, the landscape, or even the rainbow overhead.
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