I have to admit that this blog has gone through several transitions since it was launched in April 2010. At that time I was in the middle of applying for a visa that would allow me to live and work in the UK, and I thought that a blog would be the best way to keep my scattered family and friends appraised of my journey. But I discovered that, as I navigated the visa process and then, after successfully arriving in England in June 2010, began exploring my new life as a Londoner, the blog became a resource for expats of all persuasions - current expats, future expats, and wannabe expats.
To that end, you'll find sections here on life in London, on the nuts and bolts of making a home in England, and on the cultural differences I noticed as an American living in the UK. Since I moved back to Washington, DC at the end of May 2012, I've also written about the process of rediscovering and re-assimilating to my hometown.
But you'll find, too, that there's much more to this blog than just expatriate and repatriate experiences. As well as being a record of my life, it's also mashup of everything I enjoy exploring. You'll come across posts on style and fashion, on recipes and entertaining, health and beauty, on wedding planning and romance, and on whatever else I choose to muse about on a fairly daily basis.
So. A little bit about me before you get stuck in. I grew up in Washington, DC and went to university in New York City, majoring in history and French. After a seven month jaunt studying abroad in Paris, I enrolled in graduate school in London to pursue a MA in Medieval Studies, and, like so many American girls before me, I fell in love with the city and with a boy.
Betsy and Jon, summer 2009
I spent two years in London, taking advantage of everything the city had to offer, but in March 2012 I decided it was time to start a new chapter, and so I quit my job and got ready to move back to the United States. Yes, this means that Jon and I are now in a long-distance relationship and that's hard, but we recently got engaged and are planning a wedding in England for August 2013, so there's a light at the end of the tunnel!
Currently, I work in arts fundraising here in Washington, DC and spend most of my extracurricular time loving on my sweet Labrador puppy Charlie. I'm always on the lookout for new friends and new blogs - please do holler if you know of any of either or both!
I hope that you enjoy Betsy Transatlantically and that you will share my adventures with me - I love hearing from my readers, so please feel welcome to comment freely!
