My Expat Experience

I suppose my experience was just the same as it was for any other 'foreigner' landing in the U.S.  I arrived here expecting that the people spoke the same language as me - and was I in for a shock!  For a Yorkshire lass arriving fresh off the 'boat' from the U.K., there were times when I felt like an animal in a cage - I was so closely observed by the locals.  It must have been the accent.  People would look at my mouth as I was speaking as if they were trying to read my lips.  Whether they did, or not, they seemed to nod and smile in all the right places.
The American people, and I'm sure that all of us have noticed this, have their own way of communicating.  And, as in the U.K., the accents, slang and other idiosyncracies of the language vary depending upon which region you may be in at the time.
My induction began in Minneapolis.  I lived there for four years, and then moved to California where I found the climate a bit warmer than the 28 degrees below zero that I had left behind.  I spent most of the remaining 40 years that I have lived here in California with the exception of a quick two-year trip to upstate New York in the late '90s.  That was cold too.
In 2000, I bought a townhouse in Moorpark (a small town in Ventura County), where I still live.  I'm retired but still keep my hand in by working part time, babysitting twins for three separate families.
My family, with the exception of my two grown children and three grandchildren, live in the U.K.  My mother, at 91 years of age, is still going strong and is fortunate enough to have her mental faculties although she's now house-bound due to an accident that happened at home about 18 months ago.
I'm an animal lover and have four rescues (dogs) who always seem to give more than they get.  God bless 'em.
Other than that, I'm just like anyone else - getting older and experiencing all of the daily 'nuances' and unwelcome reminders that come with aging, particularly the newer aches and pains that my body regularly reminds me I'm no longer young and flexible.  I can still 'feel'  (the aches and pains) but I think that's supposed to make me feel better, considering the alternative.