I’ve two thrilling items of reports at present. First, I’m celebrating 15 years of dwelling in London. Second, I’ve an enormous announcement to make. An enormous one, in reality. You’re going to need to learn it. Scroll down for the information.
15-12 months Anniversary of Dwelling in London
I’ll begin with the anniversary. It’s onerous to imagine I’ve been dwelling in London for a decade and a half. In some ways it appears like I simply arrived. That mentioned, once I assume again on my early days within the metropolis it appears like a very long time has passed by.
Talking of these days, once I first obtained to London I assumed I might solely be right here for 2 years. I noticed my time within the UK as a enjoyable break from “actual life” again in San Francisco.
I needed to see as a lot of the UK and Europe as I might, and I spent most of my weekends making that occur. From day journeys to multi-day getaways, I crisscrossed Britain and the continent to take all of it in.
I threw in journeys to far-flung locations, too. Madagascar, South Africa, Namibia, Australia, New Zealand, Colombia, Sri Lanka, and plenty of different international locations stamped my passport in my early years in London.
However 2 years later I felt like there have been nonetheless so many issues to do in London and round Europe that I didn’t need to depart.
The A Girl in London weblog was additionally at some extent the place I used to be able to give up my day job and switch it right into a enterprise. The mixture of these issues led me to renew my visa for one more 3 years and decide to dwelling in London long-term.
At 5 years I obtained Indefinite Depart to Stay within the UK, and at six I obtained UK citizenship.
With my new British passport in hand, I had the chance to remain in the UK for so long as I wanted.
The next years have passed by unbelievably shortly. The A Girl in London weblog has grown to change into one of many high journey blogs within the UK, I purchased a flat in London, and I’ve traveled to 100 international locations (and past…I’m at 112 now!).
Briefly, I’ve lived a life I by no means imagined again once I was an analyst at a hedge fund in California.
It’s been a terrific journey.
However…
I’ve grown more and more homesick through the years. I’ve all the time felt like I had one foot on both aspect of the Atlantic Ocean, however not with the ability to go house for 2 years throughout lockdown made me notice simply how treasured California was to me.
After I was lastly ready to return to San Francisco a 12 months in the past, I made a decision I needed to make some extent of returning extra typically.
So I went again once more in December. And once more in April. And once more this month. I had such a superb time I began to marvel if I needed to maneuver again. I additionally met a man on the market, which helped nudge me in that course.
However how might I probably depart London? My buddies had been right here, my flat was right here, and my enterprise was right here. My entire life was right here.
Then an thought struck me: why select? Why not do each?
So I made a plan. I made a decision to do one thing I’ve all the time talked about doing however by no means had the braveness to do.
I made a decision to start out splitting my time between London and San Francisco. However that’s not all.
I additionally launched a second weblog known as California Wayfaring. In contrast to A Girl in London, which is about journey all around the world, this weblog is about only one place.
It covers nice escapes within the Golden State, and it has a concentrate on all issues city, nature, and meals.
Should you’re all for California journey, I’d love so that you can go to, subscribe, and observe me on social media (Instagram, Fb, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter). Should you’re not, I guess you realize somebody who’s. I’d love so that you can inform them about it.
I’ve been working onerous on it, and I’d recognize any help you’d be prepared to offer now that I’ve formally introduced the launch.
So what does all this imply for the A Girl in London weblog? It’s nonetheless going to be the identical because it all the time has been. You’ll proceed to get the most effective of pretty London and delightful journey right here and on my social media channels and publication.
I’m enthusiastic about this new chapter, and I need to thanks for all of your help alongside the way in which. The A Girl in London weblog wouldn’t be the place it’s with out you, and I recognize all you’ve achieved for it over the past 15 years.
Right here’s to the following 15 and all of the thrilling issues they’ll convey!
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