Category Archives: England

Living in England during the Gulf War

Part of being a Third Culture Kid (TCK) is how the memories of your developmental years shape the rest of your life. There have been two periods of my life as a young girl where I lived in England. My father, a USAF officer, was stationed in England for three tours for a total of nine years. Two of those were at military bases of Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire and Lakenheath in Norfolk. During his years at Lakenheath AFB, we lived on the economy in a small village called Saham Toney All the other American children I knew went to school on base, while I went to the primary school in the village. My mum has recollected how being the only American family in that village was a positive situation for us while the Gulf War, codenamed Operation Desert Storm, took place. It was a time period in 1990 to 1991 where my father was absent from my memories of Norfolk, England.

I remember the day my dad walked me home from school and talked to me about the war going on in a place that seemed so far way. I would have been about eight years old, the same age my son Ronan is now. We discussed about the other missing fathers and mothers who were off fighting the war already. He held my hand as we walked and began to tell me he would be going away too. I was so sad and did not want to believe the news. I remember asking about my mum and how she took the news. What would we do while he was away at war? Did he really have to go?

He did. I understood it was part of his job in the military. Something I accepted as all military dependents do. I could not have asked for a better place to be during that time than in that small village going to school in a place that seemed so far away from all things war related. I was the only child whose parent was off fighting in the war. I did not have to be reminded daily by seeing other military men and women in uniform or by the tearful eyes of other families missing their loved ones. We were so taken care of by everyone at that primary school and by our friends in the village. Even the kindness of strangers by those who lived near by and knew of the American family who lived at that farm house.
It is a period of great memories and I am today facebook friends with classmates of mine from that time.

What really helped was having my friends at school and being involved in activities like Brownies (version of girl scouts). I remember putting on a play for our Brownie troop with my friends with a script based off of the American Girl Doll, Molly, who grew up stateside during WWII. We used to have it on video, and watching an american play with us little girls all in english accents was priceless.

Most of my favourite memories are from years growing up in Europe and many of them include my dad now that he is really gone. One of the best memories I have is when I was finishing up a day from school. It was the afternoon and I had just completed a game of field hockey with the other girls and we were now changing to go home for the day. A classmate ran into the room and exclaimed to me that my father was outside. I remember shaking off the news with out a care because I knew my dad was not there. He was a world away. He was in a desert. He was not in England and certainly not at my school. Grabbing my belongings I left the school building to be proven very wrong as my eyes met my fathers. I remember the way he looked. He looked so tall (from my short stature of being a young girl) and so tanned. I do not remember my father every looking so dark. He was smiling and I dont remember if I dropped my bag or ran with it under my arm. But I ran all the way to be greeted by his arms in a hug. To be honest my eyes are filled with tears as I write this because it was such a happy memory. Times when I wish I had my father now I wish I could just close my eyes and open them again to see that same smiling face. To be able to give him one more hug. To hear him say ‘I love you’.

That would not be the last time my dad would be away. More reasons and situations would call him away and more memories without him would be made. However my memory of him being gone so frequently is outweighed by all the wonderful and beautiful memories we shared together during his life. Many of which involve my land of birth, England.

Hastings, England

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I have lived near the coast for the majority of my life. Somewhere between living in Naples, Italy and on the island of Oahu I have realized that the ocean is like a home to me. Its vast stretches of blue becoming a calming element for a nomadic wanderlust person. While I am not partial to cruises, traveling to towns that reside on the coast are definitely my thing. On this month last year we decided to take our boys to see a castle. Our bus connection fail through and it led to an unexpected detour into the town of Hastings. Although the castle there was also closed, we enjoyed a beautiful day exploring the narrow streets and hidden treasures Hastings had to offer. This day trip reminded me that sometimes its best not to focus on plans, but enjoy the voyage and the experiences that happen along the way. It ended up being one of my favourite Valentines Days spent with my family.

We enjoyed a delicious meal at the Ye Olde Pumphouse.

64 George St Town Centre, Hastings TN34 3EE

I definitely reccomend this place if your feet take you to Hastings.

Kennet and Avon Canal

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Across the pond in England our weekend has ended and we are left with wonderful memories to cherish. Our 2013 has brought a renewed look on life as I look back through the last several years. It has focused us onto the simpler things of life and to what is truly important. Times can be tough and it seems these times there are many out there struggling to get through the month. While there has been times when life was certainly easier, I would not pass up how we spent our weekend.

Saturday we slept in and enjoyed the extra hour underneath the covers. I had been a little under the weather over the last few days and was enjoying the longer lie in. However have tried to make it our thing that we go out on a country walk once a week. Sometimes the weather is not as cooperative. Despite the dense fog, or maybe because of the mysteriousness of it, I shrugged off the appeal to be a homebody and got the family ready to go after breakfast. With our warm coats and wellies (rain boots) my husband led us to a new direction we had not ventured yet towards Bathampton.

It was there that we ran into the Kennet and Avon Canal. The two stretches of river were made navigable for passage in the early 18th century but was only restored and reopened in 1990. It is surrounded in heritage and now a tourist destination for travelers and locals a like who partake in boating, canoeing, fishing, walking and cycling.

The Peter John Wells art trail on the Kennet and Avon Canal was one of those things we did not plan on seeing but that made it a really fun experience for my kids. Along the Canal the kids could spot and point out the different sculptures of art like the ‘ifish’ and the ‘mishell’.

This image belongs to and can be found at: http://www.peterjohnwells.co.uk

I had originally taken this photograph because I remember watching a show when I was a little girl in England about puppets came to life and lived on a canal boat like this one. When we passed back this way on our walk I realized it is a cafe where you can sit on the boat or alongside it and enjoy a nice cup of tea. Besides bringing a picnic lunch with you there are not really any other advantages for refreshments Though we did not try it out ourselves, it did look quite popular later in the afternoon.

We started technically from our house in Batheaston and made our way to Bathampton. We then walked along the canal all the way to the Dundas Aqueduct. We did take a longer time walking out there with enjoying the moment, taking photos, and talking about all the things we saw along our walk. We did not even look at the time until we got to the Aqueduct to find out just how far we had walked. In all by the time we got home we had been out for five hours and had walked roughly ten miles. I was quite surprised my sons had managed it, but it was all about the fun experience. For something where the cost is ‘free’ it became even that more priceless for us as a family. These moments together outside exploring our home in England are the most precious to us.

We also found it fun to count the canal boats and I believe we counted a rough number of 120, give or take a few. Sometimes it can be a little rough counting them all when you are having fun talking with your family along the way. Some of the canal boats were parked in their designated spaces and others we could see going up and down the canals.

It was really fascinating to see the bridges move when needed for the canal boats to pass between one side and the other. On this bridge you can see a few bicycles parked. Between the runners and the cyclists, both hobbies were quite popular this Saturday afternoon. Though we do not own bicycles I have read online that you can rent them for the day. Check out the Canal Vistior Centre about the Bath & Dundas Canal Co who has a range of bicycles for adults and children alike as well as other cycling accessories for a perfect day out. The paths are nice and if you can tell from the photographs the views are beautiful and serene.

View from a bridge looking down on the canal.

Side sneak view of the Dundas Aqueduct as you round the corner of the canal.

My family walking on top of the Dundas Aqueduct to see the beautiful views down below.

The beautiful views down below.

We saw two swans swimming on the canal together, enjoying what must have been a romantic afternoon.

Would love to have my own canal boat for a weekend getaway.

Probably one of my favourite photographs taken on our walk.

Sometimes the most fun experiences are the free ones and this was another wonderful family outing to add to our memory books. It was nice seeing the boys having so much fun while holding the hand of my husband and walking along the Canal. England is truly a spectacular place to live and I could not imagine not having this as our ‘backyard’. I definitely recommend checking out the Kennet and Avon Canal on your next visit to Bath.

Pancake Day 2013

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Pancake Day. Could there be another day sweeter? Valentines Day is in two days time, but for now lets focus on the circular sweet goodness on my plate this morning. Did I mention it was shaped like hearts?

Homemade Beet Pancakes are a perfect (all natural) colour option for Valentines Day.

Traditional English Pancake with butter, sugar, and lemon served at Ella’s Yummy Delights in Brighton, England.

Homemade zucchini pancakes are a huge hit with my boys. Here they are embellished with Nutella and fresh strawberries.

Heart shaped pancakes I made this morning with a sprinkling of a stevia & cinnamon mixture.

Pancake Recipe:
140g flour
200ml whole milk
2 eggs
Unsalted butter for greasing

Directions:
1. Start by sifting the flour into a medium sized bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the center.
2. In a separate bowl beat together two eggs, add the milk, and mix again.
3. Slowly pour the liquid into the well you created as you mix in the flour. Do not over mix, just stir it all until all combined.
4. Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat. Once you hear the butter sizzling you can add the pancake mixture. To make the hearts below use a spoon to pour the mixture slowly into a heart outline. Then spoon some more pancake batter into the middle of the outline to fill in your heart.
5. Air bubbles will form when the pancake is ready to be flipped. If you have your heat on too high you will notice that when you flip your pancake it will be over cooked. Flip the pancake over with a spatula. Once cooked on both sides place on the plate and repeat.

Extras: If you would like to try out some of our veggie pancakes above (or just want to sneak in some extra nutrients for your family) you can add ingredients to the batter before you pour it on the pan. For our Beets and Zucchini pancakes the vegetables are washed and then graded finely with a cheese grader or mandolin. We used two cups of beets to make pancakes for a family of four. A little butter sometimes is all we need to top the veggie pancakes because they are so tasty!

http://www.ellasyummydelights.co.uk/
51 Queens Road, Brighton, England.

If you are in the Brighton area, I highly suggest stopping at Ella’s Yummy Delights. We enjoyed having our Pancake Day there last year and the service was lovely. With their location near the Brighton rail station, it is a perfect first or last stop while you are in town. Thank you Ella’s for the delicious food!

** Photograph of Ella’s Yummy Delights borrowed from their facebook page.

Snowing in Bath

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I knew I had acclimated back to life in England when I started using the weather app frequently on my phone and actually talking about the weather in conversations. This morning I saw we had 90% chance of snow fall in the afternoon and started to get excited. Sure enough after lunch my kids started talking excitedly about the heavy snowflakes falling outside. Unfortunately it only lasted a little while and we were left with no reminder. After our first snow fall of 2013 last month we are left longing for more. We had so much fun going into town and seeing all the architecture covered in the white snow. Of course back at home there were plenty of snowball fights, snowmen and snow forts that were built. In England we get plenty of rain but the snow is always so magical to me.

Here for the first time on the blog are photographs from the snow we had fun enjoying while it lasted.

My husband with my sons enjoying the snowfall with plenty of snowball fights.

Our neighbourhood looking beautiful covered in a blanket of snow.

Icicles hanging from our house in Batheaston, England

For everyone else getting snow this winter, what has been your favourite thing about it?

Travel Thursday: Moving Abroad

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Travel Thursday. I love to travel. I also love to move. By ‘move’, I do not mean down the street or across town. I love moving to another country and better yet another continent. It is the norm for me and this nomadic lifestyle has been a major part of my life since I was born in England to my American parents. With the weekend right around the corner, I find Thursdays are the perfect day to start talking ‘travel’. I hope to share to you all my love and passion for being a Wanderlust Third Culture Kid.

“Honestly I feel more at home in an airport and on airplane.” – Bonnie Rose

My Childhood. I grew up on military bases up and down Europe until I was seventeen years old. Unfortunately that meant I would spend my senior year graduating in the USA as well as adopting to the (new to me) USA culture. Every cloud has a silver lining and for me it was getting to spend the summer after graduation in Italy to see my classmates get their diplomas. For the next decade I would spend my life living through out the mainland USA and on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. My nomadic needs were catered to with time spent in Australia, Thailand, and Cambodia between the years of 2002 and 2011. Though I carry an American passport and have an American accent, my goal had always been to use my UK passport and return ‘home’ to Europe.

My friends and I at the Naples American high school graduation – 2011 in Naples, Italy

Moving Abroad. Since Ryan and and I started dating 11 years ago, he has been aware that I would want to live in Europe. Straight out of University we went ahead to achieve that goal through following a path to be missionaries. When that door closed the door to the USAF opened and through it the next six years. While my husband worked as a linguist our dream of being stationed in Europe was not in the military’s goals for us. I will say that the 3ish years in Hawaii living an island wife was not half bad. 😉 In the Summer of 2011 with my husband fresh out of the military, we took the leap and moved to England.

If you have a goal to move to another country, make it a goal and do it! Take your dreams and your wishes and pair it with action. I have talked to a lot of people since the summer of 2011 about why we made such a big move. In response back I have heard frequently the statements of ‘oh I wish I could do that’ or ‘wow, I couldn’t imagine just moving to another country like that’. I will be straight with you. Moving abroad will not be easy, but if you want to do it then figure out a way so it does not become a future regret. I love the mantra that ‘Life is Short, Live every Moment’.

This was our last photograph taken with our sons before we left. They would join us once we were settled.

This was the last photograph taken of us together before our plane left for England.

How We Did It. Moving abroad is not an easy feat. While I thought we were both prepared for our move we did learn a lot along the way. We chose to move to England without either of us having a job lined up, nor a place to stay. That is not the whole story, so please do not go by that strategy to move abroad. You definitely need to do your research and figure out how you can get a visa. A simple tourist visa will not allow you to live and work inside a country and every place has its own rules. Know the restrictions and what you will need before you hop on a plane. The easiest way to move to another country would be with a job that you already have, that will send you to work there. While we tried that with the military, this way did not pan out for us.

Another way to get a visa to live and work is to look at getting a student Visa and attending school. My husband decided to use his GI Bill from the USAF and get his masters in England. We moved abroad with my husband accepted to University of Sussex in Brighton, England and I was traveling under my British passport. OOPS! That is right, we made mistakes along the way. So in a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ fashion, I will repeat that you know the guidelines for acquiring the correct Visa. You will want to confirm with several sources or you will end up like we did. Though we read online that Ryan could apply for his student visa in the country, that ended up being a misprint of bad information on the website. My husband had to leave the country, apply for his visa in the USA, pay to have it expedited and then return to join me. The paperwork and dealing with people can end up in costly mistakes if you are not careful.

At Heathrow airport my husband looks for wifi as we wait for our train.

Navigating our way to Victoria Station with the Underground.

First Arriving into England
Though we did not have any personal contacts in Brighton, we did plan out our journey down to Brighton and reserve a place at a hostel. We did not know at this point how long it would take to find jobs, so living in a hotel would be far out of our means. Hostels however are perfect if you are traveling sans kids and was one of the reasons we chose to leave our kids with family while we figure everything out. Staying in a hostel for us was smart. However traveling with the amount of luggage we brought proved to be a bit challenging and did result in a little heart ache. Anything I knew we needed needed to be in our suitcases I packed. On vacations we pack like pros, but moving to another country changes the game plan a bit. If you do come to Europe, know that there may not be lifts (elevators) like there are back in the USA. We had to take several trips many times up and down different flights of stairs across the train stations all the way to Brighton. Which was not as terrible, as it was that I broke my camera lens trying to shuffle bags.

Another tip of advice. There will be plenty of time for photos. When maneuvering your luggage, keep your camera where it will be safe. 😉

I was so excited to be home in Europe after so many years.
Everyone we met was so polite and helpful and we were smiling the whole way to Brighton.

Outside the Brighton rail station on the coast of England.

Ryan eventually got his marriage visa, went to school, and worked part time. I began work for the next year at a salon and our kids joined us in September to start the school year in England. After all was said and done I am so glad that we decided to just do it. Our family has only come closer together living here and being married to my expat in England is everything for which I had hoped. We have since moved to Bath, as of the end of December 2012 and we currently have no further plans of moving.

Where would you move to if you could go anywhere in the world? Have you or do you currently live abroad from your ‘home’ country? I love to meet other expats and future expats!

* Photographs belong to Bonnie Rose and cannot be used without written consent.

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