Ten Years in the USA

 Exactly ten years ago today I arrived in the USA. It’s been an incredible journey. The 29th of September 2016 I spent my last night in Madrid with my girlfriend, and the following morning flew to Boston to begin a new life. Ironically, the opportunity I’d always wanted came about once I had fallen in love with Madrid and felt that I would be there for the rest of my life. 

                  It seemed like an eternity, but it was only two and a half years later that I received my Green Card. That is very fortunate. And only two years ago I received my citizenship. It makes me very proud to be both a British and American citizen. My only regret is that my mother passed away before I became a citizen, and I know she would have been really happy to see it happen. She would not have been so happy with the political twist that came shortly afterwards. 

                  As if by way of celebration, it finally rained today. And it seems that we are in for a few days of continuous rain, which is wonderful. Today’s swim may have been the last for a while because the temperatures also drop as of tonight… and the water was already starting to get colder. 

                  Looking back through the photos of the first year in the USA I feel nostalgic for all the new things and places I was discovering. From local bars and restaurants to museums and great places to walk or cycle. Local lakes. Even remembering a little bar in Somerville, Massachusetts, that I used to go to one block from my girlfriend’s house (I met her one year after arriving) to have a beer whilst I waited for her to get home from work. I’d then go and buy Mo Mo and stir-fried noodles to take to her place. We’d eat dinner and drink beer out of tiny cocktail glasses, the only glasses that she owned. Great times, great memories. 

Now everything seems so settled. Perhaps it is time to move to another state? Perhaps it is simply time to settle. I am mostly happy. 


Me outside of Bukowski Tavern, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 2018.

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