The following transcript was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Carlie: Hey there, it’s Carlie with the Expat Focus podcast. Reports say that more Americans than ever are getting the right to settle in the UK, which puts them on the path to becoming citizens. If you are an American and also have an eye on a move across the pond, Jordan Gibson has some essential tips for you.
Five years ago, Jordan moved from Austin, Texas to Brighton and then London in the UK, and she’s now on a mission to help other Americans accomplish their dream life abroad.
Jordan, I want to rewind to five years ago. Can you tell me how you ended up in the UK and specifically London?
Jordan: Basically I went on a study abroad when I was in college, and it was a month long trip. We went to seven European countries because Americans love to conquer all of Europe in a month. But we were only in London for about four days and I just fell in love with London when I was there and I said, I’m going to move here someday.
But I didn’t think I’d actually do it, so I moved back to Texas. I had a couple more years left of schooling, and then when I was graduating, there were a couple things that happened. One was that I got a job offer in Houston, Texas, and I had been struggling with wanting to move to London for a couple years, but I didn’t really know anybody that had moved abroad and people around me weren’t encouraging me to do that.
So I felt very alone in it. It was a very emotional decision for me and my family discouraged me from doing it. But I basically had this job offer that came in and I remember receiving it in a class, and it was in Houston, Texas. I remember seeing the email and running out of the class and bawling my eyes out because I was like, in that moment, I just knew that I had to decline the job offer and give London a go. Otherwise, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life.
Something was calling and I actually, the second thing that also happened was I had a phone call with a woman who was probably 10 years older than me or something had gone to the same university. I was in a relationship at the time with a good old Texas boy and basically she had the same experience. She met a guy in college, they ended up getting married after college and he had told her, I don’t want to move abroad.
But she really wanted to move abroad to London. And basically, long story short, they ended up getting divorced later on. I’m sure there were other reasons. I’m not going to say that’s the only reason. But she then ended up moving abroad to London and accomplished that dream of hers.
I remember thinking, okay, I don’t want her story to be my story. I don’t want to end up with someone that doesn’t have the same dreams as mine, that doesn’t align to the lifestyle and the dream that I have of moving abroad. So the relationship ended unfortunately, but I think looking back, it wasn’t the best fit probably because of those misaligned lifestyle preferences about moving abroad.
Then I ended up moving to London a few months later after graduation, and basically I ended up actually getting an internship in Brighton, England, and I said, you know what, Brighton, it’s not London, but it’s an hour away. Close enough. I was like, you know what? I can take trains in on the weekends if I want to, to London, and this is just a foot in the door. And it was.
So I needed that foot in the door to have an internship after graduation, which was a really big struggle for me because a lot of my classmates had really high paying jobs and great job offers. And I was on the other hand doing an internship. But for me it was a sacrifice I was willing to make, to be able to accomplish that dream of moving abroad. So that was my foot in the door.
Carlie: Now, five years ago was an interesting time to make a decision to move abroad. Because it was just as the global pandemic was kicking off. How was that for you?
Jordan: I moved to Brighton in September of 2019 and I only did three months there, and then I moved to London at the end of January, 2020. So I had about six weeks working in the office with my new teammates before we were all carrying our monitors in the tube back to our flats to work from home.
It was pretty wild. So it was interesting timing. I was so thankful at the time that I was able to start the job six weeks prior, because I think if I had started six weeks later, they probably would have said, no, no, no, don’t come. It’s too hectic. Let’s wait for things to die down.
And then we know that it took a long time before things kind of went back to normal. So I was really thankful to have gotten my foot in the door to be able to move to London. And honestly, for me, it ended up being fine. Obviously lockdown wasn’t great in London, but I was so happy to be in London.
It was a dream that I had wanted so desperately, and I was like, okay, here I am. I’m proving myself in this new job and I’d just go on walks in the neighborhood. And even that, I loved it because it’s like these old Victorian homes in London and it was like, oh, I’m here. I finally made it. So for me it was okay.
Carlie: And is that why you persevered when a lot of people in that situation, especially with so much uncertainty in those early months of the pandemic, would have tried to get on the first plane they could back home?
Jordan: I think that I had wanted to move abroad so badly and it felt very relaxed in my decision. I remember being at the airport on my way to move to London and there were these three women that were doing a trip together and they’re like, oh, what are you doing? Are you going to be on a vacation?
And I said, no, I’m actually moving to London. And they said, oh, are you really nervous? And I said, no, I feel really at peace. I think that I just knew that that’s what I needed to do. I think that’s where I needed to be, and I felt a lot of peace in it, to be honest. Even as the pandemic was kind of starting.
And it was scary and it was scary to be away from family and loved ones because I didn’t know anyone in London. But I think I was just so grateful for the opportunity that I kind of just put my head down, got into work, and just kind of soaked it up as much as I could and made friends as much as I could.
Carlie: It was also the case that I just remember thinking, oh, this will be over in a few weeks.
Jordan: Oh, we all did. My now husband and I just got back from a trip to Australia for my sister’s wedding. Talk about timing. Like literally four weeks before lockdown started, she got married and my other sister had planned a trip to see us in France that June, July, and we were like, oh, it’ll be fine by then. You won’t have to cancel your trip.
Like, oh, you know, you’re still coming. It’s fine. You know, and this was in March, April. By then, of course they weren’t coming, but it was such a hectic time. It was so weird. And so much uncertainty. Very glad we’re past that.
Carlie: Five years later. Australia. I feel like they kept it going the longest as well towards the end.
Jordan: Australia did. That’s a whole other story. I mean, the fact that we’re an island kind of helps in terms of keeping everybody safe. But I think there was a lot of downsides to that, especially for citizens abroad. But that could be a whole other podcast episode for me, honestly.
Carlie: Now, Jordan, I was doing a little bit of research for our chat and I read that a record number of Americans are currently applying for British citizenship. But of course, before they get to that point, they need to get themselves to the UK and be on the path to be able to become citizens, become dual citizens.
So for those at the start of their move abroad journey, based on what you’ve experienced and what you now do as a coach. Where do you start if you have the UK in mind as an American?
Jordan: They’re talking about changing some of the rules and making it a bit tighter for certain visas. And I think the biggest change that they’re talking about doing is indefinite leave to remain, which is permanent residency for people who aren’t aware. That’s probably the equivalent of the green card in the US basically.
And I think that does change things for people potentially. We don’t know whether that’s actually going to go through. We don’t know what the rules are going to be, and they’ve talked about a point system, so if you have a maybe a certain salary or if you’re volunteering or whatever, we don’t really know what that’s going to include, but there’s going to be point systems.
So maybe you don’t have to do the full 10 years, maybe it’ll be the five years, but there are some changes where I think they’re making it more competitive or more difficult for people to get a visa, but I don’t think that that should change anyone’s plans. I think that it’s good to keep in mind, and it’s good to stay up to date on what the changes might be.
But if someone has London in their hearts and they feel like that’s where they really want to be, that’s exactly what I’d be telling myself. I’d be saying, no, go for it anyways. And you know, someone might live here for one year or three years and then say, actually I really want to move back home. Five years is a really long time to be living abroad.
And some people love it, but some people might say that was really great, but I actually want to move back. So a lot of people might not even want to get to that point, or they might get to the point and then they’re able to do the point system where it’s actually not that bad for getting a visa and getting your permanent residency.
So if there’s anybody that has the dream of moving abroad to the UK or any country for that matter. I would say don’t let the visa rules get in the way of that. It’s an annoying thing that people have to deal with the visa and dealing with that and permanent residency and a dual passport and it’s just kind of that annoying thing that kind of is always going on in the background, but I’d say don’t let that get in the way of you accomplishing your dream.
Carlie: So you say don’t let visa rules get in the way, but they are a bit of a reality. And for an American you need to apply for something. So what visas, what visa options are there? When you were looking for yourself, did you look at something like a working holiday equivalent? Are there work visas? Are there age restrictions?
Jordan: As you say, you do have to have a visa and it is that really annoying thing that we have to deal with as expats, but it is kind of our golden ticket to be able to live the life that we live. And I’d say that there are pretty much visas for whatever circumstance you need, and it does really depend on the country, but typically you have your working visa, if you have a nine to five job or if you’re employed by a company, then you’re going to have a working visa.
There’s a lot of times like a freelancer visa, there’s a visa to start your own company. There’s a visa for remote work. So there’s a retirement visa in some countries. So not every country is going to have the exact same visas, and they’re all going to have a little bit of different eligibility requirements. But for the most part. If any reason that you want to move abroad and be productive as a citizen, you can have a visa for that.
Carlie: Although sometimes there are financial requirements. I know I was speaking to some experts about immigrating to New Zealand and there is like visas by investment, but if you don’t have a cool half a mill, you know, running a hole in your back pocket, that might not be an avenue for you.
Jordan: Those are really nice visas if you have the money, but most people don’t have that just hanging around. But I feel like there are, especially if you’re going to be a productive member of society in some way. As in you are going to be contributing to the economy, you’re going to be making money in some way. Then I feel like normally there’s a visa for that.
In most countries, but there are regulations, there are eligibility requirements. You might have to make a certain salary or if you’re a freelancer, you might have to have a certain amount of income or certain other eligibility requirements. So you do have to pay attention to that as you’re researching visas.
So I would recommend that for, if anybody knows, if they know exactly where they want to go to, whether Germany or the UK or whatever. Then research. If you know already that you have to have a nine to five job that you’re not willing to start a new company or be a freelancer, then just start researching what the visa options look like and what the eligibility requirements are so that you can know that going into it.
Carlie: You had long term in mind, if I’m not mistaken, when you moved to the UK, did that influence the type of visa you got or were you just initially focused on getting yourself there?
Jordan: You know what? I said mom and dad, I’m only going to be gone for a year or two, and then COVID hit and I was like, you know, I didn’t really get to experience it to the fullest because of COVID, so I’m going to stay another year or two. And then here I am, coming up to my sixth year anniversary of living in the UK.
And I don’t have any plans of going back at this point, but I do think, like I said a little while ago, I think some people might move abroad for a year or two and they might say, you know what? That, check the box. I actually really miss home. I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss whatever it is, and they might decide to move back.
But some people like us, we fall in love with abroad life and we don’t ever want to leave. So you do have to be careful about the path that you choose. So I have had myself, I actually had a visa at first that did not put time towards my indefinite leave to remain, you have to have certain visas that allow that.
So a lot of times a student visa, it won’t count towards your permanent residency in a lot of countries. So there are certain visas that don’t count towards that. So I do tell people that if they have long-term in mind, do pay attention to that because it is a little bit annoying to waste a year where you say, oh, I could have had my permanent residency already, but I had this other visa.
But sometimes you just have to get your foot in the door. That was my story. I just had to get my foot in the door with a, it was a temporary, like one year long visa, and that was my foot in the door, and then I got my real visa, my skilled worker, which is just a normal worker visa after that.
And so, you know, it was the foot in the door that I needed. So I’d say, however you’re able to get there, just get yourself there and then from there, kind of figure out the path you need to take. But if you already know all the rules and you’re like, actually, I know that I can get this worker visa, or whatever the visa is, and it does count towards my years, then heck yeah, go for that.
Carlie: I can definitely relate to the, oh, only a year or two point, because I’m pretty sure I told my mom that too. And then it’s been 12 years now.
Jordan: And it’s the unknown. You don’t really know until you get there. You don’t know what your experience is going to be, if you’re going to love it, if you say, oh, I love this place, but actually I think this city or this country might actually be a better fit for me. So you just never know.
Carlie: And speaking about a fit, what makes the UK. I think people can, I mean, I know people myself, Australians can fall into the trap of thinking, oh, we’re not so different. The Brits and the Aussies and the Americans, we all speak English. We’ve grown up on similar media. You know, there is no such thing as cultural shock or culture shock moving between these countries.
But what are some interesting points to keep in mind that you have found are differentiators between a British and an American way of life?
Jordan: There are cultural differences for sure, but I do feel like you feel those cultural differences a lot more outside of the big cities. So I’m living in London. I feel like there’s a very different culture in London overall than you would experience if you were in a smaller town.
So when I first moved to the UK, I moved to Brighton and I was actually not even in Brighton. I was west of Brighton in Hove, and I worked even farther West in Shoreham-by-Sea, which is a tiny, tiny, tiny town, but still by the sea.
It was by the sea, but it was very different from what I was used to. And I think I felt the cultural differences a lot more strongly than I would have if I would have moved to London first because there are so many expats. So there are so many other Americans and Aussies and people from all over.
And so it’s a little bit of a melting pot, I feel like of cultures, and you can experience different aspects of different cultures. So I didn’t feel as much like an outsider I guess, but when I was in Brighton, in a smaller place that did not have an expat community, I felt that a lot stronger. Those differences between, it was kind of like me and then them. It wasn’t like an us, if that makes sense.
Carlie: And what were some of those differences that you remember?
Jordan: You know, I think one of the biggest ones that stands out to me is I feel like I’m fairly direct as a person. I feel like Americans are quite direct and I noticed that British people would not be direct with me. They would kind of skate around things or just have like these pleasantries, but they wouldn’t be direct to say, Hey, this is the feedback that I’m noticing and work.
Or if it was on the train, let’s say we’re on a train in the US. If we were in a train somewhere, an American might say, Hey, you’re being really loud. Would you mind actually putting in headphones because we can hear your phone. Like someone might say something to another person on the train.
Whereas in the UK a woman might just kind of like give someone the side eye, but they’re not actually going to say anything because they’re being polite. But they might be boiling on the inside, so they just won’t communicate that as much. That’s one of the bigger ones that I feel like I’ve noticed.
Carlie: Yeah, I remember when I was working in London, we’d frequently have meetings in order to decide to have another meeting rather than making a decision in that meeting.
Jordan: And you know, another one that just came to mind was British men, when they flirt, their flirting is like, they’re going to hang around you like they’re going to close to you or like stand behind you. But they’re not going to say like, they’re not going to talk to you, but their flirting is like just kind of being close by.
They’re just not very direct. So it’s just one of those little like, you’re like, oh, okay. They kind of, they probably like me, but it’s just different from American culture. We’d be a bit more forward.
Carlie: Was there anything that you especially missed after some time in the UK?
Jordan: The obvious one is just my friends and family. You know, it’s difficult, I think to be away from people who fully get you. I think that’s probably the biggest one. It’s those relationships from people you love. But I think it’s feeling like the people around you don’t fully understand you because they’re not from the same place or have the same upbringing or culture, I guess.
So you feel a little bit like they don’t fully understand you. If that makes sense. I’d say that’s probably one of the biggest ones for me, but also the longer that I live abroad, the more separation I feel from the people back home, which I hope that doesn’t scare anyone because that sounds, it sounds very negative, but you just, you grow and evolve.
Just like life in general. You just become more like the people around you. You change based on the environment that you’re around. And so because I’m in London and my family is from Texas, there’s a very, there’s a different culture and different way of life.
So I think it kind of makes me more like a London person, if that makes sense. And closer to the London culture. So then when I go back home, I feel like I feel a little bit more like an outsider. Does that make sense? Do you experience that as well?
Carlie: Yeah, definitely. So we’ve spoken to Naomi Hadaway on this podcast about the concept of you’re no longer a circle, which is the country you’re in. You’re no longer a square, which is the country you’ve come from, but you’re more of a triangle where you don’t quite fit in either place.
And I think that’s very true. You know, you can’t, we wouldn’t say that you are a hundred percent at home in your new country, but maybe don’t feel that in your country of origin either.
Jordan: I totally agree, and I feel like it’s one of those things that you can’t fully understand until it happens to you. And then you say, oh, okay, I kind of get it. But it’s not a negative thing, and I don’t want that to scare people because you do change and you are kind of straddling both countries.
But how beautiful is that? That we get to experience both countries in both ways of life. I feel like I have the best of both worlds that I get to still enjoy Texas life and all that I grew up around. But then I also get to enjoy London life and living in Europe and going to enjoy different European countries all the time.
Like I love that life. So I feel like it’s the best of both worlds. So it’s not a negative thing. It can be seen as a negative thing, but I feel like it’s a really beautiful life.
Carlie: And how long was it before you made your first trip back to Texas, after you moved to the UK?
Jordan: Because it was COVID, it was 11 months, so that’s the longest that I’ve ever gone being away from my family. But I typically go back once every six months and I typically stay for two to three weeks. And I’m very thankful that I have a job that allows me to do that so I can work remotely, which is really great and my company works with me to allow me to do that.
So I’m very thankful to be able to do that. And not everyone can do that, but I also kind of not joke around, but I tell my parents, Hey, my sister lives in Denver, Colorado and she sees our family less than I do. I see my family more often and I spend more time with them.
So I’m like, Hey, I know you guys are freaked out about me being in London, but I actually have, you know, I see you more often.
Carlie: You see more than somebody in the same country.
Jordan: Exactly. So I’m like, Hey, you guys are actually lucky. So it was 11 months the first time, but I typically go back once every six months or if I have a big life event. So I have a couple weddings coming up this year. I’ll plan my trips around big life events as well so that I can still be a part of my friends and family’s lives, and in those big moments in life when I can.
So I do plan around those things too.
Carlie: I feel like two points come up a lot on social media when it comes to Americans living abroad, talking about differences between the USA and whatever country they’re in. One of those is healthcare. And the other one is bread and the taste of bread.
Jordan: Oh my goodness. That’s so random. I haven’t heard that.
Carlie: So, you know, obviously, universal healthcare, the NHS in, the National Health Service in the UK is very different to how healthcare works in the states. And I think, you know, forgive me if I am making an assumption, but that’s also possibly part of the appeal for some Americans in moving abroad.
Jordan: A hundred percent. I actually had a doctor’s appointment this morning. Do you know how much I paid for that doctor’s appointment?
Carlie: Probably less than 50 pounds.
Jordan: Zero. I paid zero and then I had to get a prescription. And do you know how much my prescription was? Zero again? No, it did cost a little bit because I didn’t go through insurance, but it cost me seven pounds, which is like $10 for prescription.
So the cost of prescription is so much lower than it is in the US. You don’t have to pay, I forgot what it’s even called. When you go to a doctor, you have to pay a fee. It’s whatever, $50 or something like that. I did have to go to the hospital a few years ago.
In 2022, I had to get my blood drawn. I had to get an EKG test, which is like a heart scan test that they had to do, and I had to do a CT scan. So I looked up what the cost would have been if I was in the US and this is through public healthcare. I didn’t have any private insurance at the time, which is also really cheap here if you want to get private insurance.
But, and my work pays for it too, so I don’t even have to pay anything. But it should have been about $2000. And I paid $0. I paid no money to have all that stuff done, to get all that taken care of.
So I think financially there was some stat, which I wish I had it, but that Americans go into debt because of, it’s because of medical debt. They go into debt, and I think that it’s so freeing to know that in the UK and in Europe in general, you’re taken care of.
Sometimes it’s not a perfect system. Sometimes if you are just doing private healthcare, it might take a little while to get an appointment, especially if it’s not an emergency. But they do still have emergency rooms. If it is an emergency, you can get it taken care of. If it is something that is affecting you in a bigger way, they will get it taken care of.
But for smaller things, sometimes it does take longer, which I feel like is something that we don’t deal with as much in the US. But I’d say overall. You know, if you do want to get private insurance, it is so cheap here. It might be like $50 a month, $100 a month, and a lot of times, well, not a lot of times I won’t say that, but sometimes your company will pay for private insurance as well, which is really not needed.
But you can have that if you want appointments quicker, and the facilities are so nice, so it’s better.
Carlie: And so you mentioned about indefinite leave to remain. How far away are you from obtaining that and did you have to physically apply?
Jordan: So, I’m on my last because I had a different visa before, so we talked about that a little bit that that first kind of year did not go towards my permanent residency or indefinite leave to remain is what they call it here. So I have to renew my visa one more time.
I’m actually supposed to be submitting the application this week, which a lawyer is taking care of. So I’ll just kind of send them my information and they’re taking care of it through my company that I’m working at. So they’re submitting that application. It’ll just be for one year, and then I’ll start my application process for indefinite leave to remain in January and I’ll submit the application in April.
So I think there’s quite a bit of information gathering that they. So it’s just kind of making sure that the application is fully ready for April to submit it, and then hopefully I should get that a few weeks after.
Carlie: And what are you looking forward to when you get that? What does that give you in your life?
Jordan: I think it’s something that we have to have, it’s our golden ticket to be able to live abroad, and so I’m very thankful for it. But it is always this a little bit of like a thorn in my side, a reminder of kind of, I have to stay employed. That there’s a bit of an urgency, or not urgency, but a bit, it’s a bit of a stressor.
So I’m applying to renew my visa right now, which is not a big deal. It should go through and it should be positive, but what if it doesn’t go through? What if something’s wrong with my application? What if they found some parking fine that I didn’t pay for, and then that makes them upset, or, you know, it could be literally anything.
And I think that’s definitely overthinking it. But I think it’s just one of those things where it is how I’m able to have this life that I have. And if something ever happened it would – to say ruin my life sounds really dramatic – but it would completely change my life. I’d be forced to go back to the states and I would go back kicking and screaming.
I love the US but I love my life here and you know what I’ve set up for myself. So I think it just provides that sense of freedom to say, you know what, if I lost my job, yes, I would have to worry about money a little bit, but at least I still have my ability to stay here. I can stay here as long as I want.
Or if I want to just have my own company and not worry about being employed, I can do that or you know, just provides you a lot more freedom. So I think it’s that sense of, okay, I’m not like bound to this visa. I think it kind of provides that sense of freedom and that I’m fully, you know, I’m an equal here, that I’m a part of it.
Does that make sense? I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me is like a sense of freedom.
Carlie: And are you interested in becoming a British citizen as well, or are you not so patriotic?
Jordan: A hundred percent. I’m going to get it. Yeah, why not? You know, and I think just also, if we look at what’s going on in the US, which we won’t go into it, but I think a lot of countries are just getting stricter. We see that in the UK right now. They’re getting stricter on the rules, making it more difficult for people.
They’re talking about lengthening the time before someone can get permanent residency, whether they do it or not, we don’t know. There’s some visas in Europe that have been pulled in the past few years that used to be quite easy for Americans to get. So I think it’s just securing your spot before rules change because we don’t know the future.
Things might change, and so I think it’s, if you have the ability to get it, it’s like why not have that kind of just be done with it and not have to worry about it again in your life?
Carlie: I feel like there’s power in having options to.
Jordan: Absolutely. You know, I love that I have the ability, if I ever wanted to, to move back to the US and. God forbid there be any wars that happen here in the UK or in Europe, you know, coming closer to our way or in the US. But I think it does provide that sense of freedom for you and for your family, for your future, just to have optionality as you say, if the economy is better or you know, you just for safety for your family as well. I think it’s a positive thing.
Carlie: Jordan, I was looking at your podcast episodes. Spoiler alert, you’re also a podcaster. And I noticed one of your episodes was entitled, if a Meteor Hit London, where I’d move next in Europe. Not to spoil the episode for people that are interested to go and listen. But what other countries or what country is on your radar?
Jordan: So I think there are many great places to live in Europe. I love London and I think that I definitely won’t leave until I get my dual citizenship, but I have kind of wondered, you know, if I had an opportunity to move somewhere else, where would I go?
And I think I feel really content right now, but I would be open to going to other places for a year or two and checking out and just seeing how it is. And there are some places that I think are better than others. I think there are different reasons for that.
But I think one of the main ones that I believe is really important is to move somewhere that has a really strong expat community. And when you move abroad as an American, you don’t automatically think, I want to be best friends with all the Americans. You’re like, I’m trying to get away from you guys and do something different.
But I think the longer you live abroad, the more you appreciate the similarities and other expats. And it doesn’t even have to be other Americans. It can be just other expats from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, other European countries. I think that you just have more of a similar mindset. I think it takes a certain type of person to move abroad and you deal with a lot of similar challenges and I think you just kind of have a similar mindset.
So I think that it’s important to move somewhere that has a good, strong expat community. So that’s one of the reasons why I chose some of those locations. And it’s also ease of visa. Good job opportunities everywhere has their pros and cons. Nowhere’s ever going to be perfect. Just like London, the UK there are things about it that are not the best, like weather for instance is a great sacrifice for me living in the UK.
Compared to Texas too. My gosh. But I mean, choose your evil. I mean, it’s probably a hundred degrees Fahrenheit in Austin, Texas right now. So I just say that everywhere has pros and cons, but I think there are certain places where you’re setting yourself up for success if you move to middle of nowhere south of Italy and you feel really excited about that.
I mean, go for it. But it just, I think that there are certain places that it would be harder because if you’re moving somewhere that where there’s only Italians where they don’t speak any English, really, you don’t speak any Italian. There are not many great job opportunities, not an expat community. I feel like you’re not setting yourself up for success.
Whereas if you’re moving to Lisbon, Portugal, or Madrid. Spain, or Berlin, Germany. I feel like you’re setting yourself up for success a little bit more to be able to connect with like-minded people and have good job opportunities and to thrive in life abroad.
Carlie: You mentioned having probably more affinity with fellow foreigners than necessarily locals, but what have you noticed in your mannerisms or in your habits that are uniquely British that have crept into your daily life?
Jordan: So I do have a mix of British friends and expat friends, so I do love my British girls that I’m friends with, and they do have some different mannerisms as you say, or just cultural differences. I’d say you asked about what those differences are or like what I’ve kind integrated into my life.
Are you all for the three o’clock cup of tea now?
You know, I’m trying to, I definitely drink a lot more tea than when I lived in the US and I think a big part of that is that it’s cold a lot. So I have become a tea girly. I have a lot of teas, a lot of loose leaf teas, so that has become a bigger part of my life.
I think that when you’re around. Especially in London. I think this is especially in a London thing, and I think this is going to happen a lot in Germany as well. People travel a lot, so I travel a lot. Whereas my friends in the US might travel like once a year, maybe twice a year. But I travel quite often because I think it’s just more part of the culture. It’s so easy to get around Europe.
So I do travel around Europe a lot. I go back to the US a lot, so hopping on a plane is very normal for me. It’s just a part of my year is just, I fly a lot. So I think that that has changed for me. But I think that’s more of just kind of the environment around me and not necessarily British people.
Perhaps just the transportation system as well. I love the transportation system. And in the tube, I feel like a lot of people still aren’t on their phones a lot because that’s not really a thing. So a lot of people read actual books. I like my Kindle, but people are reading books. People are still reading the newspaper, which I think is just really sweet.
Carlie: I don’t know how the tube has changed since I lived in London, but back, back in my day you couldn’t get wifi underground. Is it still the case?
Jordan: They’re adding it more and more and I know. I kind of love it that people are on their phones and people are just so relaxed. One thing read, reading the newspaper as you say, like it’s nice. People are really quiet on public transportation. They don’t chitchat, they’re not loud yelling typically. I mean, you get your one random, you know, loud person, or tourist or whatever.
But people are pretty relaxed and pretty uniform and waiting to get on the train. And you sit down and you’re very quiet and. I think that people are really respectful. So I think that’s one thing that perhaps has changed, like probably some little things, but I’m trying to think. I feel like it’s honestly probably so a part of me now that I don’t even notice some things that have changed in me.
Carlie: I know my do Americans queue as well as the, as the Brits do.
Jordan: I feel like they Americans queue as well. Other cultures probably don’t queue as well, but Americans do queue well, but they also chitchat a lot and they’re quite loud. So the other day I was on the tube, and I love this. I’m like, that’s so cute. And I’m like, you’re definitely an American tourist.
But there was a gentleman that was trying to get off the tube and it was quite crowded and he’s like, oh, pardon me. Excuse me. I’m just going to get off right here. Oops. Sorry. Do you mind moving to the side? And like they’re all moving to the side because they’re like, we’re going to move to the side anyways. Like, you don’t really have to say anything, but it’s just funny because it’s just more part of their culture as Americans and part of, I guess, our culture.
But now that I’ve lived there, I don’t do that as much. So it’s just kind of a small thing. It’s like an unspoken rule of how people get on and off transport without a word.
And making eye contact and smiling. That’s also a thing that people don’t do here. So I stopped doing that as much, which actually I find really sad. But you know, if you’re passing by someone on a walking path in the park or along the river or whatever, in the US. People might make eye contact and might just give you a little smile or just say, Hey, how’s it going?
But here, that’s not a thing. People don’t look at you. They like avert their eyes from making eye contact. So I kind of miss that and sometimes I’ll still do it and oh my goodness, it their face lights up. They love it. Startles people, I thought it do like it 50 50. Sometimes it startles people and they get really scared that they look away quickly.
But some people really love it and you can tell that they just appreciate being acknowledged. I do try to do that because I feel like even if they avert their eyes quickly, I feel like people still appreciate being acknowledged. So I feel like that’s one thing that Americans do really well that they don’t do here, that I feel like I do a lot less. But I’d like to get back into doing that again.
Carlie: And just finally, Jordan, what is it that you really love about your life in the UK other than the Amazing Tube?
Jordan: I think my favorite thing about my life abroad in London is that it has opened me up to so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I lived in the US. It’s opened me up to having a remote role where I got to travel around Italy for three months and work remotely, and I worked in Croatia for a month remotely, and I met incredible people.
It opened me up to being able to had the idea, I would have never thought to do this as an American, but to have the idea to go to South Africa, to Cape Town, and I met incredible people and I met my boyfriend there. Like, I wouldn’t have had that even thought to go there because I didn’t have, you don’t have people around you that are suggesting doing that.
So I think it’s the travel that you’re able to do, I think I’ve opened myself up so much to different perspectives from other people that I feel like in the US you are in a bit more of a bubble, which is a beautiful thing and I love that when I go back home that everyone is quite similar and it sounds like a negative thing, but it’s actually a really nice thing to feel similar and understood by everyone around you.
But I think that I love that it’s challenged me to think differently and to consider how other people do different ways of life and how that’s also a beautiful thing. It doesn’t have to be one way or just how Americans do it. So I think there’s been certain things that other cultures have taught me. I say, oh, I love that you do that.
I love that you add that to your life or that you do life differently in this way, and I want to integrate that into my life. Whereas there’s certain aspects about American culture that I say, oh, actually I think the US does it better in this way. So I love that I kind of have this melting pot of picking from different cultures and understanding people more.
And I think in turn you’re able to love people more because you understand how they’re different culturally from you.
Carlie: And Jordan, where can people find you if they’d like to learn more about you and how you can help with other Americans, move abroad journeys?
Jordan: Sure. So if you’re interested, you mentioned earlier, but I do have a podcast as well, so it’s called Move Abroad. If you search, move Abroad, and maybe we can add a link in the show notes or podcast description, but move abroad. That podcast I think will be a great place, or my website. If you want to learn more about me and my story, then that’s Jordan Gibson.com and I assume maybe we can do a link for that as well.
I am also on Pinterest and I’m on, I’m technically on Instagram, but oh my goodness, I’m not the strongest Instagram girly, but I am on Instagram at Jordan Gibson, and then Pinterest is Jordan underscore Gibson. So maybe we can add that to the podcast description. But yeah, I’d love to connect with your audience as well.
Carlie: Jordan, thanks so much for coming on the Expat Focus podcast to discuss moving to the UK as an American and staying long term.
That’s it for today. You can sound off in the comments on our YouTube channel – just search for Expat Focus – if you think there’s a key piece of advice that Jordan missed or maybe you have your own tips for Americans looking to move to the UK.
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