A new life in America, one day at a time. 🇿🇦➡️🇺🇸 Writer of impossible worlds. Collector of strange thoughts. Still standing. Still writing. DM=🚫 Porn =🚫
North Carolina
Joined January 2022
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🇿🇦❤️🇺🇸 SIX MONTHS IN AMERICA: SEND HELP, WE'RE STILL FIGURING THINGS OUT! 😂
Six months ago, we stepped off a plane in America. We had suitcases, paperwork, big dreams, a thousand questions and absolutely NO idea what we were getting ourselves into.
Well, we had some idea. 1/
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And maybe, just maybe, remember to check Google Maps before leaving the house.
SIX MONTHS DOWN. A LIFETIME OF ADVENTURES TO GO. ❤️🇺🇸 43/
And if the last six months have taught us anything, it's this: You don't have to have everything figured out to make progress.
Sometimes you just need to show up, ask questions, laugh at yourself, try again and keep going. 42/
We certainly didn't expect to learn quite so much about chicken, bus cords, American paperwork and the emotional state of a grey-haired driving instructor.
But life has a funny way of teaching you what you need to know. 41/
To everyone who has followed our journey, encouraged us, shared advice or simply stopped by to see what we're up to, thank you for being part of it.
We came here to build a future. We didn't expect every step to be easy. 40/
But here we are. Six months in. Still learning. Still laughing. Still building our lives. Still figuring things out. And still grateful that we got the opportunity to begin this chapter. 39/
Your confidence says, “We've got this!” Your nerves say, “Have you completely lost your mind?” And your husband is sitting beside you in the car, wondering whether he should have invested in a driving instructor instead. 🤣 38/
And we've learned something else. Starting over in your fifties is not for the faint-hearted. Your brain is trying to learn a new country while your knees are asking why everything requires so much walking. 37/
We've had help from kind people along the way, and we've discovered things about ourselves that we probably wouldn't have learned if life had stayed comfortable and familiar. 36/
We can do more than we could.
We've learned to navigate unfamiliar systems, find our way around Charlotte, make a home, look for work and tackle challenges that once seemed enormous. 35/
We're not experts. We haven't mastered everything. We still have things to learn, appointments to make, goals to reach and plenty of questions.
But we're not the same family who stepped off that plane six months ago. We know more than we did. 34/
And sometimes, you just have to laugh. Because if we don't laugh at some of these experiences, we'll probably cry. Possibly into a very large American coffee.
☕ SIX MONTHS LATER... 33/
You still have family responsibilities. You still have unexpected expenses.
You still have things that go wrong. But you also have birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs, little victories and moments that remind you why you're here. 32/
We've also celebrated our wedding anniversary, explored Charlotte, enjoyed thrifting trips and found little moments of happiness in our new surroundings.
That's the thing about starting over. Life doesn't pause while you're learning how to live it. 31/
We've dealt with a car accident in the family and learned how urgent care works.
We've missed home. Cried. We've had days when everything felt like too much. 30/
"America was built on only one thing ... Credit!"
🚑 PHASE SEVEN: REAL LIFE DOESN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO FINISH SETTLING IN
Some moments haven't been funny at all. We've had worries about work, transport and money. 29/
Apparently, having a bank account is not the same as understanding the American financial system. And a credit score?
That's a whole new language! One of our American neighbours told us just the other day. 28/
After four months, seeing the adults in our household getting employed was a milestone worth celebrating. We've also been learning about bank accounts, credit and all the financial things that come with building a life here. 27/
Then you discover that finding work in a new country can be a challenge all on its own.
There are applications, interviews, unfamiliar expectations and plenty of waiting. We've worked hard to get our feet under us. 26/