A Wandering Citizen, and What John Cleese Said

I'll start with John Cleese because I imagine that's why you entered this blog today. 

A few weeks back on NPR I listened to an interview with John Cleese who was talking about his new book, answering a question about British vs American fans. He said,"The Americans are enthusiastic…..the British are a jealous bunch…", and carried on explaining that the more miserable you are, the more your friends will reach out to you (in the UK).

I laughed as the concept of Schadenfreude crossed my mind.


2014 will have been the first full year, January - December, since 2003 that I've lived in the United States. Seeing a year through, end to end - isn't that proof that this relocation to California is no longer a dreamy stay-cation? 
The timing makes sense in my process as it would for grieving any loss. It isn't so much that my identity of being a Londoner or Bristolian is lost; rather, the absence of the constant adjustments - many subconscious - for assimilating.  

Over a decade, a culture imbues your identity and the new-you takes shape. Recalling something my friend from Ghana once said (she is still London),  "Emily, I must always be tactical about dealing with people here".  Her comment is a reminder of the constant adjustments expats make. 


California appears to have grown considerably in my absence. Towns became cities, resulting in an explosion of new area codes. Kids in diapers when I left grew into household names. Petrol rose and dropped in price 3,002 times. Television series launched, were loved, then faded. New politicians have taken office and done sweet F.A. As a result, my interest in global news far outweighs state politics. The scores of electric/hybrid, "quiet" cars keep me looking over my shoulder. 
I noticed that in the past 16 months, I gravitate towards expats in California or friends who've lived abroad. 


So what does all that mean, at the end of 2014? Am I a culturally shapeless wanderer, citizen of the planet without claim to roots? As Socrates said, “I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world."

Rain, stodginess, classism, and traffic congestion fees aside, I simply miss what became home. Home, and a two hour ride on the Eurostar to Paris. 

Here I go, closing out 2014, the first year - end to end - in California since 2003.  Here's to taking shape in 2015.