Thank you to Lebara for making this conversation possible.
When the new millennium hit, my parents sat us down and asked us where in the world we would love to live if we had an opportunity. Obviously the states was number one then UK came second and Australia was third all thanks to the Geography and history lessons we had at school, we had a bit of knowledge about each of these countries albeit it was a bit fabricated but knowledge nonetheless.
Fast forward 2 years later a decision was made and the UK it was, if it had worked out the way my parents wanted it would have been the states but things worked out how it has and we are still happy with our decision.
As a young girl or is it lady moving to a new country was both exciting and also the worst case scenario ever. I was going to be leaving my friends, my extended family, my then boyfriend and everything I knew and loved. Yes I was moving to a new country full of possibilities and better future opportunities but nonetheless I was leaving my home. The place where I was born, where I was nurtured, where I was taught right from wrong, where I had my first kiss, my first boyfriend, my first crush and the list goes on.
It was definitely not an easy move although the transition was not as painful as I thought it would be. We had to learn almost everything apart from the language from scratch, we knew very little and technology was not our strongest suit.
I remember us going to town with my mother and trying to pick out a phone for each one of us kids (excluding my sister who was too young at the time). There were so many options but we still did not know which one was best and doing research seemed like such a daunting task. I remember when we arrived we used to use the land-line to make calls back home without a calling card or anything, you can imagine the bill my mum got at the end of the month. She was not too pleased but then she taught us about calling cards and other networks that provided cheaper services to call home.
Nowadays things are a lot more different than they were almost 15 years ago, with companies like lebara proving one of the best phones services around and being advertised all over the country it is easier to get a phone and be able to communicate with family back home without breaking the bank. You can CLICK HERE to read more about moving to the UK.
I personally have a Lebara mobile number which I use to call my family back home in Zambia, it is cheap and the most convenient way to stay in touch with family without breaking the bank.
Lebara is running a competition to win an ipad mini on their website which you are welcome to enter, though you will need to register to enter. For more details click here.
Have you ever had to leave your home land to move to another country?
Disclosure: This post was written in collaboration with Lebara mobile, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.
Maria says
I have never had the opportunity to leave my home to live in another country. On one hand, it excites me, and, on the other hand, it intimidates me. You are very strong I am sure because of your experience, more cultured, and worldly. Good for you! I have contemplated retiring in Europe for many years now, though.
Bonnie @ wemake7 says
I have never had to move out of the country before but did had to move a lot of states away from my home state before. It was very scary with all the unknowns. Sounds like you had a good move though.Thanks for sharing the information about Lebara.
Nikki says
I actually did leave home and moved to Japan once. My then-boyfriend (now ex-husband) was in the Navy, stationed at Misawa Air Base. I went to visit him for a month. Two days before I was supposed to leave, he asked me to stay and we’d get married. So I stayed. We got married days before my final visa ran out (after which I was allowed to stay because I was a Navy wife). I lived there for two years. I loved it, but at the same time, I missed home like crazy. I’ve been home since 2001, but there are things I still miss about Japan now.
Tami says
I would’ve flipped out over the phone bill, too. When we were first married, we didn’t quite understand how the free AOL internet trial worked. We didn’t realize that there was a long distance number being called every time we dialed up!
I can’t imagine moving outside of the U.S. not even another state. We have family here and I can’t imagine never seeing them.
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
It’s great that such services exist for specifically calling back home. It must have been scary moving to the UK so young, but I’m very glad that your family made that decision 15 years ago. 🙂
Tammileetips says
I had no idea that a phone plan existed like this for international calling! Moving to a whole new country would be an amazing but scary experience! It sounds like you are loving life in the UK now though!
Alanna Wong says
Wow! I loved learning more about your journey moving to the UK! I can see how moving to a different country would be exciting and terrifying at the same time! It’s amazing how well human beings adapt to new situations and it sounds like you did just that! Lebara sounds like a great phone company. I will definitely check them out. 🙂 I always like to see if I can save. Any bit helps! This was such a great blog post and you are a very talented writer! I was drawn to reading every word of it. 🙂 Thank you!
Briton says
I have never lived abroad but my husband lived in Costa Rica for two years. Once our children are grown and we have retired we would love to travel to do long-term service work. Anyway, isn’t it great how far phone technology has come in the last few decades?! I remember using phone cards when I first left home since I didn’t have a cell yet and I had little money for long-distance calls!
Dina Demarest says
I have never taken that big plunge to move to another country. I think I would be afraid to do it alone. Moving and visiting are totally different. I don’t mind going far away to travel alone but I don’t think I would make such a big move alone unless I had other friends or family there.
Lilinha Espindula says
I moved to the UK when I was only 18 and have been calling my family back home ever since. It is lovely being able to keep in touch, even though there is an ocean in between us! x
http://lilinhaangel.com/
Amy says
Let me start by saying how much I enjoyed reading your piece. I am currently in the process of moving to Bahrain from the U.S. It’s invigorating and intimidating all at the same time. Leaving everything that I know will be hard but I know at the same time I love adventure. Living only two blocks away from a Target Superstore, I wonder how even survive. Lol
Thanks for the great input on cell phones for the UK. My friend and I plan on spending the summer there. We are very excited. Check out my blog it’s all about moving abroad to find your #LifeMeant .
Amy
Ronda Ogilvie says
Thank goodness for Lebara! I bet those initial phone bills were horrendous! I have always dreamed of moving to a far off country and starting over, but I bet it is a little scary moving from everything you have known! sounds like you made a smooth transition! Thanks for the information on the awesome giveaway…i could use a new I-pad!!
Liz Mays says
Thank goodness for services like that. They really help life transitions go so much smoother.
Amanda says
Wow, your parents were pretty awesome by asking you kids where you would like to live. As someone who lives in the US, I would love to try living in the UK. The only problem is that all of our family is here and I would miss them terribly (and how they babysit sometimes, too).
monica says
I moved to the US from another county so I understand how difficult it is and the challenges of missing friends and family back home. I am still looking for a phone service that allows me to call back home and it is not to expensive. Great for you that in your area you have this awesome service available. I am heading how to your post about moving to UK because I always love to read stories from Expats and see how they coped and maybe funny stories that happened to them while abroad. Thanks for sharing
Michelle Murray says
great post. I have always wanted to live in America but I think that dream has now passed #ukbloggers
Miranda says
Awww bless, don’t give up on it yet. Give up when you dead that’s what I was told.