From Desert to Drizzle By Katrina Boydon
Our final fling in the United States was a six- thousand-mile cross-country adventure with our four children and two dogs. Epic doesn’t even begin to describe it. It was AWESOME. We wiggled our way from West to East and ended up in New York one day before we left forever. But that’s a story for another time.
We are naturalised Americans who lived in Reno, Nevada for ten years. Before that, we lived in France and Russia for many years. And before that, Britain, where we were born and raised. When we made the decision to move “back” to Britain, it didn’t feel like that at all. Meaning we had been away for so long that it felt as if we were moving, yet again, to a foreign country. And we were right. The question everyone asked us when we told them of our plans was, but WHY?
Why indeed. There were lots of reasons. I stopped working for a Silicon Valley marketing company a year before we left and had no interest in finding a similar job in Reno or anywhere else. Our children were all British but had never lived in Britain. Our parents, who were in Britain, were in poor health and we wanted to be near them. And we were homesick. Even so, it was a very difficult decision. We loved our home and life in Reno and we had no real idea of what we might do in Britain. The last year in Reno was the most fabulous ever, which made it even harder to leave. I spent more time with my children, rode my horses, volunteered as a 4-H leader, did a spot of consulting, and planned our move.
In retrospect, the decision to spend six weeks travelling across America was wise. Eight of us, including the two huge dogs, living in an albeit good-sized trailer, was excellent preparation for moving into my mother’s house in Wales. The house, quite large for Britain, was a shock to the system for the kids. That and having only one bathroom between all of us. Steve and I chuckled on more than one occasion at a disgruntled teenager sulkily waiting their turn in the hallway.
But it was lovely to be in Britain. It was all so new and exciting, yet familiar. It was easy to settle in apart from the nightmare first month. We had no belongings, no credit history, no past UK address and no internet. Every single service I called told me “just go online...” Funny looking back, but not so amusing at the time.
Then I got homesick for Reno. I still am. I miss my home and life, for sure, but it is more than that. I miss the wide-open spaces and guaranteed sunny weather. I miss the encouragement and enthusiasm of my American friends (thank heavens for Facebook). I miss that lending your car to a friend is normal. Why ARE British people so special about their cars? And I miss the easiness of living. High speed internet. Showers that work. Mixer taps. That my clothes dried quickly inside the house in winter. That my home was easy to clean, warm in winter and cool in summer. That I didn’t wallow in mud when I fed my animals. It’s not that you can’t be comfortable in Britain; but complaining about any discomfort is likely to elicit an eye roll from a proper Brit. There’s no place for softies here. I joke half-seriously that Brits don’t consider they’re really living unless there’s a bit of hardship involved. “Mustn’t grumble”, “can’t complain”, is a way of life.
We’ve settled here happily, even if part of me is still in Reno. I feel more of a connection for The Biggest Little City than anywhere else I have lived. Perhaps it’s true that if you travel and live in different countries you are never completely content anywhere ever again. This makes me sad but also secretly pleased that, truly, I have another country I consider home. Did we really leave forever? We have no plans to move back any time soon, but never say never. I cannot imagine NOT going back to the US at some point.
Oh yes, we found a way to support our life here, too. During our last year in the United States, we had a germ of an idea to start up a glamping (so-called glamorous camping) business in Britain. So, we did it. Within six months of moving back we found a property in Shropshire and set up Barnutopia. Steve’s practical skills and my marketing skills have proved to be a winning combination. Our gorgeous rural location with stunning views in every direction helps a bit, too. You can see us and our glamping site on ITV’s Give It A Year (find it here) with Baroness Karren Brady. Please feel free to drop in and say hi sometime. We’d love to see a friendly face from across the pond.
About Barnutopia Barnutopia is a glamping, wedding and event venue in the Shropshire countryside. The site offers a glamorous camping experience for guests who love the outdoors but prefer the comforts of home. Since opening in 2015, it has earned over one hundred and seventy 5-star reviews from satisfied guests. For more information visit www.barnutopia.com.
