Relocating to the US

September 26, 2009

Tomorrow, I’ll be flying to the US and leaving the UK. But this time, it’s different. Now, it’s a one way flight. But that flight is the end of a journey that started four months. A difficult journey full of live experiences.

Back in April, Yahoo made me an offer to move to California, with my family, to take on a new role. Since then, we've had twins, boy and girl, moved house once, finished our ever-lasting DIY project, a little summer bungalow in the middle of Kent, only this time using contractors, sold our cars, packed everything, cancelled the school, the utilities, the direct debits, the payments, changed addresses, changed insurance policies, and finally put our lives on a plane.

And it is surprising how many things are broken, that you only realize when you get out of the usual cycle. Returns for faulty products that take weeks, P&C carriers that don't want to take your money. Or the complexity of servicing or selling your car when you only have one car. The utter absurdity of BT, making as pay 9 months of non-fulfilled line and broadband contract. A TV license officer poking around thinking that everybody in the UK must watch TV, actually the BBC, arguing that otherwise they are weirdos. A council planning officer arguing that our carport is closer to the highway than the main elevation of the house and asking us to pay for planning permission, even though every single aerial photograph shows they are incorrect. A school asking us to pay a full term of tuition, and then denying our daughter from attending. Or well, the length of processing the legal paperwork to work in the US with a Finnish-Spanish family.

It is also saddening, because of many things aren't broken and we have to leave a little behind. Like the goodbye photo-book our eldest got yesterday from her classmates. Or our beloved Greek-German friends that we'll miss so much. Or my mahogany Bechstein 1980 model M. Or my new Startrek home office. Or the beautiful views at dawn over the grazing land from our conservatory.

Tomorrow, a new exciting period in our lives starts. As much as I am sad about leaving, I am also thrilled about the opportunity to work for Yahoo! Inc in its Sunnyvale headquarters doing one of what I think is one of the most exciting jobs available in Yahoo! and in the industry. And it's not just me me. We all are excited. The wife is clearly hoping for more days of sunshine, which should not be difficult to meet, easier life with children, and most definitely, not DIY in years to come.


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