An Introduction
Ah, England. When I was a child I seemingly out of nowhere picked up an English accent that I liked to use from time to time. I read historical fiction that told tales of the middle ages, the 1920s, 30s and the Blitz. The Plantagenets and the Tudors were my bedfellows as I fell asleep dreaming of castles, kings and queens, scholars and court clowns. I was certain I would attend Oxford and catalogued the colleges based on subjects each was known for and the virtual tours online that were technologically advanced for the early aughts. Despite my best efforts I didn’t make it to Oxford but don’t worry, reader, it all works out in the end.
My first glimpse of England came when I was sixteen and managed to crash one of my best friend’s family vacations. It was followed a year later after high school graduation for a stopover in London before spending a week in Paris. Another year passed and I found my way back for an international summer school opportunity on the south coast near Brighton. The next year I was in the North for a year of studies in York. Since then I have managed to find my way back every two to three years until I was lucky enough to land a job that afforded me the opportunity to make the journey across the pond several times and ultimately move to London. Which brings us here.
I wrote regularly when I studied for a year at the University of York under the pseudonym: The White Rose of York. Before leaving for London my mom asked why I didn’t start writing again and I couldn’t think of a reason not to. I love writing and sharing experiences. Usually it’s at a bar with a stranger that has become a new friend but I like the idea of sending words out into the ether to see who reads them. I mostly expect it’s my family and some friends that are bored on a Sunday night but if it reaches out to anyone else and gives some form of entertainment then I think it’s worth it.
Although it’s in the “about” section, as this is the introductory post I’ll quickly explain the title of the blog. I would have started writing sooner but I was waiting to come up with the perfect name. I thought I might piggy-back off of the area I chose to live and so was waiting (or procrastinating) until I found a home. Less than a month in i’ve moved into my new flat on the north side of Clapham Common. The common, it’s got a ring to it, doesn’t it? Expat was a given in the title as it just sounds badass. From there it seemed I had no choice and thus The Common Expat was born. A quick domain check showed that no one had claimed this, although instagram holds several thousand hashtags for the term. This seemed to confirm that it had been sitting there waiting for me.
And so off we go on our blogging adventure. I’m glad you’ve joined for the ride, I hope it’s a fun one. If there’s something in particular you would like to read about leave a note in the comments section.
Cheers,
kg