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Featured Blog: Ok in UK

Long story, short: I'm from Oklahoma and I moved to the UK. I am equal parts bemused, irritated, exhilarated, and entertained by my situation here.

Hi! I'm Mollie and I'll be your hostess this evening.
OK in UK

The Elaboration:

One frosty, bright evening in early January 2010 my husband, a brilliant doctoral candidate in physics, and I stood in our kitchen discussing our immediate and near future. It was a frank and verbal discourse over the pros and cons of post-doctorates in Kansas and Durham, UK. I told my husband that if he took the Kansas job, I'd kill him.

He valued his life more than the convenience of a short move.
In April, we flew over for a week-long mini-vacation to find a place to live. We left our daughter with my mom. How were we to know that Iceland had a contract out on us? Eyjafjallajökull erupted the same day we found a place to live.


Door Knocker for Criminals


We were supposed to leave the next day. We couldn't. All major and minor airports were shut down. Luckily, only a week passed but man! What a week that was. Not knowing when we would get to get home to babygirl was soul-crushing. I'm deeply grateful to my mom for stepping up to take care of her.

After coming back home, I didn't see my husband all that much. He was working on preparing his research, coding, writing papers, getting it ready to defend his thesis. I packed, sold off most a lot of our stuff. Both cars, couches, beds, and all manner of items that make your living comfortable. The rest, it's in storage.
I concentrated on getting all my classes ready to be handed over to a long-term substitute. I'm sad I didn't finish out the school year.

I didn't attend my going away party at work. I was so overwhelmed and honestly, I wasn't the only one the party was for. Teachers are economical that way. It wasn't like there wasn't going to be one if I didn't go. But I needed that period of time to organize our life so that we could leave everything and everyone. I did get to have going away dinners with both branches of my family.

My husband got his research culminated and he put together a defense presentation with like, 12 hours to go. I don't really remember, other than that it was a Thursday and I attended the defense with our friends who he was living with since we had no place of our own at that time. I sat in the back row and tried my best to pay attention. I lasted 10 minutes. It was a new record.

And now we're here, in our furnished digs. My husband is an AMO physicist at the University, my daughter is three and they both have more real-life friends here than I do.

But you can't tell that she has more friends than I do from this picture!
I spend time in a variety of ways but the time is polarized into two categories: At home and not at home. When I'm at home, I'm usually watching The West Wing, Harry Potter, Star Wars, or Indiana Jones. Most of the time I'll be muttering viciously at the laundry piles for not washing and drying fast enough. I typically shake my fist at the sink full of dirty dishes while I'm reading blogs and reddit. Eventually I get on with it and by the end of the day, the semi-detached Harry Potter house is somewhat decent.

But not after I've procrastinated the whole day and my husband'll be home in 30 minutes.

When I'm not at home, I'm hanging out at Tesco or volunteering at The Children's Society secondhand/thrift store. I also look for paying jobs too. Like teaching jobs.

I'm a social studies teacher according to my degree program and the State of Oklahoma's certification board. But in my heart, I'm an infotainer. I'm the teacher you either loved or hated because of our personality compatibility. I'm the one who you had to take with a grain of salt. But I'm also the one who made damn sure you knew that I loved what I was teaching you. I'm the one who knew your name the second day of school. I'm the one who wanted you to come back any time and tell me what you were up to after graduating or not graduating.

Sometimes, I think Kansas might have been the way to go. That usually happens when s**t doesn't go well here. OK in UK was started to keep my friends and family, if they were interested, in touch with what I was doing. Being from Oklahoma, the title is self-explanatory. But it also is a mantra on a more symbolic level. I'm okay while I'm in the UK. And I wouldn't give up this experience for anything.

If you stop by my blog, I can't guarantee that you'll see sweetness and light. I can't say that I never use completely spelled out cuss words. I can say that there'll be something that just might make you chuckle. If you follow me, then we're Sand People of Tatooine.

Comments

-Mallori said…
YES! I love Mollie! So excited that she got to be featured!
Ms. Blasé said…
Been reading this blog for a couple of weeks now and it's great! You need to check it out ASAP!
Chrissy said…
Nice to meet you, Mollie! Coming over right now! xxx
Amanda said…
A great post, hoping over now!
Yeah for Mollie!!! Awesome blog (and she gives out great awards, haha)
such a great blog...and Mollie is the best commenter in the blogging world.....

Cheers on the feature!
Alida Sharp said…
Love this blog!! Already following Mollie!!!
Unknown said…
Mollie sounds lovely!!! On my way to say hello!
LesleyRH said…
One of my fav blogs! Yay Mollie!
Caleb said…
Hey Mollie!

Good to see you here- rock on!

Chef Moltar

aka Caleb
LOL. I love the caption in the picture with the little girl...funny and cute!
Anonymous said…
I'm so happy that Mollie is being featured because she's AWESOME. She makes me laugh. Really hard. Run..RUN I tell you and read her blog religiously.
Natalie said…
I love this and I'm so looking forward to reading about your adventures!!!
Stephanie said…
Yay, Mollie! I love your blog, sweetie, and I'm REALLY glad that you got featured. You deserve it.

To everyone who's seeing this and not currently following Mollie, you SHOULD. She's amazing. =]
Colie said…
YAY Mollie!!! I love her blog but she knows that already.
cakeologist said…
Great to see you featured Mollie!
looking forward to reading this. the expat experience is an interesting one, summed up perfectly by her intro.

thanks for featuring this!
Lynne said…
Hi Mollie! I really laughed at this post, it's so honest! Now you might think I am crazy but I would TOTALLY trade places with you LOL! I am the biggest Anglophile ever, and I would move to the UK in a heartbeat. My Mum used to joke that I had the UK in my veins because it was my passion even as a kid (which is super weird when you think about it LOL!) Maybe my great Nan is looking over me and influencing my opinions who knows ha ha ha! I look forward to reading all of the triumphs and trials you face as you enjoyish you stay in the UK ;) You can visit me at http://1busychick.blogspot.com if you wanna hang with a Canadian chick who is a UK wannabe!
Hockey Wife said…
I found Mollie a few weeks ago via TexaGermaNadian! Congrats on the feature! Already following you and your wonderful blog!
OKinUK said…
Open letter to everyone who came by: Thanks! Like you, I appreciate your comments and to those of you who decided to follow, beware. I'm a snark. I'm glad you saw something you like.

Really, thanks a bunch Sand People. I love all y'all realhard.

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