Homeward Bound

This past year has provided new and unexpected challenges for many of us. It has offered tremendous opportunities for growth, both professionally and personally; triggered quests to find the positives in difficult circumstances; and above all, reflect on what is truly important.

When I arrived in Silicon Valley in 2013, with my husband and two small children, I knew little about the world of Tech and had never worked outside of the UK. I changed roles, company, sector and country in one fell swoop. Everything was new and unfamiliar and equal parts energizing and exhausting. From working out what brands to buy when shopping (the first trip to Safeway took two hours), to navigating very different education and healthcare systems. Not to mention discovering what at times felt like a whole new language. I learnt to put things in my ‘calendar’ and not my ‘diary’, that ‘let’s table it’ meant the exact opposite in US to UK, and that you didn’t need to ride the elevator – or take the lift - to get to the ‘first floor’ because it’s ground level.

Fast-forward nearly eight years and I am fully bi-lingual, have two middle-schoolers and a firm appreciation of the Californian way of life. I have had the privilege of working at three very different companies and have grown and learnt so much, not only in terms of the art and science of modern communications and leadership, but also this dazzling world of innovation and technology. And I have met and worked with the most amazing people, colleagues, and mentors, many of whom I now count as friends for life.

This past year, however, has also brought home how far away we are from those we love in the UK, particularly our elderly parents facing the challenges of an ongoing pandemic lockdown. At the same time our kids have been in virtual school since March 2020, averaging less than three hours a day of teaching, and struggling with the accompanying loss of social engagement, friendships and activities. We have thankfully managed to stay healthy and have found many positives to be grateful for at a time when so many have suffered so much. But this time has also caused us to reflect deeply on how this moment in time may become a turning point. And so, after much deliberation, we have decided to begin a fresh adventure in a world once so familiar but also very different from the one we left nearly eight years ago – a return home to England. 

Trying to relocate during a pandemic is not for the faint-hearted! As I sit here with less than a week until we fly, surrounded by paperwork and packing boxes, I am reminded how much we will miss about our lives and friendships here but I also know it's a decision we won't regret. More news soon on what comes next for me career-wise but in the meantime a fond farewell to the US and thank you from the bottom of my heart to all those who have made this journey such an enriching and life-changing experience. Don't be a stranger now, I’ll be sure to catch ya later…