About the "Boorish Uncouth American Abroad"
Welcome to my Blog
My name is Christian, welcome to my blog. My wife, Kim, and I have embarked on an adventure with our family to try out living in the magical and long-storied land of London, England. The intent of this blog is to chronicle some of the events, interesting observations and funny interactions that will invariably ensue. I went through a few different working titles for the blog - "The Real Ted Lasso", "Diaries of a Kept Husband", "The Real House Husbands of Richmond" but ultimately landed on "Boorish Uncouth American Abroad" because when we first arrived in London, I spoke once with an American Uber driver from Philadelphia who had been living in London for 10 years and told us that the British generally perceive Americans as "Boorish & Uncouth" - a perfect match for me! The audience for this blog is intended for friends and family, so please don't take any of the quirky insights too seriously - try to have a little fun and enjoy the journey with me!
Our Origin Story
Kim and I both grew up in the great state of California in the US of A. We both come from 3-4 generations of Californians - to say our roots are deep there is an understatement. Kim grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento area, while I grew up in a small town in the Sonoma County wine country. We met in college on the Central Coast of California in a very special place called San Luis Obispo. After graduating, we were married soon afterward in 2007 in Carmel, CA. Kim likes to joke that she was a "child bride" but I have no regrets, I know a good thing when I see it! We began our careers in the SF Bay Area, Kim working in Human Resources and I in Construction Project Management, and we bought a little house that was the worst one on the block in the best location we could afford in the city of San Jose. 17 years later and a lot of hard work, we have renovated every inch of it inside and out at least once - in some cases twice - and now it is one of the better homes on the block. In 2013, we welcomed our daughter, Whitney, into the world, followed by her brother, Drew (lovingly nicknamed "El Chunkadero" by Aunt Ellie") in 2018. We were about as settled as anyone could hope to be...
Why are we in London?
This is the most common first question I get from Londoners after telling them I've moved here from California, followed sarcastically by their guess at the answer: "The weather?" Kim was offered an ex-patriate assignment from her employer in April/May 2023 which was something we never really seriously considered. But then after more reflection, we thought of what a great opportunity it could be for our family to experience something new and different. Also, our kids were at ages where they are still young enough to adapt to the change without being traumatized but old enough to remember some/most of the experiences. Up until this point, Kim and I were pretty stable in our lives and careers, but decided to roll the dice. So a few months later and after many preparations (yard sales, house hunting, school hunting, etc) in mid-August 2023, we made the move to Twickenham, UK which is a small suburb outside of the larger suburb of Richmond on the outskirts of London. While Kim is working, I am the full-time father, caregiver and homemaker in the household - surely to be some fascinating stories in the transition. Tally-ho!