Q: When and where are you moving?
A: This Saturday, January 9th, to London, England
Q: Why are you moving?
A: Trevor's doing his PhD at Imperial College.
Q: How long will you be there?
A: The degree program is 3 years.
Q: Where will you go after that?
A: I don't think most people know exactly where they'll be in 3 years. We're not obligated to go anywhere specific, so we may return to New Mexico, or we may not.
Q: Do you have an address over there yet?
A: Nope. Renting an apartment sight unseen is never a good idea, especially not in a foreign country. We hope to be settled into a new place fairly soon after we arrive, but for a little while we'll stay with friends.
Q: How do you get all of your stuff over there?
A: I don't know. We aren't even planning to try. We'll carry as much luggage as we can, but we're looking at furnished apartments to rent. We'll also buy baby supplies, like a crib and gates and that kind of thing over there. It's really odd to me how many people seem to panic when I say this and start telling me that I really, really need baby stuff. I do know that... and I also know that there are stores in the UK that sell it. Really, last I checked, it was a first world country, and shipping stuff trans-Atlantic was really expensive.
Q: How often will you be back in the US?
A: We are not returning to the US during our three year stay. It's just too much money, and we'll be living right off the coast of Europe, so if we do have money to spend, we're heading east. We assume the United States will still be there once we're no longer living off a student stipend.
Q: Are you sure you can't come back for-
A: Yeah, we're sure. Unless I net some giant novel advance, but by then I might be too famous to remember who you are.
Q: Will you get an accent?
A: I hear this one a lot, and I'm never sure how to answer it. It's just a weird question. For one thing, we already have accents, American ones. We have no firm plans about changing them. We think that's the kind of thing you don't really plan.
Q: What's your prior connection to the UK?
A: I am a graduate of the United World College of the Atlantic, in Wales, where I spent 2 years, and Oxford University, where I spent 3 years. And no, I am not a British citizen and my family never lived over there. It was my decision to get out and see the world when I was a teenager.
Q: Why are you going to the UK for Trevor's school?
A: It suits our situation better. American PhD's can be long and open ended. British programs are for a set number of years and the person doesn't have to take classes. Besides that, Imperial offered us money to go.
Q: What's the best way to reach you?
A: Email, and the call widget on this site will connect you to our North American voicemail box, which will email phone messages on to us.
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