For those of you who know me well, you won’t be surprised when I tell you that I’m starting a new chapter in my life. Here’s what initiated the change.
When Covid-19 started soaring around the world, I read a book by Bruce Feiler called: Life Is In the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age.
Feiler coined the term, “lifequakes” and explained that lifequakes can be voluntary: for example deciding to divorce or change professions, or involuntary: such as fires, hurricanes or a global pandemic.
Life is not linear, it’s filled with chaos and complexity and periods of order and disorder.
Bruce Feiler
This resonated with me. So how do we cope with lifequakes that are involuntary? I believe we have a choice on how we react to the situation. In my case I chose to take advantage of lockdown and open my eyes to new possibilities.
I started preparing my next move, analyzing the pros and cons and what I needed to do to make the move happen. I decided to rent my condo in the spring and summer and live in England when the weather is pleasant and return to California in the winter.
I polled a few of my English friends asking them which parts of England they thought I should visit, and after the results came in, booked an Airbnb in Bath. I loved Bath so I booked a second visit in October 2020 to make sure it wasn’t just “le coup de foudre” (overwhelming love at first sight) but the right place for me. I had other reasons to visit Europe in 2020, namely, the sad passing of my 94-year-old father who lived in Paris.
Since October 2020, I’ve rented a storage unit, rented my condo, visited my sons in Texas, Santa Barbara and Long Beach, taken care of taxes, bills Covid vaccine (J&J), PCR test 72-hours before travel, more tests on Day 2, 5 and 8 in UK, and now I’m in a cute Airbnb apartment in Bath, on the 3rd floor of an old Georgian building in the center of town.
Why did I chose Bath?
Bath is a captivating city, only two hours by car or by train from London, with Georgian architecture, the Roman Baths, fabulous restaurants, shops and you might recognize the “Royal Crescent” below, where the period piece Bridgerton series was filmed. Yes, they are planning to resume filming in Bath this spring, and if I see the film crew there, I’ll let you know. Last October, they were filming a period piece right in front of my bank. The film crew told us to wait before we could exit the bank. (See photo below of the street where they were filming.)
I hope you follow my blog as I write about the pre and post Covid-19 protocols I had to go through to get into the UK, my new friends, my exciting pet-sitting opportunities, and what else I plan on my adventures in the UK during the next 6 months.
Any questions or comments are always welcome.
Well done Sonia, I’m so happy for you! It’s lovely to know you’re living closer, and perhaps one day, when all this is over… x
Sonia, you are one gutsy lady. And what a beautiful place to pick in exploring new endeavors. Bath.
Bath was my favorite while in England, and I’ve always wanted to make a trip back. We spent a day there and that wanted nearly enough time there. 6 months sounds perfect, and I’m sure you’ll explore every nook and cranny.