How did you end up where you are?

Was happily living in London, living the London life with no intention of ever leaving. Dating every weekend and hitting the clubs and bars. One weekend in April of 2013 I had a choice between going on a date with a Kiwi girl or an American. I chose to go with the Kiwi and 10 months later my bags were packed and I was on the plane to NZ.

I also had my bags packed in late 2012, ready to follow a Swedish girl I've been seeing for a year or so to Sweden as her company moved her back to home base in Stockholm. I chickened out at the last minute. I mean, I could've gone. We'd probably be married or have a little Swedish kid of school age now, living somewhere in an apartment in Sweden.

In late 2009 I had an Austrian girlfriend and we owned a house together just outside Vienna. We were ready to go, had a date and everything. I just didn't want to.

Many times I thought about the random steps my life took, or could've taken. In the end it's just all pure random happenstance
 
1994 I left Uni and worked for a big UK retailer as a Technical Product Specialist for 10 years (Lot of travel to Asia, buying for their shops and ensuring standards, quality, legal compliance etc.)
1997 met my wife, got married 2001.
2004 got poached by a Chinese manufacturer to be their Technical Director and we moved to China. That was a 5 year job supplying UK retailers.
2009 got approached to join a small business / start-up making food, and took a shareholding in it. Moved to Vietnam with that company (now a bigger company), and still here.
15 years out of the UK now. Fortunately my wife has followed me. Our daughter finishes school next year, Planning to retire and return to Europe when she does. My Wife is Greek. I will follow her there.
 
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Moved around a few times as a kid ( 4 different primary schools between Ireland and UK ) cos of dads job. Had mates who moved to Europe doing dead end jobs but would come back and visit me in Dublin doing a dead end job so bit the bullet and moved to Frankfurt in early 2000 ostensibly for 6 months. Was running away from a relationship at the time. Left Frankfurt three years later to come back to uni with German GF in tow. Ditched her after 6 months. Dropped out of uni after 18 months and moved to Edinburgh as has friend there.

Met partner in 2010 in Edinburgh. Had baby fairly quickly afterwards and still here now.
 
Was working and living in London when the wife's company offered her a decent promotion if she came to NYC. I was working in finance so knew finding a job myself wouldn't be a problem so we took a chance and moved.

Worked out pretty well so far. Now trying to sort green cards might stay awhile if that idiot is voted out
 
It’s a long, long story involving three countries on two different continents, including living in a caravan in my uncle’s back yard, suicide, to living in a flat in London that many would consider their dream home. I’ll type it out if anyone’s interested :)
 
Long story short my parents phasing into retirement decided in 2019 to move from town to a bigger house in rural Somerset. Backing up a bit one day in early 2006 within a few hours and all unconnected I walked out of a job, relationship broke down and with finding out a relatives health back home had taken a turn for the worst I decided to move back home to Somerset from my flat in London - also a bit fed up of renting and thinking of saving for a deposit for a place of my own. Got a job where my brother was working at the time and kind of stagnated - money isn't terrible as I get enhancements for covering duty manager role during unsociable hours which means I'm generally the most senior person in the building (so no one looking over my shoulder) and work-life balance reasonable as while it can be long hours sometimes I also get a good few days off - but this isn't really how I intend to live the rest of my life.

With this whole COVID situation it has worked out though - living in a fairly reasonable size house with a bit of grounds and several other people to talk to and little but Somerset/Dorset countryside for miles in every direction a long with about as secure a job as any in the current situation I've had it much easier than many which for me is a bit of a surprising place to be.
 
Lived in Aberdare until 10, moved to Hereford, ran away from home at 16, moved to cornwall at 17, lived there for 16 years moved to Surrey.
 
I married an Indian lady, we continued to live in the UK for around 10 years and then I moved my business over to India.

And....here I am.
 
Rifte said:
I married an Indian lady, we continued to live in the UK for around 10 years and then I moved my business over to India.

And....here I am.
Click to expand...

Interesting stuff! How are you finding India? Steep cultural learning curve? Making a good living? It’s one of those countries where getting actual unbiased opinions is difficult, will probably ask you a few more questions if you don’t mind!
 
Born in Cambridge, but raised in North Herts and worked for couple of local aerospace/electronics outfits over the years apart from a year working Oil & Gas in the North Sea. Worked out Huntingdon way for a while, but it was an easy commute up and the the A1 as 90% of traffic was going the other way.

Met a girl in London while working there and moved into her flat for a year, but it wasn’t to be and I ended up back in North Herts. Met another girl in NE London, moved in, got married and raised a family over the 20 years we lived there.

Girls went to uni, found careers found partners and didn’t move back to us. We decided to do what we’d been talking about for 20 years and moved to France. Will have been here for 2 years in October and don’t miss London at all.
 
Born and bred in Buckinghamshire, at the age of 26 I moved to Sussex for a boy and we bought a house here. I managed to get myself a decent job so when the boy decided to trade me in for a different model I bought him out of the house and stayed put.

The hope is to move away to the South West in the next few years. Hopefully I might be able to stay with the same company.
 
Always loved Cornwall not a feeling i had for the part of West Yorkshire where i was born and lived ,bought an old caravan and put it on a seasonal pitch in St Agnes for afew decades ,went many times a year but it wasn't enough going home to the grind and missing the sea was horrible formulated a plan to pump every penny into paying off the mortgage on a recently purchased 3 bed semi with the worst neighbours in history all around us
took 9 years to clear ,saved a little more ,sold for double ,moved into my then partners brothers house with cash in the bank
Did a lot of house hunting trips,on a limited budget (flat territory) with little success
Then saw this one ,massive neglected garden ,area around the house a building site ,outbuilding doors seized shut ,on talking to a neighbour found out the building site next door was for a replacement dwelling ,house hunters can be dumb and not see potential ,we did and put in a silly offer with the cash .
BOOM ,job done after some work, i can hear the river camel on a quiet day and look over the valley ,camel trail start is a minute away ,nip to Tintagel and Port Isaac for walks ,and surf in my spare time ,its awesome
The reason i post so many pics is that its the only thing i feel ive achieved not including my kids ,some people gush about their salarys but not do much with their earnings ,did this on low wages
here i go again ,bottom of the garden ,have 2 more

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I was born in Rochford, lived in Thundersley until I was about 8. My parents moved to Suffolk for my dad's work as the commute was terrible. I stayed there until I was 32 until I sold my house and moved to Cambridge with my in laws whilst we looked for a house. I now live in a nice little village outside Cambridge and love it.
 
Left home at 18 to join the Armed Services , got based in Germany first posting then back to Cambridge after few years. Went all over the place as you do in Forces life and then joined the Fire Service before I was too old to. Ended up in Wiltshire for a few more years before transferring into Suffolk although lived near Norwich in Norfolk. Still there now although i'm retired. We will be moving on again next year when the wife finishes her work , probably go up North somewhere , maybe Northumberland way. I always said to the wife we would go anywhere she wanted when we were both finished as she had to follow me around for all those years. I think she'd like the Highlands but I dont think we'd get a great welcome up there
 
Born in Cambridge, grew up in Saffron Walden, did what any sensible person does and left there once I was 18, worked/travelled for a year then went to university in Edinburgh. Parents were also sensible enough to leave, so they moved to Vienna, where I spent summer/winter holidays for the next few years. Spent a year in China as part of my degree, realised I never wanted to live in China again but had just graduated in Chinese Studies, so moved to Taiwan instead to feel I hadn't totally wasted my time, because I'd kept in touch with a guy who ran a bar there who I met in Bangkok in 2006. Met my wife there, who worked for that guy at the time, lived in Taiwan for 6 more years. Came back to the UK to find a job and bring her over, ended up near Hull as my mum had moved there while I was away, realised there was nothing there, so expanded my search a bit and wound up with a job in Leeds.

Been here for 6 months or so, haven't really been able to get out and about enough to grow to dislike it and want to move on yet :p
 
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Born in Oldham, Dad got a job in Ayrshire, Scotland with NHS when I was 4, moved up there.

Went to Uni in Edinburgh at 17, lived and worked there for 5 years, but met my wife back in Ayrshire at my mates 21st - Move back to Ayrshire and lived here since.
 
Born and raised in East Midlands villages.

Went to Uni in Newcastle.

Then I've lived in Leicester, London, Walsall, Nottingham, Birmingham, Nottingham again for jobs.

Eventually met a Geordie girl when visiting my sister who had followed me to Uni at Newcastle and married a Geordie.

We found out we were having our daughter so 10 years ago I upped sticks and moved to Newcastle, even though I was working in Leicester/London at the time.
 
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