John-Patrick (JP) Murray graduated and moved from Colorado to London on a whim. “I have always believed in following ‘the right move’ so to speak. I had just graduated with my degrees and felt like it was time to head to England.”
John-Patrick on graduation day with friends Paul and Chris
When he announced his intentions to move, his friends and family came back with a shocking reaction. “My friends and family made the move a lot easier. Each one was sure to know my schedule so as to optimize my time spent with them. I hardly spent a moment alone because of it.” With this, moving away appeared to be easier than finishing his final semester of university.
“The night before I left, my friends threw a going away party. Three of my best mates gave me a picture frame with the word ‘Colorado’ on it and a picture of us in it. All of my luggage could have been lost but I would not have cared as long as I had the frame.”
To keep in touch with everyone he keeps a blog and social media sites up to date on a weekly basis. “I know I can’t keep in touch with everyone at once so I opened my blog and social media accounts. Most of the questions my friends have for me is about how I’m doing or what’s going on. I figured these would be a quick and easy way to keep them updated.”
Way of life
There can be a lot of differences between Colorado and London, especially in life style. “Most of my free time goes into reading and writing. The only major difference would be the climbing life. The gyms in London are half the size and there are no mountains right outside for my pleasure to climb.”
The one challenge he anticipated to be more difficult in London was meeting new people. “Being an extreme extravert I usually just hopped into a pub and joined in on someone’s conversation. I honestly didn’t expect that to work just as well in London as it did in Colorado.” He believes a way to meet new people for introverts is by looking through work. “Before getting a full time job, I chose to work for a while as a waiter. I wasn’t going out much because I did not know anyone in London. After being a waiter, I made a few friends without having to intentionally exert myself outside of work.”
Relocating and finding a job without any connections also has its challenges. “On principle I try not to assume anything as I believe everything can be calculated with a margin of error. However, when I would find a job was a wild card. Much to my joy it only took a fraction of the time expected.”
Process is key
As the move was rushed, he was not able to say good-bye to everyone. On reflection, he learned that international moves take time to prepare for. “I would give myself more time if I had to move again. In uni I had a lot of responsibilities in my six classes, two jobs and being the public relations officer for Management Society. Even though I gave myself five months I left with many details unfinished and good-byes unspoken.”
Now that his move is complete he is still convinced that he made the right decision. “The future holds what it may. Like I said before, I do what feels right. If relocating again is the right move to make, I would ask where to. To quote William Ernest Henley, ‘I am the Master of my Fate; I am the Captain of my Soul’.”