GIVEAWAY: My Two Year Expat Anniversary!

BySarah Bence Last updated on

Autumn has well and truly rolled around, and I’ve found myself in Dorset, recuperating from three straight months of travel, volunteering, and a rather nasty cold. I’ve been spending my days catching up on work on my computer and planning upcoming travels (!), sitting at the wooden kitchen table by the tall glass French doors. Outside, cooking apples and a rather large zucchini (or, “courgette,” I remind myself as English-English and American-English mix together in my brain) lie on the porch. The leaves are yellowed and drift off with each gust of wind. Autumn (or… “fall”… this is another funny word that my English brain and American brain argue over) always reminds me of change. It also reminds me of new beginnings, and, of course, my two year expat anniversary. What a journey it has been!

Three Septembers ago I arrived at Heathrow, suitcase and UK visa in tow. I was no longer an American study abroad student. I was an expat. Expat: that complicated word that people argue over endlessly, but basically means you don’t live in the country you were born in, but it’s not necessarily permanent. I’ve let this word grow to define me over the last two and a bit years of living in England. In fact, I think it’s the constant reminder of impermanence hanging over my head as my visa counts down its final days, which has driven me to pack so much exploration and adventure into my time here.

 


Well, I’m going to cut the wistfulness short because I have something very exciting to share on this, my two year expat anniversary! I’ve teamed up with some designers that I love and am doing a giveaway! You can read about the prints below, and scroll all the way to the bottom to enter the giveaway. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 8.

Autumnal French Street print from Clair Rossiter

etsy / / instagram // website

Oh my gosh you guys, I am really excited to have Clair Rossiter on board with this giveaway. Clair is a lovely illustrator based in the UK. I have admired her work for years. Her pieces are wild and wonderful. I think I first found her designs back in 2013 when I lived in Exeter as a study abroad student and was scrolling through Pinterest. You will probably recognize her work – she actually designed the 2016 coloring book for Kew Gardens and illustrated the cookbook by a winner of the Great British Bake Off! As you all know, I’m living the nomadic life at the moment, but I can’t wait to have one of Clair’s prints up in my someday-home.

Anyway, Clair has generously offered one of her autumnal French street prints to a winner of this giveaway (lucky ducks!).

 

Devon map and Cornwall map from Anna Lawton at Pepper Pot Studios

etsy // instagram // website

I’m also thrilled to be collaborating with Pepper Pot Studios (based in Yorkshire!). Their gorgeous maps have also inhabited my Pinterest boards over the past two years. The designs are the perfect mix of quaint and clean. I love the Devon and Cornwall maps, especially, as I can point to each marked location and recall a happy memory. These maps are particularly meaningful for me as I have called Devon and Cornwall my UK home for the last two years, as Plymouth is situated riiiight in between the two. (Although I will always do my scones the Devon way). You can read more about my UK experiences here.

Pepper Pot Studios has generously sent me both a Devon and Cornwall map to send to a winner of this giveaway.

 

Enter the giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck to all entrants! I’ll be in touch with the winner on November 8, so keep an eye on your email/Facebook (whatever you enter with) because if I do not hear within three days I will pick a new winner. Thanks again to the lovely designers – here’s to Autumn, new beginnings, and more anniversaries 🙂

Sarah xx

 

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**I am linking up with Emma, Polly, Angie and Eppie for the monthly travel linkup, this month on the theme: journeys! What a journey being an expat has been! If you have a post on the theme, you can enter it through the linkup on one of their blogs through the 7th November!

Looking for more?

65 Comments

  1. Happy expativersary! It’s funny that the term ‘expat’ has definitely been at the center of debate over the last few years but I still truly feel that it describes me, as I don’t intend (at this time) to eventually emigrate. So I’m all onboard the #expatlife train with ya. These prints are cute! I have a friend here from Devon – these prints would make such a cute gift for a fellow expat missing her home.

    Reply

      1. Hehe thank you! I definitely agree with a lot of critique of the term “expat” but I also feel that “immigrant” doesn’t quite cover the notion of impermanence… if I was to be in the UK as a permanent resident or planning to stay, then I would definitely call myself an immigrant but that’s not the case for me right now. It is still such an interesting debate, though, I love hearing everyone’s opinions. Ahh what a coincidence – hopefully it could remind her of home! Thanks for entering 😀

        Reply

  3. As an expat myself it is so nice to see how others are adapting to their new countries. I am sorry I didn’t bother to enter the contest – would have loved to but couldn’t figure it out how to work it…lol..sorry am old.

    Reply

  8. Happy anniversary, then! I’ve been out of my home country for 6 years now, and that’s quite a chunk of time. I still consider myself an expat, although I don’t really have plans to go back 😛

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  9. These are so cute! If I knew how to do heart eye emojis, there would be three here! That’s so exciting that it’s your 2 year expat anniversary, too! That’s always an exciting thing to have happen.

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  11. Firstly congratulations on your 2 year journey completion. Secondly I love these pictures, the colors are just so natural!!

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  12. Aw congrats on the 2 years! I have to say I see ‘expat’ as the same, especially for my first 3 years on temporary visas, but now that I’m on a permanent visa it feels very much like expat doesn’t fit me anymore, immigrant all the way lol

    Reply

  17. Happy 2 year Expataversary! May there be many happy years of expatting (that’s totally a thing!) and exploring ahead! That print is just gorgeous – so joyful and full of colour! I still can’t get my head around all the American names for veggies Australia has adopted, it’s so confusing!

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  19. I love all those prints!! I have to admit, I’ve never been a fan of autumn as I always associated it with darkness but recently, I’ve become absolutely hooked on pumpkin carving and forest walks and all that jazz! It’s amazing once you start to embrace it 🙂

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    1. It really is!! It’s not so great where I am now – in Northern France the leaves pretty much die and fall off into the mud, there aren’t any beautiful colors or anything. But I still love Autumn and can’t wait til I can celebrate it in Michigan again where we go all out!

      Reply

  21. congrats on your expat-anniversary Sarah! You should celebrate by not leaving 😛
    Love all these prints! But particulary the devon and cornwall ones, cause I too (as you know!) have lots of lovely memories connected to these! and our white walled bare house is needing some prints just about now 🙂 Ps love the pic of you and the leaves – so autumnal (sorry- FALL!)

    Reply

    1. Thanks friend!!! Hahaha oh I wish. I definitely thought of you with those prints – if you don’t win the giveaway then you should defo check out their etsy store, it’s only around 9GBP. Also you should totally do a blog post soon about your house transformation, I’m really curious!!

      Reply

  23. Congratulations on your two year expat-versary! I loved looking at all of the autumn pictures because where I live, we don’t get very many seasons! Such beautiful fall colors! 🙂

    Reply

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