The air was hot in a way that sears the lungs, a dry relentless heat that stuns the senses, dries the eyes, and blocks the nose…
We looked at each other as we exited the arrivals gate at McCarren – we had arrived in the USA, not only that but we were now officially living in Vegas…
Having moved from the green rolling hills and villages of rural Shropshire in the UK, this was like arriving on the Moon…
For us, Vegas was like a movie set entwined around a multitude of theme parks and holiday resorts, it was big, noisy, bright, brash, and full-on like no other place on earth – and we lived here…
We were literally walking through a dreamscape, it was intoxicating, exciting and surreal – an assault on the senses and the emotions.
We were living the dream…
For the first few months we settled into our business routines and discovered an office in Vegas is much the same as an office anywhere else – but the evenings and weekends were a blur of restaurants, casinos, hotels, spas, theatres and shopping…
On a Friday we may go to the Bellagio for cocktails, then onto the Wynn for a party, into the club at 12.00 and home for 06.00 on Saturday… Then do it all again but this time start at the Venetian, walk across to Paris and end up all night bar at the MGM – eating at the Hard Rock, Morton’s or Famous Dave’s…
Then after about three months we crashed…
We started to miss trees, walking the dog in the forest, café’s and simple food (without cheese...), we missed the rain, we got bored with the relentless selling – we missed home…
Vegas is more baseball caps and vests rather than tuxedos and stilettos; the glossy image of the strip soon tarnishes when you go outside of the city and see the endless strip malls and trailer parks stretching into the desert.
The novelty of having a cute accent, being separated by a common language, and everything being bright neon and “have a nice day” awesomeness, had worn off...
We discovered Vegas wasn’t such a friendly place, off the strip it can go downhill quickly, we were advised to avoid some roads, we lived in a gated community for security, heard shots ringing out regularly, heard the dogs barking and wanted to go back to the green hills of Shropshire.
We considered quitting, going “home” back to Shropshire, back to familiarity safety and comfort.
We didn’t quit, we chose to make it work…
We found places we could go, sights we could see, people we could meet and experiences we could share – we made Vegas our home on our terms not the terms of the neon signs on the strip.
And we fell in love with the place all over again.
When we came to France the same thing happened – it was very quaint and quiet for the first three months then we missed 24 hr shopping, great service, big skies, heat, and the crazy cars…
So, if you are moving abroad, expect to get that three-month wobble, it seems to happen to lots of us expats – my advice would be, make your destination home on your terms, choose the best of everything, and expect the dip in enthusiasm.
But don’t quit, I see many people who have a go at living abroad – they try it for a few months then go home, tell stories to their friends, and shake their heads when describing the experience – they also quietly regret not sticking it out.
Prepare yourself for as much as you can, do some research, but always make the new destination your home, on your terms and don’t even think about quitting…
Bio
David Holland from Result Rules OK.
His role is to sit alongside you, working on your business with you to enable you to achieve the goals and dreams you started out with...
Business can be Fun, Rewarding and Exciting; it can also be Difficult, Challenging and Frustrating...
In his career, he run companies in the Logistics, Engineering, Aviation, and Manufacturing sectors, and run them for himself in the Transport, Recruitment and Consulting fields...
If having someone with you to share ideas, plan and strategise with as well as be a confidant, cheerleader and accountability partner would add value and pace to your business then you can should him...