ok - its a lot of people's dream - a new life - a new beginning - a new chapter. BUT if we could turn the clock back 3 years we would do it in a heartbeat.
Our last 3 years has been a total mess up - we came over to Florida in August 04. We sold literally everything - my husband gave up a very well paid job that he had had for the last 25 years. We have 3 children at the time they were 11, 6 and 3.
We had an immigration attorney - from the start. We came out with a big bank account - looking for a business - what i thought was a dream business turned into a nightmare not 3 weeks into buying it. Undeclared debt, inventory wrong - basically we lost nearly all our money trying to keep this business running. Having come here on a B1 visa (for the adults) and the visa waiver for the kids (great thinking American Embassy) we had to leave every 3 months (could we afford it? NO) We finally decided to sell the business - and sue the previous owner. Luckily we sold before the eviction notice took affect. With all the questions and lost paperwork that the US Embassy wanted in London, we decided before we sold that it wasn't worth getting the E2 visa. We were actually never called for it. We had the business exactly 13months. This was the worst time of my life - i failed - i lost all our money - it was my dream, it was my mistake. Because my husband didn't work in the business, it was my responsibility to keep it running - but i couldn't do it.
Anyhow we were lucky that we sold it - dream blown apart by a nuclear bomb.
We sued the previous owner and won, but hey guess what she is now declaring bankruptcy with a few other companies that she owes money to who are after her - will we get out money? Heck no.
My husband wanted to go back to England after we sold - but because i LOVED it i managed to hold it off. The money was going FAST - the cost of living is so high once you live here. We borrowed money from our UK bank account to fund the US bank account - now we are in the situation where we have little to none left in England and about the same in the US. We borrowed money to book flights back in August - this gave us time to sort our gorgeous house out.
We are taking a container home to England - as we will have nothing in England. Luckily we paid for this last year. We will go into rented accomodation, collect income support and try to start again.
MY MISTAKE WAS THINKING THAT THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE. It is only greener is you have enough money to live on without having to worry. It is fantastic coming here on vacations - but to live here - not in a million years.
I am by far not the only one. I have English neighbors that this has happened to - One sentance that i have come to treasure is "if somebody is selling a business it is usually failing - who would sell a business if it was making money?????"
I know i am going to get slammed by loads of people who think it is wrong to write the bad things about living in Florida - but this is my experience. I know what it is like first hand - for me - yes people make it - and have a wonderful life - but there are pitfalls in everything. Know what you are doing fully and understand the problems before hand.
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