Steve met his wife during his junior year abroad in England. When they married nine years later it was understood that someday they would return to Barbara’s home country. That was part of the marriage bargain. In the meantime they stayed in touch with lots of “to-ing and fro-ing” between the US and the UK. When they married, Steve was well-along in his chosen career path of medicine. They settled in Massachusetts, where Steve practiced neurology and taught medical students and residents.
Steve retired early and three weeks afterwards moved to York, where he and Barbara knew no one. They found lots of opportunities for joining activities with others. A program called “University of Third Age” offers many chances for seniors to explore topics such as travel, technology, history and the arts. Steve has joined its walking group called “boots by bus” which use buses to get to locales that offer countryside walks on public footpaths usually with a pub or a tea shop at the end. He studies French and is part of a classical guitar group. They find York a vibrant place with no shortage of things to do.
British society is more community-minded, Steve feels, than what he knew in the US. There seems to be more emphasis on helping each other, as witnessed by the number of charity shops and charity events in the UK. People coalesce around a cause — homelessness or famine relief, for example. Steve has taken up running since moving and lots of the runs are fund-raisers for various causes.
England is more regulated and the national government is more centralized with more wide reaching control than in the US. Local government has less control over local matters and Steve feels that is a disadvantage. Although immigration is a hot topic right now, Steven finds the UK to be a tolerant and polite society. After navigating a long immigration process, Steve has “indefinite leave to remain” in the country. He is not a citizen and feels less attracted to citizenship since Brexit. Shortly after arriving, he became eligible for the National Health Service, probably the most popular institution in the country. Because it’s funded through general taxation and administered through the government, he finds it overly political, but he strongly embraces the idea that health care should be a universal right, that access to care is based on need and not ability to pay and that services are available to all. He has strong ties to the US and plans to return to Carleton for our reunion.