30 Years in America
Me in January 1996, Massachusetts
January 1996. Snow was falling fast and heavy in Massachusetts. Gas was 99 cents a gallon, you could still rent movies at Blockbuster, and the Red Sox had still not broken the Curse of the Bambino. The Big Dig was still in full swing, and I had to search for the best international phone rates to call my parents on the landline.
The Big Dig Before & After
I arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on January 14th, 1996, between snowstorms. Until the winter of 2015, 1996 was the snowiest winter on record in Boston.
After spending 6 years in Germany, my husband’s job had brought us to Boston. 2 to 3 years in Massachusetts sounded like great fun. And here we are now, 30 years later!
It felt like the right time to buy a house. Dreams of living in Harvard Square were soon dashed when we saw the house prices there! However, we found an adorable 100 year-old Victorian house in Medford, 15 minutes north of the city. It was our first house together, and we spent time making it our own. We got our first dog, Smudge, a yellow Labrador. Friends and family came to visit, and we enjoyed showing them our new ‘home’.
Me with Smudge 1996
Nowadays, people move here and they can FaceTime with loved ones, watch their favorites British shows via a VPN or even on Netflix, and get all their favorite British foods and beverages from places like The Bee’s Knees!
As I said, the landline was our only form of communication with the UK, and we had to watch what was showing on TV here (the OJ Simpson civil trial, ER reruns and Knots Landing). Somehow, I never got into the daytime soaps. I bought a sewing machine and made curtains for our new house. I worked to settle and to feel at home here as there was not that connection to England with technology the way there is now. A friend suggested subscribing to the Boston Globe to learn about what is going on in the area. A great piece if advice. I still subscribe to this day! It helped me become acquainted with the Greater Boston area and what was going on here.
When we flew back to England to visit, we returned with our suitcases full of teabags, Jacobs Cream Crackers, Marmite, Digestives and more. Folks moving here now don’t know how easy they’ve got it keeping their cupboards stocked with British goodies!
We got our Green Card in 1997. Two years turned to five. We had two children and were sworn in as American citizens in 2005. Massachusetts became home as we forged strong friendships and created a full life here. We navigated the education system here when our kids entered school. Friends became family as we celebrated British traditions together. We saw the Red Sox finally win the World Series and became Boston sports fans in the process. The Big Dig was completed, and technology has made communicating so much easier. It still snows in Massachusetts!
Snow in Acton, MA 2026
When I started The Bee’s Knees in 2011, I was able to establish a fabulous connection between my life here in Massachusetts and all the things I loved and missed about the UK. We have built a wonderful community both online and in the shop that I treasure deeply.
Young Lucinda & Mark 1996
P.S. I used to be brunette 😜
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