Hello, my name is Lisa Peter, and I came to the UK about six years ago from Germany. I had lived here before as part of my Erasmus university exchange while I was studying English literature, so I had a pretty good idea about what life could be like in England when I decided to relocate more permanently.
After a stint of lecturing at a university in Germany, I now work as a museum educator and project manager at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon. Stratford-upon-Avon is the small market town in the English Midlands that would be spectacularly unremarkable, were it not for the fact that the world’s most famous playwright was born here more than 450 years ago. My job is pretty unique in the way that it straddles academia, international collaboration work and public engagement, and it was this breadth of remit that made me apply for the job straight from Germany.
Life as a European immigrant to the UK has changed considerably since the Brexit referendum in 2016, and many of us have had to ask ourselves some really hard questions about why we are here and whether it is worth staying post-Brexit. I personally have put down roots here in the last couple of years. I have recently moved into a tiny house in Birmingham together with my partner, who is a poet. So, I came for one poet, and it looks like I’m going to stay for another.
I look forward to sharing my daily experiences with you during the next week over @WeAreXpats, and if you are interested in what I’m up to on a more permanent basis, you can find me on Twitter as @EleanorPe.