A few people have asked me why I am leaving, actually more importantly, my parents are asking why I am leaving the UK. I have a job offer for the next 2 years, and I shouldn't have a problem getting my post-graduate training in the specialty that I want, provided I continue what I am doing now. My dad feels that it's a waste as I will lost my opportunity to obtain a PR from the UK and I have to start afresh in the US.
I can totally understand his point of view. I, too, have been deciding on the pros and cons of staying or leaving, although my reasons are completely different from him. For the PR issue, I am not that fussed about it as I do not intend to make the UK my home in the distant future. However, at the rate that the UK Home Office keeps on changing their immigration rules, who knows if I will still be eligible for a PR in 2 years time, or if I am allowed to remain in the UK to work. Better to leave now than being forced to leave 2 years later.
As for starting afresh, I don't exactly mind either. Yes, 2 years is quite a long time, and yes, I ain't getting any younger, but in the grand scheme of things, 2 years is nothing. I have experienced working life in the NHS, I have seen the daily routine of work, and they all adds to my education.
For me, the dilemma was leaving London, the capital of England, for a small town in the middle of USA. Yes, I am a city girl. I work hard, but I also like to play hard. Being in Cambridge was great as I could go down to London to watch musicals, plays, operas and concerts easily. As my next job, if I had taken it up, would have been in London, I am giving up the opportunity to live in London.
Lots of people whine and complain about London, but to me, London is a cultural city. It has everything you want. The shopping, the parks, the museums, and the buildings. All full of culture and history. I can still vividly remember walking along the Embankment at night, experiencing the cool summer breeze and seeing the Tower Bridge beautifully lit up. And walking across the Millennium Bridge with St Paul's Cathedral in the distance. Every trip to London was always a joy to me. Simply put, I love London. And I doubt any city in the world can compare to it.
On the other hand, I have to think of my own career goals. I have been given the opportunity to train in one of the top university program in USA for internal medicine. If it had been any other community programs, it might have been harder to persuade me to move. However, this is a university program that prides itself on medical education, research and their care for patients. It would be silly of me to turn it down.
So, I have decided to leave the UK.
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