Brit Pack Interviews
SARA MORGAN
Name: Sara Morgan
Profession: Freelance Broadcaster/Producer/Writer
Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York
Previous residence: London/Australia
Left UK in: 2005
Sara Morgan’s life right now could be straight out of an episode of ‘Sex in the City’. She’s just moved into
a new apartment near Manhattan and spends her days seeking out writing gigs and catching up with old friends for coffee. But unlike Carrie Bradshaw, Sara’s hunt for a good man is over. She’ll be marrying her Irish prince charming, Darren, in September and her wedding glow is blinding.
The ex-BBC Radio journalist has recently embarked on a new adventure in New York, after spending the last six years in Sydney, Australia. She left a coveted position as Radio One’s entertainment presenter in London seven years ago to begin a new life in Australia, but it took another six years for her to find what she’d been searching for. In the space of a year she’s relocated for the second time; become engaged and decided to explore her comedic side by pursuing a career in comedy writing. From her apartment, in the trendy Park Slope district of Brooklyn where she says feels like home, Sara tells me how this new chapter in her life feels like it was written just for her.
Profession: Freelance Broadcaster/Producer/Writer
Current Residence: Brooklyn, New York
Previous residence: London/Australia
Left UK in: 2005
Sara Morgan’s life right now could be straight out of an episode of ‘Sex in the City’. She’s just moved into
a new apartment near Manhattan and spends her days seeking out writing gigs and catching up with old friends for coffee. But unlike Carrie Bradshaw, Sara’s hunt for a good man is over. She’ll be marrying her Irish prince charming, Darren, in September and her wedding glow is blinding.
The ex-BBC Radio journalist has recently embarked on a new adventure in New York, after spending the last six years in Sydney, Australia. She left a coveted position as Radio One’s entertainment presenter in London seven years ago to begin a new life in Australia, but it took another six years for her to find what she’d been searching for. In the space of a year she’s relocated for the second time; become engaged and decided to explore her comedic side by pursuing a career in comedy writing. From her apartment, in the trendy Park Slope district of Brooklyn where she says feels like home, Sara tells me how this new chapter in her life feels like it was written just for her.
What made you move here?
I always knew I wanted to leave Radio One at some stage but I didn’t want to just move to another thing in London, I wanted to do something really drastic, that’s how I ended up in Australia. I just had this crazy idea in my head that I wanted to prove that I was the reason I could make a success of things, not that I’d just been fortunate. I moved to Australia with no contacts, nothing and managed to make a life over there. But I wanted more grit in my life. Living in Bondi by the beach, you could do that forever, it’s a wonderful lifestyle, but if you want to achieve more in your life it’s not the place really to do it unfortunately. There's a huge social scene in Sydney and I just thought I don't want to do this anymore. I was also getting into yoga and spiritual things like meditation and it took me to a place where I believed things were going to work out, I just needed to be more receptive to good things coming into my life, without sounding too hippyish! That’s what happened. I made the leap of faith by leaving Sydney, a month later my flat in London sold, within another couple of months I was working with the lawyer and my visa was approved.
Were you planning the move for a while?
I use to visit a friend in New York often and she told me about her immigration lawyer. I was thinking I’d have to come here and get sponsored by an employer, would only have two weeks holiday, etc. I was mentally prepared for that. I’d done it before when I moved to Australia so I could do it again. But the lawyer told me about the 01 visa where I could freelance. I approached about 10 people to write me letters for the application, I had to get together all the press I’d ever had and an updated resume. It takes a while. My plan was just to find a room to rent, but I met my fianceé Darren and we ended up moving in together.
I always knew I wanted to leave Radio One at some stage but I didn’t want to just move to another thing in London, I wanted to do something really drastic, that’s how I ended up in Australia. I just had this crazy idea in my head that I wanted to prove that I was the reason I could make a success of things, not that I’d just been fortunate. I moved to Australia with no contacts, nothing and managed to make a life over there. But I wanted more grit in my life. Living in Bondi by the beach, you could do that forever, it’s a wonderful lifestyle, but if you want to achieve more in your life it’s not the place really to do it unfortunately. There's a huge social scene in Sydney and I just thought I don't want to do this anymore. I was also getting into yoga and spiritual things like meditation and it took me to a place where I believed things were going to work out, I just needed to be more receptive to good things coming into my life, without sounding too hippyish! That’s what happened. I made the leap of faith by leaving Sydney, a month later my flat in London sold, within another couple of months I was working with the lawyer and my visa was approved.
Were you planning the move for a while?
I use to visit a friend in New York often and she told me about her immigration lawyer. I was thinking I’d have to come here and get sponsored by an employer, would only have two weeks holiday, etc. I was mentally prepared for that. I’d done it before when I moved to Australia so I could do it again. But the lawyer told me about the 01 visa where I could freelance. I approached about 10 people to write me letters for the application, I had to get together all the press I’d ever had and an updated resume. It takes a while. My plan was just to find a room to rent, but I met my fianceé Darren and we ended up moving in together.
What was the hardest thing about living here at first?
I’ve been to America dozens of times since I was kid but when I moved here I felt like an alien. It’s so different living here, than just visiting. When you visit you just see all the best bits. Simple things like getting around, that was very unsettling for me, I felt a little out of my depth. I was surprised at how strange it felt. For the first couple of months people would be contacting me asking ‘Is it brilliant?’ and I’d feel like I had nothing to share because it wasn’t brilliant and I wasn’t living it like I knew I would be, so there was nothing to talk about other than, ‘No, I didn’t really do much today other than watch the fifth season of ‘The Wire.’
Do you have any funny stories/memories about your early days in the US?
Conquering the subway system was definitely an achievement. When I got on top of it I was like ‘OMG, what was I worried about?’ I still don't know know my way around the whole of Manhattan but I get it a lot more than I did. When I first got here people use to say to me, ‘Well it’s a grid’, but I’ve never lived on a grid, just streets!
What do you miss most about the UK?
I crave British culture and I love British TV. It’s like comfort food! I love that unifying thing that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can always talk about Eastenders! I also miss the banter and how Brits interact with each other. I love British pubs in the summertime too!
Could you ever see yourself moving back? Would you consider yourself to be a failure if you did?
I’ve been away for such a long time, had I gone back a lot sooner I would have been like ‘what was the point?...I just went away and had a bit of a holiday!’ If I went back now though I’d feel like I’ve had some really life-enriching experiences and I would change my way of life in England as well. But I just don’t feel any desire to do that. The UK is close enough for me to visit and get my fix.
What’s the best or worst thing about living in the US?
Definitely the medical stuff. Before I had insurance I went to the doctor and it was a hundred bucks just to see him. I was complaining about it but some people were saying that’s cheap! But it’s not cheap when you’re not use to paying it! I had this misconception that you’d go into a pharmacy and it would be very well stocked because it’s so expensive to have medical care, but they aren’t. Half the stuff I could get over the counter in Boots I can’t even get here without going to see a doctor.
What’s the biggest difference between Americans and Brits?
I love the fact that I’ve moved on and I do wonder what people make of that. I feel good about making it happen. In Britain there’s an oppressive atmosphere, it’s not a nice supportive environment. It’s not like ‘good for you!’, it’s more 'we don’t really want you to do well because it makes us feel bad about ourselves'. They celebrate achievement and difference here. That’s probably why people think Americans are show-offs, it’s how they’ve been brought up. When you live here you understand it’s inherent in the culture.
I’ve been to America dozens of times since I was kid but when I moved here I felt like an alien. It’s so different living here, than just visiting. When you visit you just see all the best bits. Simple things like getting around, that was very unsettling for me, I felt a little out of my depth. I was surprised at how strange it felt. For the first couple of months people would be contacting me asking ‘Is it brilliant?’ and I’d feel like I had nothing to share because it wasn’t brilliant and I wasn’t living it like I knew I would be, so there was nothing to talk about other than, ‘No, I didn’t really do much today other than watch the fifth season of ‘The Wire.’
Do you have any funny stories/memories about your early days in the US?
Conquering the subway system was definitely an achievement. When I got on top of it I was like ‘OMG, what was I worried about?’ I still don't know know my way around the whole of Manhattan but I get it a lot more than I did. When I first got here people use to say to me, ‘Well it’s a grid’, but I’ve never lived on a grid, just streets!
What do you miss most about the UK?
I crave British culture and I love British TV. It’s like comfort food! I love that unifying thing that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can always talk about Eastenders! I also miss the banter and how Brits interact with each other. I love British pubs in the summertime too!
Could you ever see yourself moving back? Would you consider yourself to be a failure if you did?
I’ve been away for such a long time, had I gone back a lot sooner I would have been like ‘what was the point?...I just went away and had a bit of a holiday!’ If I went back now though I’d feel like I’ve had some really life-enriching experiences and I would change my way of life in England as well. But I just don’t feel any desire to do that. The UK is close enough for me to visit and get my fix.
What’s the best or worst thing about living in the US?
Definitely the medical stuff. Before I had insurance I went to the doctor and it was a hundred bucks just to see him. I was complaining about it but some people were saying that’s cheap! But it’s not cheap when you’re not use to paying it! I had this misconception that you’d go into a pharmacy and it would be very well stocked because it’s so expensive to have medical care, but they aren’t. Half the stuff I could get over the counter in Boots I can’t even get here without going to see a doctor.
What’s the biggest difference between Americans and Brits?
I love the fact that I’ve moved on and I do wonder what people make of that. I feel good about making it happen. In Britain there’s an oppressive atmosphere, it’s not a nice supportive environment. It’s not like ‘good for you!’, it’s more 'we don’t really want you to do well because it makes us feel bad about ourselves'. They celebrate achievement and difference here. That’s probably why people think Americans are show-offs, it’s how they’ve been brought up. When you live here you understand it’s inherent in the culture.
What are some of the quirkiest things about American’s that you love/hate?
People can’t get my name right here. It’s absolutely ridiculous! I’ve never had a problem anywhere else
in the world apart from America. I just get called Sarah and that’s been my pet hate all my life. I actually had someone say "You're SORRY?" after I told them my name. No, Sara...it's Sara.
And you see some crazy stuff on the subway! I saw this guy on the same day Darren asked me to marry him. He was wearing a top hat; he had an American flag cravat and these little round glasses and he was holding a dead rabbit on his lap which he would occasionally twitch to make people think it was alive! And the guy sitting next to him was totally nonplused. That sums up New York for you!
What have you managed to achieve here that you don’t think you could have in the UK, if anything?
You do have this optimism here, you feel like anything is possible. You could meet anybody and it could turn into something. I’ve started a humour writing course. When I was in Sydney I was working with comedians producing their shows but I think I’ve got something I could develop and being here there is an avenue where I can explore that. In the UK, I was younger then and it was all about music and being cool, I now see this as my next career. This is a really exciting time in my life. A couple of years ago in Sydney I really felt like the best was behind me, it was a horrible feeling. I had to turn it all around and became open to these great things coming into my life, and I had to do that to be able to meet someone like Darren. Everything that I wanted but didn’t know how to get I found in him. It’s just amazing that he was living in New York, the place I was planning to come to anyway.
For more info on Sara check out her blog: http://web.me.com/smorgs/Smorgsbored/Smorgsbored/Smorgsbored.html
Or follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Smorgs
People can’t get my name right here. It’s absolutely ridiculous! I’ve never had a problem anywhere else
in the world apart from America. I just get called Sarah and that’s been my pet hate all my life. I actually had someone say "You're SORRY?" after I told them my name. No, Sara...it's Sara.
And you see some crazy stuff on the subway! I saw this guy on the same day Darren asked me to marry him. He was wearing a top hat; he had an American flag cravat and these little round glasses and he was holding a dead rabbit on his lap which he would occasionally twitch to make people think it was alive! And the guy sitting next to him was totally nonplused. That sums up New York for you!
What have you managed to achieve here that you don’t think you could have in the UK, if anything?
You do have this optimism here, you feel like anything is possible. You could meet anybody and it could turn into something. I’ve started a humour writing course. When I was in Sydney I was working with comedians producing their shows but I think I’ve got something I could develop and being here there is an avenue where I can explore that. In the UK, I was younger then and it was all about music and being cool, I now see this as my next career. This is a really exciting time in my life. A couple of years ago in Sydney I really felt like the best was behind me, it was a horrible feeling. I had to turn it all around and became open to these great things coming into my life, and I had to do that to be able to meet someone like Darren. Everything that I wanted but didn’t know how to get I found in him. It’s just amazing that he was living in New York, the place I was planning to come to anyway.
For more info on Sara check out her blog: http://web.me.com/smorgs/Smorgsbored/Smorgsbored/Smorgsbored.html
Or follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Smorgs
