Sign of the Times?

They do say a picture tells a thousand words, and in the relocation world, this one says it all!

You would be forgiven for thinking at first glance that a bunch of Cupertino Schools were being built behind this sign, but actually another community of new homes is sprouting up in Silicon Valley!  So look at this sign again and let’s find out more about these new homes :

Do we know how much they cost ?   No!

Do we know the square footage?   No!

Do we know how many bedrooms they have?    No!

Do we know the size of the yard?     No!

Do we know whether they have granite countertops?   No!

Do we know how many are sold already?   No!

SO – what do we know?  They are in the CUPERTINO SCHOOL DISTRICT! Yeah!!  And why are Cupertino schools so sought after?  Is it :

Low teacher to student ratio?   No!

Small, intimate environment?   No!

Great sports teams?   No!

Exceptional art and music curriculae?   No!

Modern facilities?   No!

Involved parents?   No!

High test scores?   YES!!!

House sellers today know what’s important to house buyers.   SCHOOLS!  and high test scores in those schools!  If you’re a family with school-age kids looking to buy or rent a home, it is assumed the school district is the most important criteria on your list.   And as relocation specialists for Silicon Valley, we know this is nearly always the case.

I have to admit, it was really refreshing (and easier!) for us to relocate a wonderful family last week from Boston who did not have school age children. We found a beautiful home for a family of 4 to rent – Mom, Dad and their 2 year old and a 1 month old baby.  They did not need to know about the schools.  They just wanted a friendly, family-oriented community where they could rent for a year or so and spend some time looking to see where they would like to eventually buy a home.  I’m sure that’s how it used to be years ago, well before I moved here in ‘95 – when finding a home meant a family community, local parks, quiet streets, friendly neighbors, you get the picture!

But even this family will be looking at school districts before long.  And when they do, I hope they come back to California Concierges for advice on the right schools for their kids. Yes, test scores are important but so are all the other aforementioned criteria.

And we never forget that.

If you want to know more about how we can help you successfully relocate to Silicon Valley, email me at tlawrence@WeRelocate.com.

A Bunco Story

So I was at my monthly Bunco meeting the other night when 3 of us started having an animated conversation in the kitchen.  Our voices became so excited that the other ladies lost interest in their chatter and craned their necks to find out what the topic of conversation was which was getting us in a tizzy – was it friends, politics, money, sex, husbands?  None of the above – the topic getting us hot under the collar was….kettles!

A little background – most of this Bunco group is British – we all relocated from the UK to Silicon Valley over the past 12 years – and we meet, not because Bunco is so much fun and interesting to play – but because it gets 12 of us out of our homes every month to catch up, socialise, eat and drink – a message reaffirmed by my good friend Dot, every time we start to complain about the game!

And maybe I should talk a little about the electric tea kettle for my American friends here.  I am talking about an electric appliance which is so common in the UK that you will hardly ever walk into a British kitchen and not find it sitting on the countertop plugged into the wall, waiting to boil water for the next cup of tea, if it isn’t already doing so.

So back to the kitchen.  Jane, Helen and I were comparing kettle stories and the main one was “The Return of the Kettle” -  to Target, Macy’s, Bed Bath etc, because they ended up not working properly! (BIG TIP – always keep your kettle box – you WILL need it to exchange your kettle!)  The other story we got very excited about was the “Why can’t Americans design something for functionality?”  We had all experienced the kettle which, when poured, left a huge puddle of water on the countertop instead of in the teapot, and which also would continually lose its little thingy (for want of a better word) at the base of the pourer, which was supposed to stop the heat coming out and allow the water to boil and switch off the kettle automatically (if that sentence is too technical for you, don’t worry – read on).

If you’re going to design and manufacture something to switch off automatically when the water has boiled and something which is used for pouring, MAKE SURE IT DOES BOTH THOSE THINGS BEFORE YOU MASS MANUFACTURE IT AND PUT IT ON THE MARKET!!!  That just is common sense!  So we swapped stories and basically decided that US manufacturers of kettles should call up their UK counterparts and have a discussion on how the UK guys have figured it out long ago!

The story does have a happy ending – Jane is very satisfied with her current kettle, an Aroma fromTarget!

So if you’re one of the many Brits out here frustrated with your kettle, hope this is of help in getting your perfect cup of tea ready!

 

Garage Sales

Are we the only country to have garage sales?  What a great American tradition these are in Silicon Valley!  Just get all the stuff out onto your driveway that you haven’t used, wanted or needed in the past 12 months, and see if anyone wants to pay good money for it!

We just held our annual street garage sale recently and it was not just a way of getting rid of unwanted stuff in the house, but a wonderful means to get out in front of our houses (what a concept – to be seen out front!) and catch up with our neighbors – and visit with the new ones.

If anyone has just relocated here from the UK, this is one tradition you’ll want to pick up on.  You won’t get much for your belongings, but that’s not the point – you wanted to get rid of it anyway, so the extra money is a bonus.  And you’ll get to meet a ton of people, some interesting, some not so..

But be aware that not everything will go – there are some things that just won’t sell – and you will have to throw the remaining items in the back of your car and drive them to Goodwill.  Still a really great feel-good and productive day – you may even have enough to go out for dinner after, ‘cos you’ll be way too tired to cook!

What is Mow and Blow?

You may have heard the term – or not – and if you live here, you will have definitely heard them.  The guys who walk around with what sounds like a vacuum cleaner on their backs, except they’re vacuuming leaves, not dust, and they’re outside, not inside. Hey, there’s a thought, I’ll have the blow part inside as well please!

Anyway, the mow and blow guys mow your lawn and blow away the garden debris.  If you are one of the few who have resisted hiring a mower and blower, – and yes, we struggled against it for a long time after relocating to Silicon Valley from the UK – good luck to you.  But let me tell you, it’s worth it if you are one of the thousands of people here with a busy life.

Of course, if you like doing that sort of thing, that’s your perogative and may you and your mower be very happy together.  But for me, $30 a time to mow my little patch of green and clear away my oak tree leaves just brings a smile to my face.

Farmers’ Markets

Another great American phenomenon which I had only previously seen in France, are the farmers’ markets. Every weekend during most of the year, the towns in Silicon Valley – and maybe elsewhere too – have the greatest selection of fruits and vegetables, freshly picked, to choose from. There’s usually also foodie places where try out great tastes from different countries. Definitely worth a regular visit!

International or internal communities?

So here’s the question, what do you think about living in a country and searching out your fellow patriots? Are we just a community of smaller national communities struggling to live in this great state with our French/English/Chinese/Australian friends by our side?

English by birth, I always felt fortunate to be married to an American, and maybe even a little condescending, towards my English friends (mothers of course) who met in groups at the park/restaurant/Starbucks (or should I say British – there were Irish, Scottish and Welsh there too) and ended up discussing British TV shows they missed, where you can buy Heinz baked beans, great British bangers, exchanging Hello magazine sent out here by their families, discussing TV stars who would soon just be a name for them and looking at magazine faces they don’t even recognize anymore, in a vain attempt to stay connected?

What is the point? Why are they here? Just for the sunshine? And where does the language barrier play a role in this? Some people who have moved into my street don’t speak English, their sole friends are those they’ve met here from their own country so they at least can converse with someone who understands them and can support them as they try to navigate the Californian signposts of daily life. But what kind of barrier does that set up between “us” and “them”. How can we ever feel a sense of welcome to a family we never see, hear or know because they can’t speak to us? How do we really feel when we hear that the house is not sold to a Caucasian family – ah well, we won’t get to know yet another neighbor…

And don’t get me started on the American garage – the perfect way never to see anyone in your street.

Do we just wait until the next generation – our kids – can understand one another and be one big American family? Should we be even attempting to integrate these communities into a bigger one, or should we just let them be, finding their way with their own country’s community?

When in Rome?

And watch this space – we are about to have our first block party on Saturday so we get to meet our neighbors. I’ll report back.