Finding a home in the U.S. Capital

Olive in Paris, Summer 2009

When Olive Vassell met a fellow student in Paris 20 plus years ago, little did she know that the connection would lead her to immigrate from her birthplace in London to Washington, D.C.

“By chance I met a young American woman who was doing a brief law course in Paris. We became pen pals and years later when she moved to Washington, D.C., she invited me over for a visit. After one trip I fell in love with the city and decided to move there,” Olive explained.

While for some the risk may have been too great, Olive was by then an intrepid traveler. Her first French lesson as a teen fueled a passion for other cultures which would take her all over the world.

“My parents were always supportive of my love of languages and allowed me to take part in an exchange with a girl who lived in Paris when I was 13. After I got over my inability to understand what she was saying, I never looked back.”

Frequent trips followed; a solo excursion at 15 to Canada and the U.S. to see friends and family and then a visit to Israel at 17 with her family.

“I was well and truly hooked on traveling by then,” she said.

In fact, Olive was born with travel in the blood. Her parents immigrated to the UK from Jamaica before she was born. Her first trip abroad was as a six-month old when she was taken back to the Caribbean island to meet her grandparents.

After taking her A-levels, it seemed a natural progression for Olive to study languages. She enrolled in a BA in French and Arabic with a concentration in translation at what is now London’s Westminster University. The course mandated a six-month course at Egypt’s Alexandria University and one at an institution in France.

Four years later, with degree in hand, Olive realized that her longtime love of writing would better be served by a career in journalism, and she soon found a slot at BBC Radio London writing and voicing a popular program for black Londoners.

Eager to perfect her craft, Olive also enrolled at the prestigious City University to study International Journalism. The experience was all she hoped for. A job at TV Channel 4 later developed her skills in television, but Olive’s wanderlust was far from over.

In the summer off-air breaks, Olive would travel, visiting Europe and the U.S. where she had made friends. When a chance came to move to Washington to work for a local newspaper, she grabbed it.

Though pleased with her decision, leaving her birthplace has had its challenges.

“I really missed my family, especially at the beginning. It was difficult not being a part of birthdays, holidays and other special moments. Also, I was often very lonely before I made more friends,” Olive said.

Today, Olive admits that she still misses Christmas in the UK. “I love how most things close down and people really get into the spirit of the holidays. That so rarely happens here in the U.S.,” she said.

Olive does love many things about her adopted homeland, including the fondness Americans have for taking to the road.

“I love road trips. People will jump into their vehicles and drive for hours without hesitation. That appeals to my love of travel.”

These days, trips are undertaken with her artist husband. And thankfully, Olive has plenty of time to explore. As a professor of journalism at the University of the District of Columbia, she spends the long summer breaks traveling both nationally and internationally. In 2010, the couple visited Jamaica twice, as well as Mexico, Grand Cayman and Haiti.

University of the District of Columbia

Olive was last home in Europe in summer 2009, when she and her husband traveled to Paris, Amsterdam and London to visit family and friends – an important part of keeping strong connections – but also to help further their professional goals.

Olive spent time writing, photographing and making connections for her news site Euromight.com (http://www.euromight.com). The site, which she calls “the home of multicultural Europe,” features stories about the continent’s diverse population.

“Most people outside of Europe don’t know that there are people of many races who were born and raised there; that they are an integral part of the landscape,” Olive explained.

“Euromight.com features original stories and links to news, events and other information from across the continent in one place, allowing both Europeans and others to share stories,” she said.

With a journalistic eye on Europe and frequent trips there for work and pleasure – she will travel to Spain, Germany, Italy, France and the UK in 2011 to meet with Euromight staff and research new stories – Olive will never lose her connection to her birthplace. Still, she is very much at home in Washington, D.C.

Wisconsin Avenue, Georgetown

“Living in the U.S. has taught me that I am resilient, that I can do anything I set my mind to and that I am adaptable. I would definitely recommend moving to new place to anyone. You should realize that you will go through ups and downs as you adjust to your new home. It’s rather like being in love. You have to choose to keep loving your new surroundings every day.”

Photo credits: Olive in Paris – personal photo, University of the District of Columbia – udc.org, Wisconsin Avenue, Georgetown & District of Columbia seal – Wikimedia

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