Emmbritt123

Cardienscarf, just read your post. I came back to UK after living in Arizona for 32 years. I've left and grown son and daughter, who has a 3 year old daughter and is of course, my grandbaby. For many years I have missed England and after a series of mishaps in America, I took the plunge and returned last July, 2013. I haven't regretted coming back at all, although I do miss my children. I was with a potential boyfriend for the first 4 months, but that didn't work out so I moved back to Gloucester where my mother is from and now have a very nice flat. I moved in here Jan 6, and must say I do feel rather isolated. There are all sorts of classes/exercise programs at our local Guild Hall and I shall join one of the classes just to meet people.

I so enjoyed reading about your experience over here. I had trouble with the small change...the looks I got as I scrutinized the handful of coins to give to the assistant. I concur on the friendliness of the people over here, something I really missed in the US. I think the British people are much more open and friendly and the sense of humour just sends me into gales of laughter.

Keep us all posted on your thoughts.....toodles!

scrubbedexpat097

Good post Essex

dunroving

I always enjoy these balanced accounts of life back in the UK (and thanks for not putting it in one long paragraph! My eyes must be growing old because I can't follow these mega-paragraphs)

I'm sorry to hear about your dog. Suzy was 10 when I brought her over, and she lasted 5 more years, in the UK. I really think her quality of life was much, much better here - more temperate weather, muddy countryside walks, dead squirrels, rivers, dozens and dozens of other dogs around. All we can do is give them the best and it is to your credit that you made the (expensive!) decision to bring her with you.

BlubellsInTheForest

Cardienscarf, I really enjoyed reading your post. I am facing the prospect of having my visa turned down and having to move back to the UK very quickly. We have not been back for 12 years, not even for a vacation.

I particularly enjoyed reading your perspective as I live in Manitou Springs, Colorado which is an hour south of Denver. Boulder is one of my favorite places and I can't imagine ever wanting to leave there. I love Colorado, it is so friendly and our small town is an artsy, tight knit community. That's why being told we have to leave our home and business will be very difficult for us, despite the fact I crave so many things about the UK.

Do you miss Boulder? How are you coping with the weather as Colorado is so sunny with beautiful blue skies?

I miss the history, museums, food, countryside, seaside and sense of humor of England.

Thank you for the update, it is so useful to those of us looking at our options. Good luck!

Mummy in the foothills

That is a good update, we all know not everything will go as smoothly as we hope. Nice to hear how you are getting on. Sorry about the dog

Cardienscarf

Yes, I miss Boulder. Truth be told, I missed Boulder even when I lived there. It has changed so much since I first moved there and I wasn't very enchanted with what it has become. So many people moved in from CA because they loved it but now they've influenced its changes and it seems like an extension of CA now.

I miss the Colorado blue but we've had such fantastic weather here in East Anglia that it would be hard to complain. I can't believe I didn't see a snowflake all winter! I don't feel like we've even had winter while everyone else complains about how long it was! I watched the weather forecasts and I missed the silence of the snowfall. I could smell it and feel it and I missed the sparkle in the air that comes when the sun comes out after a snow storm.

I don't miss the rude drivers and the got-to-get-to-the-next-stop-light-first mentality. I don't miss drivers constantly running the red light because they think their journey is more important than someone else's. It used to take 7 mins to drive from one end of Boulder to the other, now it takes 20 - 30 mins depending on the time of day.

I don't miss the Boulder politics or all the big box stores that moved in and pushed the independents off Pearl Street. I don't miss the greed that seems to have taken over. I don't miss all the expensive foodie restaurants that have replaced all the really good places to eat at a reasonable price where the hostess knew your favourite table or wait person.

I am going back for 10 days in a couple of weeks and then on to PA for a week for work and I am very excited. Despite all that's changed there, it is still home to me and I'm looking forward to feeling relaxed. Moving back to the UK has been hard for me - not because the UK has changed - but because everything is different to the way I'm used to. I feel like I have to pay close attention to what people are saying and what has to happen to get something done here, and what not to do to commit an American faux pas. To be honest, I can't wait to walk into a store, look the sales assistant in they eye and say 'Hi, how are you?' I know it doesn't mean anything - they don't really want to know how you are, but it is a custom that I got used to and, apparently, quite like!

I don't find the Brits particularly easy to talk to. Everyone talks over each other and interrupts each other and I feel like I have a hundred half finished sentences and conversations in my head. I find them to be quite a gossipy lot!

Of course, there are pros and cons to each place. I consider myself to be very lucky to live where I live and I am making the most of all that the area has to offer. I have a good job and I get to travel throughout the UK. I have caught up with old friends, made new ones and can see most of my family whenever I want. I love the food and the whole eating experience. I love that I can hop on a train and be in London in an hour, or that I can jump in the car and be by the sea in 20 mins. I enjoy walking to the shops and I can walk for miles across the countryside from my back door.

Truth is - wherever you go, there you are. You don't become someone else by being somewhere else. I think it's attitude to life that can make or break a move and I'm choosing to see the pros of the UK. When I don't understand why they do something a certain way here I try and look at it in wonderment rather than in an I-know-better kind of way. Yes, I get homesick for Boulder but that's because it takes more effort for me to be here than it does there at the moment. That might change with time. Best thing I've found is to try to be open minded and see what happens. Sometimes I'm better at it than others!

NiHao

Cardienscarf,

Great post! I love hearing your perspective and experience moving back. Thank you!

fulwood

"You don't become someone else by being somewhere else. " i love that phrase and should bear it all in mind when I make decisions about moving etc. I'm unhappy in Arizona for many reasons but will I change if i move somewhere else.. Don't know but do know I need a change of scenery by 2015. Great update..

Englishmaple

I love that quote too. Thank you so much for these posts Cardienscarf - they ring so true. Like you, I have decided I will say yes to everything - I am going to give it a year of this and then evaluate where I am workwise and emotionally.

Since I made the decision to move back I've found some peace in doing that and at the same time its brought into sharp focus the things that I will miss in Canada that I didn't realise I would miss. So it's very bittersweet and I seesaw back and forth on whether I am doing the right thing long term even though, when I found the BE forum I was very very sad and unhappy at the prospect of staying in Canada forever.

I guess being an expat adds extra layers to how we see life ...