Things you miss about the UK
Aug 27th 2016, 1:14 pm
#121
Wondering if...
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Clarence, NY
Posts: 1,214
Re: Things you miss about the UK
Folks are slow to move off after a green light because they are waiting for the run of cars still to come through from the right and left!
Aug 27th 2016, 3:12 pm
#122
Deep in the woods of CT
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 7,002
Re: Things you miss about the UK
Time to plan a visit to CT in the spring -- lots of beautiful, aromatic lilac around here! The one flower I don't see here is the bluebell. The bulbs are available (at a price!), and I tried to plant them in the woods, but the voles ate them. I'd love to see the scented carpet of blue in the woods along the Wharfe at Bolton Abbey again one spring.
Aug 27th 2016, 7:46 pm
#123
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2015
Location: Near Lynchburg Tennessee, home of Jack Daniels
Posts: 1,381
Re: Things you miss about the UK
Taxes
and a country that spends more on its military than the next 7 nations combined. You try challenging that expenditure too..
Was not a problem for the Brits or Europeans in the early forties.
and a country that spends more on its military than the next 7 nations combined. You try challenging that expenditure too..
Was not a problem for the Brits or Europeans in the early forties.
Aug 27th 2016, 7:56 pm
#124
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: Things you miss about the UK
I miss a lot of things.
Travel
Flights in this country are outrageous. Back home I could easily hop over to Italy for the weekend or visit friends in Germany and pay ‎£50 - £100 r/t for the privilege. A couple years ago I flew to Morocco off season for £37 r/t. God bless Ryanair.
Paid time off
I suppose flights are expensive because no-one has the time to travel. 10 days PTO as standard? Only Japan offers less among industrialised nations.
The sheer amount of stupid
We have morons in Europe too but this country is next level. For example this is a land where Sarah Palin is adored by millions, with the book sales to prove it.
Healthcare
I have good coverage but have seen what happens to people when they don't. This isn't the hallmark of a civilised society.
Taxes
I pay about as much as I did back home excluding sales tax. What do I get? Shit infrastructure, no NHS, and a country that spends more on its military than the next 7 nations combined. You try challenging that expenditure too..
I'm ok with it for now though. Our apartment in Manhattan kicks arse compared to what we could have bought in London and I live in an amazing city. I also get to fly back every few weeks which takes the edge off. That some choose to go for years without seeing their friends and family back home baffles me.
The only Europeans I've met here who really, really, love it and would NEVER go back are those who didn't value what Europe had to offer in the first place.
Travel
Flights in this country are outrageous. Back home I could easily hop over to Italy for the weekend or visit friends in Germany and pay ‎£50 - £100 r/t for the privilege. A couple years ago I flew to Morocco off season for £37 r/t. God bless Ryanair.
Paid time off
I suppose flights are expensive because no-one has the time to travel. 10 days PTO as standard? Only Japan offers less among industrialised nations.
The sheer amount of stupid
We have morons in Europe too but this country is next level. For example this is a land where Sarah Palin is adored by millions, with the book sales to prove it.
Healthcare
I have good coverage but have seen what happens to people when they don't. This isn't the hallmark of a civilised society.
Taxes
I pay about as much as I did back home excluding sales tax. What do I get? Shit infrastructure, no NHS, and a country that spends more on its military than the next 7 nations combined. You try challenging that expenditure too..
I'm ok with it for now though. Our apartment in Manhattan kicks arse compared to what we could have bought in London and I live in an amazing city. I also get to fly back every few weeks which takes the edge off. That some choose to go for years without seeing their friends and family back home baffles me.
The only Europeans I've met here who really, really, love it and would NEVER go back are those who didn't value what Europe had to offer in the first place.
Aug 27th 2016, 9:38 pm
#125
Deep in the woods of CT
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 7,002
Re: Things you miss about the UK
I'm ok with it for now though. Our apartment in Manhattan kicks arse compared to what we could have bought in London and I live in an amazing city. I also get to fly back every few weeks which takes the edge off. That some choose to go for years without seeing their friends and family back home baffles me.
The only Europeans I've met here who really, really, love it and would NEVER go back are those who didn't value what Europe had to offer in the first place.
Aug 27th 2016, 11:13 pm
#126
Account Closed
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 0
Re: Things you miss about the UK
I get the feeling that you, like the OP, have not been in the US for very long. Not everyone has the luxury of jumping on a plane every few weeks and not seeing family and friends as frequently as you seem to deem appropriate is often not a choice. As the years turn into decades, one's attitude begins to change. There are American children, then American grandchildren, one begins to put down roots in a town, a state. One tells US friends that one is going home for a vacation; then one tells UK friends that one is returning home in a few days time. And when one arrives back in the US, it does feel a lot more like home then the UK did. When it is time to plan the next vacation, one starts to think about all the places in the US that are yet to be seen, perhaps Yosemite, San Simeon, the Alamo . . . rather than going back to the UK. It has nothing to do with not appreciating what Europe has to offer, it is about opening one's eyes to what the US also offers and making the most of it.
Aug 27th 2016, 11:13 pm
#127
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Milwaukie, Oregon
Posts: 9,966
Re: Things you miss about the UK
I get the feeling that you, like the OP, have not been in the US for very long. Not everyone has the luxury of jumping on a plane every few weeks and not seeing family and friends as frequently as you seem to deem appropriate is often not a choice. As the years turn into decades, one's attitude begins to change. There are American children, then American grandchildren, one begins to put down roots in a town, a state. One tells US friends that one is going home for a vacation; then one tells UK friends that one is returning home in a few days time. And when one arrives back in the US, it does feel a lot more like home then the UK did. When it is time to plan the next vacation, one starts to think about all the places in the US that are yet to be seen, perhaps Yosemite, San Simeon, the Alamo . . . rather than going back to the UK. It has nothing to do with not appreciating what Europe has to offer, it is about opening one's eyes to what the US also offers and making the most of it.
Aug 28th 2016, 12:38 am
#128
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Portlandia Metro
Posts: 7,425
Re: Things you miss about the UK
Japan has 10 days plus they give you overtime and generally get paid compassionate leave. Te leave time in Japan is legislated , therefore leaving the US with the worst benefits of any Western country. However the pay here is about the same as working contract in the UK in my field. The hassle of having to file taxes every year is compensated by the ability to offset expenses against income.
Aug 28th 2016, 3:02 am
#129
I have a comma problem
Joined: Feb 2009
Location: Fox Lake, IL (from Carrickfergus NI)
Posts: 49,598
Re: Things you miss about the UK
I get fewer days off here and that kind of sucks, but I make more money here and that makes up for it. Swings and roundabouts, etc.
I have learned how to use my time more effectively here though. I may have got 25 days off in the UK, but I'd spunked away almost all of them by September. When you don't have the luxury to do that, I've noticed that I, at least, use the days more 'productively', i.e. not just sitting around the house playing championship manager and wanking.
If one uses the bank holidays wisely, it's possible to fit in one decent length vacation a year and still have days left for taking around Christmas, or just for the shit of it to have a long weekend off work. Add in the three personal days I get and that's almost 3 weeks. It's not ideal but it's better than getting no days off at all.
Have you see the price of flights ...
I have learned how to use my time more effectively here though. I may have got 25 days off in the UK, but I'd spunked away almost all of them by September. When you don't have the luxury to do that, I've noticed that I, at least, use the days more 'productively', i.e. not just sitting around the house playing championship manager and wanking.
If one uses the bank holidays wisely, it's possible to fit in one decent length vacation a year and still have days left for taking around Christmas, or just for the shit of it to have a long weekend off work. Add in the three personal days I get and that's almost 3 weeks. It's not ideal but it's better than getting no days off at all.
Have you see the price of flights ...
Aug 28th 2016, 4:31 am
#130
Banned
Joined: Dec 2015
Location: california
Posts: 6,035
Re: Things you miss about the UK
Previous owners here had planted two lilacs, but curiously, if the weather is too hot then they don't flower, and ours never did. One was badly misshapen and partially overhung the path so I eventually grubbed it out, the other one was beyond the far end of the lawn, where I suspect it had been transplanted after failing to perform when planted closer to the house. It narrowly survived a very large hickory tree falling over it, but I am not sure if it is still there now. .... Anyhow, if it's any consolation, even if you had watered them you still wouldn't have enjoyed the smell of lilac.
Very true. The smell of the smog would have probably prevailed
Aug 28th 2016, 4:47 am
#131
Banned
Joined: Dec 2015
Location: california
Posts: 6,035
Re: Things you miss about the UK
I miss a lot of things.
Travel
Flights in this country are outrageous. Back home I could easily hop over to Italy for the weekend or visit friends in Germany and pay ‎£50 - £100 r/t for the privilege. A couple years ago I flew to Morocco off season for £37 r/t. God bless Ryanair.
Paid time off
I suppose flights are expensive because no-one has the time to travel. 10 days PTO as standard? Only Japan offers less among industrialised nations.
The sheer amount of stupid
We have morons in Europe too but this country is next level. For example this is a land where Sarah Palin is adored by millions, with the book sales to prove it.
Healthcare
I have good coverage but have seen what happens to people when they don't. This isn't the hallmark of a civilised society.
Taxes
I pay about as much as I did back home excluding sales tax. What do I get? Shit infrastructure, no NHS, and a country that spends more on its military than the next 7 nations combined. You try challenging that expenditure too..
I'm ok with it for now though. Our apartment in Manhattan kicks arse compared to what we could have bought in London and I live in an amazing city. I also get to fly back every few weeks which takes the edge off. That some choose to go for years without seeing their friends and family back home baffles me.
The only Europeans I've met here who really, really, love it and would NEVER go back are those who didn't value what Europe had to offer in the first place.
Travel
Flights in this country are outrageous. Back home I could easily hop over to Italy for the weekend or visit friends in Germany and pay ‎£50 - £100 r/t for the privilege. A couple years ago I flew to Morocco off season for £37 r/t. God bless Ryanair.
Paid time off
I suppose flights are expensive because no-one has the time to travel. 10 days PTO as standard? Only Japan offers less among industrialised nations.
The sheer amount of stupid
We have morons in Europe too but this country is next level. For example this is a land where Sarah Palin is adored by millions, with the book sales to prove it.
Healthcare
I have good coverage but have seen what happens to people when they don't. This isn't the hallmark of a civilised society.
Taxes
I pay about as much as I did back home excluding sales tax. What do I get? Shit infrastructure, no NHS, and a country that spends more on its military than the next 7 nations combined. You try challenging that expenditure too..
I'm ok with it for now though. Our apartment in Manhattan kicks arse compared to what we could have bought in London and I live in an amazing city. I also get to fly back every few weeks which takes the edge off. That some choose to go for years without seeing their friends and family back home baffles me.
The only Europeans I've met here who really, really, love it and would NEVER go back are those who didn't value what Europe had to offer in the first place.
Europe's too crowded. Much as I love London I get a feeling of claustrophobia after a couple of weeks
Last edited by dc koop; Aug 28th 2016 at 5:11 am.
Aug 28th 2016, 5:07 am
#132
Banned
Joined: Dec 2015
Location: california
Posts: 6,035
Re: Things you miss about the UK
The big surprise I got was when the mayor of the city came over to the water and power yards one morning. I was working by myself testing the hydraulic lift on an overhead line truck. He asked me a couple of questions about it, noticed I had an accent, asked me if I was from Yorkshire, told me had been camped there as a soldier in the US Army just before D-Day and when I addressed him as "sir" he told me to call him Dave instead
This lack of formality between management and workers is one of the things I like about the Yanks
This lack of formality between management and workers is one of the things I like about the Yanks
Aug 28th 2016, 8:01 am
#133
Concierge
Joined: May 2006
Location: ex ex-pat, in Taunton
Posts: 27,217
Re: Things you miss about the UK
In Spain, there is no amber between the red and green, but there is between the green and red, this is, I assume, to try to avoid the 'amber gamblers.
Aug 28th 2016, 9:11 am
#134
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2015
Location: NC, USA (ex Yorkshire)
Posts: 4,375
Re: Things you miss about the UK
Japan has 10 days plus they give you overtime and generally get paid compassionate leave. Te leave time in Japan is legislated , therefore leaving the US with the worst benefits of any Western country. However the pay here is about the same as working contract in the UK in my field. The hassle of having to file taxes every year is compensated by the ability to offset expenses against income.
Aug 28th 2016, 9:15 am
#135
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2015
Location: NC, USA (ex Yorkshire)
Posts: 4,375
Re: Things you miss about the UK
I have learned how to use my time more effectively here though. I may have got 25 days off in the UK, but I'd spunked away almost all of them by September. When you don't have the luxury to do that, I've noticed that I, at least, use the days more 'productively', i.e. not just sitting around the house playing championship manager and wanking.
