lmartin999

I think I agreed with you? I have been back and forth many times.
Actually I sometimes envy people who love where they were born and still live there. I didn't use to, but lately understand it a bit more.

Tangram

That top bit wasn't me it was a quite from another poster, with missing quote indicators. Sorry for the confusion, the bottom one was me.

Alan2005

I agree with this.

ldyinlv

You can love where you live, and still want to experience the world. That is why I dont think wanting to go home is such a bad thing. I am! after 34 years.

Nikki Ian

Life is what you make it, when we came to canada i changed my whole lifestyle back in the uk we lived in a cottage (in a small village) that was more than twice as old as canada, We worked hard and had a good life, i spent a lot of work and pleasure time on the moors and coast. We had family close by and a good social life

We have now moved to a land locked province with the mountains 4 hrs away,

Why you may ask would we give this up, the answer is a new challange along with a easier way of life and an eye on the future.

We now work at 60% of the level we did in the uk and our quality of life has improved 20% and our children will have many more options open to them in the future which ever country they choose to live in.

Do i miss the moors and the coast, not really as we have new things to explore that we did not have back in the uk, however we often drive to the mountains for a quick fix and there is always the east & west coasts when we get fed up with lakes and want crashing sea's instead.

The key for us was understanding that moving to a new country required a new lifestyle, canada is not the uk, living the uk way will not work in canada, no more than living the canadain way works in the uk.


I guess i am more a optimist where as the OP is more a pessimist. it takes all sorts to make this world work as many canadians would say " it is what it is"

fledermaus

I don't agree with the 'life is what you make it' school of thought. I agree that you have to make the best of what you have but you can't always make a bad situation good. However the OP has the means to make their bad situation good by returning to the UK.

Your experience has been good and the OP's hasn't. I don't see that contrast having much to do with optimism vs pessimism. I imagine that the OP and her family a miserable as shit right now so it would be hard to write chirpy posts.

dboy

? How did I generalize

I actually agreed with the sentiment that there's no one size that fits all, but to suggest that en entrie nation is crap because of a one's experiences in one bit of it is really rather silly.

Manchester is crap, but I would n't go as far as suggest the UK is crap as I probably haven't seen even 30 percent of the place.

dboy

You can easily say the same about the UK. I think it comes down to where your life comes together, be it careers, relationships, settled kids etc....

I think a failing of a lot of people is constantly running away and trying to find the pefect fit when it may be as much about them, than where they are.

I think those that feel they are 'escaping' due to perceived problems with a place will be in for a shock vs those that are leaving for such reasons as to be with a loved on, experience somewhere different or gain experience in a certain field and may not even see the move as for ever.

dboy

I know what you mean, I find myself pondering more these days what my life would have been had i stayed in the UK. I never actively sought to flee the UK, it was more of a case of where my life went. I took a 6 month contract in Miami in 1989, next thing I knew I was married to a Cradle and was living in Vancouver, somewhere I'd never even heard of.

Partially discharged

Good post...I'm interested in how you can quantify quality of life to a %.

Partially discharged

Couldn't agree more about M/CR being crap......driving around sections of south M/CR, Salford, east M/CR near the MCFC stadium does bring on an aura of gloom....other parts of the UK are lovely...but then again you could say that about some of the contrasts in Canada between various provinces/cities etc.

dboy

precisely my point. If one where to visit only Manchester, they are certainly not qualified to comment on the entire nation.

MarylandNed

Well, similarly you can't completely judge an entire city just by visiting parts of it and not living there for an extended period. You could visit certain parts of any city (e.g. New York, London, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, etc) and come to the conclusion that the city is "crap". Actually I formed that opinion of Vancouver during a 1 month stint there. At a different stage of my life (when my interests have changed) I may well come to a different conclusion.

Such views are very subjective because sometimes a city caters more to one taste than another. For example, if you're a young, single soccer fan who likes great nightlife (pubs, clubs, concerts, etc), Manchester might seem like heaven. Certainly it was a great city to be in as a student. It's got more nightlife and cultural events than many US and Canadian cities I've been to.

I went to the University of Manchester (one of the highest ranked universities in the world) and then worked in Manchester - living in the city for 7 years total. I know many people who absolutely love Manchester. Like most major UK cities it has its problems - e.g. inner city issues. However, I certainly prefer Manchester to many other UK cities I know well e.g. Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham, Sheffield, etc.

DandNHill

But they would more than likely not want to visit the UK again!

dboy

True, my intent was not to debate the pros and cons of any one place, but rather to highlight that it's silly to feel that you are in a position to judge a place by limited experiences of a tiny bit of it (as you have similary suggested). And yes, subjectivity will always reign supreme as will life stages. I hate footie and chavs and I hated spending every waking hour down the pub.....so manchester is out, others would disagree.

I wasn't picking on Manchester, just happened to have spent half my life there so it was a convenient scape goat. And yes there are nice bits there.