Alan2005

So why didn't you do that in the UK?

I don't really see what the problem is here - people emigrate because they want a lifestyle they can't have at home. In pretty much every case this is because they cannot afford to have that lifestyle at home. There is no shame in this and I don't understand why everyone is so defensive about it.

Elizabeth I

Yes, I agree with you, it's certainly more expensive to have that kind of life in Britain.....I mean, you can't just retire to a simple country life in Britain because that costs the most expensive! That's the high life really!

I'd love to live in the English countryside in a lovely little cottage but could never afford such a lifestyle...Blimey, the typical country cottage in the idyllic English countryside is for rich people!

Elizabeth I

There is no shame at all, I definitely have a better lifestyle here, and that means "time" because kiwis don't live to work, they work to live and value their leisure time. I like that, I got sick of working like a dog in London, I had a good career but it couldn't buy me time and I wanted more out of life than work and money....I wanted an actual life. LOL

Saying that, I really loved England and missed it horribly when I left, it was still "home" and getting used to a new place was hard...but overall, I have a better life here, more space, more time, and that's all there is to it. Had to sacrifice friends and holidays to europe, but oh well, there's sacrifices with everything....

Elizabeth I

I should re-phrase this, rather, I "would have" loved this once upon a time, but I wouldn't want to go back there now if you paid me....Canada next for me.

Elizabeth I

I need to address this again. Here's how I see it, there are certain lifestyles abroad that you can't have in Britain because it's a totally different environment (as well as attitude). For instance, I live right next to a rainforest and round the corner from a vineyard and within minutes of surfing beaches, also, we have proper summers here that are hot and you can have a beautiful time on the beaches and they're not crowded either...there's space and room to enjoy yourself and a mentality down here that says "yes, this is what life is about, relax and enjoy it."

That kind of lifestyle can't even be bought in Britain because it isn't there, so, whilst I do agree with what you're saying on the one hand, on the other hand, there are some things gained about moving abroad that money doesn't and can't buy you in Britain.

AlexInBC

And where the f**k do you pull that conclusion from? I, in no way, believe that I am better than others...least of all because I've chosen to live in the back of beyond. What's that got to do with how good a person you are? It's a lifestyle that suits our personalities so we went ahead and did it. If we'd been city-life/bustle/crowds people at heart, that's where we'd live.

I can certainly see why you chose the description you give under your user name, as trolling is all you can possibly be doing with these offensive generalisations.

Alan2005

I don't disagree with any of what you are saying and they are all good reasons to emigrate (one of the pluses for Vancouver is that it's near skiing which I couldn't get at home).

I will say that on this thread a number of people are associating wealth with materialism and that isn't the case. Sure people will emigrate to a smaller income (and they will expect something back in return for that reduction), but nobody will emigrate to poverty will they. i.e. some people decide they have enough wealth and will trade some of it for the freedom to do something else - which is ultimately what it's for after all.

Alan2005

Nice rant - hope you feel better now

agr

This is true in the UK. Not here. That's why I moved: quality of life and standard of living can be two different things when there is enough space.

dbd33

[QUOTE=lancashirebird;7784511] This is absolutely a function of having more money. The better future comes from being able to finance tutors, trips to Europe, education in a broad sense. The greater freedom comes from being able to buy into the sort of area where they can wander. These things are not unavailable in the UK, just unaffordable.

dbd33

Nonethless, where one started is relevant to how one ends up. Obviously from Manchester everywhere is up but people who come from somewhere nice will have a more nuanced view of other places.

RubyRose

QUOTE=Cdnshaz;7783752]I'm canadian and want to go home!!!!

and what gives you the idea that the price of mobiles would stop anyone from immigrating..get a grip![/QUOTE]

Ruby

dboy

Yes very true. Most people move to improve their lives, or at least a belief that they will and that will usually, although not always, include more wealth. I see the balance of standard of living and quality of living as being two different, yet highly related notions.

There are a handful of us, however, who just happened to end up here as a consequence of where their lives took them. I never had a master plan to leave Blighty nor did i view BC as utopia. I have found myself much better off here than I believe I would be in the UK - although I left so long ago (last worked there in 1989) that I don't really know any better and I'm only in touch with the policing world.

I have said this before on here that for some life conspires against them, you get held captive, to an extent, by relationships that you have forged, kids, businesses and careers. It becomes increasingly more difficult to leave, the older and more you become committed and involved in your life.

Alan2005

I can accept that too - people end up in places rather than go to places. If this wasn't the case why would anyone be living in Stoke for example.

dboy

Yes, that was precisely my point sir.