What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Oct 4th 2004, 1:38 pm
#16
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Joined: Jun 2004
Location: my paradise - Jávea
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by britsinspain
Retirees who want everything British barely know how to say Hola and thats the way it is going to stay and shouldn't they cater for us as we spend so much money here ??
Like the guy who walks into the bank and bellows
''I've been coming in here 25 years! You'd think they'd have learnt to speak my language by now!''
Oct 4th 2004, 7:05 pm
#17
here there and everywhere
Joined: Oct 2004
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by sjjs
Greece - without a doubt.
Oct 5th 2004, 6:30 am
#18
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Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Greece
Posts: 55
Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by georgy33
I live in Greece and would have to disagree with that, even spaeking fluent greek you are still a foreigner in their country taking their jobs and they certainly like to let you know that. Work is very difficult to find and hourly rates in offices are 3-4 euros per hour. I barely cover the shopping bill and rent after working a 55 hour week. The grass is never greener. Ask the greeks in the UK/USA/Canada and Austraila why they left.. Maybe a good place to retire to if you have a good pension.
Work can be hard to find anywhere and pay might not be the best in Europe, but that's not what Greece is about.
And as for speaking Greek and still being treated like a foreigner, what does that mean? In many years of being here I've only had one single occasion where my being foreign was thrown in my face but countless examples of being foreign meaning being welcomed.
Oct 5th 2004, 12:46 pm
#19
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by mitzipurr
Hear Hear!! Agree with you whole-heartedly except I would never go back to UK to live full-time. Would like to know from anyone else where is a good place to live apart from Spain where most of the time you are viewed as a second-class citizen - even when you speak reasonable Spanish!!
Oct 5th 2004, 1:19 pm
#20
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by expat01
Just why do brits abroad seem to think that EVERY country they visit has to be a miniature version of the " Mother" country? Paella and chips,Squid and peas,and as long as the local beer is Watney's....what the hell !!
I'm so glad that as soon as I hit 16 I was in the Brit military and began to REALLY travel, not just for holidays, to other lands, where I LIVED among the people...learning their language, their customs, and generally trying my best to be as unobtrusive as possible.
I'm in Illinois USA right now, but my wife and myself plan to move to Nerja real soon. We are lookin' forward to some Sun Sea and Sangria and all that a Spanish lifestyle has to offer, and not to be surrounded by whinging ex pats of ANY nationality, to whom I offer the following advice....if you don't like where you are...no-one made you move there, and no-one is making you stay either !!! Furthermore, if I still lived in the UK, I'm not so sure I'd want people from other lands to know exactly where I came from ( this is based on the news I have seen from the old country in the last 3 years, and the tales related to me by family and friends alike !!!
I'm so glad that as soon as I hit 16 I was in the Brit military and began to REALLY travel, not just for holidays, to other lands, where I LIVED among the people...learning their language, their customs, and generally trying my best to be as unobtrusive as possible.
I'm in Illinois USA right now, but my wife and myself plan to move to Nerja real soon. We are lookin' forward to some Sun Sea and Sangria and all that a Spanish lifestyle has to offer, and not to be surrounded by whinging ex pats of ANY nationality, to whom I offer the following advice....if you don't like where you are...no-one made you move there, and no-one is making you stay either !!! Furthermore, if I still lived in the UK, I'm not so sure I'd want people from other lands to know exactly where I came from ( this is based on the news I have seen from the old country in the last 3 years, and the tales related to me by family and friends alike !!!
I'm an ex-pat living in the US, and I am PROUD of my heritage. There are many cultural things I enjoy about England, particularly the history of the place. Likewise there are downsides too, I just err on the positive.
If you're that put-off about your mother country I advise you to try for citizenship in another country and forget your British passport you use to travel about.
Oct 5th 2004, 9:41 pm
#21
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Location: Andalucia
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by big dave
To be honest, i totally agree with the original post.
I now live in estonia, and the last thing I want is good old british tucker! Now dont get me wrong, i was a chef for best part of 12 years (and a good one at that), and the local cuisine is excellent and varied.
I am also amazed at how many pompous assholes there are in the UK, even my closest friends back in the UK talk down to me, as if i live in some backward country! You dont notice is until you leave.....no chance of going back either IMO
I now live in estonia, and the last thing I want is good old british tucker! Now dont get me wrong, i was a chef for best part of 12 years (and a good one at that), and the local cuisine is excellent and varied.
I am also amazed at how many pompous assholes there are in the UK, even my closest friends back in the UK talk down to me, as if i live in some backward country! You dont notice is until you leave.....no chance of going back either IMO
I was talking to a friend of mine and she said she could NEVER contemplate moving to spain.Why i asked her.....her answer was that you cant have a good old fashioned roast dinner there!!!!!!
I did tell her that spanish dont live on paella and oranges!!!They do have..... shock horror........SUPERMARKETS!!!!! They even sell meat and potatoes!!!
BLOODY HELL
This was a very genuine reason for not wanting to move abroad,be it Spain Greece or bleedin Outer Mongolia!!!!I still find this attitude quite frustrating but as they say...theres nowt as queer as folk!!
Oct 23rd 2004, 9:37 pm
#22
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Posts: 20
Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by half-pint
I'm an ex-pat living in the US, and I am PROUD of my heritage.
As regards a lot of the Brits in Spain, remember that cringe-inducingly bad BBC TV series Eldorado? It was originally to be called Little England. If you have the misfortune to read the Costa Blanca News, it's read by bigots who don't want to eat 'foreign food' or 'speak dago', moan about the demise of the British Empire, and complain about the presence of 'coloured' people in the UK. What annoys me is that Gibraltarians, who aren't British expatriates at all, get tarred with the same brush!
Then you get those Brits who are ghastly Hispanophile snobs whose tongues have a lustrous Iberian coating and would Britain to be under Spanish sovereignty, never mind Gibraltar!
Oct 31st 2004, 10:18 am
#23
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Hi Fans !
Please see the new thread....Well been here a month now ! 
Oct 31st 2004, 10:23 am
#24
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by Maisie
Holland is a fantastic place to live. Apart from young children and the elderly most Dutch people speak some English so the language barrier isn't generally a problem. We've tried to learn the language and take on as many traditions as possible since moving here and most people appreciate that.
Hear hear Glad to see that there ARE some people out there who are willing to adapt to customs and lifestyles when living abroad, and as for Holland, I lived there for 2 1/2 years whilst serving in germany with the RAF back in the 70s Lovely country lovely people, and wotta lovely time we had there.
Nov 8th 2004, 9:00 am
#25
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by expat01
Hear hear Glad to see that there ARE some people out there who are willing to adapt to customs and lifestyles when living abroad, and as for Holland, I lived there for 2 1/2 years whilst serving in germany with the RAF back in the 70s Lovely country lovely people, and wotta lovely time we had there.
Dec 17th 2004, 6:43 pm
#26
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Location: dept 23, Limousin, France
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Just to put my "2 pen'oth" in.
I moved to France last Nov (2003).
In July I saw my doctor about terrible pain in my knee. That was on a Monday. He rang me at home on Tuesday to say he had made an appointment for me to see a consultant on Saturday morning (try that in England). My appointment was for 9.30a.m. With-in an hour I had spoken to the consultant, seen the radiologist, had x-rays, back to the consultant and had a date for the op. 15 DAYS from first talking to my doctor I was in and out of hospital, followed by a visit every day for 3 weeks by a nurse who gave me anti-thrombosis injections and 15 visits to the physiotheropists. My friend in England is still waiting for an operation date 2 years after seeing her doctor
I am proud to have been born and bred in England, but Im also glad I moved away
Jannie
I moved to France last Nov (2003).
In July I saw my doctor about terrible pain in my knee. That was on a Monday. He rang me at home on Tuesday to say he had made an appointment for me to see a consultant on Saturday morning (try that in England). My appointment was for 9.30a.m. With-in an hour I had spoken to the consultant, seen the radiologist, had x-rays, back to the consultant and had a date for the op. 15 DAYS from first talking to my doctor I was in and out of hospital, followed by a visit every day for 3 weeks by a nurse who gave me anti-thrombosis injections and 15 visits to the physiotheropists. My friend in England is still waiting for an operation date 2 years after seeing her doctor
I am proud to have been born and bred in England, but Im also glad I moved away
Jannie
Dec 19th 2004, 10:06 am
#27
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Re: What IS wrong with the Brits abroad
Originally Posted by JerrySpringer
I'm in the minority of people proud to be British? What is your source for that statistic?
Am I proud to be British? Well, what does 'being proud' actually mean? Britain is a country that afforded me a good basic education, work opportunities and a good standard of living. In turn, these have given me opportunities to travel overseas, to work overseas and be eligible to live in certain countries. (For sure, without the basic education and work experience, I would have not had such opportunities to live abroad.) The working conditions in Britain can be excellent and fair; the country is politically stable and economically strong. I have had access to modern healthcare, running water, and many many other things. In a nutshell, Britain has provided me with a lot that I am thankful for. Of course it has social and political problems - what westernised country doesn't? The problems of the nation don't make me want to run and hide from my roots. Why should they? I won't suddenly become ashamed of my nationality when times are bad and suddenly rejoice at it during times of prestige. Taking the good with the bad is part and parcel of reality. So yes, I am proud to be British.
Why are you so ashamed to be British?
Am I proud to be British? Well, what does 'being proud' actually mean? Britain is a country that afforded me a good basic education, work opportunities and a good standard of living. In turn, these have given me opportunities to travel overseas, to work overseas and be eligible to live in certain countries. (For sure, without the basic education and work experience, I would have not had such opportunities to live abroad.) The working conditions in Britain can be excellent and fair; the country is politically stable and economically strong. I have had access to modern healthcare, running water, and many many other things. In a nutshell, Britain has provided me with a lot that I am thankful for. Of course it has social and political problems - what westernised country doesn't? The problems of the nation don't make me want to run and hide from my roots. Why should they? I won't suddenly become ashamed of my nationality when times are bad and suddenly rejoice at it during times of prestige. Taking the good with the bad is part and parcel of reality. So yes, I am proud to be British.
Why are you so ashamed to be British?
So.....been here a few months now and how I miss the UK...NOT!
Going to Illinois later today for the holidays, be with friends and family.
It really is such a bind having a home on two continents but I manage to handle the strain somehow !
Forecasting snow for this weekend, in fact the snowplows have been out already. Don't they realise that the correct way to approach the situation is to wait until a major snowfall which brings the entire country to a halt ( as it seems to do EVERY year) and then make feeble efforts to get road/rail/air traffic moving again ?
I honestly think ol' chap that you ought to sample life here in the USA, and Spain too for that matter, before the pro UK crowing starts again !
