lilybilly101

So true for me too SS. 'They' just need a gentle reminder from us that it is truly fabulous here........even on a grey evening in June, it's lovely, fun, exciting, beautiful, cultural, historical, varied, .........

Back2UK

I had an incident last Saturday where a Brit challenged me, why I was leaving Canada. She then went on to tell me that there is no jobs, the country is going the pan and finally i wont be able to ski again like I would in Canada. After telling her that both my OH and I don't ski, she went on to slaughter me for not doing the sport " why I don't ski". At that point I politely told her to shut up and walked away.

Guinness

good for you, yes i had a woman go of on me because I had never been out to Calgary, they just don't understand the vast size of the country to start with. And I don't ski either can't afford it.

jemima55

There`s always one, Back2UK, and I reckon you found her!

Moggiemiss

Hey back2uk ... That response you had was very typical of the attitude I had before leaving Canada. I would never want to offend anyone so I kept my reasons very vague ... In the end I stopped telling people I was returning.

I am not interested in moose hunting, snow shoeing, skiddoing, ski-ing or ice hockey!

A couple of canadian friends emailed me to say that they found the jubilee concert was bland and they wanted to see more footage of the royal family. Maybe parts of it were less interesting than others but the lighting, the atmosphere and the fireworks were amazing.

I know we have problems with the economy and the weather is not that great at the moment, but we have a stunning variety of scenery, history and culture, wonderful buildings, traditions, amazing theatre and the arts.

Not to mention the BBC ....

I was worried about the high cost of living but have been pleasantly surprised. I can buy cheese without taking out a bank loan! I have just paid £10 for an eye test (actually I think tesco do them free of charge) and I paid £80 in 2010 in Canada. Fresh flowers for £3 or less. Bramley cooking apples, lincolnshire sausage, fresh lamb, Creme fraiche .... great food labeling and lots of low fat options....

lf1

Good for you!!. I am not sporty at all and it is one of the reasons that I don't belong here. I have tried it all skiing, golf, baseball and even curling (most boring game on the planet). People think you are odd if you don't play sports, but they fail to see that you have other interests and because they don't match their interest, then they don't count.

The person you were being lectured by sounds as though they are unable to see that we are all different and what floats one persons boat does not float another's.

lf1

Perhaps it was bland, in their eyes, because the CBC cut chunks out of it. I enjoyed it, even although the sound wasn't great. however, I was a bit miffed that they cut out Shirley Bassey. I'll have to look it up on You Tube

Back2UK

Thank you for your replies

Guinness: Some people really make me laugh.

Jemima55: I have since heard its her character.

Moggiemiss: Unbelievable attitude.

I had a Canadian phone me saying that she watched all of the Diamond Jubilee on TV. She loved it all.

I need a eye test but I shall wait until I get to the UK. Its $110 here. I can't wait to purchase flowers, we have so much to be grateful for in the UK.

If1: Yep your right, furthermore we all moved for different reasons and mine is not same as hers.

morayeel

I just moved back to to Scotland just over a month ago. I liked the US but the medical costs were an issue. Some people on here will bash me for coming back for the NHS. The few people I have spoken with, repairmen,sisters friends etc all say "why did you come back here"?
They think life in America is fantastic and no problems etc. Having been out the country for over 25 years I am feeling a little out of sorts. My daughter and her son want to move here. When I told the repairman about my grandson moving here he couldn't understand it. He was saying stuff like "theres nothing here for anyone etc etc etc. Made me feel like she shouldn't come with him. I guess I am missing them and anyway I know I am rambling. I just feel unsettled but maybe that is the curse of the expat? Some days I feel like getting on a plane and heading back and other days I feel settled.

Jerseygirl

When people say/ask questions like that...ask them if they have ever lived overseas. When they say no...as 99.9% of them do...say you really don't appreciate how great life in the UK is until you've lived overseas. That usually shuts them up.

BTW you are bound to have days...even weeks/months...when you feel unsettled.

feelbritish

My British friend here thought I was crazy to think of moving back! Because we are going only in 3 years time due to the fact that hubby wants to work longer until he retires, I have told him to keep our intents secret to ourselves now except our families back home! I do feel a little unpatriotic with Canadians when I think that I am planning to return. However, very few of them ever phone me, it is always me doing the running so I should not feel like that

What also works here with neighbours is to tell them you miss family - Canadians understand that!

Beedubya

You have only been here a matter of weeks, I think it takes a good year or two to find your feet and do not listen to the nay sayers, probably never done anything further than a 2 week trip to the Costa del Sol.

How can anybody who has not had our experience possibly make any valid points on coming back to live here?

I remember somebody had a thread on here before I came back it went something like this:

Mr Gloom: What the hell did you want to come back to this hellhole for?

Returnee: This is my home and I love it.

Mr Gloom: This country is going to the dogs, blah blah blah.

Returnee: Have you ever lived in another country then?

Mr Gloom: No.

Returnee: Well then............

Deb568

Couldn't agree more about Australia. I lived there for 16 years, in two separate stints. It's great if you are young, have good skills, are prepared to live wherever there is work, don't turn lobster in the sun, and have plenty of money so can afford to buy/rent something decent.

It's what happens when you get laid off, or can't find work, or can no longer afford to stay in the flat you have bought/rented that can be hard to weather compared to here.

Deb568

We came back to England, but moved up to Scotland within months of coming home. I think Scotland's a great place to live and am mystified by the number of Scots here who don't seem to appreciate it. I've lived in the States, L.A. and New York. Each to their own, but if I were going to live in the States rather than here, it would have to be sunny, right next to the sea, very close to mountains with snow on them, have brilliant shopping all within half an hour's walk from the front door, have a bus service that runs so often I wonder where they actually store all the buses they need for that frequency of service (every 15 minutes on a Sunday).... There are lots of places in the States that I like, but it's just hard to get all of what you get in Edinburgh in one package.

And put it this way, having experienced both, better the NHS in Scotland than the one in England. At least up here it is well funded and fit for purpose.

morayeel

All the replies made me feel much better with decision. My brother also told me that all the doom and gloom people have never LIVED in the US. If you have a great job and lots of money the US can be a great place to live, but things are tough over there for the "working poor". I love not having to own a car! Of course a car would be nice but I can walk just about everywhere and the bus and train station are a few minutes walk. I saw a nursery nurse job advertised and have applied, the interview isn't until June 26th but hoping I get hired as it would be ideal. I have an interview this Tuesday for Aldi, not my ideal job but if I get it, great. I have put out several cvs and registered with the job center last week so I think I will find employment soon. I found a NHS dentist and registered with the doctor. I had enough money to pay rent and am in a flat central to everything. My sister lives close by. I went down on the bus to Dunoon last week to spend some time with my parents so as long as I can secure employment soon I should be fine. Thankyou for all the positve responses My daughter has her UK passport and is now in the process of applying for one for her son.