ukintexas

Have just returned from a fantastic two week break in the UK over Christmas and thought I'd share some observations with those of you in here (me included) who continue to struggle with where they would like to be:

Change in population was staggering to me - Eastern Europeans, Muslim communities and other nationalities seem to outnumber "bog standard" Brits (whatever that may be these days).
People seemed to look a bit grumpy. It was bloody freezing so the grimaces might have been to do with that, but nevertheless, it made me feel like they were all grumps!
You can't beat the beautiful English Countryside when you go out on a walk - it was lovely.
Houses seem to be so expensive - not sure how anyone starts out these days with the banks now needing at least a 20% deposit.
M&S is still fantastic

My personal experience was that I felt as though I was returning here (US) to nothing but "stuff" when it was coming to the last few days of our break. When I started to think about all the people I was leaving behind, and the lack of close friends I was returning to, it did for a split second put things into perspective. That's gone now though and so the angst will no doubt continue!

Elvira

???

According to the 2001 Census, the ethnic composition of the United Kingdom was:[3]
Ethnic group Population % of total*
White 54,153,898 92.1%
Mixed race 677,117 1.2%
Indian 1,053,411 1.8%
Pakistani 747,285 1.3%
Bangladeshi 283,063 0.5%
Other Asian (non-Chinese) 247,644 0.4%
Black Caribbean 565,876 1.0%
Black African 485,277 0.8%
Black (others) 97,585 0.2%
Chinese 247,403 0.4%
Other 230,615 0.4%
* Percentage of total UK population

http://britishexpats.com/forum/newre...eply&p=8216352

ukintexas

I wasn't talking about skin colour, I was talking about nationalities.

ann m

I hear ya !

wordfool

I guess your perspective on population will depend on where in the US you live. I'm in SF, where white faces can be rarer than in some East London boroughs. I'm back and forth to the UK many times a year and outside London I find the UK to still be very white (generally a pastey sorta white).

I always feel there's something lacking about US culture whenever I return from a UK break. Call it the expat's curse. For one, I feel more like a social creature when I'm in the UK, with both friends and strangers, than when I'm in the US because the Brits just seem more relaxed about interacting, socializing and generally being themselves, despite the "stuffy Brit" image. The flipside of that, of course, is that social mobility in the US is far greater, which makes me really feel like I can be or do anything.

Countryside -- it always amazes me that despite the population density the countryside in the UK is still the most relaxing and bucolic I've encountered in the world. California has it's wilderness where you can walk for days without seeing a hint of civilization, but Britain has "countryside" that somehow manages to be more relaxing. Maybe the pubs in every village help

M&S -- ugh! Nice food, shame about the clothes. I wouldn't even buy my undies from M&S anymore. Sad really.

Weather -- another ugh! I love the active weather in the UK for about two days, then it usually pisses me off in some way (too hot, too muggy, too cold, too wet, too windy, too grey). And traveling there in late December, not seeing the sun for one week straight and dealing with darkness at 4pm is a recipe for never getting over jet lag (as I discovered last winter).

But having said all that, I am planning to go back and live there for a few years with my better half as soon as I get my US citizenship (hopefully this year). California is just too depressing and dysfunctional at the moment.

lilybilly101

I love it when people post their impressions of the UK on here, the good, the bad and the ugly. This is often how I have felt on visits home in the past. The weather can be a bummer but the people and culture (the pub I guess.....lol) more than make up for it. Socially it is brilliant. My Canadian husband is comfortable to go out with people on his own and have a few beers and a laugh where as in his own country he hates going out EVER! It's so funny and wonderful to watch him come out of himself and see him laughing hysterically at some daft joke. I love it. Can't wait to go home and see him smile more even if it is in the rain! Thanks again for your post fresh off the boat.

PS I'm mixed race and I noticed a real shift in immigration newbies when I was there last. I love how the East Indians (my family are East Indian Africans....) are old, firm Brits and white eastern Europeans are the new comers. It's just interesting to observe the shift. Personally I love and miss the different cultures.....especially the variety of great grub! Oh for a quaint English village with three pubs, and an excellent Indian and Chinese restaurant. Bliss.

dunroving

I imagine things have changed somewhat since 2001, and that "White" now captures a lot of non-British nationalities (e.g., Eastern European) that weren't here just 10 years ago. Also, AFAIK, by the time these censuses are published/reported, the data are already a couple of years out of date.

Just an anecdotal observation, but when I was in Glasgow in 2000, it was several weeks before it dawned on me that I hadn't seen a single black person i.e., of African/Caribbean origin, whereas it's not uncommon this time around to see African/Caribbean faces every time I go into Glasgow. This may be due to national immigration, or migration from other parts of the UK, I don't know.

livinginreality

I guess it depends where you live/come from!I'm not a racists but I can't help noticeing that where I live is predominantly white english folk!I guess if I went to somewhere like Bristol I would notice a difference.People grumpy?I only said to my OH on Saturday,where we live,people are happy and friendly,and thats not a deluded view point either.

wombatboy

it's really good to hear what you lot are saying. I am on my last day on holiday in UK and go back to sydney tomorrow (via tokyo!)
i must admit people are okay on the whole here, the weather at the moment is atrocious and at a time when my wife and I are preparing to come backk mid way this year (dont ask me why i came back at christmas it was kidn of a gift from my mum!) it is really diffcult coping with the climate change from warm sydney to -1degree!!! but the countryside still is as beautiful as ever and the people really seem more talkative here with strangers than even sydney! (but grass is always greener).
All I worry about is getting a job when i come back (parents are putting me up while i look). but the economy slowly seems to be rising it's head from the mess 2009 left so maybe emplyment will improve. (i'm in advertising)

all in all i found the british to still have the wit and charm that I have so much missed, the media (press) to be absolutely f***ed and as crapola as before, the internet to be faster and cheaper than oz, mini-breaks to europe still rock and are relatively cheap.

My friends are still the same ...although they exude a bit of doom and gloom about the state of their jobs and tend to be a bit more obsessed with money than they used to be, but that might be due to the fact that we've hit our mid 30s and money really is important when you start having kids etc.

ps. highlight of my holiday:
- seeing my little two yr old daughter playing with her three cousins.
- having a curry then walking out into an unexpected snow blizzard in my village. awesome!

ukintexas

I loved seeing my kids with their cousins too - really was lovely. Spent last 24 hours surfing schools, houses etc as am back on the bloody rollercoaster of what to do, where to be etc.

wheatsheaf

I too just returned from a short trip to Britain. Arrived on the first day of heavy snow. Very impressed with a) seeing people help the elderly and in need to and from cars to shops, and shovelling doorways off snow, getting groceries for neighbours, making phone calls to see whether things were OK etc. (b) in all the traffic chaos, way more driver courtesy than you would ever find in North America. (c) very friendly and courteous sales staff at stores (d) a true multi cultural feel to the areas with high visible minorities (!) ...sometimes doesnt seem like they are in a minority? There's more 'understanding' than 'tolerance' it seemed to me. A feeling of 'we are all in this together? Overall a much more engaging place to be. You feel alive. Even my 2 teenage children felt that way, and have been talking of returning to work/study for at least a couple of years.

Left with a feeling that seniors and retirees are proud and confident, whilst younger age groups are coming to realise that with Europe open to them, there is a lot more to look forward to with that little extra effort.

Relocateme

great to hear Wheatsheaf...thanks for posting this ...really good to hear these things and how it is there so recently

jonfrank123

I moved back to one with exactly three pubs and a chinese, the Indian is in the next village though. The funny thing is there's loads of Canadians here, despite being in the middle of rural Oxfordshire.

lilybilly101

FEEL ALIVE......!!! I feel the opposite here......the waiting room to die we call it, others call it paradise!!!

wheatsheaf

Yes!. Isnt that strange?. I married a Canadian gal, and she's the only reason I moved. Im always feeling like Im waiting for tomorrow to 'be happening', although fully occupied with my days here. A visit to the UK and any UK city is like an energising vitamin lasting few months. On the other hand, visiting different places in N America is much of a sameness...it seems to me that you have to be an addict of something to enjoy yourself here.