One third of British Expats return to the UK earlier than they planned
May 31st 2013, 4:21 am
#31
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,245
Re: One third of British Expats return to the UK earlier than they planned
I find it is a continuous process. I loved it for 5 years, then I started to notice the rot and the dream began to wear off. For the next 10 years I got progressively more uneasy, then about 5 years ago I woke up one day and admitted what I had suspected and was trying to suppress..... I had offically crossed over to hating it. I will be leaving when I retire. Simply put - I no-longer think the USA is a civilized place to live. Initial appearances are deceptive. Having been here 20+ years I now realize it probably was never a civilized place. Recent frank discussions with my American co-workers have been very enlightening. Despite the bullshit and patriotism, most of them have for years secretly been envious of the rest of the developed world. Some are thinking of emigrating - such talk is usually rare among Americans compared to, say, Brits. But the cry is getting louder.
I lived for 25+ years in the Bay Area (CA) and loved it, including the people and the attitudes (not much bullshit and patriotism, as you put it). I've been spending the past 4 years in Scottsdale, AZ due to a work situation, and I find the people to be very different indeed - everyone hates Obama, hates healthcare reform, loves guns, hates immigrants ... if this had been my first port-of-call, I'd probably have left early. I suspect that my experience in AZ is more representative of what many ex-pats experience ... the majority of the US, excluding the coastal metropolitan areas, seems to be 'tea party land'.
I'm loving AZ for other reasons and I find that as long as I don't talk politics / guns / healthcare with my colleagues I'm happy, but in the long term, I look forward to returning to the Bay Area - that's where my heart is. For me the problem with the UK is fairly simple and hits me the minute I land ... gray skies and gray attitudes ...
May 31st 2013, 4:50 am
#32
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,091
Re: One third of British Expats return to the UK earlier than they planned
Where are you located?
I lived for 25+ years in the Bay Area (CA) and loved it, including the people and the attitudes (not much bullshit and patriotism, as you put it). I've been spending the past 4 years in Scottsdale, AZ due to a work situation, and I find the people to be very different indeed - everyone hates Obama, hates healthcare reform, loves guns, hates immigrants ... if this had been my first port-of-call, I'd probably have left early. I suspect that my experience in AZ is more representative of what many ex-pats experience ... the majority of the US, excluding the coastal metropolitan areas, seems to be 'tea party land'.
I'm loving AZ for other reasons and I find that as long as I don't talk politics / guns / healthcare with my colleagues I'm happy, but in the long term, I look forward to returning to the Bay Area - that's where my heart is. For me the problem with the UK is fairly simple and hits me the minute I land ... gray skies and gray attitudes ...
I lived for 25+ years in the Bay Area (CA) and loved it, including the people and the attitudes (not much bullshit and patriotism, as you put it). I've been spending the past 4 years in Scottsdale, AZ due to a work situation, and I find the people to be very different indeed - everyone hates Obama, hates healthcare reform, loves guns, hates immigrants ... if this had been my first port-of-call, I'd probably have left early. I suspect that my experience in AZ is more representative of what many ex-pats experience ... the majority of the US, excluding the coastal metropolitan areas, seems to be 'tea party land'.
I'm loving AZ for other reasons and I find that as long as I don't talk politics / guns / healthcare with my colleagues I'm happy, but in the long term, I look forward to returning to the Bay Area - that's where my heart is. For me the problem with the UK is fairly simple and hits me the minute I land ... gray skies and gray attitudes ...
May 31st 2013, 5:21 am
#33
gurt mint nit?
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: In my shed
Posts: 2,776
Re: One third of British Expats return to the UK earlier than they planned
I find it is a continuous process. I loved it for 5 years, then I started to notice the rot and the dream began to wear off. For the next 10 years I got progressively more uneasy, then about 5 years ago I woke up one day and admitted what I had suspected and was trying to suppress..... I had offically crossed over to hating it. I will be leaving when I retire. Simply put - I no-longer think the USA is a civilized place to live. Initial appearances are deceptive. Having been here 20+ years I now realize it probably was never a civilized place. Recent frank discussions with my American co-workers have been very enlightening. Despite the bullshit and patriotism, most of them have for years secretly been envious of the rest of the developed world. Some are thinking of emigrating - such talk is usually rare among Americans compared to, say, Brits. But the cry is getting louder.
