We Love England!
Jan 11th 2009, 9:35 pm
#46
BE Enthusiast
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Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 336
Re: We Love England!
Jan 11th 2009, 9:35 pm
#47
Life is more than a dream
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Kings Moss, UK - it's a bit like Emmerdale
Posts: 1,389
Re: We Love England!
I agree, none of us is an expert on someone else's situation or feelings (which is why I replied the way I did to the earlier post).
All we can do is give advice, based on our own experiences/knowledge, and for many of us, the experience of reading 1,000's of posts on BE over the years.
I firmly believe that making the decision to return (to the UK, or ping-pong back to expat land) based on feelings after just 5 weeks, or 5 months, is unwise.
Any time this opinion is expressed on MBTTUK, the response is usually the same - someone will recount their own experience of hating (wherever) after a very short time, sometimes from the second they stepped off the plane. They give it a go for another year, return to the UK, and live happy ever after. So, sometimes these early gut reactions do turn out to be correct (i.e., the person feels the same after a year, or 5 years, or 10 years - or gets on the first plane home and subsequently reports it was the best decision they ever made).
The message "It's too early" to threads like this one is therefore often misinterpreted as meaning "You must be wrong". On the contrary, I think it's entirely possible the OP's early reactions could turn out to be correct. It's just that, from the dozens of posts I have read where initial reactions turn out to completely change, I think making major expensive and personal decisions based on an early dislike to your adopted country is very, very risky. It's like waking up a week after getting married and deciding you don't like your new spouse so you file for divorce. These things need to be given more time, is all I'm saying.
All we can do is give advice, based on our own experiences/knowledge, and for many of us, the experience of reading 1,000's of posts on BE over the years.
I firmly believe that making the decision to return (to the UK, or ping-pong back to expat land) based on feelings after just 5 weeks, or 5 months, is unwise.
Any time this opinion is expressed on MBTTUK, the response is usually the same - someone will recount their own experience of hating (wherever) after a very short time, sometimes from the second they stepped off the plane. They give it a go for another year, return to the UK, and live happy ever after. So, sometimes these early gut reactions do turn out to be correct (i.e., the person feels the same after a year, or 5 years, or 10 years - or gets on the first plane home and subsequently reports it was the best decision they ever made).
The message "It's too early" to threads like this one is therefore often misinterpreted as meaning "You must be wrong". On the contrary, I think it's entirely possible the OP's early reactions could turn out to be correct. It's just that, from the dozens of posts I have read where initial reactions turn out to completely change, I think making major expensive and personal decisions based on an early dislike to your adopted country is very, very risky. It's like waking up a week after getting married and deciding you don't like your new spouse so you file for divorce. These things need to be given more time, is all I'm saying.
everyone's experiences are individual and for some people, it just takes time to settle down after the initial culture shock. I wasn't taking exception to your reply at all - you weren't professing to be an expert - you were merely expressing your opinion based on your own experiences - to which you have every entitlement. I just had to point out to JAJ that no-one can be an expert on other peoples lives - hell we can't even be an expert on our own lives otherwise we wouldn't all be posting on here
Hope all goes well for you too
Jan 11th 2009, 9:41 pm
#48
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Re: We Love England!
Its like somebody coming to the UK and living in say Cumbria or North Wales etc (nothing wrong with these places by the way) and after 5 months there saying that they are pissed off with the UK and want to return home. Perhaps had they gone to either London or Manchester etc they may have had a different opinion about the UK.
Jan 11th 2009, 9:43 pm
#49
Weirdo Latin Dude
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Hotter than hell
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Re: We Love England!
But Toronto is a city that I do like very much, even though I would not choose to live in the city itself.
Jan 11th 2009, 9:53 pm
#50
Weirdo Latin Dude
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Re: We Love England!
For me they are the right way around because I am a city person but for many I imagine it would be the opposite. Given that you are a policeman I am sure you would have seen the worst of inner city life.
The point was that the OP has gone to a fairly isolated part of Canada and doesn`t like it, my suggestion was that she should maybe try somewhere more central to activity etc like Toronto and Vancover etc hence the comparison to London and Manchester. But then again if she dislikes city life or being near a large city these places are not going to be of any interest to her.
The point was that the OP has gone to a fairly isolated part of Canada and doesn`t like it, my suggestion was that she should maybe try somewhere more central to activity etc like Toronto and Vancover etc hence the comparison to London and Manchester. But then again if she dislikes city life or being near a large city these places are not going to be of any interest to her.
Jan 11th 2009, 10:05 pm
#52
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Re: We Love England!
For me they are the right way around because I am a city person but for many I imagine it would be the opposite. Given that you are a policeman I am sure you would have seen the worst of inner city life.
The point was that the OP has gone to a fairly isolated part of Canada and doesn`t like it, my suggestion was that she should maybe try somewhere more central to activity etc like Toronto and Vancover etc hence the comparison to London and Manchester. But then again if she dislikes city life or being near a large city these places are not going to be of any interest to her.
The point was that the OP has gone to a fairly isolated part of Canada and doesn`t like it, my suggestion was that she should maybe try somewhere more central to activity etc like Toronto and Vancover etc hence the comparison to London and Manchester. But then again if she dislikes city life or being near a large city these places are not going to be of any interest to her.
Im a City person really but it would be nice to have the best of both worlds. Live in the sticks a bit but be near enough to the city for when you need it or want it.
I believe there are places in Canada (and uk) where this can be achieved ?
Regards.
Jan 11th 2009, 10:30 pm
#53
Weirdo Latin Dude
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: Hotter than hell
Posts: 2,545
Re: We Love England!
Indeed they can especially in the Uk due to its relatively small size and urban and rural places being quite close together. When I lived in the UK I was a member of a cycling club (road racing) and just going out from South London it was relatively easy due to the road networks to be in the countryside quite quickly which in turn was served by an excellent road network system. So yes city and country life is very much on your doorstep in the UK. In Canada I found access to the countryside not to be as good as the UK and one has to travel much further but I am talking about Toronto here and maybe in other parts of Canada it is different. But once out in the Canadian countryside yes its spectacular.
Jan 11th 2009, 11:24 pm
#54
Just hanging around
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Location: Back in England
Posts: 1,447
Re: We Love England!
I know what you mean. We can know something, but experiencing it is entirely different. Cold snowy winters can seem romantic to most English people. I remember being thrilled to bits at our first serious snowfall in Nova Scotia. Those big fluffy snowflakes. The quiet that settled once everyone had struggled home. Building huge snowmen. Sledding down long hills.
But it wears off for most of us. Most Canadians born and bred don't like winter and dream of moving to the west coast.
But I happen to think that apart from weather Nova Scotia is one of the best places in Canada, especially Halifax
Bev
But it wears off for most of us. Most Canadians born and bred don't like winter and dream of moving to the west coast.
But I happen to think that apart from weather Nova Scotia is one of the best places in Canada, especially Halifax
Bev
Jan 11th 2009, 11:34 pm
#55
Just hanging around
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Location: Back in England
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Re: We Love England!
Decent as in large metropolitan areas with lots to do and see, plenty of opportunities, very cosmopolitan and good links to other countries by air etc You could say hubs of activity. You could mention Toronto in the same breath as either New York or Washington DC. But I suppose if you want small then you wouldn`t like any of these places.
Respect our differences, please, Jules.
Bev
Jan 11th 2009, 11:42 pm
#56
Weirdo Latin Dude
Joined: Aug 2008
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Re: We Love England!
If for example she was in Toronto and hated it then the suggestion would have been to go somewhere much smaller.
Jan 11th 2009, 11:57 pm
#57
Just hanging around
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Location: Back in England
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Re: We Love England!
Have you ever spent time in Halifax? Despite your liking for big cities, I think you'd like it quite a bit.
BTW, just a comment about countryside from another of your posts. You're right. It's so different here. No public footpaths through countryside, so country walking is always along roads, often with fast traffic zooming along now and then. Look what happened to Stephen King! (Yes, I know that was the US, but same system.)
You can live in a small country town in some places. Very nice. But still nowhere to walk except along the roads. There are more walking paths, bike paths, and parks in cities
You usually have to go a fair way out of a town to a wilderness park to hike, and that's not the same thing. Can be grand, but it's not the same. We have friends who live on a lot of land in NS -- all rough treed land, not agricultural -- and they built paths all over it. I asked why and they pointed out there was nowhere to walk except roads.
I'm not down on Canada at all. Been here 30 years, after all. But it's very different. People thinking about emigrating here need to grasp that. It's not England with a lot more space.
Bev
Jan 12th 2009, 12:01 am
#58
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Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
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Jan 12th 2009, 12:18 am
#59
Oscar nominated
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Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,817
Re: We Love England!
So even spending a whole winter previously may not have been that useful.
Last winter for me was a real drag. Even when you think you've seen the last of the snowfalls, it's still going to be around for weeks to come on the paths, on the grass, piled high in the parking lots etc.
It can get quite depressing knowing that you may be shovelling again less than 6 months after the last lot.
I never shovelled snow ever in the UK...not in 47 years!!! It's every few days here. I can cope as I have plenty of time and I never have to get up especially early to clear any. If I had to work I would probably feel very differently about it.
Jan 12th 2009, 4:12 am
#60
Just Joined
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Posts: 5
Re: We Love England!
Decent as in large metropolitan areas with lots to do and see, plenty of opportunities, very cosmopolitan and good links to other countries by air etc You could say hubs of activity. You could mention Toronto in the same breath as either New York or Washington DC. But I suppose if you want small then you wouldn`t like any of these places.
Large cities normally serve as the perfect apetizer when discovering new countries, to not know them and what they offer, is often to not really know the country.
Large cities normally serve as the perfect apetizer when discovering new countries, to not know them and what they offer, is often to not really know the country.
I know more than 20 people that have moved to different countries and they all went straight to live in big cities of their new country. In regards to Canada, I know 4 people that went to live in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Again I think Jules explained it very well as why.