Re: Would you still uproot?
 

That answers one of my questions! ;)

Nice sentiment... living and enjoying for the moment. I think folk 'think' too much ahead of time. Like me for example! On this matter, anyway .. :D

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

hell no.

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

What he said.

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

What both them said!

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

To Japan, yes
To America, no

And here's why:

America was full of loudmouths and braggarts. Oh, I forgot the in your face religious nuts as well. Puritanical attitudes to sex and alcohol were woven into the society and culture - what a bunch of boring feckers.

Too much mindless patriotism, idiocy masquerading as "tradition", lack of irony and humour, fake posturing and phoney friendship, macho culture, guns, fat feckers, arggghhh! the list could go on and on.

All of which is not to say there weren't a few individual Americans who were on my wave length, but as a whole that country was a major disappointment.

Japan is ****** weird too, but their weirdness is much more in sync with my own. One of the best things here is the zero influence of Old Testament morality and Puritanism. Liberal attitudes to drinking, sex, not boasting all the time, not stuffing your fat face full of crap "food', women who are women and keep their figures even after childbirth... I like it here!

Unfortunately they work insanely long hours, but then so do the puritanical yanks. At least the Japanese know how to enjoy themselves.

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

What's their secret?

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

Beats me. My Missus is a chink, and she eats twice as much as me, and is still only 100lb!
She has small hands as well, which makes me look good :rofl:

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

My husband is an only child and his parents are thinking of moving to the UK when they retire next year. They qualify for the retired persons of independent means visa, even with the crappy exchange rate, but they would have a much less affluent life than in the US. They are willing to try it because family is much more important. And this is even coming from FiL who, when we decided not to move back to the US last year, ranted at the husband that he was choosing to live in the poverty in a third world country :mad:

I always knew if the husband really really couldn't settle here then I would move back to the US with him. I had got used to it and was enjoying it by the end of my time there and though there would be sacrifices I would do it for my bloke, <insert gushy stuff about husband>, the place we live is less important than that we are together.

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

It was exactly that kind of arrogant ethno-centric attitude that I detested in America. So many yanks think America is the best country in the world and that other countries (even western European ones) don't have running water and indoor toilets.

There are plenty of places in America that are "Third World" as far as I'm concerned, so they should shut their mouths and think twice before they say cr@p like that.:curse:

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

Ditto

But 4 years

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

I just mention the exchange rate, tends to kill that conversation.

Or sometimes how low the wages are in the US.

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

I would have agreed with him about four hours ago when I waited nearly 30 minutes for an out of hours surgery to answer the phone, and then another hour for the GP to phone back and advise me on how to treat my 11 year old who was in agony with ear ache.

I was fuming, thinking of the hours I work and the taxes I pay - for what?

Generally though, I love England. I got into this site because I bought a bolt hole in Valencia.

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

Okay, I have to say this I am not going to argue with you over a majority of your comments, although I'm not keen on some of them, but this one is silly-"so many yanks think that America is the best country in the world." What do you expect an American to say? If a Brit comes on here and says the UK is best, I'm not going to say they are wrong for thinking that-it's their homeland FFS. :blink:

Believe me, I am all for people broadening their horizons and seeing as much of the world as possible in order not to make blanket judgments, which I detest.

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

Well come on now - every country has a FEW lunatics.

Re: Would you still uproot?
 

But the regional traits do actually vary here. I honestly never imagined that they could - America being such a new country. There are regions of the country where the local mentality is too "anti-English" in the ways you described, but there are places where you can strike a compromise.

America has never ceased to amaze and I really cannot see how anyone could be diappointed by the natural things on offer here. Not what people have done, but the things you have to break your routine to appreciate.

One thing is true, you cannot live here and be of the opinions you stated - you will go insane. No doubt.