Re: An American view.
 

Some people are just glass half empty and when you're that down, logic and reasoning don't come into play so they will be unable to see any fact from any other viewpoint so it is pointless arguing. So I just feel sorry for them...imagine to having to wake up every day and be that miserable.

Even at my worst homesickness which thankfully seems to be easing, I didn't feel the need to kick Canada and could still see it for what it was..... I'm just I'm glad I get to be me and not him/her.

Re: An American view.
 

My view is Mr & Mrs L know the pro's & cons of living in the US. Its not about the elderly or healthcare issues & comparisons. Mrs L listed her annoyances living in smallville UK. Its a bit of the whinging POM syndrome [back home this, that & the other, its not the same here] comparison, looking at what infuriates one with the new surroundings or culture .... nothing more, nothing less IMO.

They have choices, they made a choice, they are in the UK 2 years in & hopefully with each passing day are enjoying living in it. We cannot IMO fix the issues Mrs L has in her OP, or say to them 'if you don't like it, then shove off back to the US'. After spending most of her life in the US, could it be that Mrs L is somewhat disappointed with her UK lifestyle, possibly home sick - who knows & its none of our business. I admire the OP for her post, even though I think its either a rant or a whinge & trust she feels better for doing it.

Of course living in the US, healthcare charges, healthcare insurance, cable TV, internet, council/property tax, car/house insurance are likely more costly in the US compared to the average in the UK. As for welfare & unemployment, even folks on food stamps would annoy me. Living on the East coast of the US, extreme weather conditions, extreme heat & cold, power outages, snowed in, floods .... the list is endless

Re: An American view.
 

I find that odd and confusing too. I can't speak for all of North America but our phone bill includes a fee for "provision" of 911 services. :blink:

Not to mention the charges to patient for an ambulance. :eek:

Re: An American view.
 

Thank you dunroving and others on here who have been able to show some compassion for Mrs & Mrs London1947

Heaven forbid any of the rest of you should ever find yourselves, elderly, far from family and friends, on limited income with limited choices, depressed and feeling you have made a wrong decision and that you may not be able to reverse it.

Good grief, so an unhappy, homesick American expat living in the UK vents on an expats message board a rather sweeping statement about what she does not like about living in the UK. If you can't see that its coming from a person who is depressed and in pain then you are clearly lacking in imagination and empathy. By all means give a different view and point out factual errors but that can be done kindly without suggesting she and her husband have no right to express what they are feeling or to even be on this message board.

Maybe instead of bashing and suggesting the OP is trolling you should just thank your lucky stars that you aren't in such a dark place (emotionally) yourselves.

It is hard to see the bright side or give a balanced view when you are deeply unhappy and feeling trapped, those of us who read this forum regularly have been able to see London1947's increasing unhappiness and depression from his posts, please just be gentle to someone who is already clearly hurting. I have seen so much kindness, compassion and patience from strangers to strangers on BE, this thread could do with some more of that right now.

Re: An American view.
 

:goodpost:

Re: An American view.
 

Absolutely, I agree with correcting factual inaccuracies, but there are ways and ways, and at times it is clearly used as an excuse for giving someone a kicking even though it's obvious they are miserable.

Re: An American view.
 

Have you actually read the posts where some of us have said we can see why the OP is unhappy, but we would like to actually correct their facts where necessary? There are loads of posters on here like me who are not 'bashing' anyone, far from it, we can understand the feelings. Bur trying to get sympathy by quoting facts that just aren't true isn't going to help!
No-one is saying the OP is a troll either, they've made loads of posts, they are obviously posting genuinely.

Re: An American view.
 

Indeed, having been on the receiving end of vitriol from the OP and been accused of lying all I wish to do is point out the ridiculous inaccuracies in most of the comments made. Because of their attitude in the past they will get neither understanding nor empathy from me. If that offends others that is unfortunate.

Re: An American view.
 

Actually, Petrichor suggested that the OP was trolling in Post 99, and one poster has changed their name to self-appointed "Troll hunter" since one or two people have come to the defence of London1947.

Anyways, personally I disagree with a lot of what MrsLondon1947 thinks of the UK (I think my TV licence is possibly the best value for money I get every year, for example). I just don't feel the need to correct inaccuracies when I can see they are just the exaggerated perceptions of someone who has been replanted into a totally alien environment and appears to be thoroughly miserable. Been there, done that and just grateful I no longer have to eat the pies...

Re: An American view.
 

I know it's not exactly Zabars, but that pie and pasty shop in Dawlish is pretty nice though. You can a nice piece of bread pudding there, too.

Re: An American view.
 

I'm intrigued to know the rationale for the OP choosing Dawlish in the first place. Upper West Side to a British seaside resort is certainly a huge step, especially in later life.

Re: An American view.
 

Indeed. I pay $3.39 a month on my cell phone bill for 911 services.

Re: An American view.
 

I'm curious to know the story too. It would probably help some people who are returning ... let's try to get some insight and learn rather than berate.

When I lived in Tennessee I used to ride 100's of miles way out where the people still have tails. I almost bought a plot of land in the country, in a beautiful hollow about 20 miles from anywhere. The idea was to build a house. Nice and peaceful, I thought it would be idyllic. On reflection, I would probably have gone mad within months from the solitude and thoughts that if an axe murderer paid me a visit, no-one would know for days ... maybe the OP thought a quiet, quaint village would be the perfect life.

Re: An American view.
 

Well I just said "Zabars" as an illustrative flourish. I do not know if they lived in the Upper West Side, or some other city milieu.

Re: An American view.
 

The problem is that seaside resorts are anything but quiet. You get inundated by tourists for some of the year and the population in general tends to be more itinerant them is typical. Not my idea of a place to live, but we are all different of course.