Lineabove

Thank you all for the comments.

Best wishes to all.

England (to me) will be my adventure.

Lineabove

Not2Old
I have read this post over and over again.
I find this very insulting.
Your outlook on life is not my outlook on life.
Have a good day... I know I will.

HighCaper

I for one hope that Lineabove thoroughly enjoys being in the UK and he's spot on that it will be an adventure for him as he's not been there for many years. I really wish that the negative posters on here consider the OP's original comments instead of bombarding his thread with their "hard luck Harry" stories.

Yes England has changed, yes it rains a lot, yes housing is expensive in some areas, yes a glass of wine is pricey in a pub/restaurant ! From my perspective England is still very beautiful, its green and lush thanks to the rain, I'd return and live way out of London where the cost of living is accessible and if necessary I'd not drink wine.

It's all how your willing to look at the situation, with or without rose tinted glasses.

amideislas

Frankly, at a culturally macro view, England isn't really *all* that different from the US or Canada (just older, smaller, more crowded and more expensive).

If its truly an adventure you seek, you might consider something really different - South America, Asia, South Africa, etc..

Or if you like cool weather and need stability, Germany, Scandinavia, and most of northern Europe are noticeably different than the US/CA/UK. For a bit more of an adventure, try Italy, Spain, France...

On the other hand, you'll still have trouble getting HP, Branston pickle, and Cumberland sausages in the aforementioned places. If that's important, then England is your best bet.

christmasoompa

I'd disagree that the cultures 'aren't all that different', plenty of folks on the US and Canada forums experiencing culture shock. A (somewhat) shared language doesn't mean the culture is the same and most seem to think it's really rather different!

How long ago was it that you lived in the US and Canada? I've no idea on the US as I've never lived there, but certainly the UK isn't more expensive than Canada for most things, cost of living is generally about the same.

amideislas

Everything is relative. The UK is different from the US/CA, but they do share much of the very same consumer-ish, shopping-mall pop-culture - at least if you compare the two from afar ('macro view')... ...say, from somewhere different.

To fully realise this, it requires the 'adventure' of living somewhere different, which is what I was suggesting.

Humans are creatures of habit, and most don't fancy doing something 'different'. Slightly different:OK; Really different:No, thank you.

Don't get me wrong: I like America/Canada. I'm just not all that fond of the UK, however, because it's pretty similar to the US or Canada, just smaller, more crowded, and more expensive. Not a great value IMO.

But if you have to live on this side of the Atlantic, the UK has a decent economy - and jobs - lots of bennies, and (perceptibly) 'free' healthcare - and that's rather unique in this neighbourhood.

Lorry1

Quote:

Originally Posted by amideislas

Frankly, at a culturally macro view, England isn't really *all* that different from the US or Canada (just older, smaller, more crowded and more expensive).

...and isn't full of Americans...or Canadians

The found the culture in Canada to be quite different actually which is why I struggled there. Have you actually been to US or Canada?

Editha

Mallorca is different is it?

amideislas

Far more Americans and Canadians in Britain than say, in my neighbourhood. But Britain has a more eclectic ethnic mix - Indians, Arabs, Russians, Asians, etc..

Yes, I am in the US 2-3 times annually. Canada from time to time, but Canada isn't shockingly different. Like so many say, "America without the bullshit". And that's somewhat true in my experience.

I don't know if that's supposed to be an insult, but yes, continental Europe is far more different from Canada or the US than the UK is. Not just language, but culture, food, economics, etc.. You'll definitely know you're 'not in kansas anymore'. I reckon if you come from Massachusetts, and miraculously woke up in England one morning, you might not immediately realise you're not in Massachusetts anymore.

And since you brought it up, yes, Mallorca is very different than the UK. Brits and even Germans who move here immediately suffer a good bit of culture shock. It usually takes a year or two to acclimate.

not2old

what is that culture shock that makes it so much different between living in Canada, the UK to Mallorca?

On foreign born (country of origin) living in the UK, I was surprised at the numbers, especially with the low number of American & Canadians

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreig...United_Kingdom

amideislas

Complicated question, worthy of a detailed reply, but you'll lose interest quickly, really, so I'll *try* to be brief:

> Language (obviously).

> Culture: Whew - where do I start?

Americans (and Brits to a large extent) are extremely consumer-ish (for lack of a better term). Shopping malls, chain restaurants, attentive customer service, extreme things... I probably can't explain it well enough without adequate frame of reference.

Here, the 'mindset' is much different, and pace is much slower. Most businesses are family-owned, you find precious few chain restaurants or fast food ... people are much more relaxed. Attentive customer service is rare. The economics are different - cost of living is cheap, but utilities and taxes are high, bureaucracy is jaw-dropping.

You find few modern buildings (except in the cities, and even then, it's not many). My home, for example is older than the USA, and that's not unusual...

But this isn't because it's economically 'poor'. Mallorca is quite a wealthy place - one of the wealthiest in Spain, it's just that people don't have the same inclination to show it, nor the same need to have every gadget or modern convenience.. it's just ...different... I know some incredibly wealthy families that live very conventionally.

People are extremely family-oriented. They spend their Sundays together - almost always... Family money is often pooled together. Many keep a lot of money in cash in hidden safes rather than in banks ('Banco de Familia'). Family houses can be very big and can accommodate 2 families. Kids often live with their parents well into their 20's and early 30's and will even raise their family in their parent's house.... it's a very different mentality.

Food: Heavily mediterranean, heavily veg and fish. Not meat and potatoes. It's difficult to find a decent cut of beef (but you can get it). Pork is pretty popular. Snails are a staple diet. But fish and chicken - wow. Superb. Fresh fruit and veg abundant.

Packaged food can be found, but limited selection. Most food is made fresh. Milk, on the other hand is 99% UHT (unrefrigerated) and fresh milk is very hard to find and expensive. Local cuisine is very oily (olive oil), too much IMO, but that's subjective. Nothing is spicy here. You need to get curry or Mexican stuff to get spicy food. or make your own.

Excellent wines are abundant and cheap and locally produced (and a staple with every meal). We buy a lot of our wine from the barrel - you bring your own bottles - Nice, round, pleasurable reds at about €1.50 per litre. For better wines you pay from €3 to €10. More than that, it must be exceptionally posh.

It takes a little getting used to for some. But in the context of this discussion, and with that frame of reference, Canada, the US, and the UK start to look pretty similar.

aries

There is always a culture difference when moving from one country to another, even if you speak the language. And yes, it can often be a shock.

It makes me wonder if the thousands of illegals who are striving to reach Britain by any means, have considered that life here is very different from their home countries.

The OP also knows nothing about life here apart from what he's seen on TV or read, and he's opened up another thread on this site. It is a fact of life that we learn more about these things from personal experience.

not2old

I agree, although the OP has lived in Canada & likely Toronto for the past 58 years - English speaking.

It doesn't get any more diverse than Toronto when it comes to culture or multiculturism, which I'm sure the OP would fit in just fine in the UK once he has the finances sorted .... just saying

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto#Demographics

.

themajor

USA and Canada are so so very different in every way possible than the UK Just like chalk and cheese. They speak different, they think different,they drive different. No free NHS or dental service.They all have GUNS. The Malls there are like little towns. Need I go on?

amideislas

That depends on your perspective.

Sungold tomatoes are different from Roma tomatoes, too. However, one tomato might well characterise the other as 'chalk' whilst the other accuses the first of being 'cheese'. Although a cucumber might simply say, 'Looks like a couple of tomatoes to me'.