calliope

I don't find the Australians to be fake at all. I feel they are genuinely happier than the Brits, not a little bit because of the horribly negative press Britain has that doesn't happen in Australia at all. The "undercurrent of nasty" mentioned here is something I have noticed - it's poison from the gutter press winding people up all the time.

dunroving

That's why I said "could be seen as" - I don't find Americans to be fake, either, but the whole point of my post was that the way we feel things are is often a perception, rather than the reality, and often affected by the contrasts between our new reality and what we have come from.

I've read a lot of posts from people returning from Australia, ranting about the Australian "bonzer" (is that the right term?) attitude - positivity about all things Australian (especially sport?) Whether you think that is a good thing or a bad thing, or fake vs. genuine is coloured by your own experiences and preferences.

I wasn't saying Australians are fake, just to be clear. I was just trying to give the poster a perspective that might help with the difficulty he was finding adjusting to life back in Britain, rather than having a go at Australians.

Beedubya

Thank you so much for posting this Beccarose I just signed up but unpaid as yet, I will be in the same position as the OP in about 10 days and was wondering about the social side of things as I will be on my own and won't know a soul in London, well except my niece and her partner but they live right on the other side of London from where I will be based.

I am off to check out the Spice thing now too.

Edited to add:

The Spice thing looks quite the ticket too, well maybe not the bungee jumping and extreme sports, but seemingly lots to do, thanks again everybody.