I read somewhere (this was a few years ago) that the biggest batch of immigrants to the UK was expats coming home.

A few years ago our spanish gardener left to work on a building site as did most of them. We got a Romanian and he was excellent. Last week I spent 2 days at a health spa. waiting staff were also Romanian and they were lovely, one told me she cried for 2 weeks when she came to the UK but loves it now. I think countries can gain by immigration (as long as the immigrants work!).

Just to lighten the thread. Was in local farmacía in a queue, a British man was at the front of trying to get served. Couldn't hear what he was asking for but they didn't understand him. He then told them to wait a second as his friend was outside who spoke spanish. Friend walked proudly to the front, in a loud voice he shouted "limon" and pointed at his throat, that was the extent of his spanish skills Turned out he wanted lemsip

When my OH was a translator at the CDS hospital he had to explain to a scottish guy that he wasn't eligible for treatment...the guy took a swing at him and had to be restrained

Spot on.

*sigh* also
In the early days of the Costa's it was a big thing to just go, no thoughts of the language and the difficulties it may have caused the locals. my parents were probably at the forefront of that wave of Brits. Everyone was speaking english around them.
40-50 years on things have changed, as i have said several times on this forum (but some are not listening - or is it wont listen) I have visited many countries around this world, and generally been well received and tried to respond in kind. Spending 5 years in the Far East, from having a mint julip thingy at The Raffles Hotel to eating sushi in the Ginza and street food in Wanchai I know how much people appreciate that you have learnt just a few words of their language. I have seen much animosity caused by my fellows evaporate at my hamfisted efforts. I take great delight every chinese new year of going out for a chinese meal and wishing the proprietor Happy New Year.

Funny that if a Spaniard (or any other) went to a shop, restaurant or any other facility in the Uk and made no effort to try a few words of our hybrid\mongrel language they would be frozen out.

and skin colour has nothing to do with race or nationality, nowadays it is actually a total misconception. and on this forum any assumption of such is crass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HHT_V294Co

Yeah, that does stand well against the claims that the people you meet "are only interested in your money and don't give a shit if you speak the language or not."

Good post.

All languages are hybrid/ mongrel mate...

I live in a very nice close of 30 properties.......
the house next door to me is let to english but owned by a pakistani
the house on the other side is owned by a very nice Nepalese family (He hates Pakistani's something bad from a HK experience)
next door along a West Indian famly via London
a couple of doors down house owned by a Vietnamese family
house across the road owned by a Pakistani let to we think Eatern Europeans, who throw all their rubbish into the back garden
a few doors down another let occupied by a sikh family
flats over the road, very nice west indian lady, 72 lived here over 50 years, her son used to be a local councillor.

my local shop is owned by a nice Indian couple, she is always complaining about the immigrants who come in with little\no English language.
the new Tanning Centre is "manned" by Eastern European girls
we also have a curry house (Pakistani), fish & chips (Pakistani), frozen food centre (Zimbabwean IIRC)

walking through the city centre I hear more foreign voices than I do English.

Last year I worked on a community project assisting people back to work. my first and only venture into the public sector. over 50% of the people I dealt with were not British Brits. They were on the majority polite, willing to work, eager to attend training course that would enable them to get into work in the Uk.
however I also met some really ignorant immigrants, demanded this and that as a right, front of the GIMME queue, up to date on human rights but demanded I fill in forms for them - which in most cases I was not allowed to do. Was also told by one it was her right to a free EFL course NOW, for which we had a 3month waiting list.

now to get us back to the thread - yes some of those I dealt with were also British Brits, and some were an embarrassment, but generally even those were fairly nice people as I didnt have a "side" in all of this.
OH YES the project was funded by the EU..! !

bil, we are much travelled adults, in all countries there are people who have a different price for locals and for tourists\visitors\foreigners. Thats why we learnt to barter, another thing which reduces barriers between peoples. Such a shame it has never been accepted in strait laced Britain.
BUT there are also a majority who play it straight.

I remember in the Cyprus forum someone saying that Cypriots like to boast about how much they have paid for something, not how little (as inthe UK).
It shows how big their pockets are.

Yeah, one tme in Morocco, we discovered that if you don't barter you are seen as a sheep to be shorn.

A friend of mine who knows that I speak a little Spanish told me this story recently. He and his wife had just returned from the Canaries.

The waiters now call the bill "scribbleo" He went on to explain that as is the custom when you require the bill it is not unusual to see Brits write an imaginary note in the air. The waiters then reply (laughing their heads off) "scribbleo"

It took me a while!!

I must admit I´ve used it, and even though I´m more than capable of asking for it in Spanish, it works. For instance, you don´t have to be within speaking distance, but an imaginary pencil waved in the air does away for the need to shout in order to be heard over all the noise. I´ve seen Spanish use it, it´s not exclusive to Brits. In a room full of noisy Spanish it quickly gets the message across. My wife always gets me to ask for the bill, but I´ve told her she can make that sign as easily as me, no need to speak the lingo.

Went to look at a new car a few days ago, they gave me a price to change, and I left it there. Told the wife, they´ll phone us later, sure enough today they did. I told them no deal unless they close the gap, they´ll be back with an improved offer. Similarly just got my car insurance renewal, and have already got comparable cheaper quotes and I´ll be on to them to price match, they´ve never failed yet. It´s an annual game we have to go through, never ever accept the first price, rarely if ever has it failed. Couple of years ago when I changed the car, we were almost there on price, I said to the wife if they offer £200 more, I'll do the deal. I left it, and they came back as said as I was a good customer (I'd had 4 cars from them) they offered £650 more for my car! Result! Now more than ever is a good time to barter, nearly everyone is prepared to do a deal.

Damn good point to bear in mind.

Worse that can happen is they say "no". Cash is king at the moment!

True.