Originally Posted by Oregon4now (Post 8020670)

I have made a few changes to reflect the real tone of this post. 2nOriginally Posted by greatscot
Not regret, but I don't like it here. I've been in the midwest for 11 years moved here to marry, from Scotland. First and foremost, it's missing real "heart" - for a number of reasons. I too find the people insular and self interested. They dont let you make friends easily. And they pretty much care about #1. I hate this notion of the American dream, That anybody regardless of race or background, can achieve this through hard work and education - its very materialistic Unlike England.. And its a sweeping generalization - they mostly are like that!! Holiday time STINKS too - I've worked a variety of low skilled jobs and don't be surprised if an employer expects you to be delighted with 2 weeks as opposed to nothing. Seriously. And healthcare - even WITH insurance, you're STILL paying a portion. Imagine having to depend on ourselves to pay a portion our own insurance tsk tsk . Also hate the obnoxiousness of entitlement attached to many behaviors such as my own. Very grating. And you can't get an actual person on the telephone when you have to call anyone like the phone company or your bank, its all automated CRAP just like in dear old England Also hate the "right wing" "Left wing" bs whatever happened to the brotherhood of MAN and also the extremist "me good" "you bad" ideas peddled by the American right, or the bible bashers its poisonous.

I'd never have kids here - first of all you'd have to be responsible for your maternity bill for your first born and they'd end up going to school with sycophantic Ex pats called Brooklyn and Mercedes before expecting you to send them round Europe on YOUR credit card as a graduation present, then they' could possibly go to a Top notch college or Ivy league university and get course credits for doing Science or Physics, something like that.
ALso the Americans do NOT know how to make a good cup of tea, that numpty Lipton should have been shot despite the fact that there are over 6000 exotic tea shops spread across the country, I'm sure dishwater tastes better then the crap I made and drank because nobody brought the good stuff to my doorstep like they do back home...errrr.. . You can't give anyone a good slap for getting in your face even if they are Leonna lewis or you will have the arse sued off you Unlike in England where that is legal uhmm errr I think ?... And I can't drive. The general populace throws themselves round the roads like a bunch of 5 year olds at a go cart park. No turn signals, no lane discipline horrible colonist have the nerve to drive on the wrong side of the road too., and myself waiting 30 minutes to hog a parking space when I could have been in the shop and back twice over. Makes me want to scream,

Christ. I can't wait to go home. I loathe MYSELF. Stay in Britain, seriouslyd post.
:thumbsup:

Originally Posted by aes1 (Post 8021444)

Why the venom - from both directions? Can't we move on to something else, or end the thread?????

Originally Posted by Erica (Post 8023100)

I live in Berkeley, California and have lived in the Bay Area for 7 years now. I would not say that I regret moving here, even though I really want to go back to England. The reasons for wanting to return are to be near my Mum, my sister and for my kids to have a big, extended family which they don't have here at all. I also really miss the English countryside, the humour, the oldness of it and the fact that most old towns were built before the car and you can walk everywhere, and easy access to Europe. Here where I live you have to have a car which makes life very different. It has been an amazing experience, a broadening and an eye-opening one and I am so glad I have had it, I wouldn't be who I am without it and it has allowed me to try all kinds of things that I would not have done if I had stayed in England. Given the choice, I would not want to live the rest of my life here though. I think that the people I know here are not like those written about in other peoples' posts; they are generally very well educated about the world, not so materialistic, liberal to left wing, friendly, funny, positive and open-minded and easy to get along with. They don't seem to have the whole class system that exists in England which is refreshing; they do have one but it is totally different and probably based on money. I have to say that I know this is a bubble, my husband who comes from Arkansas tells me so! I also know alot of non-American and American people who live in New York and are really wonderful people. I think it really depends on where you end up in America. It is a vast country. There are alot of soulless, depressing strip-malls, fast food restaurants and superstores just outside Berkeley which is a different story. I try not to go there!

Originally Posted by cindyabs (Post 8023055)

The OP was asking for opinions and often opinons have emotion at the base, both negative and positive.

Originally Posted by jonfrank123 (Post 8023419)

Absolutely!!

But here lays the problem, if one of us who has moved back to the UK or wants to, posts on for example the Canniversary or the Australia board, and starts criticising one of those countries, or for that matter sticking up for the UK we will be roasted in flames immediately.

In fact i'd never dream of doing it!! Why do so many people feel the need to come on to the Moving Back To the UK forum and stick their beak in and do the reverse.

Originally Posted by jonfrank123 (Post 8023419)

Absolutely!!

But here lays the problem, if one of us who has moved back to the UK or wants to, posts on for example the Canniversary or the Australia board, and starts criticising one of those countries, or for that matter sticking up for the UK we will be roasted in flames immediately.

In fact i'd never dream of doing it!! Why do so many people feel the need to come on to the Moving Back To the UK forum and stick their beak in and do the reverse.

Originally Posted by Oregon4now (Post 8023374)

Bravo, This is pretty much how I feel too, although " Home " for me is Chile., I will always have a soft spot for this wonderful country that embraced a family of refugees and gave us all the opportunity to be together and heal from the political madness that turned our lives inside out and upside down in the early 1970's.
I have made some wonderful life long friends here whom I shall never forget no matter where I lay my head down at night, be it London, Jo'burg, L.A or Santiago. Ask my family if they regret moving to the U.S.A ?
I am sure that even though now we are spread to all 4 corners of the world living our lives accordingly, the answer would be a resounding " No regrets " especially to the ones who have made the U.S.A their permanent home and have started families of thier own with children who are proud, loud americans. haha.
The U.S.A gave us shelter, education, loyalty, friendship and above all else, opportunity to experience a life without fear. I guess this explains in a nutshell why I love this place and it's people so very much.

Originally Posted by Lothianlad (Post 8023903)

In order to help out a friend I spent two hours as a sitter/custodian at a local history museum last Monday. It was very interesting from the point of view of the range of visitors who came to look round all the exhibits.

Two such were a couple who told me they lived in Malvern, Worcestershire, down in England - she was an American, from Miami Beach, Florida, while he was English. She was far more talkative than he was and she went on to say that she had lived in England for eleven years.

I asked her what it was about America she missed and she said it was mainly the weather, which I could understand, seeing that she came from Florida where, she told me, the sun shone continuously for about 350 days a year. I thought of hurricanes but hadn't the heart to mention those to her! She said she could never get used to the British weather, especially the cold, damp conditions and dull grey cloudy skies. As it happened that particular day here in Edinburgh was fantastic - not a cloud in the sky all day! :D She liked it when the weather was like that....

I asked her whether she would ever like to return to America to live and she said yes, she would - mostly because of the weather, so I assume she meant going back to Florida.

But she was also very quick to mention that there would be many things she would miss about Britain. I asked her what in particular she would miss, and her reply was the sense of humour of the people which Americans could never replicate in anything like the same way.

She also said that at first she found it very difficult to approach British people due to their general "reserve", and lack of instant "open friendliness" which is much more a feature of the American approach, but she then went on to say that this apparent American "friendliness" belied some kind of hidden agenda which she has never detected in British people in anything like the same way. In other words, she said, much of the American way is "fake" (and she really did use that word). When you think you have genuinely made friends of many Americans they would drop you in a heartbeat if it suited this "agenda" she was on about. On the other hand, in spite of this perceived initial reserve among British people, she said, in this country it was much easier to make genuine friendships, with no hints of this "agenda undercurrent" than it is in America.

All those words I have used were those of that American lady, not mine, as I am in no way qualified to make any valid comments on this issue, while many of you people are over there in America.

Originally Posted by Lothianlad (Post 8023903)

In order to help out a friend I spent two hours as a sitter/custodian at a local history museum last Monday. It was very interesting from the point of view of the range of visitors who came to look round all the exhibits.

Two such were a couple who told me they lived in Malvern, Worcestershire, down in England - she was an American, from Miami Beach, Florida, while he was English. She was far more talkative than he was and she went on to say that she had lived in England for eleven years.

I asked her what it was about America she missed and she said it was mainly the weather, which I could understand, seeing that she came from Florida where, she told me, the sun shone continuously for about 350 days a year. I thought of hurricanes but hadn't the heart to mention those to her! She said she could never get used to the British weather, especially the cold, damp conditions and dull grey cloudy skies. As it happened that particular day here in Edinburgh was fantastic - not a cloud in the sky all day! :D She liked it when the weather was like that....

I asked her whether she would ever like to return to America to live and she said yes, she would - mostly because of the weather, so I assume she meant going back to Florida.



But she was also very quick to mention that there would be many things she would miss about Britain. I asked her what in particular she would miss, and her reply was the sense of humour of the people which Americans could never replicate in anything like the same way.

She also said that at first she found it very difficult to approach British people due to their general "reserve", and lack of instant "open friendliness" which is much more a feature of the American approach, but she then went on to say that this apparent American "friendliness" belied some kind of hidden agenda which she has never detected in British people in anything like the same way. In other words, she said, much of the American way is "fake" (and she really did use that word). When you think you have genuinely made friends of many Americans they would drop you in a heartbeat if it suited this "agenda" she was on about. On the other hand, in spite of this perceived initial reserve among British people, she said, in this country it was much easier to make genuine friendships, with no hints of this "agenda undercurrent" than it is in America.

All those words I have used were those of that American lady, not mine, as I am in no way qualified to make any valid comments on this issue, while many of you people are over there in America.

Originally Posted by aes1 (Post 8024167)

I am about to return to the UK after a 27 year absence. Living most of that time in the South East in South Carolina, not that removed from Florida. And I have visited Florida many, many times. Yes, I would agree with the American re the weather, some days I wonder if I will ever reacclimate to the English climate.

BUT, despite that fear, I am convinced that England is the place for me to be now. I would agree 150% with what this lady said re the American character. At least for this part of the country, also the midwest to some extent as my ex is from there. Like some other poster once said, Americans are very open, friendly, on the surface, when they are in control. But if they feel threatened by you in any way, then watch out!! Georgia is known as the ''peach state". That doesn't just apply to the bounty of peaches grown there and in the South. It also applies to the American character: soft and welcoming on the outside, hard as rock on the inside. Again, it's all about power and needing approval for them.

Originally Posted by cindyabs (Post 8024169)

Hmmmm.

Originally Posted by cindyabs (Post 8024169)

Hmmmm.