I haven't posted for about a month as I've been home to the UK to visit family and friends (plus a holiday in Majorca with my mum and sister's family and side trip to Grenoble, France to stay with friends..... )

I flew on BA from Heathrow to Newark, New Jersey a couple of days ago. Towards the end of the flight the man sitting next to me started chatting. It turned out that he had lived in various cities on the US Eastern Seaboard for **50 YEARS** but had sold his home in a retirement community near Tampa in Florida to return to live in Scotland (Stonehaven, near Aberdeen) a couple of years ago.

I asked him if he found it difficult to return to the UK after being an expat for so long and I was surprised to hear that he had settled in straightaway......in fact he was going to rent privately but after a couple of weeks was offered a Housing Association flat!

The man told me that he had had a major operation about 3 years ago and re-assessed his life. He said that he had no family in the States (I didn't like to ask him if he was widowed or divorced) but his four sisters lived in Scotland and he was enjoying spending lots more time with them than he was able to before and doesn't miss living in the US at all, although he is able to take trips to visit friends there - which is why he was on the same flight as me.

His only (albeit minor) complaint was that the winters in Aberdeen are so cold after living for a few years in Florida, but he says he will be going to visit friends in FL next January. He also said that 'home is where the heart is' and he felt the need to return to his roots.

It was heartening to hear what he had to say....

Hi...I was thinking about you this morning.

I can relate to that...that's exactly how we feel. Although we would probably spend summers in the UK and winters in one of the warmer US states.

There is and I think there always will be that connection with Brits...something I think you need more and more the older you get.

What you said!

Spot on.

I don't understand those posters who say ' oh it would be to hard to fit in in the UK because I've been living away for years'. I've been back 5 mnths after 20 years in aus and its like i've never been away. Amy change has been for the better and we're already better off and enjoying life more that is possible down under.

moral: always listen to strangers on planes, especially when they've been there and done that

It's nice to see when people don't regret moving back.

I personally will have the opposite attitude about the weather. I think the summer in Florida is more brutal than the winters in England. Some days, you go outside after being in the air conditioning, and it's very hard to breathe because it's so hot and humid. At least if you're cold you can put a jumper on. Here, if you're hot, unless you go into a building with AC, there's no relief.

Hey, E, wondered where you'd been!

What a great story. I think one of the keys to settking back into the UK is if you move back to somewhere you already have roots in, and you still have good friends and/or family still there. If you also don't have many ties (family/friends) in the States, it also makes moving back easier.

Scotland is geographically so much more diverse and dramatic than FL, too. Flat, flat, flat.

Phew, that explains why I feel I never want to go back to the UK. I'm just younger than the old codgers on this board.
It must be especially hard for you Leslie

I understand both points of view; everyone's situation is so different.

Moving back after many years to an area of the UK you don't know, with no friends or family (especially if it's because they have died) can be a very isolating and sad experience. I'm glad that it worked out right for you, but I don't think your personal experience discounts what others have gone through or believe about the difficulties of moving back.

that's the thing about going back home i've always found, it's like i've never been away good to hear all is going well del boy

I thought that Leslie is 'merican born and bred?

Just lucky I guess, particularly as I've moved back to Co Durham where Ive never lived before (being originally from Brighton) and have no family left in the UK or friends in the area.

She is and lucky for him I don't think she comes into this forum.

You are very fortunate. I spent 4 years away and came back feeling as though I was an alien from another planet so I am pleased it worked out for you.

So did I, initially the first 3 I didn't, then 9 years later I did. The more I live in other cultures I find it moreso, probably I'm becoming a foreginer. It is interesting viewing your own country through the eyes of a stranger when you return and seeing how many foreigners would see your nationality, especially if you haven't been around any Brits during the time you had been away.

When I returned from the US I was glad to be home because it was such a bad overseas experience. However bad the experience was though it had changed me and made me realise that england was no longer home to me and we had to plan our escape route as soon as. Didn't stop homesickness striking my first 4 months in Canada though. When we returned from Canada it was plan the escape again and when I left England 2 years ago I swore I would never return and it is a promise I plan to keep.