Reasons Not To Emigrate

[Crazy88s]

see.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

See, what do you mean see...

Yes of course. Its like me saying to you think of a vegatable and you would think of a carrot.

Perhaps it is because all the things we miss are genuinely becase we miss them?

I have been to many countries and I could live in some but would never sell by UK base. Houses are cheap in the US but are totally crap and fall over in the slightest wind, unless you have a nice brick built place in a major city you might as well consider your property as throw away. (Applies to Canada as well)

I am not trying to say this Island is great - it clearly is not. It would not be perfect until we demolish 75% of the south east and all of Birmingham and most of Manchester and reduce the population to about 20 million. And no I dont mean kick out all the non whites, just trim it down proportionally. High house price inflation is just a symptom of us living like 'Rats in a cage'.

The question have you tried living anywhere else?

[George]

see.. I was talking about what most brits are like and that their reasoning tends to be superficial; hence the bacon reference pmsl. This adage might hold some truths.

Has no one considered most tomatoes tend to to taste better abroad, there is more to life than cured pig flesh you know.

I lived in Montreal for one year, and wouldn't have came back if it wasn't for visa expiring. I was solid depressed for about 6 months. If this place was any good, I'd have rejoiced the fact I was to return. In fact I often got depressed after visiting the Canary Islands...

Edited September 20, 2005 by George

[Michael]

naw...

its still totally crap.

overtaxed.

overworked.

overpriced.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

but where else would you live?

[CrashedOutAndBurned]

A few years short of thirty, I sound like an old man. Everytime I visit my old home town, all i see is that all the cool record stores and independent shops have gone, there's god-awful traffic between the clonestore towncentre and the box-box floodplain stores outside, and naff London-lite stainless steel *****-o-bars are everywhere.

If I was growing up there now, I'd take drugs to block it all out.

If you like the UK, save it before more of it is destroyed by the forces of bland consumer culture.

[OLDFTB]

I too worked in the states a couple of years ago,and I loved it.However it isn't without it's bad points.....like crap telly with commercials every 5 minutes,naff bacon and a serious lack of soccer(proper football)

I would have to say that sunday mornings in the UK with a mountain of newspapers,a good cup of tea and a bacon butty are something that I really appreciate since coming back.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't trust any country that does not have proper football as their first choice sport. I mean..baseball & NFL...what the hell is all that about.Naff!

[backtoparents]

I bite the bullet as of November, and move to Spain. No dreams of a place in the sun or anything, just practical. My better half is Spanish, she has a job that she enjoys out there, and I'm just coming to the end of my commitments out here. I will become competent in another language even if it kills me!

Lived in Germany for a year (wikkid), and nowheretown in Oklahoma for four months (was under 21 - torture! - did sort my lifestyle out a bit though), but never saw either as permanent.

Will miss the bitter, for a while, but have to admit to quite enjoying pils type beers when the weather is warmer. If not will be brewing my own, for sure. Won't really miss the food, or the lack of bacon - jamon, sobrassada, churizo (spelling?) make up for that. Radio 4 I can get over the net (though i'll have to ban myself from english media for about a year).

F*** - I sound like a b*****dexpat.com. Except I'm not whinging about not being able to sell my house at "market value."

/G

[Nijo]

but where else would you live?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My favourite place so far was Munich. Nice village feeling, very clean, safe, great transport system, bargain rents (compared to London), Alps just oven an hour away, lots of lakes and greenery, cultural stuff if needed, sunnier summer, snowier winter, café culture, fantastic bread..... etc etc etc.

Anything else?

Edit: Yes the tax is high but I saved far more than when in London as the cost of living is so low.

Edited September 20, 2005 by Nijo

[oldmisery]

I'd miss the constant overwhelming mediocrityof people who run everything.

[oldmisery]

the politicians sound marvellous.no need for spin if use can use violence.

[momert]

Hello BTB, just got back from Berlin. Good investment, cr@p city, amazingly polite people.

cr@p investment, good city, (amazingly polite people )

amazing what you can learn on a one day trip to a place half the size of London.

Edited September 20, 2005 by momert

[Michael]

My gripes about the UK are the same as Dogbox's....Is the language barrier and my holiday mood when over there hiding foreign chaviness or are ordinary French and German and Spanish uneducated people really more respectful and less chavvy than our lot?

[whitemice]

I 'work' in England, watch English news and read English newspapers.

…But I’ve been living in Germany for the past 2 months and have nightmares about going back to London (I love working over the internet).

- Maybe it was the 1.5 hour commute (twice a day).

- Youth/drunken violence

- Vandalism/litter

- Debt/Rip off prices

- Last orders/binge drinking

- People’s fixation with housing!!

In my last weeks London seemed to do everything it could possibly do to make me not miss the place (Violent incidents, Bombings, etc).

On a more positive note…

Living in another country isn’t that bad if you accept that the cornflakes taste different (less salt I think), tomato’s taste like tomatoes and local specialities (bread, sausages, beer) are cheep and in plentiful supply.

I can look German if I want to and the only thing that gives me away is my cute English accent (that’s what the University girls say anyway). Non-student loan debt is rare here, houses are relatively cheap and I can rent a decent place without feeling like I’m paying TTRTR’s mortgage. Anything decent about Britain I can find here to (cornflakes included).

The only commute I do now is the 10 minute cycle (I hate cars) down to the language school (to learn and to teach). For me, life is good.

Job wise it’s currently better in the UK, but medium term I’m bearish on the British economy and bullish on Germany. I consider this to be a useful transitionary period for me, although other people might call it a ‘gap year’.

In my experience people who are born, study, live and work in only one country are disadvantaged in ways they couldn’t possibly imagine. Maybe there should be a book on how to escape from the UK? So far I think I would be qualified to write a whole chapter.

P.S. backtoparents – Saw some of Munich last month, fantastic city!

[Alberta Tatlock]

Canada - beautiful until you drive 15 miles to a drinking hole encased in 18 tons of concrete within a shopping mall

I agree Canada's beautiful but I don't see the point of driving 15 miles to a boozer when there's a selection in old (by Canadian standards) buildings at the end of one's street .

I have been to many countries and I could live in some but would never sell by UK base. Houses are cheap in the US but are totally crap and fall over in the slightest wind,

unless you have a nice brick built place in a major city you might as well consider your property as throw away. (Applies to Canada as well)

We live in a major city but the house is not brick built (wood is better for insulation). The house we have is a much better quality build than the crappy little terraced house we sold in west London last summer. 3 times the size and 60% of the price (at the time we bought anyway, a much higher % now though due to HPI here and the weakness of GBP).

I miss some things about the UK but my wife and myself were able to semi-retire here in our early forties. No more 2 hour commutes, our children are happier and breath fresher air. The Canadian Rockiess are an hour's drive away which provides amazing recreational facilties in summer and winter. I guess it depends what you like doing, but if you like the great outdoors (hiking, mountain biking, skiing etc) then I can't imagine many better places than western Canada.

BBC Radio is available on the internet and before long I expect the TV to be available too.

If I was single I would live in London (or maybe New York) but with a young family living in this part of Canada is so much easier and much more fun.

[George]

I can't trust any country that does not have proper football as their first choice sport. I mean..baseball & NFL...what the hell is all that about.Naff!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

its cus they are not the best at it

[maxed out]

Marmite

[Mushroom]

No reasons not to.

New Zealand for us soon.

Mrs. M was born there.

[Odakyu-sen]

Any nationalist really ought to go and live in a foreign country for a couple of years to the point where they can speak the language, read the newspapers, pay local taxes, pass the local driving test, tour off the beaten track, get a local lover...

And then they can return to their land of birth and really appreciate it.

To know yourself you must know others.

[Sold up and Renting Abroad]

I must admit that I miss an awful lot about England.

Yes, learning a language is fun but emigrating to a country where you don't speak the language as well as your own gets frustrating even after 10+ years of doing it (something I believe you never really achieve anyway).

Then there is the difference in cultures (obviously), the customs (how easily other races get easily insulted), how things get done (like paying bills, getting the best insurance, not just *any* insurance), finding a trustworthy plumber (oxymoron ?), the British sense of humour, the efficiency with which things get done (yes, believe it), the trust and honesty (totally implied).

There's also the 'history' that you are aware of in England that you'll *never* get to grips with in your host country, unless you were born there (obviously not). For example, I could say Noel Edmonds or Rupert Murdoch and you'd have an opinion (good or bad is irrelevant) of that person based on years of tv, radio, newspapers etc. Yet when you watch Foreign tv, you'll have NO idea about who you are watching - that is sometimes sad and you *really* begin to miss 'not knowing' about lots of things.

So I *do* dream of returning to the UK, but then I only have to read about 'Happy Slapping' and I'm quickly put off of that idea too !!

[large]

I guess it depends what you like doing, but if you like the great outdoors (hiking, mountain biking, skiing etc) then I can't imagine many better places than western Canada.

If I was single I would live in London (or maybe New York) but with a young family living in this part of Canada is so much easier and much more fun.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm planning on emigrating to BC in the next few years. I'm gutted about the way prices have gone in Canada, and the way the pound has devalued against the dollar (only a few months ago it was 2.45, now 2.2). Do you think the Canadian property market is in bubble mode with their neighbours, and are they likely to fall back again? I can't see how high prices are sustainable over the long term due to the vast amount of space they have there. Short term rises due to shortage of supply due to lack of builders, but in the long term land should be dead cheap.

[Alberta Tatlock]

I'm planning on emigrating to BC in the next few years. I'm gutted about the way prices have gone in Canada, and the way the pound has devalued against the dollar (only a few months ago it was 2.45, now 2.2). Do you think the Canadian property market is in bubble mode with their neighbours, and are they likely to fall back again? I can't see how high prices are sustainable over the long term due to the vast amount of space they have there. Short term rises due to shortage of supply due to lack of builders, but in the long term land should be dead cheap.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's stating the obvious but Canada is a big country (the biggest I think) and each region/province has its own economy. Even BC is massive by UK standards (as I'm sure you know).

Alberta's economy booming and in Calgary house prices are rising. The price of oil and gas is boosting jobs and there is a "feelgood" factor around. The CAD is high at the moment as it has become a petro-currency. The Bank of Canada is talking of more interest rate rises before the end of the year so I can't see it falling against the GBP for a while.

I'm not sure if this is a bubble or not, but to your point about the availability of land, as cities like Calgary and Vancouver expand traffic becomes heavier and with petrol prices high houses close to downtown are at a premium. Their is definitely a trend happening here with people moving back in from outlying areas. So, if you are okay with living in the country you may be okay.

Looking at Calgary there are areas on the edge of the city where there are loads of new/recent builds for sale. In the area we live (about 1 mile from the centre) there is very little for sale.

I keep an eye on prices in the Okanagan as that's where we hope to retire. The market there is driven by retirees/second homers from Calgary and Vancouver so as long as Calgary's prices keep bubbling along we should be okay.

I wish you luck, I hope that the Canadian market doesn't rise too much for you and that the GBP regains some ground against the GBP (The only "mistake" we made in doing this move was leaving some cash in the UK as a hedge - doh! ) .

[boom_and_bust]

I too worked in the states a couple of years ago,and I loved it.However it isn't without it's bad points.....like crap telly with commercials every 5 minutes,naff bacon and a serious lack of soccer(proper football)

I would have to say that sunday mornings in the UK with a mountain of newspapers,a good cup of tea and a bacon butty are something that I really appreciate since coming back.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah yes, so much to miss. Like a freshly made Burberry McFlurry, Kebab meat with chips and chilly sauce, the stale smell of chav p*ss around the high streets, the bling-mobiles cruising around town sharing 10 terrawatts of drum and bass through the rolled down window, the shell-suited chavettes merrily slapping around their little cherubs Chantal and Brooklyn, unqualified, cowboy tradesmen, processed food, the endless grey skies and damp drizzle of October-April.

[Casual Observer]

Ah yes, so much to miss. Like a freshly made Burberry McFlurry, Kebab meat with chips and chilly sauce, the stale smell of chav p*ss around the high streets, the bling-mobiles cruising around town sharing 10 terrawatts of drum and bass through the rolled down window, the shell-suited chavettes merrily slapping around their little cherubs Chantal and Brooklyn, unqualified, cowboy tradesmen, processed food, the endless grey skies and damp drizzle of October-April. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But do you like it here?

[boom_and_bust]

But do you like it here?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes. Some parts very much. But I only live about six months or less of the year back in blighty. So certain things strike you more vividly when you've been away and come back after a while. Miss Caffreys bitter very much.

[gone west]

I'm planning on emigrating to BC in the next few years. I'm gutted about the way prices have gone in Canada, and the way the pound has devalued against the dollar (only a few months ago it was 2.45, now 2.2). Do you think the Canadian property market is in bubble mode with their neighbours, and are they likely to fall back again? I can't see how high prices are sustainable over the long term due to the vast amount of space they have there. Short term rises due to shortage of supply due to lack of builders, but in the long term land should be dead cheap.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I live in BC at the moment. Prices have gone up here in the last few years and there is a bubble in Vancouver and perhaps a few other places. If you look a topographical map of BC, you will realise that very little of it (less than 5% IIRC) is habitable. The rest is too mountainous or too remote to live in. Vancouver is already a very crowded place and some cities, like Victoria, are beginning to take on British characteristics of crampedness and compactness. Having said that, you can still find some nice acreages on Vancouver Island for less than the cost of an average 3-bed semi in the UK. I think that the pound (now 2.11 to the CAD) will sink further. Probably not what you want to here. Sorry.

[van hoogstraten]

I personally think this place is shit. And I get the feeling half the people living here don't actually want to be here-- they just put up with it.

2p

People talk about "country lanes, english pubs" etc. like its the only redeeming factor--and brit humour?

Hmm well, they're the same people who moan that they got "home fries" or "not real bacon" with their english breakfast. 

Reasons not to emmigrate:

you can't get in

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed, or you can't sell your house or can't afford the plane fare out of here

I don't get this "culture" business about the UK. What is the UK culture - is it Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals in the west end, or reality TV (the life of a traffic warden/airline checkin assistant), or its music, which is for the large part shamelessly filched from the US. Maybe its identikit high streets, or Tescos and the preservative/salt filled ready meals it sells there, or the obsession with lists (ranking of schools/hospitals/top 100 books of the decade/top 100 albums of the year etc etc). Or just laziness.