Anyone wish they were back in the UK

[JohnandWendyB 21]

And alot of southerners can't stand the d@mn yankees from up north.

Good luck in finding the place that fits your needs, Wm Wallace. Thank God my hubby is loving it here and I don't have to worry about him moving back to England. He hasn't even melted yet in our current record heat. I melted a few weeks ago, after returning from a trip to Alaska and San Francisco. Actually wore fleeces in August. Bloody unbelieveable!

[william_wallace 8]

Thanks for all the post folks. If it wasn't for the kids only having 2 years left of school, we certainly be looking into other States to live.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

It's ok, William. I'm with you. We're out of the US one day ourselves. Might be five years, might be fifteen but we are gone. As far as I'm concerned moving to another part of the US is not the answer. The US has changed dramatically in the last 35 years and not for the better. Who gives a damn if you can get a mortgage loan for a rates comparable to the 60's? Really that's so insignificant give that the same house costs 10 times what it did then. People now pay more for health care each month than they did for a house payment in the 60's. It's true wages have risen over these years, but value for dollar and standards of living have declined. If I am barely going to get by in a country, I'd rather barely get by in a place where I can at least go to the doctor without it bankrupting me.

[william_wallace 8]

It's ok, William. I'm with you. We're out of the US one day ourselves. Might be five years, might be fifteen but we are gone. As far as I'm concerned moving to another part of the US is not the answer. The US has changed dramatically in the last 35 years and not for the better. Who gives a damn if you can get a mortgage loan for a rates comparable to the 60's? Really that's so insignificant give that the same house costs 10 times what it did then. People now pay more for health care each month than they did for a house payment in the 60's. It's true wages have risen over these years, but value for dollar and standards of living have declined. If I am barely going to get by in a country, I'd rather barely get by in a place where I can at least go to the doctor without it bankrupting me.

Bloody Amen on that one. The medical bills are unreal for us. My wife still owes $25,000 in medical bills which I honestly don't know how were going to pay off. Even if she wants to see her local GP, she has to pay $35 just to walk in the door. I touch wood and say I'm lucky I haven't been sick or needed treatment since I've been here.

[gwenneh 7]

Bloody Amen on that one. The medical bills are unreal for us. My wife still owes $25,000 in medical bills which I honestly don't know how were going to pay off. Even if she wants to see her local GP, she has to pay $35 just to walk in the door. I touch wood and say I'm lucky I haven't been sick or needed treatment since I've been here.

$1400 a month for a decent health insurance policy for our family is what did it for us. I was tiptoeing around it in the first post, but every time we have had to pay that bill and then co-pays/deductibles on top of that, my husband has hit the roof.

Soon as he has his citizenship, we're off. We might be choosing a dual-country lifestyle, but the U.S. isn't the place to be based.

[JohnandWendyB 21]

Ah but Texas is a whole different world or something like that, right? hehehe Just kidding. My mom was born in TX so I guess I better be careful what I say, huh?

[VanessaTony 3,567]

The ignorance and the arrogance here bothers me so so so so much. Most of the time I speak with relatively "normal" people but every time I hear, read or see someone say "America is the BEST country in the WORLD" I just want to scream. I'm not saying the US sucks, several things about it DO suck, but I think I'd have a much more enjoyable time here if people weren't so narrow-minded and had some idea about how the rest of the world works/is. If intelligence was a GOOD thing. That speaking correctly and writing correctly (everyone makes mistakes I'm not saying PERFECT here) actually mattered. It's just infuriating sometimes...

Here's something that'll tick you UK'ers off. Girl at work told me people in the MidWest speak the most correct English.. in the WORLD. I was like.. umm.. better than ENGLAND? And she said "yep!"... right... Could be that girl was talking about this: http://www.neutralaccent.com/neutralaccent.php and that she typically misinterpreted it. This is the same girl who likes to yell in an apparently jovial manner "speak english!" any time I accidentally use a British or Australian term... I AM speaking English you fricken moron!

All of that said though I think once you start to get yourself into the upset mindset that it's hard to crawl out. I think that's why the accent and word thing is bothering me so much right now. It just happened one too many times one day and now she could say it once a month and I want to... *insert violent thing here that I probably shouldn't post*. Could be OP that it's the same with you. Just a snow-balling effect.

I personally think Australia is better than the US in many ways but that's what's familiar to me. Being home I enjoyed actually going to a doctor without risking breaking the bank. I liked eating real food (and less processed) but I was okay with coming back here. I'm not so traumatised here that leaving means I never want to come back.. tell you what though it was getting close there a bit with all the in-law issues!

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

First: let's get something very important out out the way that children learn in 5th grade: an apostrophe within the word "its" indicates a contraction of "it is," nothing else, ever. You make this mistake several times which makes you pretty much unemployable in a country where English is the primary language.

"America has it is pro's (again: no apostrophe for plural forms!) but. . . "

It really hurts. English, the final frontier.

Now we have this out of the way understand the the "USA" is like Europe in many ways. Imagine somebody visited Greece or Norway and tells you he or she doesn't like Europe. Life in Scotland differs from life in Spain and life in Turkey the same way life in Alaska differs from life in Nebraska, Florida, or Hawaii, yet all of these states are part of the USA.

Unfortunately foer you, you picked a very undesirable U.S. state to reside in, so you can't possible imagine the bliss I'm having in living near Santa Barbara, where we have 330 days of perfect weather instead of 330 days of rain and gray skies and more culture than I can take in. I have lived in 6 European countries but would rather castrate myself with a piece of glass and eat my severed body part, despite me being a vegetarian for 28 years now, before moving to any part of the U.K. again.

Which probably explains why you overstayed for a decade instead of going back home when your visa ran out.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Which probably explains why you overstayed for a decade instead of going back home when your visa ran out.

Yah 15 years is pretty ridiculous. Even funnier when you consider occasions when he talks about "not breaking the law" in this oh so fabulous country he loves so dearly when he was fine with doing it for so many years. "Do as I say, not as I do".

[Fandango 1,440]

The ignorance and the arrogance here bothers me so so so so much. Most of the time I speak with relatively "normal" people but every time I hear, read or see someone say "America is the BEST country in the WORLD" I just want to scream. I'm not saying the US sucks, several things about it DO suck, but I think I'd have a much more enjoyable time here if people weren't so narrow-minded and had some idea about how the rest of the world works/is. If intelligence was a GOOD thing. That speaking correctly and writing correctly (everyone makes mistakes I'm not saying PERFECT here) actually mattered. It's just infuriating sometimes...

Here's something that'll tick you UK'ers off. Girl at work told me people in the MidWest speak the most correct English.. in the WORLD. I was like.. umm.. better than ENGLAND? And she said "yep!"... right... Could be that girl was talking about this: http://www.neutralaccent.com/neutralaccent.php and that she typically misinterpreted it. This is the same girl who likes to yell in an apparently jovial manner "speak english!" any time I accidentally use a British or Australian term... I AM speaking English you fricken moron!

All of that said though I think once you start to get yourself into the upset mindset that it's hard to crawl out. I think that's why the accent and word thing is bothering me so much right now. It just happened one too many times one day and now she could say it once a month and I want to... *insert violent thing here that I probably shouldn't post*. Could be OP that it's the same with you. Just a snow-balling effect.

I personally think Australia is better than the US in many ways but that's what's familiar to me. Being home I enjoyed actually going to a doctor without risking breaking the bank. I liked eating real food (and less processed) but I was okay with coming back here. I'm not so traumatised here that leaving means I never want to come back.. tell you what though it was getting close there a bit with all the in-law issues!

I don't think it's particularly a bad thing to feel pride in your country to the point of thinking it's the best. Not seeing flaws, is one thing...but best? why not? I would expect anyone who lives in a great country to think his/her country was the best in the world.

There are a lot of ignorant people in America, just as they are everywhere else. Doesn't really mean anything. For every person who points out a hillbilly, I can point out a chav. At the end of the day, neither is indicative of their respective countries as a whole.

I'm not saying America is for everyone - what is good for one is not good for the other. No big shakes. Life's too short so live it where you're the most happiest.

What you said in red is so damned accurate.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Ah but Texas is a whole different world or something like that, right? hehehe Just kidding. My mom was born in TX so I guess I better be careful what I say, huh?

You mean this nonsense????

Hahaha. I think that got started because it was a country after fighting for independence from Mexico. Remember the Alamo, etc. Then they decided to hook-up with the USA.

It's fairly cheap to live here, but we do so in spite of heat, roaches, mosquitoes, fire ants, snakes, hurricanes, no mountains...Nope, that's generalizing too because that's our area. Other parts are totally different like every other place you might live. I asked hubby what surprised him most when he first visited here and he said that it seemed normal--tall trees, thick green grass, neighborhoods. Guess he was expecting a log cabin plopped in a desert with cactus as the main vegetation.

Anyway...we get used to what we've always known and I can understand being uprooted to another culture would be very difficult.

[JohnandWendyB 21]

The ignorance and the arrogance here bothers me so so so so much. Most of the time I speak with relatively "normal" people but every time I hear, read or see someone say "America is the BEST country in the WORLD" I just want to scream. I'm not saying the US sucks, several things about it DO suck, but I think I'd have a much more enjoyable time here if people weren't so narrow-minded and had some idea about how the rest of the world works/is. If intelligence was a GOOD thing. That speaking correctly and writing correctly (everyone makes mistakes I'm not saying PERFECT here) actually mattered. It's just infuriating sometimes...

Here's something that'll tick you UK'ers off. Girl at work told me people in the MidWest speak the most correct English.. in the WORLD. I was like.. umm.. better than ENGLAND? And she said "yep!"... right... Could be that girl was talking about this: http://www.neutralaccent.com/neutralaccent.php and that she typically misinterpreted it. This is the same girl who likes to yell in an apparently jovial manner "speak english!" any time I accidentally use a British or Australian term... I AM speaking English you fricken moron!

All of that said though I think once you start to get yourself into the upset mindset that it's hard to crawl out. I think that's why the accent and word thing is bothering me so much right now. It just happened one too many times one day and now she could say it once a month and I want to... *insert violent thing here that I probably shouldn't post*. Could be OP that it's the same with you. Just a snow-balling effect.

I personally think Australia is better than the US in many ways but that's what's familiar to me. Being home I enjoyed actually going to a doctor without risking breaking the bank. I liked eating real food (and less processed) but I was okay with coming back here. I'm not so traumatised here that leaving means I never want to come back.. tell you what though it was getting close there a bit with all the in-law issues!

I know what you mean and I am a midwestern USC. I think you either have to learn to see the glass half full and direct your attention elsewhere or you will be miserable. I would LOVE to move to England someday. I suppose I might get irritated with some of those sorts of things, too.

[JohnandWendyB 21]

You mean this nonsense????

Hahaha. I think that got started because it was a country after fighting for independence from Mexico. Remember the Alamo, etc. Then they decided to hook-up with the USA.

It's fairly cheap to live here, but we do so in spite of heat, roaches, mosquitoes, fire ants, snakes, hurricanes, no mountains...Nope, that's generalizing too because that's our area. Other parts are totally different like every other place you might live. I asked hubby what surprised him most when he first visited here and he said that it seemed normal--tall trees, thick green grass, neighborhoods. Guess he was expecting a log cabin plopped in a desert with cactus as the main vegetation.

Anyway...we get used to what we've always known and I can understand being uprooted to another culture would be very difficult.

Hehehe I think you have to be a certain sort of roll with the punches, embrace life as it comes sort of person to move to a different country to live. There is plenty bad here for sure but there is good, too.

[Damian&Kelly 16]

I think the saying that suits this topic is "The grass is always greener on the other side." I've lived here in PA all my life, and really do enjoy it. I enjoy having all 4 seasons, though winter does get me down at times, and just enough rain to keep things green and pretty. We live right in the middle so have NYC, Pittsburgh, Philly and the beach all in 3-4 hour drive, but very little traffic on a day to day basis, but yet when having a bad day we both dream about moving back to England.

We'll be off to England eventually, and it seems closer and closer, when we talk about having kids, just the medical cost of having a child scares us very much. We're both very young and still living with my father but we've decided next year is the changing/growing up point. We'll either buy a home here, or move to England. We'd love to get on our feet but the housing prices aren't going to be our down fall; We'll be able to afford that along with our car and insurance, it's the health insurance that will be the major factor/decision maker.

My husband made this his home. He does get homesick at times but more so missing his family then England itself. This year, actually in 2 weeks, his parents are coming over to visit, he's very excited to show them where he's made a home for himself. This will be the first year we're not going over to visit, and he made the call, he didn't want to go. He decided he wanted to see more of the US instead, so invited them over to travel with us. So it's not the US as a place or even the people, they're polite enough around here, but it's the policies and costs and maybe the way the Americans drive haha.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I recently went back to England and didn't realise I'd missed it so much! I had an absolutely amazing two weeks and was dreading coming back.

But then, in those two weeks I had: caught up with all of my family, walked the dogs every day, had two weeks of cool sunshine (as opposed to searing California heat), seen my friends nearly every day, attended a wedding, and visited a lot of local historical sites.

If I LIVED back in England, I know it'd be a very different matter... I'd be missing the sunshine, I'd be grumbling about my low-paying job, I wouldn't be seeing my family and friends so often - and if I did, they'd eventually drive me insane!, and I'd have to do all of the boring things I do here in California - housework, laundry, worrying about bills and having to go to work every week day.

So... I don't wish I was back in the UK, but I sometimes think I do.

One thing I do like about where I live is that virtually everybody here is an immigrant. I think my in-laws and my ex-landlords (family friends) are the only families I know who are native to San Jose. So I've not come across anyone particularly annoyingly patriotic and I don't stick out as the 'foreigner'. In fact, most people are far better travelled than me, and I've learned a lot about a variety of different cultures.

However, I agree with everyone here re. medical costs. If I moved back to the UK for ANY reason, that would be it! I'm actually expecting right now and I think if I wasn't the main earner I'd be on the first plane back home (being near family for this period would also be a bonus). Fortunately I have decent medical insurance, so the costs shouldn't be more than $8,000 (our deductible)... although that is still going to take a while to pay off! It seems ridiculous that it should cost $800 a month to insure two healthy adults in their 20s - Alex and I rarely have to see the doctor more than once a year. Oh, and in my experience so far, both waiting times and bedside manners have been far better in the NHS!