Moving back to UK after 10 years away- tips please

lisa110rry

I know my post may be slightly tangential, but I just want to write about my experience of emigrating from the US to the UK in 1977 - so much has changed, but because I arrived then at the tender age of 21, my experiences are seared on to my brain.

In 1977, there were no carrier bags to pay for! Or very few. We carried a shopping bag (like we do now). I remember the first time I got my shopping I was perplexed that no one was "bagging" it for me!

I smoked in those days and had to remember to ask for 20 Bensons instead of a pack.

Butcher shops were a real trial to walk past, even more difficult to purchase from - the smell was appalling to me!

My sister-in-law, Lord how she laughed when I explained that I had got lost trying to navigate the buses from Birmingham town centre but a policeman had "given me a ride".

I taught myself to greet people with "Good Morning" rather than "Hi" (and then moved to Lancashire where the normal greeting is "Hiya").

For the past thirty years, I've lived in the same house in a village where I was the only foreigner back then, bar the doctor and one German lady. After all this time, I'm not a local but I'm now a "senior lady in the village".

In July this year it will be forty years since I moved to England and I love it and have always been content to make my home here. For the first couple of years it was frustrating that I was a half-step out of sync with people here, but now I'm almost more British than the British.

As a poster above mentioned, you bring your weather with you!

ERICS_MUM

steampowered wrote: »

If life in the UK is so bad, why don't you move?

Personally I think the UK is great. It isn't perfect but there is a relaxed culture, free healthcare, good infrastructure and democratic government (which is very moderate and competent by international standards).

The main negative of living here is that us Brits seem to be in a habit of complaining and moaning about absolutely everything, and don't even seem to care whether our complaints are factually justified or not.

Well said, it captures my feelings exactly. I've travelled widely and not convinced that quality of life is far better elsewhere. Marginally maybe but still with drawbacks. perhaps my life is too soft and easy ?

always_sunny

ERICS_MUM wrote: »

Well said, it captures my feelings exactly. I've travelled widely and not convinced that quality of life is far better elsewhere. Marginally maybe but still with drawbacks. perhaps my life is too soft and easy ?

In fairness, it all depends on where the OP is moving from and where she's moving to.
Some parts of the UK can be pretty grim, the weather can be bad, the shock in culture, etc. though better incentives and handouts than other countries.

When I moved to the UK it took me a while to adjust, people are very different here, culture and attitude towards life was a shock; is it bad? no. Is it good? no. It's just the UK!

Say, if she's moving from sunny Sydney to Glasgow, she may have some blues after a week or so! :rotfl:

ERICS_MUM

always_sunny wrote: »

In fairness, it all depends on where the OP is moving from and where she's moving to.
Some parts of the UK can be pretty grim, the weather can be bad, the shock in culture, etc. though better incentives and handouts than other countries.

When I moved to the UK it took me a while to adjust, people are very different here, culture and attitude towards life was a shock; is it bad? no. Is it good? no. It's just the UK!

Say, if she's moving from sunny Sydney to Glasgow, she may have some blues after a week or so! :rotfl:

Fair points, thanks for a different perspective. :beer: