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"52% of Britons want to leave their homeland"

Started by 23 Daves, May 06, 2004, 12:34:05 PM

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Sarah Bellum

Quote from: "Krang"
Quote from: "fanny splendid"
Quote from: "Krang"Id pack up and leave right now. I dont like this county, i dont like the weather, the education system, the cost of stuff, or the thought that i will soon be liquified by a nuke.

Go on then, go.

What's your excuse?

Money. Im also gonna finish college. Of course i could up and leave right now, and move to New Zealand. At the moment i want to finish some of my personal goals in the UK, then make some more, and move on.

Ok it's the end of the day and I'm tired BUT I thought you didn't like our education system???????

Krang

I have 3 passports (Irish, British, NZ) So moving about isnt really a problem for me, theres alot of options open to me at the moment.

Krang

I dont, but since im half way through, i might aswell see it through, its a decision i made before i started.

hands cold, liver warm

I think an important thing is the weather. The british weather is amazing in how moderate it is. It never gets very hot or very cold, we don't get droughts or floods. Its very mild and easy to live in. A lot of other counries are either uncomfortably hot and humid (australia) or bloody freezing (canada).

bresker

Melbourne's alright though, we get a proper winter with mild ground frostsand nasty biting winds. They never show you that on Neighbours. It can get uncomfortably hot in summer, but it's more of a dry heat. I'd prefer a 40 degree day in Melbourne than a 30 degree one in Indonesia. Humidity is energy sapping.

Purple Tentacle

Quote from: "Krang"I have 3 passports (Irish, British, NZ) So moving about isnt really a problem for me, theres alot of options open to me at the moment.

You only need one passport to go anywhere....


How come you've got three then? Triple nationality? I thought you were only allowed one at a time, greedy, unless you've been ordering "special" passports from those messages in your inbox....

Sarah Bellum

Quote from: "hands cold, liver warm"I think an important thing is the weather. The british weather is amazing in how moderate it is. It never gets very hot or very cold, we don't get droughts or floods. Its very mild and easy to live in. A lot of other counries are either uncomfortably hot and humid (australia) or bloody freezing (canada).

I so agree, whenever I left UK - in the fullness of time I ended up missing the rain, the fog, chaos weather causes, our outlook on the weather, our lack of expectations about it, and glee when it proved us wrong - it's all just so different from most other places, which makes our outlook so unusual and feeds our unique British sense of humour.

Incredible Monkey Doctor

Balls to all that. I'll be in Asia as soon as you can say a really long sentence, that spans about two or three years. In my spare time I will work in Hong Kong movies as the token white guy who can speak Cantonese. I got it all worked out.

However, whatever I do over there, i will be a (comparatively) rich overpaid white guy, and life is always good when you're a (comparatively) rich overpaid white guy.

Or if you're waspy and live in some sort of Palace, as PT pointed out.

Crazy Penis

I know someone who has three passports. I think he's currently using his Irish one after returning from Australia where he went for a long holiday shortly after being caught driving something without any legal stuuf and being a bit lary at the wheel.

I see moving away as rather pointless. Like having an egg and spoon race on a bouncy castle.

Tom Rad

I guess I am part of the reverse trend, having moved to Britain from Finland 7 years ago.
The reason for my moving here wasn't really a dissatisfaction with my home country - although that doesn't mean  can't think of things to complain about Finland. It was more that I loved THIS country and its culture - the language, the comedy etc.  It had been a dream of mine to live in Britain since I was a wee teen, really. So that's why I'm here.

I think that is a far better reason to move to a different country - because you specifically want to try living there, rather than because you are dissatisfied with the country you are living in now and don't want to live there anymore.
I know a fair few other furriners living in Britain, other Europeans and Scandinavians in particular, and I've noticed some of them have a tendency to go on and on about how shit this and that was in their home country and how Britain is so much better in every possible way.
Well, it just isn't. There are good points and bad points about every country. I can equally find things to complain about this country as I can about Finland, as well as things I really love about both Finland and Britain. Like The Unicorn said above, you just have to decide what is important for you.

So don't anyone be thinking that moving abroad will sort out all your problems and causes of discontent.

Ah, one thing I really cannot understand is how in those relocation programs on the telly they have so many people moving to France or Spain or wherever and they can't speak the local language! Just from the practical point of view, in terms of coping with the bureacracy and paperwork involved in moving to a different country, that just doesn't make sense. And also I think that in some cases that shows a basic disrespect for the local people and culture - how can you appreciate the culture and become part of the society there if you can't communicate properly in the local language?

Peking O

I last lived in the UK about 2 years ago, and have spent most of my adult life travelling to one place or another. I do miss certain things like the humour, the grumbling about inconsequential things, the pubs, and so on. I miss my friends, too. I'm not planning on returning though. The times I have returned I've been happy for about 3-4 months, then little things start to get to me (marauding packs of lads, grey weather, people grumbling about inconsiquential things, etc.), and I just want to get away again. By the way, what's a 'chav'? Should I fear them on my return?

fanny splendid

That, sadly, is one major thing wrong with the English. The fact that learning another language is deemed so unimportant.

When I lived abroad, the thing I enjoyed the most was being able to speak the language. Also, being able to observe differences in the way different nationalities express themselves, and how their language reflects that, helps to understand other people. Which of course, helps you to become a more tolerant and rounded person.

Education is a wonderful thing.






Jesus, what's wrong with me....

Ambient Sheep

Quote from: "Tom Rad"It was more that I loved THIS country and its culture - the language, the comedy etc.  It had been a dream of mine to live in Britain since I was a wee teen, really.
And did it live up to the dream?  I guess it probably did, at least to some extent, otherwise you wouldn't still be here.

QuoteThere are good points and bad points about every country. I can equally find things to complain about this country as I can about Finland, as well as things I really love about both Finland and Britain.
Any chance of some examples?  This is a subject that always fascinates me.

Totally agree with what you said about people going to live in France/Spain and not learning the language.

weekender

I couldn't move abroad because of pubs.  Honestly, I've been abroad and that and can speak languages etc, but to me there's nothing to match the fact that you can walk into an English pub at any time of year and feel comfortable supping a nice ale and chatting to friends/strangers.

Peking O

Only problem with pubs is they shut at 11, and afterwards you have to face walking the streets filled with beered up lads looking to smash a glass in your face and nick your mobile. Apart from that I miss 'em.

El Unicornio, mang

Yeah, I miss English pubs. There's some cool pubs here, but you always feel like you're an alcoholic when you're in them, there's just not the social aspect that we have in the UK. Also, it's a pain in the arse having to tip the barperson after EVERY FUCKING DRINK! There's one place I go to where the drinks are 50 cents each (about 30 pence) on SUndays before midnight, and as the rule is $1 tip per drink you actually tip twice as much as you pay for the drinks! Mind, they do them VERY strong. They don't do measures so you get pretty much a treble/quadrouple spirit drink each time.

Nearly Annually

Quote from: "fanny splendid"That, sadly, is one major thing wrong with the English. The fact that learning another language is deemed so unimportant.

Education is a wonderful thing.

Jesus, what's wrong with me....
Sounds like it's time for kids, hehe ;-)

Quote from: "Incredible Monkey Doctor"In my spare time I will work in Hong Kong movies as the token white guy who can speak Cantonese. I got it all worked out.
Certainly have mate, I'm impressed. Even though in reality I expect you only know things like "Harder, faster, my handsomely endowed Occidental Doctor, yes, yes, right there..." Nah, seriously, have you done any formal learning, and if so, where? I've been looking into trying to learn Mandarin, would that not be more internationally useful? Tian bu pa, di bu pa, zhi pa Guangdong ren shuo Putonghua and all that ( - I fear neither heaven nor earth, I only fear Cantonese speakers trying to speak Mandarin).

Gazeuse

Eventually, I might emigrate to Oxfordshire.

Nearly Annually

Don't forget to get your jabs. There's a particularly virilent strain of Radiohead fandom in those parts.

mrpants

As soon as my job gets boring and I can figure out how to earn sterling over there - I am off to Zimbabwe.

A slower pace, better weather, much more outdoor stuff to do.  Unfortunate business with a dictator but I can always hop across the border to Mozambique if it gets too hectic.

The only thing I think I'll miss is broadband internet (the phone lines don't work too well over there) and that's about it really.

Can't wait.

butnut

Quote from: "Nearly Annually"Don't forget to get your jabs. There's a particularly virilent strain of Radiohead fandom in those parts.

Yes - but it only lasts a year or so. My brother lives there, and was a big fan, but in the last few years he's gone off them, to such an extent that when he saw Thom Yorke in a cafe, he just thought to himself "there's that miserable git".

Gazeuse

Quote from: "butnut"
Quote from: "Nearly Annually"Don't forget to get your jabs. There's a particularly virilent strain of Radiohead fandom in those parts.

Yes - but it only lasts a year or so. My brother lives there, and was a big fan, but in the last few years he's gone off them, to such an extent that when he saw Thom Yorke in a cafe, he just thought to himself "there's that miserable git".

That's a relief...Just the language barrier to contend with then.

23 Daves

Quote from: "Sarah Bellum"By far biggest thing I'd miss is our sense of ironic/satirical humour, and way of looking at life/the world.  There is quite simply nothing like a warmish pint in a british beer garden in summer taking the piss out of anything and everything.

I agree with you completely.  The British sense of humour is actually quite particular and in some cases doesn't translate at all well - I've noticed that some things I've said have received blank looks over here, or I've been taken seriously when I'm obviously taking the piss.  In many other countries, they're big on 'wisecracks' - obvious, punchline fuelled jokes in conversation - and out-and-out whackiness (please keep me away from any more ker-azeeeee Dutch and Danish people) whereas the British aren't so much.  And nobody outside of Britain seems to understand Vic Reeves, which I find ridiculous.  There must be some foreigners who find him funny, surely?

That said, Melbourne is damn nice, yes, I wouldn't complain about this city ever.  I would, however, take issue with some aspects of its corporate attitude (my girlfriend was told to 'get a more corporate haircut' this week, by which they meant go to a salon and get an expensive one - her hair is very ordinary), its lack of style (the architecture, clothes, parks, etc, all look identical), and the lack of eccentricity here.  I really miss outlandish English people - if there's one thing having a rigid class structure and a predicatably bland political backdrop has given us it's people reacting against it in the oddest ways, which sounds like a peculiar sentiment but believe me it's true.  Australia and America could not have spawned the Sex Pistols, Syd Barrett, The Kinks, Chris Morris, John Otway, Peter Cook, Pulp, Roxy Music or even The Aphex Twin or Tricky.  It's something I used to doubt was true, but now I'm over here I can really see it - in Aus there's a very bland, to-the-rule-book way of approaching a lot of creative endeavours, hence there are tons of straight down the line rawk bands here and a few whimsical suburban mavericks whom nobody ever hears of.

I like it here - I definitely prefer it to the self-celebratory wankfest of London right now, but then London has always gone through awkward phases in its history.   The point is, if you told me you were going to take away my passport and offer me a permanent residency, I'd have to have a very long think about it.  It certainly wouldn't be something I'd jump at with no real forethought.  

Everyone who said "you have to think and choose what you want out of a culture" hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned.  

Oh, and yes, Melbourne does have a brilliant bar culture (far better than English pubs), and really wonderful, friendly people.  For the most part.  I did count nine pikeys today, though.

bresker

I just saw about 20,000 of them,  at the football. My homies - the Western Bulldogs fans. Bogans, not pikeys, as they are known in these parts.

We got thrashed, but there was impressive fight in the concourse after the game between an energetic young Italian Essendon fan and a bemulleted, 30 something slightly drunk Bulldogs fan. The Bulldogs fan came of worse, and left an impressive splatter of blood over the stadium wall. I momentarily considered wading in on his behalf, but I don't think he was worth it.

Nearly Annually

Quote from: "The Daves"... It's something I used to doubt was true, but now I'm over here I can really see it.
There ya go, people (ie: Krang - though of course you have to experience it for yourself [/Patronise]). The effect is probably stronger if, as in my case, you leave Blighty in disgust with no preconceptions as to when or if you'll ever return. Then one day you'll catch a re-run of A Little Bit Of Fry And Laurie on some obscure cable channel and you'll remember the smell of rain on a dusty pavement and your heart will bleed. I'm overdoing it now aren't I. Well anyway, you can't make a decent cup of tea with anything but the tap water of home.

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: "23 Daves"
Quote from: "Sarah Bellum"By far biggest thing I'd miss is our sense of ironic/satirical humour, and way of looking at life/the world.  There is quite simply nothing like a warmish pint in a british beer garden in summer taking the piss out of anything and everything.

I agree with you completely.  The British sense of humour is actually quite particular and in some cases doesn't translate at all well - .

Yeah, I've found that to be true. My wife has a very dry, British style sense of humour, but I've noticed that when we're out with others, if I make a sarcastic comment or say something dry nobody laughs or even smiles, it just goes totally over their heads. One of my wife's friends, she never knows when I'm joking. I sent her an email a while back talking about people from the UK being able to drink more, and I said "yeah, you only have to sniff half a shandy to get drunk" and she replied: "What? No I don't, I can drink loads before I get drunk"...then the other day she mentioned she was moving and I said "I hope you're not expecting me to help, I may just stand there and say 'bit to the right' and 'put some back into it'...if you're lucky!" and she replies with: "Erm, well I think maybe you could help a bit, y'know"......I'M FUCKING JOKING!!!!

It annoys me more than it should, I think. Bloody Brits, moaning and complaining....

Tom Rad

Quote from: "Ambient Sheep"
Quote from: "Tom Rad"There are good points and bad points about every country. I can equally find things to complain about this country as I can about Finland, as well as things I really love about both Finland and Britain.
Any chance of some examples?  This is a subject that always fascinates me.


Now let's see...

Some good things about Britain:

(I listed these once before here, before the old site went down, so excuse me for repeating myself)
The English language: Ever since I started learning the language at the age of 9, I've loved and been fascinated by the English language. That's the main reason why I am here now.
British comedy: Like Daves and The Unicorn said, there really is something special about the British sense of humour. In my country, we can't really do satire and alternative comedy never really happened there. A lot of the comedy is based on silliness, or rather offensive stereotyping of women, gay people, ethnic minorities etc.
Curry: I love Indian food, and how handy it is to be able to pick up a meal to take away from your local curry house! In Finland take-away food, such as it is, is mainly restricted to pizzas, burgers and fries and sausages. Not much good for me, being a vegan, whereas a curry house can usually cater for my restrictive diet. In general, also, with the prevalence of vegetarianism and veganism here, it's much easier for me to find speciality foods like tofu, soya mild and vegan cheese than it is in Finland.
Bonjela: I really suffer from mouth ulcers, so this stuff is heaven-sent!
Pelican crossings: Ha-ha! Pedestrian power! With one push of a button I, a lowly pedestrian, can stop a stream of traffic! Mwahahahaa! (These are really quite rare in Finland; most of the traffic lights are timer controlled).

Some bad things about Britain:

The trains: I doubt anyone will disagree with me on this one...
The cult of home-ownership: The obsession of so many British people with buying houses and climbing the property ladder. The aspiration for the right "lifestyle", leading to the flood of tedious home-improvement and house buying/selling programs on the telly. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against nice decor and home-improvements as such, it's just the materialistic way of viewing your home as something to just "do up" and sell on – rather than as, well, a home.
Cold houses: You may be obsessed with buying, selling and doing them up, but why not put in proper central heating, insulation and double-glazing? Honestly, I never remember suffering so much from the cold in the winter in Finland as I always do here, because in Finland it may be cold outside, but it is lovely and warm inside (see below under "Good things about Finland")!
Education system: University tuition fees, starting school at the age of 4 (we don't start until 7), lack of proper language teaching etc.
The wankers in it: Such as the Daily-Mail "send them all back" brigade, the yobs and the snobs. But see also below under "Bad things about Finland"...

Some good things about Finland:

The trains: Ours are nationalised, so they are better-managed and run pretty well on time. Also, if you are a student you get a 50% reduction off all train tickets. At all times. No need to buy a discount card or travel at specific times of the day.
Education system: Free education at all levels. Free and healthy school dinners (not a greasy chip in sight, but plenty of salad, vegetables and hearty soups, stews, shepherd's pie, mash etc.). That's for every student, at least until 6th Form education. The curriculum is generally aimed at providing a well-rounded general knowledge of history, geography, sciences, literature, art and music and languages.
Midnight sun: That is something I do miss.
Central heating, insulation and triple glazed windows: Mean lovely, toasty homes in the winter. In most houses you can walk around bare-footed and in a T-shirt when it's –20 Centigrade outside. I don't know a single person in Finland who owns a hot water bottle, which is quite telling, don't you think?

Some bad things about Finland

The wankers in it: See, every country has their share...
General widespread xenophobia and narrow-mindedness: Many Finns still have a very conservative and insular outlook. It really is not uncommon to hear people go on about "darkies" or "faggots" or the equivalent, in private and also in the media (see above under British comedy...). Also includes a general disregard for animal rights and environmental issues.
Crap telly: With a disproportionate number of shit American imports like Dharma and Greg, shown at primetime, as they are revered as "cool" and trendy.

There are of course other things I could think of, and many of these things I have listed are gross generalisations, and rely on general impressions.

One thing I have noticed is that although I would never have considered myself a patriotic person, living abroad I have become rather proud of being Finnish. I feel national pride when I see or hear other Finns being mentioned in the British media, be they sportsmen, musicians, artists, politicians. I also almost considered celebrating the Finnish Independence Day last December. Has anyone else noticed this? I suppose in a way it's a form of home sickness.

Ambient Sheep

Thanks for those, Tom, I'll reply more fully over the weekend, but I have one foot out the door at the moment...

mr rou-rou

I've visions of telling Finns a hot water bottle is a shaved pig, or at least lying to them creatively, English balloons perhaps, what do you mean you can't blow it up, god, even the kids in our country can blow them up, wuss

Imagine a country without hot water bottles, it's madness.

Imagine leaving your own country and going to another where you can speak the language, now that's education, fuck religious education and home economics.

Incredible Monkey Doctor

Quote from: "Nearly Annually"
Quote from: "Incredible Monkey Doctor"In my spare time I will work in Hong Kong movies as the token white guy who can speak Cantonese. I got it all worked out.
Certainly have mate, I'm impressed. Even though in reality I expect you only know things like "Harder, faster, my handsomely endowed Occidental Doctor, yes, yes, right there..." Nah, seriously, have you done any formal learning, and if so, where? I've been looking into trying to learn Mandarin, would that not be more internationally useful? Tian bu pa, di bu pa, zhi pa Guangdong ren shuo Putonghua and all that ( - I fear neither heaven nor earth, I only fear Cantonese speakers trying to speak Mandarin).

My oriental language skills are a bit sketchy, admittedly, but i'm reasonable at picking up languages so i'm not too worried. I've been learning Japanese in evening classes for 3 years and Miss IMD is doing her best to teach me Cantonese. She also speaks Mandarin but isn't teaching me that.

Miss IMD claims Mandarin is easier to learn than Cantonese, and you're right, it'll be more useful than Cantonese (outside of Hong Kong and Chinatown). However any Asian language is a complete bastard to learn because unlike (say) French, you don't just change the words around from French ones to English ones - the whole language structure is completely different. It'll take 3 years before you can even string a halfway decent sentence together.

I wouldn't attempt to learn it on your own. Without tuition you will just come out with streams of poorly pronounced garbage that nobody would understand. However as an intellectual exercise it really will stretch your brain and is a solid challenge. PM me if you want a bit more info.