Again, they were blind-sided by empty promises of a better NHS, "more jobs" and "less immigrants". When I first came to the country, I said to my British friend. I'm going to start by saying that it wasn't always like this. I'm also a British citizen but I was born there and left around the same time that you came. Italians and Greeks will never "tick" the same as the Germans, Austrians and Dutch. I'm from the UK and my wife is Romanian, we travel internationally a fair amount both for work and pleasure and so I'd like to think I have a fairly broad perspective. How is that fair? Perhaps you can tie a flag to it and wave it around for the amusement of your 'patriotic' peers. I'm still searching for the answer but got lost somewhere along the way. my heart is there , my heart is here .. Since 2008, Britain has culturally been in a self-inflicted spiral decline of crisis. I cycle to work and yes it does rain at times, but much less than elsewhere and often times it only rains a little bit, so you don't actually get really wet. Politicians are liars (we've been promised more money for academia and the NHS). I love nature and feel now that I am always inside wasting my life away. One other thing I learnt is where can you go in the world where you will not be the victim of racism because of your name or your origins? I still remember, I was in the exam rooms in University and would imagine that I am in a special exam room in Hogwarts. "I love the British culture". As an adopted child of Britain,I can totally relate to you. In case you dont know much about Balkan food (clearly you dont), we have kebabs (mici in Romania, cevapi in ex-Yugoslavia countries), spicy vegetable spreads and dips, apple, cherry and pumpkin pies and strudels, sour noodle soups, SEASONINGS (so shocking for British palates I know) such as paprika, chilli sauces, garlic dips, shawarmas (thats another kebab for you), cheesy or jam filled doughnuts, the cabbage rolls you mentioned are filled with meat, rice and spices! I could NEVER find work here. After having lived in Canada (citizen), USA (Green Card) worked across the world including Australia, Middle East, most countries in the EU visited many other countries, it is my opinion that the UK is crap. Food for thought! That's a really nice and honest article. HR Recruiters in this country care more that you still got GCSE qualifications than the vast amount of knowledge and experience you've picked up after fucking primary school. And thank you for mentioning how expensive it is to live in the UK! I have watched it decline as I grow older. Houses are tiny and cramped and almost comical in size compared to other countries, London . This country in terms of its media and even statesman speed by the government have made it very hostile place towards people like myself. It was also the uneducated, the "lower class" if you will (I can say that because on paper that's me haha). I will certainly find it challenging, especially because I voted stay. Thank you, Karin. We also didn't think it would happen but were pleased that we had left after the results were announced! God help us. It is the immigrants who maintain Britain afloat, and it is because of the immigrants that we have good doctors, dedicated teachers and hard-working baristas in the local cafes. Is England a good place to live? There is just one catch. A spokeswoman said, "With slogans from characters in shows such as Little Britain and The Catherine Tate Show providing us with more and more contemporary slang, our "Whatever" sweets now nicknamed chav hearts have become very popular with kids and grown-ups alike. Do you mean British people with British passports who write articles about the UK? We're able to save a lot of money every month and are homeowners. We actually find it so much cheaper living here than back home in Melbourne, Australia though. How crazy is that! We just moved to Budapest for a bit to try and mix things up a bit. This could be why many voted for Brexit. Why? It was a difficult decision for us to move back from the UK , and I would be lying if I said we do not have second thoughts about moving back again! I cannot find decent veggies and fruit that do not cost a fortune most times. I have seen both. In that 25yrs, my tropical island birth nation has gone from developing to now High Income status. [10] In the 2010 book Stab Proof Scarecrows by Lance Manley, it was surmised that "chav" was an abbreviation for "council housed and violent". British people call themselves Expat as they intend to eventually return home, if not on a temporary visa anyway. My birth country is a tropical island paradise in the Indian Ocean. Let me tell you about the art of British food. Learn more. There are too many issues which make the UK a depressing place to be. So to sum up I'm 100% with you and wish you the very best of luck in your move. She tutted and was saddened by the crappy state of London. The girls commonly wear clothing which exposes their midriff. Rome and Athens were once places where civilizations THRIVED. You said in an earlier post Abu Dhabi was fascinating. [30], Characters described as "chavs" have been featured in numerous British television programmes, as well as films. You can't compare the average salary with the average rent in a normal or even expensive area. I was born there and had to put up with the place for forty years. Where can you be yourself? For Eastern Europeans, the UK is the worst place in the world after Italy and maybe also France and Spain, This article is a good article, and basically expresses many truths of English society, I am glad that even you as an immigrant have noticed. I agree with Cory 100% im English myself but i really hate living near London the people are violent , too many are on very serious drugs or are junkies and again i agree you cant walk the streets at night safely , In my situation im a transgender woman and too many men in the UK have very homophobic views towards people like me , ive been abused and beaten up in my past and i really just want out of this country now as i am a hard working woman i dont sponge or claim benefits and can live independently in any country as long as im accepted by the local community , I think i will move to Denmark as there people are civilised unlike the UK where they seem to be stuck in the 1950s. Nobody likes the idea of having someone around who is totally different than what we are used to. We have massive mixed grills, meat and cold platters. But usually I live in Scotland with my British partner and we've discussed leaving the UK in a few years for all the reasons you mentioned. I hope to God, James, that you get the taste of your own medicine. 806 8067 22 Registered Office: Imperial House, 2nd Floor, 40-42 Queens Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3XB As a people, we valued science and education and over time made the education of our children a major priority which further consolidated our industrial power. Thank you for writing a well-structured article. I still remember talking to my husband the previous night, saying that the world is not that stupid. In 2013 linguist David Crystal said on BBC Learning English: People talk about "chav behaviour" or "chav insults" and that sort of thing. The core of the British kitchen is the oven, as you might already know from the Great British Bake Off. We thought we needed to give them some respect and have decided to trademark our sweets. Argentina sounds amazing. Hector, the only reason why I decided to allow your comment on this page is to prove to my readers why some British people are in the state they are and why all immigrants are better off away from the UK. You should point out it is illegal for Muslims to convert to another religion in the UAE. The more I integrated, the more I saw, understood and acknowledged. Its all about perspective I guess. As a British Citizen, I found myself sadly agreeing with so much of what you addressed. Maybe it was our experience with Bristol and London. Since we are talking about culture, I must touch base on the food. I'd rather stay here in Lisbon. Lol, they have direct access to private healthcare through their kids' corporate jobs. We are now in Portugal and we miss the prices for groceries in the UK BUT with everything, life is still such much cheaper here. Countries in Europe are becoming less and less accepting and open. What a load of crap. And, the Americans assisted in WWII yes, however even you can't say if that was the ultimate reason why we ended up victorious in that war. Hes the Mrs Bucket candidate; and yet his shiny top hat and molecule-thin veneer of civilisation somehow hypnotises his target demographic into forgetting his divisive and dangerous extremism. Those who are racist can be found anywhere, even in your own country. The jet engine you use to travel the world yes, British too.. The typical food in England is something that is also consumed in Chile, and is one of the things that I liked more of the country, both its sweet and salty food has very good flavor and is something that could eat every day without problem. Most UK people are welcoming so please don't group us all together. Here I am, ten years later, puzzled by the same question. Let's see what food Bucharest is known for - hmmm, stuffed cabbage, Ciorba de burta (tripe soup) and roasted eggplant salad. I really enjoyed reading your blog. I hope you both find a better home. Very nice post! I remember went to a restaurant asking for water(with an American accent) and the guy at work corrected me with British accent. Bravo to your writing skills! I say we build houses there. Bristol is actually just as wet as Manchester because it is in the west - so actually you did live in a relatively "rainy" part of England, yes. We came third in the Olympics. Cory Varga - Cory is a published travel writer and award-winning photographer. I'm glad you had the chance to go for a brighter future abroad. I can bet on that! Any suggestions, we love the beach/city life but don't want to be too remote, so I think somewhere like Australia would be out as its hours of driving to get to another town or hours on a plane to get to another country. Furthermore, I respect the people who in my mind, made Britain awesome (Like Mick Jagger, David Attenborough or Maggie Smith). Great post other than the politics! [citation needed], The large supermarket chain Asda has attempted to trademark the word "chav" for a line of confectionery. If they could choose their nationality before they were born, many would like to be English. There is a lot of incentive for young entrepreneurs to start a new business here and we took full advantage of this. Reread if you didn't get it the first time. No, I haven't experienced any racism here in North Yorkshire. The UK has become a dumping ground for people from EU economies in a worse state and anyone from 'University of Nowhere' in India (Indians who don't make the cut for Singapore or Australia fall back on Britain). We have less of a poverty divide than such likes as the good old USA, and better transportion than the vast majority of Europe (which I have travelled all over). Neah, I think both Sarah and I just hate the wet island. London is the 6th Most Michelin Starred city in the world, higher than Hong Kong or Barcelona. Finally, to address the point on immigration.I actually blame previous governments to a large extent. In my case in Prague, some of these romantic ideas just never materialized the way I thought they would, or my perception has changed. I dont feel like Im at home here. I identify as immigrant as I'm British Naturalised and recently returned home from spending most of the last decade living overseas in Asia-Pac (Australia and Singapore). Your post told me that there were people out there that felt the same. The UK is our home and we are proud first-generation EU immigrants and British naturalised citizens. Unlike many others, we understand the importance of being part of the EU. Thank you very much for being brave and courageous, and for writing this article. I now live full-time in Germany and just enjoy the lifestyle better. my visa expires in few weeks (and will get 2 years extension) and i have decided to make a move to EU country on long term residency visa (probably Portugal or Germany), i absolutely felt gutted to see the direction of things going on, wondering what would be the outcome of this Brexit uncertainty. There weren't any. Whether we're talking about comparatively deprived areas such as Jaywick, which one resident memorably described as 'like a Brazilian favela' or a posher market town such as Torquay - a town where, according to one disenchanted local "chavs . My cousin is laughing that she has a better lifestyle, travels the world as much (for work and play) and is not trapped in a miserable terminally depressed island. When we got married we decided to live someplace else and experience different cultures. Answer (1 of 9): Hello Ian Kent and welcome to Quora. Every single part of British culture, from the horrible alcoholism, the extreme prices, the CLASSIST caste system, the xenophobia, the crime, the sexual harassment on the streets, the weather, the crazily competitive job market to the dating scene, has been HORRID and I am extremely glad that I left that hellhole 2 weeks ago. The average British student doesn't study anything but marketing, business administration, management! However, most countries do not want Brits and their drunken, loutish behaviour coupled with a very misplaced sense of importance. This puts us into conflict with other countries that want to keep us in our place and some people find this a shock to the system compared to their home country. I wish more countries will adopt this! You, Philip de Bose, are a piece of sh*t. Ah, yeah and we probably have more teeth than you, you snivelling little turd. Culture, craft, innovative ideas are bought from elsewhere in the world because the UK can afford it, but cannot create it itself. Countries like Japan are very friendly to tourists of course, but they would never let foreigners rise to a high level in politics or business. They just dont get to vote. There are two sides to the British culture. But people who come to the country? I'm a british born and bred caribbean, I left this country around the age of 19 ad travelled to many places during my youth, portugal, spain, France, Greece, USAalot of places. It's my subjective narrative based on my life story ?! Now it's obsessed with 'poverty' (can't afford food but can fags and false nails) and banal debates about identity. Every time mum came to visit, she always said how much she loves shopping for food in the UK. Accommodation: yeah, pretty expensive to be fair :). It's not. As a former UK resident, I understand your position. Economically and socially, I'm afraid to say. We are all different and I hope that what didn't work for me, will be excellent for you. But the weather, transport, lack of culture and food contribute to why I've spent the majority of my adult live in New Zealand. The UK welcomed 625,000 immigrants to the last year, even after Brexit, and more than any other EU nation. People in general seem pretty chilled. Good luck, Cory. Where we live now I have a greater connection to the people around me and a closer relationship with my family. Thanks for this article, but I'd like to add my experience to counterbalance a bit. The difference in skin color, the way of dressing or religion is something that attract a lot of atenttion, there are very very different people living in the same country. Switzerland recently voted to restrict Islamic mosques. This obviously all falls in line with the class society and with the fact that this is a tresure island for rentiers. Mainly in connection with Public Service jobs and the Commonwealth. If you can, and open your eyes and hearts, there are some truly beautiful in heart brits around you. How is that even logically possible when the UK simply doesn't GROW resources needed for their population to sustain itself? There are a lot of pros and cons when it comes to living in the UK and for the sake of objectivity, I would like to tackle all points in this article. The trans-community, is (Like for a better word) under attack from the press, people, and the government. As for Portugal and being Portuguese born, I can see that is now a fashionable place to go. The only thing stopping me getting a one way ticket to literally anywhere is that I cant afford it. I'm moving away from my home in the US next year and have some similar reasons why. Everyone did something about it. We're in North Yorkshire and we absolutely love it here. Hi Cory, Many Thanks for this amazing post, it is the most realistic picture of UK currently. Oh, and I don't know what 'self-sufficant' is - perhaps you were trying to say 'self-sufficient'? No one should be treated the way that the foreigners in Britain are currently being treated, it's horrendous! Like many new and unexplored places, it needs to be protected from abuse (rise in properly prices, too much tourism and so forth). Dickhead. You cannot blame the EU for UK's mistakes. But its like I've always maintained since the vote happened is that lots of people voted Brexit for many complex reasons. There are pros and cons to this. Please read again . I hope you find your reality somewhere and leave us racist, poor, thick bits to struggle on without you. I asked for proof to see what I spelt wrong and on how many occasions. Its a hard working and ambitious country, which is not for everyone. Its why we work so hard and sometimes come across as stressed and cold. Yes, I disagree with Brexit, but that is the nature of democracy. Brexit will force the country not to depend on London, but doesn't UK import a lot of their produce from Spain to start with? Im so worried and upset that Im stuck here and it feels like hell nearly every day. We lived there 40+ years. Now foreigners or people of colour get beaten up again and regularly so for being who they are. Don't confuse friendliness with openness. And so, nobody ever remembered the severe damage the conservative party did to this country throughout the years. Anyone who moans about food options in the modern UK must be very, very insular and live in a little bubble or is a spoiled idiot with myopia. Not all immigrants and migrants are equal in their eyes. This means that if you have a car, you can get pretty much anywhere around the UK. Ive lived here all my life, 40 years. Sadly, the internet is full of these instances so there isn't much point me going through them. I always felt like if I moved there I would be able to achieve ultimate happiness in my life. [23] Some argue that it amounts to simple snobbery and elitism. Really interesting read and I wish you both the best of luck in your new nomadic adventure! We adapted, changed and integrated into British society. I think after a decade of living in the UK, certain things started changing a bit too much and got to us. This means that buying a great second car in the UK will cost you much (LIKE MUCH!) What has made this country an awful place to live is intolerant arseholes like you who are too uneducated to embrace what different nationalities and viewpoints have to offer. First, the British are NOT RACIST. I knew from day one, that a vote for out was going to win. One of the biggest differens that i saw are the streets, in England they are very clean, and in Chile you can finde a lot of garbage. Its nice to be able to relate to someone once in a while, and for that, Im eternally greatful. This didn't stop me, though, I persevered until I got accepted. I think most people in London are quite lonely but they are so convinced London is the best city in the world that they choose to ignore it..I could not understand why in such a city use of the internet was so popular for both dating and making friends. It was a strange experience. An interesting article, but you lost my respect as soon as you wrote this: My thoughts on growing up here and where we are now I've seen the UK become more and more racist since the 00's I guess. The racists will swear up and down that they're not racist while being so completely racist. The one that had the vote or the ones that didnt get the chance? [8], The word in its current pejorative usage is recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary as first used in a Usenet forum in 1998 and first used in a newspaper in 2002. Britain is a small island and we value our green space, which has been eroded over the years through over development. "Gainsborough is a town that barely figures on a map of the area, let alone England, set in the . No culture and social life. If I would move, it would be to Barcelona. Hi Rachel, I hope your move will go well. It makes me sad to read this. The opportunity to be free and to express freedom of thought is still prevalent in this country that he now lives in, albeit in his matchbox house. You can always visit though. Thanks for sharing! Leave a comment and tell me all about your experiences. The termites have eaten the soul of a beautiful country. P.S. We left our home in Germany on the border to Switzerland because we had had enough of the discriminatory behaviour of many Swiss towards 'outsiders' (many German professionals are cross-border commuters for work) and now we find ourselves in the same situation, again. My peers were cool, the work environment was multicultural, everyone was smart, funny, different and awesome. Dear Sarah, New Zealand truly is a wonderful place. [1] ". The non-whites you do have in YOUR government are actively working against their own people's interests (Patel and Sunak come to mind) and they are highly xenophobic. Thank you for letting us know. I went to Scotland once and the highlands is very beautiful, but also rained a lot. We are English, but we left the UK just after the Tories were voted in. My wife and I can't wait to leave London next year. There is so much wrong with it I wouldn't know where to begin in pointing out the almost endless flaws. In any case the more I travel the more I learn and I have met so many great people over the years who are prepared to look beyond where one comes from. Comfortable in winter AND summer. I can't help but share your sentiment. I am half Spanish but raised and born in the uk. "Chav" may have its origins in the Romani word "chavi", meaning "child". What British culture was I referring to? The weather part had me laughing with how much I identified with it. What I find interesting is how xenophobic the North of England is when a high proportion of very intelligent immigrants work for the NHS and treat them in hospitals, and yet there is a very tangible dislike for foreigners. Wish us luck. But it's starting to pop up again, with quite a few creators on TikTok and other platforms making videos that take the mick out of. You can rent a PO box for your business and move it there. Maybe we didn't find our space in the South. Despite the handful of people who try hard to make xenophobia go away, there are so many who still claim immigrants are bad for this country. Look at the buffoon in power now. There's only one thing Brits love more than telling people how great their home towns are, and that's complaining about their home towns. Brexit will cost the UK so much money and create a huge division. After living in 7 different countries, including sunny Spain and Portugal, or temperate Germany, I still love the British weather the most.

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