[wakeyboy]

I thought this was quite interesting. Its written by an American ex-pat in Britain about an expats bad day...

http://michelloui.blogspot.com/2010/03/ ... d-day.html


This 'Britain' country sounds dreadful.

[mr dragon]

Lol...

I got through the first three points, gave up, and came to the obvious conclusion- just go home. If you don't like it, can't handle it for emotional reasons, and are looking for reasons because of all that- don't go and write a blog about it! Stop making excuses for yourself and whining about it, get on a frigging plane, and go home to what you feel comfortable with.

I can't stand ex pat's whining- whatever country they live in the world (I've seen it a lot over the years when I've been abroad). If you make the decision to go and live somewhere else- fucking deal with it when you get there and adapt!

[eddie2003]

Yep...Just move home.

[SilverMiniCooperS]

As an ex-pat myself I have to agree with Ben. Yes, there are things about England I miss, even after 40+ years, but not enough to make me as miserable as she apparently is.

[Caer Ibormeith]

Some people should never travel too far outside their comfort zone.

She reminds me of a woman in my tour group the first time I visited England. What a nightmare. All she did was complain. About everything. Her mother, Ann, was travelling with her and was so embarassed by her daughter's behavior. She was also the one who got stuck more often than not staying in her hotel room baysitting her 24 year old daughter. She decided that she didnt' want to go anywhere after being served orange soda instead of orange juice in her screwdriver at a pub. She's never heard of the glories of the local brew or the much needed kick of a G & T.

God, she was awful. She also missed out on a lot of fun. I can personally attest to that.

[ukus]

I'm a great believer in 'when in Rome' .... if you don't like it, you are free to leave..... infact please do, if it means we have to put up with your bloody whining.

If you order a Gin and orange (Srewdriver)in England you always got served a Gin with Orange Squash which is a cordial (atleast that used to be the way)...... and whether it was Gin and Lime, Gin and Bitter lemon, a Pink Gin or Gin and Tonic, you were lucky to get more than one ice cube, unless you asked for more.

[Natasha]

As someone who grew up an expat I can relate to many of them. Growing up overseas, I missed a lot about home. Heck, I can't even come to a decision as to where "home" is. Doesn't mean I didn't love the countries I grew up in. If you read the info on the blogger, she's lived in the UK for 20 years. It appears her husband works in the UK and she's there because of it. Unfortunately for her, just going home isn't an option. One rant doesn't mean she hates the UK etc. I bet my mother could relate to #8. She absolutely loathed Japan. Hated it. But my dad had to live there for his job so she made the best of it. Doesn't mean she didn't bitch to her friends or to me when she got a chance. If she'd had a blog while she was there who knows what she would have written!

[waterbeetle]

during my time in the navy when we would get to a port, some guys would just want a Budwieser and a hamburger and nothing else and then wouldn't like what they got anyway. Instead of wanting to go and see what the area had to offer, all they wanted was the way it was at home. That used to frustrate me to no end Make the best of it and quit bitchin' no one wants to hear it anyway

[Caer Ibormeith]

I'm a great believer in 'when in Rome' .... [/img]

I think it's the best way to be, too. You miss out on so much when close yourself off from your adopted culture or the place you are just visiting for awhile. I loved travelling when I was little, so I think I could enjoy living outside the US, depending on the country of course. We all want what we don't have. I can't help but think that the people who whine about being ex-pats would whine about being bored at home.

My cousin lived in England and France for awhile because of her then husand's work. She loved both. My aunt lived in many places in Asia and Europe for the same reason as my mom. She enjoyed everything, especially her home in Brussels. I really envied my cousins their upbringing, but that doesn't mean I wasn't happy with where I grew up. South Florida was a wonderful place to be a kid.

[bll]

My daughter got her Master's in France, and adapted very well; in fact we had to remind her to speak English once she came back home! When we went to see her we decided to meet up in Paris; if we heard a lot of English spoken in the Cafe, we went on to the next one. We had a wonderful time in Paris, really getting a feel for the local scene and not just the touristy bits.

[mr dragon]

during my time in the navy when we would get to a port, some guys would just want a Budwieser and a hamburger and nothing else and then wouldn't like what they got anyway. Instead of wanting to go and see what the area had to offer, all they wanted was the way it was at home. That used to frustrate me to no end Make the best of it and quit bitchin' no one wants to hear it anyway

I'm with you there. If you're going to go to another place you should really open up your mind to it, and enjoy what it has to offer that might be different from what you know. I've always been like that when I go abroad. I love traveling anyway, I get a buzz from it. Especially when you first get there. I want to find out as much as possible. Having said that, coming home is nice as well- it gives you a reality check. And some things that you're familiar with you can't help but miss while you're away. One thing I always miss about the UK, when I've been away, is the down to Earth 'British' version of attitude or banter that I'm familiar with culturally. I always appreciate it more when I come home. My brother's the same when he comes back from Singapore. I know he misses that sometimes. However, there are certain other things I just don't miss about the UK either.

I appreciate Natasha's point though. That person may have just done it because of her spouse. The thing is, my view is if you are in that situation: why have you let yourself get into it? It's different for children obviously, but adults do have choices. If I were married I wouldn't want to be in a relationship and have to compromise that much, or be the one that's the reason the other person is having to compromise in that way. I also started reading her comments and at the same time (one the flip side) it reminded of some British ex pats I've met in the past as well, who then spend all their time complaining about it and wanting that place to be like where they come from, when it obviously isn't. They usually seem to form exclusive cliques with other ex pats they can identify with, then spend half their time moaning. I'm like, get over it.

[wakeyboy]

When I go on holiday I want most of my meals to be either from that country's culture or different to what I normally have.
I dont expect another country with different tastes and traditions to replicate something I'm used to at home. I can stay at home for that!

My Dad is an expat, in Thailand. He has enrolled at one of the universities to learn Thai, and is able to speak it pretty well seeing as he's only been there about 10 months. He has a thai girlfriend and some thai friends. He has also made friends with some British and German expats, but he never complains about Thailand. He loves the food out there. He said he made his gf, and her friend a 'Sunday roast' with veg and mashed potatoes. He doesnt think the thais were impressed, though they politely ate it. "They looked at it in the same way that we looked at the frog kebabs".




I find fussy eaters, and people who complain about everything when abroad, really irritating. They make me ill just listening to them.

[Natasha]

Here is her next post...An Expat's GOOD Day. She sounds like someone who does appreciate where she lives, and does make an effort..she just had a bad day. Again, I can relate. It sucks being away from family during the holidays, missing favorite comfort food and not being able to find a job. While I agree that there are many people who just don't make an effort to love where they live, some countries just aren't for everyone..My mum who loved Iran, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Norway really, really hated Japan. So did I. Also, keep in mind, visiting a place on holiday is much different from living there.


http://michelloui.blogspot.com/2010/03/expats-good-day.html#more

[wakeyboy]

Here is her next post...An Expat's GOOD Day. She sounds like someone who does appreciate where she lives, and does make an effort..she just had a bad day. Again, I can relate. It sucks being away from family during the holidays, missing favorite comfort food and not being able to find a job. While I agree that there are many people who just don't make an effort to love where they live, some countries just aren't for everyone..My mum who loved Iran, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Norway really, really hated Japan. So did I. Also, keep in mind, visiting a place on holiday is much different from living there.


http://michelloui.blogspot.com/2010/03/expats-good-day.html#more

Ok lets cut her some slack, she was having a bad expat day. Nice to see what she appreciates on a good expat day.

Some people might like to take note of point 4 of hers.

[SilverMiniCooperS]

Some people might like to take note of point 4 of hers.

4. Health Care Upper
In the UK its free. Need I say more? Seriously, I love the NHS, even with it's peeling paint (and I'm not just saying that because my hubby is a Dr).

See, that is what always gets me - "Its free" is a misnomer. It is not free - you pay for it with taxes/contributions/national health insurance, or whatever you want to call it. Maybe your premiums are not as high as if you paid for private insurance, but you still have to pay for it! Its not 'free'.

[mr dragon]

4. Health Care Upper
In the UK its free. Need I say more? Seriously, I love the NHS, even with it's peeling paint (and I'm not just saying that because my hubby is a Dr).

See, that is what always gets me - "Its free" is a misnomer. It is not free - you pay for it with taxes/contributions/national health insurance, or whatever you want to call it. Maybe your premiums are not as high as if you paid for private insurance, but you still have to pay for it! Its not 'free'.

That always gets me as well Jenn. It is a complete misnomer. The only people who get 'free' health care in the UK are children, retired people, students, and people out of work. The rest of us, who work, pay directly for it with our NI contributions (and some of the funding also comes from our Income Tax as well). Mind you, if she's not working at the time of writing, then it is technically 'free' for her.

Also, keep in mind, visiting a place on holiday is much different from living there.

Absolutely. Whenever I've worked (or studied) abroad you get to see things in a very different way. Though, I find working and living abroad really enjoyable as well. I think it just depends on the person. Mind you, even when I just go traveling for 'leisure' rather than work I don't often really do it as a 'holiday' as such. I sort it all myself and take my profession with me (to build up my library). I think I've only ever booked three 'proper' normal holidays abroad in my life.

I don't suffer people who complain a lot when they live abroad, too much- hence why I was a little scathing of her comments. However I've never spent more than a year out of Britain, but I've also found things can get to you sometimes when you're away. But I just think get over it- that's what I always say to myself if something starts irking me. Nice to see she made the effort to put a positive spin on it afterwards...though, isn't it a little interesting these posts came with in a short time of one another- like perhaps there was a reason why she was doing it

...And what's her deal with London (compared to Essex of all places )!? Anyone who's lived in London knows you're going to get just about everything- good and bad, all thrown in the mix. There is no real consistent cultural set view of life for Londoners because it's extremely cosmopolitan and very mixed. Trying to stereotype Londoners is nigh on impossible.

[SilverMiniCooperS]

Mind you, if she's not working at the time of writing, then it is technically 'free' for her.

Her husband is a bloody doctor, so she must know how it is funded!!!!

[Natasha]

My guess is that when people say it's "free" they mean that there is no request for payment for services and no bills for medical procedures etc. In that sense it is "free". I don't think people really consider paying taxes as paying for health care, especially considering countries like the US where people pay taxes and also pay separately for health care.

Ben..I am with you in regards to complaining about visiting abroad. I went on a tour of Europe after I graduated uni and one of the girls on the trip complained constantly. The coke tasted different, people said "holiday" instead of "vacation" etc etc etc. It drove me crazy. I tend to have more sympathy for people who live abroad for long periods of time because I know what it feels like to miss out on family Christmases, crave certain foods that are not available or horribly expensive..heck, when we lived in Norway, one of my friends brought me a mcdonalds cheese burger in her suitcase when she came back from London because I was craving one that much and generally feel out of place. While my experiences living overseas were overwhelmingly positive, I know that I had more than one day where I could have written something even more negative than the original blog. Good thing blogging wasn't around while I was in Japan. I would have filled the internet with rants about perverts touching me up on the train, taxi drivers speeding past me, people pushing me off sidewalks and many other every day annoyances that made my time there hell.

[JuanaLaLoca]

I enjoyed Spanish food, but it was a real treat the few times I managed to, through connections, get on the Torrejon U.S. Air force base and buy Peter Pan crunchy peanut butter! I also asked my parents to bring me some when they came to visit at Christmas. I ate it all right out of the jar with a spoon! My brother, on the other hand, who came over with my parents, did not like the non-American food. And I suspect that many of the Brits who vacation on the Costa del Sol, don't like non-British food either, as there is a veritable plethora of British pubs and restaurants, so that they never have to 'go native'. In some areas, you would think you were in Great Britain and not Spain! (Note that I said 'many'; I'm sure there are plenty who do enjoy being in Spain and take part in the native cuisine and ways.)

[mr dragon]

My guess is that when people say it's "free" they mean that there is no request for payment for services and no bills for medical procedures etc. In that sense it is "free". I don't think people really consider paying taxes as paying for health care, especially considering countries like the US where people pay taxes and also pay separately for health care.

That's true Natasha. Though there is a distinction in the UK. You pay your normal Income Tax at source, but also make a separate and very different payment solely for your health care, state pension and unemployment 'insurance'- which is National Insurance. I've always seen my NI as basically my Health Insurance 'cost' of my salary because it's a separate 'tax' from your Income Tax payments instead of having to pay an insurance company myself for my health care - technically it's not even fully a 'tax' in the same way Income Tax is. Though I did have private health insurance for a while as well. Some of us like to make a distinction about this because when people say it's 'free', it actually isn't. It's basically a single payer health 'insurance' system (which covers you for everything you can get on the NHS)- that's compulsory if you work paid for by your separate NI contributions, not your income tax. So when people say they're getting 'taxed' overall at source at 26 or 27% for example, about 5% of that is their Health Insurance and State Pension (NI) and deducted separately, which would be a cost they would have to pay themselves out of their salary if it wasn't deducted at source. One of the reasons I like to point this out is because sometimes the NHS is talked about like it's a 'nanny state' thing were the Government looks after everyone for 'free'. They don't get it for free- just people who work pay for it. In short: we have a single payer compulsory health 'insurance' system in the UK- that's paid for by people who earn a salary, but also covers everyone.