Who is from England?

Hi! I live in America but my life dream is to one day live in England. I was just wondering if anyone out there lives there and is willing to kind of do a pen pal thing and teach me a little about how your daily life is. This kind of makes me sound like a stupid American. Trust me I'm not. Ever since I was a kid I was fasinated by the culture. Anyway, any comments would be great.

I am in Canada at the moment, but lived in England for 16 years

Did you like England? Why did you move?

I think that's awesome. Any advice for anyone who wants to move over there?

I love it but I moved here to live with my BF. We plan to move back sometime

Originally Posted by zao_cat

Hi! I live in America but my life dream is to one day live in England. I was just wondering if anyone out there lives there and is willing to kind of do a pen pal thing and teach me a little about how your daily life is. This kind of makes me sound like a stupid American. Trust me I'm not. Ever since I was a kid I was fasinated by the culture. Anyway, any comments would be great.

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I also plan to live in England one of these years. When I was in middle and high school I wrote quite a few papers on the various historical battles including the War of the Roses, the Hundred Years War, and the 1066 Invasion of England. I've since forgotten most of what I learned back then but I still think about it from time to time.

Mez

PS - I still have my copy of the board game Kingmaker by Avalon Hill. It is a strategy game based on the War of the Roses which I spent many many hours playing back in high school.

I am English but I have opted not to live there, but in France. It is good to be interested in where you might want to live and not just accept it passively as 'we have always been here'. But it is very important to learn as much as you can about your proposed adopted country before burning your boats. It is so easy only to see the good things, and however similar things may seem on the surface (language, food, houses etc) there can be terrible culture shock. Not to mention how you are going to make a living. Have you ever been to Britain, on holiday? That would be a first step, and not staying in hotels, but go to B&Bs and meet the people. Good luck with your research.

Originally Posted by mezlo

I also plan to live in England one of these years. When I was in middle and high school I wrote quite a few papers on the various historical battles including the War of the Roses, the Hundred Years War, and the 1066 Invasion of England. I've since forgotten most of what I learned back then but I still think about it from time to time.

Mez

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I live in Hastings! 1066 and all that!

I`d agree that you really need to come over for a holiday to get the feel of things and explore but if you want a pen-pal in the mean time, that would be so cool! I`m volunteering!

At times I hate living here because of the weather but I guess that`s the same for lots of people where ever you are. (I just had to reinforce the stereotype of us Brits being obsessed with the weather )

Originally Posted by Jaffacake

At times I hate living here because of the weather but I guess that`s the same for lots of people where ever you are. (I just had to reinforce the stereotype of us Brits being obsessed with the weather

)

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Its the same here. We have about 20 different terms for rain alone. Plus we're very wet and gray during the winter, part of the spring and some of the fall

Originally Posted by Bonnie1965

Its the same here. We have about 20 different terms for rain alone. Plus we're very wet and gray during the winter, part of the spring and some of the fall

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Yes! We also just had a wet and grey summer too!



Hijack over!

Whereabouts in England are you most interested in? Rural or Urban areas? I live in one of the ugliest, roughest, (and hence just about still affordable for a normal person!!!) parts of London. It was bombed extensively during WWII so most of the buildings are rapidly constructed post-war housing blocks, and the nearby docks are industrial rather than the posh redeveloped bits further west. So I'd give this part of England a miss if I were you!

Other parts are very beautiful of course - I grew up in rural Surrey which is all hills, woods, lakes and streams, and villages. I'd love to move back there, but I'd only be able to afford it if I won the lottery

That's the only warning I'd give really- England is one of the most expensive places in the world to live (with the possible exception of Sweden & Norway), the basics such as food and accommodation are astronomically expensive compared to what you may be used to, so realistically you'd need to have a well paid job to go to! Do come over on holiday, get a taste of the place

Another brit here And this ones from a place called Northumberland

http://www.visitnorthumberland.com/

I'm only 30 minutes from the scottish border as well We may have naff weather at times but i love the place because we have a lot of culture

I live in Scotland rather than England but I'd be happy to talk about what it's like being where I am.

I'm currently living in Edinburgh and I find it a very comfortable city to live in. I'm Icelandic but I moved to the UK around 4 years ago so I've gone through the "lets go move to the UK" thing. Although it's easier for me to move over than people from the States because Iceland like most of the rest of Europe has a deal with the other countries so you can go and live and work where you want without permits etc. as long as you can afford to live without getting money from the state.

The thing I like the most about Edinburgh is not having to have a car. It's a relatively small city and you can walk or take the bus everywhere. In fact living in the middle of the city and having a car is very hard since the roads are pretty congested and it's hard finding parking. I've not driven a car since I moved across.

Rosiemac - I had no idea you were in Northumberland! I've been down to Alnwick Castle several times. It was a lot of fun.

I am from England

I live in America with my American Husband, I have been here six months.

Some pointers about England:

I am from a small town in between London and Southampton, classed as the south east of England. where I lived was about 30 minutes away from a shopping town and just over an hour from London, it was a great location, the beach was also only about an hour and half south from where we lived as was Stone Henge and the South downs ( lovely place to walk) was just 45 minutes away.

England is not as friendly as America however if you live in a very small village or the 'country side' I think people are freindlier.

I love England and my husband wants to get based back over there. I dont mind the wed days, and the 1 month of unbearable heat that we occasionally have (oh and air conditioning IS NOT in every house like it is over here, many business dont even have it!

In England public transport is easier to use then over here in the states, it is also safer and more acessable, although the train fares are pricey and continue to go up.

I have also lived in East England, the norfolk/suffolk counties, this is a cheaper place to buy/rent in comparisons to the south east.

I have a friend who lives in wales (she just got a kitten) and she loves it there.

The only problem we face when and if we get orders back to England is the money, any savings of dollars, will seem so llittle in comparison to how much the pound is worth, it is not bad when you earn English pounds, but initially it will seem like your money wont go far. everything costs double than it does over here, I was reminded of this when we went back to England in the summer for our honeymoon and we were spending the dollars that DH earnt as appose to the pounds I had previously earnt.

It is easier to get cheap cell phones (we say mobile phones) there is a wider selection of plans and phones, the shops on a Sunday will open at 10 and close by 4, even the stores that stay open for 24 hours must close on a Saturday night to abide by the Sunday trading hours. most malls close at 6 unless its a really really big one then it may close at 8 or 9, supermarkets/grocery stores generally close at 10, unless they are 24 hours...

When my DH first went to England he said he was expecting it to be like a little America, he said he was surprised to find it was not like this

England is a beautiful place with so many great historical sights, just riving through villages has me smiling at the quaint little cottages that i would love to one day live in.

OH almost forgot...The roads. roads, cars everything are alot more narrow! we also drive on the other side of the road, mainly manuals, there are not a whole lot of automatics about. older cars don't have AC either.

Any Questions???

I live in England too Manchester in NW England to be specific. It's ok where I live - Manchester has good public transport and the city centre is pretty good re clubs, theatres, restaurants etc. I live near the Peak District which is a lovely part of the country

http://www.visitpeakdistrict.com/

Downsides are the cost of living over here is expensive - basic groceries, the cost of buying and running a car (esp petrol) will cost you a lot more. Petrol, for example is currently £1 ($2) a litre. Things like CDs, DVDs are also more expensive. Even if you download music from somewhere like itunes it costs more if you're buying from England. And house prices are just silly. Even in Manchester, which is cheaper than much of England, you're looking at over £100,000 ($200,000) for a very small 2 bedroom terraced property with tiny backyard. Unless you want to live in a really rough area.

Everywhere has it's downsides and England is no exception. Even middle class areas have problems with crime and anti social behaviour, esp increasing gun crime. Tbh, most city centres on a saturday night are not nice places to be.

If you're serious about wanting to live here then I'd visit and look online to try and find out what part of the country you would like best, and whether you're after a rural or urban location. House prices are higher in the south than in the north. Then check out house prices and employment opportunities to see if it's a viable option.

I don't have much to contribute but..

I was born in London, my mother is scottish, both times i have gone back to the UK i have gotten this homely feeling, but it doesn't feel like home (does this make sense?) After living in Australia, you just love your space. I know a lot of Americans that have moved over here (Europe) and they all say the same thing, they love the culture and food, but its just cold and glum and not spacious enough. In America when you are in a shopping centre or in a bank everyone keeps at least arms length distance, in Europe not. As we are very overcrowded.

You will find a lot of things that you will need to adjust to, people aren't very friendly here in Europe unless you go to the southern area.

If you don't like rainy or cloudy weather England will not be an option. Believe it or not, people are always happier when the sun is shining.

Do go to the UK for a holiday I would advise for a month.

I live in South London. I'm lucky that my area wasn't really affected by the Wars so my house and most of those in my area are about 100 years old. However it still doesn't have the best reputation, but does have the best night life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brixton

If you want some idea of a somewhat idealistic country village I recommend listening to the Archers; "A simple tale of country folk".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/
Listening to Radio 4 in general gives a good idea of the minutae of British life.

Feel free to pm me!

Originally Posted by Siggav

Rosiemac - I had no idea you were in Northumberland! I've been down to Alnwick Castle several times. It was a lot of fun.

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Yes, Alnwick castle along with Bamburgh castle are just down the road from me