General Chat

I have really enjoyed this thread.I have returned to UK after years of a very fulfilling life abroad in different countries,I hate it here.I cannot wait for my husband to retire when we can wave good bye and be off.Everything is going down the pan here.I dream of being in NZ AND HOPE TO MAKE IT SOME DAY BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE-rOSE

We did'nt actually emigrate, but went Belgium for four years as ex-pats with my husbands job. We had a beautiful house in Waterloo, backing onto what was the battlefield of 1815. The first four months were hell for me. I had gone from having two jobs in the UK to not being allowed to work at all. I did'nt speak a word of French and missed my kids like crazy, hated driving on the other side of the road, hated going shopping incase someone spoke to me and I could'nt speak back. Eventually I began French lessons and I found some ex pats clubs and suddenly made loads of new friends, some of which I'm still in contact with now. I would'nt have missed it for the world. Jo.

And another from Canada! I agree with everything Di says. This is a wonderful country. We emigrated in 1969. We had a service station in Shropshire and, making a penny a gallon when the most anyone ever bought was 4 gallons, a company owned site with a company which was totally inconsiderate and so many other frustrations (including the weather) we decided on New Year’s Eve to move to Canada. My sister came in 1952. My eldest daughter (18) flew here in June and my husband and son (16) flew here in July. My husband wrote me a letter saying “The sun was shining this morning but it’s SNOWING now”. I thought –“Pull the other leg!!” However – it snowed EVERY month that year! My mother, younger daughter (9), myself and the dog came by boat in August and then by train from Montreal to Calgary. A fantastic trip both by water and rail – the best holiday I ever had. We bought a house in 1970 in Calgary where we both had good jobs in the motor trade. In 1975 we bought a 160 acres of bush in Central Alberta – to retire to! It had an n old log cabin built in 1929, no road, water from a spring, no mod. cons. We fixed up the cabin and traveled 250 miles each way every weekend for 4 years except for five occasions and spent all our holidays here as well. Being country folk we hated the city and in 1980 sold the Calgary house (bought for $18,000) for over $70,000, paid off all our bills and ‘retired’ to the bush. Came to England for a 6-week holiday and after 3 days I wanted to come ‘home’! We built a 2300 sq. ft log house from our own trees (no experience what so ever) and it took 16 years – and will probably never be finished, raised goats, rabbits, pigs, wild boar, cows, horses, grew our own vegs. picked wild berries, mushrooms etc. A real pioneer lifestyle. Now we live in comfort, finally sold the last of the animals so have time to travel again. Electricity is provided by solar panels and batteries, heat with wood, cook with wood and propane (calor gas), nearest neighbour is 4 miles away. We now live at the end of a four-mile gravel road and have had a telephone for about 15 years. My computer is my addiction; his addiction is sawing and splitting logs for the stoves. We take off for the summer to Vancouver Island to visit my daughter and spend time traveling to see my great grand children at either end of Alberta. No worries, no crime, (not a great deal of money of course) but we have peace of mind, weather which if you don’t like it – you wait half an hour and it will change. Lots of friends, lots of interests, no worries and a country which will give you back what you put into it and if there is something you don’t like you have the ability to try to change it – you just have to get involved. My only regret – that we didn’t make the move when we married in 1949! Incidentally, after reading the posts about the care of elders in England, my mother had not such problems. The majority of senior care here is terrific (certainly in the areas I know). She was in a wonderful seniors lodge close by me (29 miles) for many years before she passed away at age 92. Just like living in a country house hotel and the residents were taken by private bus to the city once a fortnight to shop. We none of us have any regrets - but stories – hundreds!

Sorry, Ann - I got busy, and a tad poorly, missed your thread. Here goes. I worked in a research team in London in the 50s and 60s as a technician. My commuting took a large chunk of my salary, and there were various social ills (I thought ) in Britain at that time. So when a chance came to go to Canada, with a group of people I already worked with, it seemed an ideal time to leave my extended family behind. My wife threatened to divorce me if we didn't go... We talked to Canadians who knew the city and area and work environment, and looked hard at the geography. Decided where we were going to live on that basis, and chose well enough that we lived in the same house ever since! So, we packed up our 3 kids, aged 1- 4, and the dog, got on a Polish boat called "Stefan Batory" being seasick the whole way and for several weeks after! I have largely retired, just keep my hand in at work, advise a young research group. What I miss? well, the mellow Essex landscape, and pubs. Family, although we visit often. I regret not being there when my parents died, but that's a time for regret anyway. I envy the quality and variety of consumer goods in the UK, too. All in all, it's been very good and exciting living here. In the midst of the Great Lakes, and well South of much of Canada, the climate is pretty mellow Snowfall is about a metre a year, in 3 or 4 major storms. Even the cold is not bad, minus 40 once or twice that I can remember, invigorating if you've got a warm house! Usual minimums are like minus 20 a few times a season, with minus 5 more often. Summers, though, are to be enjoyed at the lake: high 30s in July, sun, drought, no end of fun! Michael

I have an aquaintance who went to live in Spain with her husband (in their late 50s), two years later he died with a heart attack, she couldn't cope there alone and came home. another friend's parents also went to Spain and lived there quite a while before the Mother died. Father has stayed out there and is quite elderly now. I think that is what I would worry about, being left on my own in a foreign country. However, I suppose it all depends how long you have lived there before one of you dies. I have other friends who have moved to new Zealand and Australia, younger people this time and they are all very settled there. Ann Glos

Ann, My daughter and her partner left London about 3 years ago for Spain. They choose to live in a very quite, fairly remote part. They lived in a pretty decent part of London but with violensce, and drugs on the increace they did not want to bring the two children up there any more. Just before they left a young chap returning home from a night shift was murdered withen sight of his own house. . They are really happy and enjoy grown all their own veg in the large garden. Spanish people love children and they have made some really nice friends. Bridget x

I didn't realise you had problems with drugs there. It look as though nobody else want to 'play', a pity as I am sure all ex pats have an interesting story to tell. Never mind, let this one go down now. Ann Glos

Thanks Di, I guess that was about the time when lots of people were emmigrating, and lots of us mmaybe would have liked to but didn't quite have the courage. We couldn't have done so then because Tony was in the RN until 1967, but I doubt if i would have had the ccourage to leave family and friends. Nowadays there wouldn't be such a difference in the material things but i think you now have the better deal when you look at the violence in our cities, and the drug culture. I don't think you have that where you are do you? Maybe Vancouver itself? Ann Glos

Those of you who left this country for distant shores, for whatever reason. If it is not too personal please tell us about it, why did you go and where and when? Are you pleased you went? Do you have any regrets? Would you do it again (if the choice was yours in the first place and not your parents). What is special to you about the place you chose, what do you miss about UK? this is sort of linked to Di's tthread about England I suppose. Ann Glos