Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

Sorry to be a party pooper, but it may be of no consequence where on this small globe, one goes in search of a "better life", climate, socio- economic conditions etc etc, you take the baggage from your initiation with you hence the nostalgia felt in the postings of many Ex-Pat's.

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

Have a sister in Vancouver and have visited a few times - if I were younger I'd give Canada a go - very impressive and with the lakes it has the largest country in the world. Nice people - nice climate - they even get snow in winter! but hot summers. Still have family and friends in UK but could never return permanently - too many years gone by and too many good times elsewhere. I am still amazed that at one time England thought 'big' despite being a small country and the sun never set on the British Empire! - the golden years heh

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

It's the centre of the universe, and always will be, Imo.

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

what Canada?

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

No way. Lol, Gods own country, Blighty, born and bred, and staying put.

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

no problem with party poopers they add to the mix and often find themselves sitting in the corner ignored. But your definition of ex-pats, baggage and nostalgia interested me as one unlike yourself who has actually experienced the phenomena. I agree to begin with that we do all collect 'baggage' along the way and the British more so than many. However emigrating to another country very quickly ensures you get rid of the 'baggage' - one because you want to anyway and two the 'natives' of the other country assist you very quickly to get rid of it - ie they won't tolerate it - and showing your 'baggage' to them ensures you are swiftly kicked in the backside!

nostalgia - yes - but it's almost always a nostalgia for things that no longer exist - a younger earlier life with friends who no longer keep in touch. So what we are saying here is "this is the England that I enjoyed and remember" but what we often don't add but know is "but it no longer exists in that form" It's like remembering a grandfather who no longer lives or an old dog who no longer lives.

The greatest thing humans on this planet have is memory - that's why dementia is such a horrible disease - and it's memory that enables us to function in this fast paced world but also to sit and have some nostalgia sometimes with a nice cup of tea and a scone!

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

We agree on much mindbender, just from different angles.

Goodnight.

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

I can relate to most of that though I have been here a bit longer and returned a few more times. I disagree with the last statement, certainly the grey nomads clutter up the roads with their bloody caravans as they meander about the place but most young aussies go to Asia and/or Europe. The high dollar makes it so cheap.

Personally I holiday in Oz as well as Asia, Last year spent a month in Queensland and another month in Tassie, driving here is a synch - you just spend hours on cruise control. Aussie motels are over priced in my opinion but acceptable. I carry a tent but prefer to stay in motels.

At the moment am in Malaysia and just visited Cambodia, what a wonderful experience overseas travel is. Back home in about a week.

Personally I don't have air conditioning and I find 33'C quite pleasant, over 40'C is a bit extreme but I hate the cold when it gets down to 10'C I freeze.

Would I return to the UK? - no way! Nice to visit but when I drive down Mount Ousley and look down over Wollongong and the blue Pacific I know I am home.

Our economy may well be the envy of the rest of the world but pressures and problems are building up. The high value of the Aussie dollar for one is killing manufacturing, the recents drops in commodity prices due to the China slow down are having a serious effect on government revenue. There is pain to come (though I would rather be in our position than most of Europe's situation)

The one problem about emigrating as I did when I was 19 by myself is that you have no family here, this didn't worry me until I had children but they didn't have the same extended family I had when I was their age, all their cousins, aunties and grand parents were half a world away. It doesn't seem to have done them any harm but it is probably my only regret about living here.

They are in their mid 20s now and have all been to various parts of the world now including europe, asia and the middle east and while the travel has broadened their minds they still come back and say the same thing, "...we really do live in the lucky country"

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

That's what they told me when I was in Ozz (30 plus years ago) and it's still true. I came back but it was not my decision, too long a story to go into but often wonder what I would be doing if I was still out there.

I am a sort of expat still in that I live six or seven months in Eastern Europe, that is big geograpically also, two of us used to drive to UK in one day but I take three now

Re: Ex-pats - gone for good or will return?

I understand about the family thing Bruce and am pleased you have children here, unfortunately I was never blessed with kids, my first husband returned to the UK after only 12 months here, I stayed of course and travelled around the country for years before settling here in '82 but now and again I wish I'd gone back for a visit, que sera,sera!