Would you emigrate?

[Flying_Monkey]

As of two weeks ago, we live on an island in the Thousand Island of Ontario, Canada, a short ferry ride from the nearest town where I work. We have an acre of land and a small house just 50 metres from the lake (and a canoe that I can use any time). But we're only two hours from Montreal (a very cool city) by train, and a little more the other way to Toronto. It's been a few years looking for a job over here, and finally the right one came up. Don't know if I'll be here forever, but as I've got a tenured and nationally-sponsored university job, there's not much reason to go elsewhere (unless my wife really can't handle the winters). I grew up in all sorts of places (including Oslo...) so I never felt much attachment to the UK.

What I miss: good newspapers, especially The Guardian - but I get read them all online if I want; Hills - it's 'rolling' at best round here and mostly flat; the humour - people don't do irony here; trains - we have a station in town, but there's only one line - mind you it goes everywhere you'd want to go - there are only three choices!

What I don't miss: the racism; the miserable people; the lack of community - we know more of our neighbours in two weeks than we ever even met where we were living in the UK (and that was in an apparently friendly part of the country); the traffic - not much around here; the high prices for crap goods and services.

 

[Andy in Sig]

I think you're being too harsh on Canadian humour. I've always found them to be very good on subtle things like irony, although as one of them explained to me there is one province (can't remember the name but they do a lot of corn growing) where they tend to look south and as a result are nearly as thick as the yanks.

 

[dellzeqq]

I really think in terms of cities rather than countries, and London is a great city to live in. I'd not say no to a temporary move to New York or Beirut, but that would be about it.

 

[Kirstie]

In my experience the Canadian sense of humour is really harsh - ie much more risque 'poking fun at others' misfortune or pain' than would be tolerable in the UK. Because of that it's unexpectedly funny, prob because of the shock value. Radio adverts I find unbelievably funny...

Having said that there's this TV show called 'Corner Gas' which is supposedly an hilarious sit com. It's totally and utterly unfunny. I don't get it at all.

Oh yeh FM just wait until you meet some of the jobsworths over there. Blind rule following and other jobsworth behaviour is just so frustrating...

 

[karlos_the_jackal]

well i would move to oslo, stockholm or barcelona.

Whats stopping me, nothing but getting a job and learning more of the languages. although stockholm and oslo probably could get english speaking job.

 

[Ghost Donkey]

Being married to a Greek gives me an easy answer. There are a few things stopping us. The first is work. As we have tree kids my wife could almost definitely get a job working for the Greek state as a teacher (fully qualified in Greece) but we would have to move around different parts of Greece for a couple of years. My job prospects also aren't good. We've moved around England to get her a very good job at a private school and giving that up would be a pain after all the effort and sacrifice we (me basically) have put in.

She doesn't speak Greek to the kids, which is a real bone of contention in our house. They would pick it up soon enough but it's not the best start. Our eldest is at school and if it doesn't work out she would be behind on school work. Greek kids start later.

My wife's family are out there.Bigger problem for her than me.

I fancy Spain and a few friends have emigrated to Australia and highly recommend it.

 

[swee'pea99]

Nowhere else in the world has decent beer, so I'm staying here.

 

[karlos_the_jackal]

Are you classing beer as bitter or lager?

 

[Ghost Donkey]

Lager isn't beer. It's lager .

 

[User169]

Belgium? That's where I'd go if the opportunity came up, although I reckon it would be pretty detrimental to my health.

 

[karlos_the_jackal]

Sorry, i was being a mini troll! with the lager/beer debate.

Belguim
Czech Republic

Would have to be drink based emigration decisions!

 

[Crankarm]

In my experience the Canadian sense of humour is really harsh - ie much more risque 'poking fun at others' misfortune or pain' than would be tolerable in the UK. Because of that it's unexpectedly funny, prob because of the shock value. Radio adverts I find unbelievably funny...

Having said that there's this TV show called 'Corner Gas' which is supposedly an hilarious sit com. It's totally and utterly unfunny. I don't get it at all.

Oh yeh FM just wait until you meet some of the jobsworths over there. Blind rule following and other jobsworth behaviour is just so frustrating...

Due South first series was excellent series.

I would love to get out of this dump called the UK. I made up my mind this weekend whilst out running round the local sports field dodging the feral kids throwing abuse, sticks and stones at me. The mess they left on the football fields was disgusting.The Uk is fecked. It has been for the last 10 years or so. There seems now to be a large sub culture of ignorant lawless scum that the politicians and authorities at all levels seem unable or unwilling to deal with. Not to mention all the other economic and political problems. The fraud committed by the crooks at the top eg Fred the Shred et al who get away scott free just filters down to scum on the streets who think they can do the same but on their terms, stick two fingers up to the law.

 

[swee'pea99]

In my experience the Canadian sense of humour is really harsh

That Canuck standup again..."No, of course I'm not an African American, I'm a Canadian. And I think the education system in Canadia is the goodest of all 27 countries'.

 

[Happiness Stan]

Love to go to NZ but it means seeing very little of my mum and the in-laws.

Might just go anyway.

 

[Happiness Stan]

Belgium? That's where I'd go if the opportunity came up, although I reckon it would be pretty detrimental to my health.

But it's full of Belgians - who are like the French but with far less redeeming qualities such as wine, food, countrytside, charm, style, culture etc, etc.