Immigrants of P&B

[welshbairn]

4 minutes ago, The Holiday Song said:

Haarlem and Amersfoort are good too. Greatest thing about central Netherlands is all these nice places to visit within a 45 minute radius.

Got a night in Haarlem on the way back from Portugal early November, looking forward to it, hotel bang in the centre, 20 minute bus ride from Schiphol.

[effeffsee_the2nd]

1 minute ago, DanMc99 said:

i want to know more about it.

during the clap for NHS last year someone, can't remeber who, reconed that nurses were mostly fat lazy bints who sat around eating quality street all day either gossiping or looking through their phones 

[Michael W]

Moved to Reading 8 years ago, unsurprisingly for work reasons as there isn't really other reason I'd have ended up here. Have changed jobs since then and am about to do so again. 

In terms of what it's like, it's a very average town although it does have a lot of high-paying jobs, with a lot of large multi-nationals having headquarters (or regional headquarters) here. As a result a lot of people you meet aren't from here, even if only somewhere else in England or indeed further afield. You get quite a lot of ex-pat workers as well that come here on a temporary basis, particularly from the technology firms. As a result it does feel like quite a transient place at times. 

There is more going on here than there is on Kirkcaldy, which is a big plus and the train to London takes 25mins which is excellent. The London factor does however lead you into the largest negative - property is horrendously expensive and most of it is shit. Crumbling victorian terraces that should've been knocked down a couple of decades ago and overpriced shoebox flats being a particular feature. Having grown up in an out of town suburb in Kirkcaldy, the price that an equivalent here cost was a massive shock. I've moved slightly outside of Reading now to get that, although transport and convenience have been sacrificed as a result. It's a balance. 

In terms of what I miss: football (well, Raith Rovers) and family. I still get caught out on occasion by Sunday trading hours, which I continue to despise. 

It's alright. To he fair I wouldn't move anywhere else in England, but would be open to moving abroad. Have no real desire to return to Scotland as this moment in time. 

Edited August 6, 2021 by Michael W

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

Pal of mine from Czechia showed me his Tinder from Manila - sound guy but not the best looking and struggled to get a match in Scotland. Had about a thousand from over there. Some amount of shagging you’d be able to do over there I’d expect.

[EH75]

9 minutes ago, Michael W said:

I still get caught out on occasion by Sunday trading hours, which I continue to despise. 

This is a right pain in the arse tbf.

The other thing I forgot to mention in my post and probably the number 1 thing I miss about living in the central belt of Scotland is the ease of access to large events. Gigs, live comedy, theatre etc. It is pretty rare for big acts to come to East Anglia so you are stuck with going to London, which is 3 hours each way minimum so realistically you are looking at an overnight stay. So an act I could go to see in Scotland for basically the price of a ticket for the event and a short train journey turns into a minimum £300 outlay.

[DanMc99]

30 minutes ago, effeffsee_the2nd said:

during the clap for NHS last year someone, can't remeber who, reconed that nurses were mostly fat lazy bints who sat around eating quality street all day either gossiping or looking through their phones 

did he read the daily mail by any chance?

[Jacksgranda]

1 hour ago, DanMc99 said:

who the f**k even buys quality street every day?

Ex patients and their relatives?

[welshbairn]

1 minute ago, EH75 said:

This is a right pain in the arse tbf.

The other thing I forgot to mention in my post and probably the number 1 thing I miss about living in the central belt of Scotland is the ease of access to large events. Gigs, live comedy, theatre etc. It is pretty rare for big acts to come to East Anglia so you are stuck with going to London, which is 3 hours each way minimum so realistically you are looking at an overnight stay. So an act I could go to see in Scotland for basically the price of a ticket for the event and a short train journey turns into a minimum £300 outlay.

Used to get a good few biggish acts at UEA when I went in the Eighties, Public Enemy for instance.

[EH75]

12 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

Used to get a good few biggish acts at UEA when I went in the Eighties, Public Enemy for instance.

You'll get someone every so often like Elton John playing Carrow Road or we've got Lionel Richie playing Blickling Hall next summer but it's nothing liking living almost equidistant between Edinburgh & Glasgow for choice and ease of access. 

[Jacksgranda]

I moved to our beloved province/the occupied six counties (delete as per your prejudice) in 1973, like a lot of things in my life, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I needed a job, having just finished a quantity surveying course at polytechnic, and thought a change of scene might do me good. There was a job on offer in Coleraine (the chief partner was a Scotsman) and although The Troubles were basically at their worst, Coleraine hadn't been affected. Until I applied for the job - the Railway Road bomb - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Coleraine_bombings

I also had (still have) relatives here, and knew things weren't (quite) as bad as portrayed on TV.

Got the job, moved to Coleraine, got digs - the landlady was 8 months pregnant and said I could stay till the baby was born - I was there 6 years - and settled in. Found it very much like Scotland.

Never had any real hankerings to move back, I would have visited twice a year and always tried to squeeze in a match at Pittodrie, I did miss the scotch pies and rowies and still do. Got my football fix by supporting Coleraine.

Despite having no great hankerings to move back, a couple of times I applied for jobs in Scotland, I think I actually got offered one but it's that long ago I can't really remember.

Thought i was destined for the life of a bachelor till I met my wife in 1992 and we celebrated our silver wedding anniversary this year (with her self isolating because she had Covid).

The scenery here is spectacular, even the view from the top of our garden is quite stunning (currently unavailable due to grandson nr 3's sheep), and Donegal is only an hour away, equally spectacular.

Folk are friendly/nosy depending how you take it, and having lived here for 48 years it's my home. The downside was obviously The Troubles and the resulting legacy of bitterness and division, which may never heal. Because of the money poured into security over the years infrastructure has suffered. Whenever I arrived here the M2 (I think that part is actually the M22) went as far as Randalstown. 48 years later it still only goes to Randalstown although in the last year it has been dualled to Castledawson. Dungiven - Londonderry is also being dualled, so that only leaves the bit in the middle, a mammoth task. There is still no dual carriageway from Londonderry to Ballygawley, despite £80 million having been spent - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-58090116 - There is still no motorway from Ballymena-Coleraine-Limavady-Londonderry although a lot of it has been dualled in the last few years. There is a bit of dual carriageway between Moneymore and Cookstown that hasn't been extended since it was built , 47 years ago. It's 2.3 miles long. I've never figured out why this bit only of the A29 is dualled.

Omagh is still the forgotten town, no motorway or dual carriageway for it.

The train service is actually quite good, the main problem being over 70% of the service was closed down 60 years ago and never replaced by buses, again partly a legacy of the Troubles to a certain extent.

I haven't been back to Scotland since my parents died and with our health the way it is it's unlikely I'll ever be back.

I'm content with my life and quite happy with my lot, I think the quality of life here is excellent, and have no regrets about moving here.

Edited August 6, 2021 by Jacksgranda
Sleppnig

[mozam76]

Wonderful thread. As someone who in their late teens had dreams of living abroad (and in reality has moved no further afield than Gorgie from West Lothian), some of these posts are wonderful. None more so than the contributions from @SlipperyP.

[Torpar]

13 hours ago, Tight John McVeigh is a tit said:

Moved from Scotland early 2000’s, initially on a secondment for one year to sort an issue my employer at the time had in Hungary. Then moved over to Canada, hated that, 

 

Where did you move to and why did you hate it? 

1 hour ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Just wondering have any of you ever encountered the kind of exceptionalist shite foreign migrants get over here with the ‘dey dook or jaabs’ type stuff or are the places youve settled not backward hick shiteholes?

Doesn't happen too often, the racist gammons here tend to view white Anglophone immigrants as OK. I feel like if you are anti immigrant then Toronto isn't the city for you, over 50% of the population was born outside of Canada, so my wife is in the minority. We are looking at moving to small town New Brunswick or Saskatchewan, be interesting to see what the attitudes there are, my very basic French might be looked down in New Brunswick. 

My mother in law used to have jokingly suggest I'm only marrying her daughter for a visa, not true, you don't even need to be married to get one! I would say it never bothered me but I think it's part of the reason I waited until I had my Permanent Residency before proposing. She also used to talk down about immigrants, seemingly forgetting both her parents were immigrants. My wife no longer has any interest in talking to her anymore anyway. 

[Ross.]

1 hour ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Just wondering have any of you ever encountered the kind of exceptionalist shite foreign migrants get over here with the ‘dey dook or jaabs’ type stuff or are the places youve settled not backward hick shiteholes?

I haven’t dealt with it personally, but I have been told by a few people(In wildly different contexts) that I’m “The right kind of foreigner”, which is the reason why.

I know of others who tick fewer of the “Right kind” boxes and they have definitely dealt with it at times.

[Bonksy+HisChristianParade]

8 minutes ago, Torpar said:

Where did you move to and why did you hate it? 

Doesn't happen too often, the racist gammons here tend to view white Anglophone immigrants as OK. I feel like if you are anti immigrant then Toronto isn't the city for you, over 50% of the population was born outside of Canada, so my wife is in the minority. We are looking at moving to small town New Brunswick or Saskatchewan, be interesting to see what the attitudes there are, my very basic French might be looked down in New Brunswick. 

My mother in law used to have jokingly suggest I'm only marrying her daughter for a visa, not true, you don't even need to be married to get one! I would say it never bothered me but I think it's part of the reason I waited until I had my Permanent Residency before proposing. She also used to talk down about immigrants, seemingly forgetting both her parents were immigrants. My wife no longer has any interest in talking to her anymore anyway. 

Saskatchewan looks shit tbh, no idea why you’d want to move there.

[Duszek]

1 hour ago, Inanimate Carbon Rod said:

Just wondering have any of you ever encountered the kind of exceptionalist shite foreign migrants get over here with the ‘dey dook or jaabs’ type stuff or are the places youve settled not backward hick shiteholes?

We're grudgingly tolerated rather than welcomed. In Geneva, the right-wing parties stoke resentment against the 90,000 'frontaliers' who cross the border to work and then scarper with their ill-gotten gains. But the city would shut down without them. Thankfully, the banks, multinationals and international organisations (who wield power and influence) ken the score.

I used to get the bus from Annecy to Geneva in the morning (gave up because it took too long), and the Swiss border guards would take an age to inspect frontaliers' passports, just to piss them off. Tbh, it just reinforced my determination to continue pilfering the Swiss coffers. 

[Torpar]

4 minutes ago, Bonksy+HisChristianParade said:

Saskatchewan looks shit tbh, no idea why you’d want to move there.

The cost of living, you can buy a 5 bedroom house in Regina for the same price as 400sq ft 1 bedroom apartment in Toronto. The big city is cool when you are young and single but now I'm married with a kid I'd rather she didn't have to grow up here. 

[Michael W]

1 hour ago, EH75 said:

This is a right pain in the arse tbf.

The other thing I forgot to mention in my post and probably the number 1 thing I miss about living in the central belt of Scotland is the ease of access to large events. Gigs, live comedy, theatre etc. It is pretty rare for big acts to come to East Anglia so you are stuck with going to London, which is 3 hours each way minimum so realistically you are looking at an overnight stay. So an act I could go to see in Scotland for basically the price of a ticket for the event and a short train journey turns into a minimum £300 outlay.

I naturally don't have that issue given where I am, but it is very much the case that most of Scotland lives in the central belt and so many things are therfore often no more than 90mins away. Not so in England which takes a little getting used to. 

It's also reminded me that I miss the traffic at home. The roads here are a nightmare. 

[Michael W]

3 minutes ago, Duszek said:

We're grudgingly tolerated rather than welcomed. In Geneva, the right-wing parties stoke resentment against the 90,000 'frontaliers' who cross the border to work and then scarper with their ill-gotten gains. But the city would shut down without them. Thankfully, the banks, multinationals and international organisations (who wield power and influence) ken the score.

I used to get the bus from Annecy to Geneva in the morning (gave up because it took too long), and the Swiss border guards would take an age to inspect frontaliers' passports, just to piss them off. Tbh, it just reinforced my determination to continue pilfering the Swiss coffers. 

I thought they might've tried deporting you for returning to the country with a load of non-French wine! 

[Tight minge]

11 minutes ago, Torpar said:

Where did you move to and why did you hate it? 

Doesn't happen too often, the racist gammons here tend to view white Anglophone immigrants as OK. I feel like if you are anti immigrant then Toronto isn't the city for you, over 50% of the population was born outside of Canada, so my wife is in the minority. We are looking at moving to small town New Brunswick or Saskatchewan, be interesting to see what the attitudes there are, my very basic French might be looked down in New Brunswick. 

My mother in law used to have jokingly suggest I'm only marrying her daughter for a visa, not true, you don't even need to be married to get one! I would say it never bothered me but I think it's part of the reason I waited until I had my Permanent Residency before proposing. She also used to talk down about immigrants, seemingly forgetting both her parents were immigrants. My wife no longer has any interest in talking to her anymore anyway. 

Yes, I don’t think it is a usual thought on Canada. 

Several reasons I guess. I actually used to live in Canada as a kid and have a number of family members there. The ‘hype’ of Canada in the 70’s probably raised expectations too high.

As a kid we stayed in Whitby and when I moved myself it was to Oshawa, so not the best location.

The constant repetition of the same brand food outlets and shops also frustrated me. (The hype about Tim Hortons I’ll never understand) and I found everything generally bland.

The tipping point was the out right racism that existed that kind of scunnered me. 

Having stayed previously in Hungary and travelled throughout Central Europe and the Balkans which I loved made it more attractive for me.

Considering all the places I have lived and worked, I maybe like imperfection and more ‘flexible laws’ than what exists in Canada. 

Places like Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam and their culture, food and outlook on life is just more appealing for me.

A little ironic I say some of that from the comfort of Singapore. If it weren’t for my kids, I would not stay in Singapore and even had a thought about returning to Canada as an option for the family, bit not sure if they would have me a third time. 

 

Its each to their own of course and I would definitely be in the minority.

Maybe just not enough risk and adventure for myself.

 

[EH75]

1 minute ago, Michael W said:

I naturally don't have that issue given where I am, but it is very much the case that most of Scotland lives in the central belt and so many things are therfore often no more than 90mins away. Not so in England which takes a little getting used to. 

It's also reminded me that I miss the traffic at home. The roads here are a nightmare. 

Aye I mean to be fair I must live in one of the worst areas for accessibility apart from maybe the South West. Once you get out of Norfolk its not so bad but that takes an age in itself.  Thankfully my job means I don't have to commute but its always a bit weird going back home and there being very few areas of motorway which have more than 2 lanes, whereas down here its the norm (not where I live admittedly but the rest of England seems to be mostly 3 lanes).