Remind me why Britain is so great, please!?

[ContinentalKat]

My dh is British, I am not. We've been living over here for 2.5 years now and I am suffering from a bit of homesickness!

I can only see the negative side at the moment, please remind me why Britain is so great!

[WhereYouLeftIt]

Temperate climate.
No dangerous wildlife.
Police do not carry guns.
The NHS.
The BBC.

[PestoSandalissimos]

Chelsea Flower Show
Country pubs
Bluebell woods
No rabies
No wolves or bears
Only 1 poisonous snake (and even that isn't deadly)
Seasons
Proper cups of tea available everywhere

[PestoSandalissimos]

Beautiful coastline
Marks & Spencer
Decent public transport

[joanofarchitrave]

Whereabouts are you living? A couple of days ago i took ds down the towpath on our bikes, and the path was surrounded with Queen Anne's Lace and there were great shocks of mayflowers at every turn. Later DH and I went for a walk on the high hill nearby and passed a great mass of mixed forget-me-nots and bluebells as we went through the woods and gardens. In our garden the roses are full of buds, it's the best year yet for strawberry flowers, and the potato and bean plants make it all look so lush. The apple blossom is gone but a lot of the blossom has set so I'm already looking forward to late summer's apples. I can sit inside and look at all this while listening to Radio 4 documentaries on BBC iplayer, free, and at the weekends I can either enjoy it or head into town to look at treasures looted gathered from the world, free.

The thing is though, I feel like this because Britain is my home and I can do all this and still it's a short drive to see my mum or my sister. Why not tell us about your home - what do you miss?

[surroundedbyblondes]

Cups of proper tea and good sausages and bacon.
Cheap children's clothes

That's what I miss about it anyway.

[sanguinechompa]

less racism and more open-mindedness towards those with disabilities

beautiful green countryside

good shopping!

M & S knickers

salt and vinegar crisps

a beautiful language which is hugely figurative and analogical


Sorry to hear you are feeling homesick? Whereabouts are you?

[sanguinechompa]

Sorry - one question mark too many there

[ContinentalKat]

I'm in the home counties, a beautiful little town but I really miss Germany!

I think I'm just feeling a bit sorry for myself, because everything here is rubbish, and everything in Germany is fab. Which is, of course, utter nonsense, and I know it.

Sorry, but the Chelsea flower show does not make Britain great, but it reminds me that I do like British humor and eccentricity and don't miss German "humor" or whatever passes for that back home

[LoopyLoopsTootTootToots]

Things I think I will miss:

TV (especially university challenge, DH will miss all the reality crap)
cheddar cheese
proper milk
proper tea
countryside
Snow
Clothes
No touchy feely social conventions
Marmite
Salad cream
crisps
bacon
wispa gold
pubs
pub gardens
roast dinner

(so, mostly food)

[sanguinechompa]

Could you put out a call for any German nationals/mums where you live? I find it helps so much if you have just one or two friends from "back home" to whom you can natter!

Failing all else, I guess it is not long before the summer holidays begin. Are you going back home then?

[ContinentalKat]

Thankfully there are loads of Germans here, and it's nice to have a good old moan every now and then about how the milk / bread / windows / shoes / beds / ... are all wrong here.

Incidentally, milk seems to be wrong everywhere other than at home. Dh wouldn't shut up about the milk being wrong when we were living in Germany!

[ContinentalKat]

Oh, and we might be off for a weekend in Germany before the summer hols!

I need a weekend there to put things into perspective again. We went there for Christmas and I couldn't wait to get back home to the UK!

[sanguinechompa]

Good that you have support around you!

I live in Belgium where the bread is excellent. Much as I love going home to the UK, I find I just can't eat the bread there anymore and when we do (out of politeness) my stomach swells and I feel horrible! (My sister thinks I am being horribly precious but it is actually true!)

Don't get me started on food in the UK though. I served my dd a snack of baked beans on toast when we were holidaying with my family a while back and she spat them out in horror saying it tasted like "pudding". When I sampled them, I could not believe the amount of sugar that had been added to the tin. I'm not sure British parents are aware of it. In Belgium, "haricots verts a la sauce tomate" is just that - with nothing added.

Do miss lovely Welsh lamb though!

It's swings and roundabouts isn't it really?

[sanguinechompa]

Yes - I no longer feel at home in the UK either - after two weeks I am ready to get back to Belgium!

[captainbarnacle]

How can milk be wrong?!

[ContinentalKat]

I'm not sure about the milk, but when we were living in Germany dh wouldn't shut up about the milk being wrong. A lot of my German friends think English milk is wrong. I think they're all nuts

[NicholasTeakozy]

The milk's wong because we homogenise it, then pasteurise it. Don't bother with the homogenisation and just filter it, you'll get a much tastier product.

What's good about the UK? Lots of things. South Shropshire, Brewdog, Thornbridge Jaipur IPA, black pudding, Spaghetti Junction, self deprecating sense of humour, London, Brighton, North Devon, West Wales, Scotch Pies, fish and chips and chicken tikka masala. Oh, the best non-league football anywhere.

That's a start.

[LoopyLoopsTootTootToots]

Pimms and cider

[joanofarchitrave]

small town in the home counties - hmm, that could be the problem...

out of interest, what's wrong with the beds here? I must say, I feel I've only just got a really comfortable bed, first ever, and I'm 43.

[SillyBeardyDaddyman]

One of the best things we brits do is import foreign goods. Go to sainsbo and you can buy milka chocolate, Brunswick ham and smoked cheese. Go to aldi/lidl and you can get frikadelen.

These things might make you feel a bit more at home?

[SillyBeardyDaddyman]

German deli

[jollydiane]

Our seasons
BBC (especially Radio 4)
Nice cup of tea
The countryside, you are never that far away from the sea or a mountain for some amazing walks.
Comedy Store
Sense of fair play and order (generally)

[kleeen]

well, as an American considering whether or not to move back to the US from London, I can tell you a few things I would miss:
sense of humour
pubs and being able to bring kids to pubs
countryside drives and walks
free museums
lots of parks
being called love, darling or sweetheart everyday by strangers
normal political politics (as opposed to religious, moral and ethical politics back home)
BBC
NHS
perfect cup of tea anywhere you go

I'm still not sure where we will end up. Is it possible to live in one country and still raise your kids to be British?

[PooPooInMyToes]

I'm still not sure where we will end up. Is it possible to live in one country and still raise your kids to be British?

Id like to know the answer to that.

[JeanBodel]

Britain is great because compared to some other places it has:

Great tolerance for individuality and eccentricity
Less corruption and nepotism in high places
Weather that is unlikely to kill you
Wildlife that is unlikely to kill you
An extensive network of pubs (where they will serve you as many drinks as you like without judging you)