If you're a foregneir in UK...

[CrocoShriek]

...what are the things you love and hate about living here?
I'll start (apologies, it's a bit England-centric)
Love:
-the countryside
-Sunday roasts
-London's melting pot
-low expectations on being fashionable ( I think!)

Hate:
-sticky Pub floors
-lack of proper blue sky in winter
-obsession with cards...thank you/ xmas/birthday etc.

Mountains and skiing in Scotland 😊

Really fascinating thread - although I'm bemused by some of the answers and wonder if some of you are conflating England (and in particular the SE) with the UK?

Lived in England for 12 years, moved to the Netherlands.

Loves:

• The food. Yes! I love pork pies, stilton, cheddar, tea, British apples, biscuits, Yorkshire puddings, all the different kinds of cakes
• The friendliness of the Yorkshire people is second to none
• Accents
• Countryside
• Period properties. I will always miss my first house and regret selling it

Dislikes:

• The NHS. Sorry. It's hierarchical and unfriendly to patients. I feel in much better hands in the Netherlands, and will gladly pay for it. I still don't have a second child partially due to how the NHS messed up.
• Low expectations of government. Nothing ever seems to change, only gradually deteriorate. Why don't people fight for things? Some things would never fly in the Netherlands
• Obsession with money and class. Which is necessary because if you go to a sink school like my husband it becomes very hard to build a decent life. For us a reason to move so my DD could have access to better schools.
• Lack of cycling culture. People seem to really hate cyclists and I don't know why!

I came to live here 18 years ago.
I love:

• how easy is to have things sorted through website , online. Gov.uk is amazing!
• mild weather, never too cold or too warm (it seems changing though)
• fact, that you can find decent job based on your skills and enthusiasm , no one tells you you’re too old.
• a lot less patriarchal country and less misogyny then I’ve seen in any other country
• great music
• general politeness
• fact, that the most vulnerable society members are not left to mend for themselves
• opportunities for social/ professional development

I hate:
“Inclusive” doesn’t include European Christians,
being challenged for my Christian beliefs
total admiration for NHS, is not bad, but not amazing either
lack of public transport outside large urban areas

No - every county has wonderful charm and gems, some mire than others of course.

Love:

-Christmas. Feels like two months of it. Love the winter Christmas. All the build up.
-NHS- far better than the user pays system I came from and there are many specialists (I’m in a London).
-Walking- great place to walk around. Pedestrian friendly.
-Consumer deals and choices- dining out, supermarket offerings, hotel options, shopping etc
-countryside and access to country with good roads and transport, places to stop

Hate
-dog poo
-bleak January/February and long winter
-large pockets of poverty/class system
-no laundry in most homes so having washing machine in kitchen

Found the street signs very difficult to get used to but now used to having to look down low places for them.

I am a tea drinker since i am a pre-teen, hate normal coffee (and I grew up in a family worshipping the coffee machine), may drink a cappuchino outside the house.

But in Germany tea bags are awful, the stuff makes slightly coloured dishwasher water in my opinion.

You can get nice tea, in specialised tea shops or ordering. Here I go into any normal supermarket and have a huge variety of black tea alone. DH (also German) and I have very different opinions of which brand is the best and I just plonk both into the shopping basket.

Love:

• How beautiful it is - countryside, seaside, cities, all so nice and pretty
• The NHS - I know it varies widely but I have a chronic condition and my care is amazing. I just wish everything within the NHS was like that!
• Biscuits, I agree!
• How orderly traffic is 😂
• Wales - everything and everyone in Wales is amazing, thanks for having me

Hate is a strong word but I dislike the short days in winter. Coming from a tropical country there isn’t much variation in daylight throughout the year, and it’s easy to forget how far north the UK really is because the weather is so mild…
Also, I was a bit surprised when I first arrived by the general lack of aspirations - not in a “I must get rich” way but in a “what is my purpose in life?” way. MN aside, people just seem happy to prod along, generation after generation… after reading this thread, I’m thinking it’s probably related to the class system.

But the majority are talking about parts of England - esp liked the post about the country being very flat! It’s a really interesting thread though.

I have lived in like 10 different cities (only really urban/major ones) in different countries, London is my top 3!

Love:

• The parks! outstanding parks really, top reason I decided to move here
• The countryside is so nice
• The love of animals - lots of dogs, cats etc
• Generally, don't care about looking polished / good all that much (vs. other major cities where everyone is obsessed with looking fit or dressed up)
• People are not nosy / don't overly intrude
• Drivers are so polite and don't honk as much
• Pubs are so cute, I love sunday roasts as well
• Houses are so cute, I love the all of the old houses here
• Generally, good moral standard among normal people (I trust people to do the right thing...)
• Pace of life is slower, Less stress, Less competition

Dislike:

• Cost of living increase and council taxes...
• Bit sad over the decline of UK...vs. US and some countrie sin Asia
• Generally mediocre public services (healthcare, garbage collection, transport)
• Services closing at the same time as when people don't work (e.g., estate agents do not work after 6pm, shops close early or don't open on bank holidays etc), most other cities I have lived in the services industry try to open when people have time to do things to get more sales)
• Moving is tough! (no lifts, doors are always too tight, hallways narrow...)
• 99% of Newbuilds are very ugly (not beautiful like nyc, hk etc) and there are too many metal craines
• Friends make fun of me living here still (and not moving to cities where the pay is much better for the same job, or I can live in a much nicer house)
• Not easy to make new friends as people are more aloof here

While I am doing this, despite things I do not like, I do once again realise how much I do love London :)

Like-
-countryside- particularly the New Forest and Northumberland
-proximity to Europe
-fact that people live with history all around them- there is a pub near us that is grimy. It's 400 years old and in my country (Australia) it would be a museum.
-Cities with wonderful architecture like Bath and York
-pubs
-British food is glorious and ridiculously under rated- British puddings are unsurpassed IMO

Dislike
-cold and grey winters that are not snow or anything else that is noteworthy (where I live anyway)
-some British people think it is funny to constantly take the piss out of Australians and we are expected to suck it up even though it can border on the very offensive
-lack of indicator usage in cars where I live- (it's a standard local joke)

Oh yes- and LOVE British tv and film. If it is a new Brit comedy I am there with my snacks knowing it's going to great. (Not Mrs Brown's Boys- all the other ones).

I’m British and find this thread very heart-warming. I love this country, I even love that people are too polite to say how they really feel as this usually comes from not wanting to offend or appear rude.

I agree with most of the things people have mentioned though.

I’m a Spaniard.

Love:

• the country side.
• British sense of humour and the capacity of laughing at themselves when needed.
• how orderly they are.
• very polite (till they have a pint that is, then everything breaks loose)
• they don’t give a toss about looks.
• the NHS.

don’t like:

the awful weather in this country.
their love for rules and the sheep mentality.
emotionally constipated.
very traditional.
men are misogynistic and don’t treat women properly.
their food and lack of cooking skills or healthy eating.
they drink too much and thinks it’s ok.

I forgot I don’t like their excessive political correctness.

Have lived in the UK( England) for 30 years (came over from France).

Loves:

• London & how multicultural it is
• Galleries, museums, music, fashion
• History, literature & architecture
• gardens & countryside
• love of animals (which I really share). The French don't really have that obsession with dogs, cats & horses
• vintage shops
• big department stores
• food. there is such a variety of stuff available if you are vegetarian like me
• options to take part in so many sports
• parks
• the weather, I am not a big heat/sun fan!
• LGBTQ friendly and generally accepting of minorities. I do think although Brexit poisoned the debate quite a bit the UK in general is still a very tolerant and welcoming place. More than France for example I would say
• Scotland and Ireland: loved visiting these countries for holidays, such amazing landscapes and friendly people.

Dislikes:

• The Tories & Brexit
• Lack of affordable housing
• Daily Mail and the Sun
• The fact the NHS has been allowed to become so run down. Although I know the people who work in hospitals are amazing
• Public services in general are poorly funded and the obsession with privatisation has a lot to do with it
• Obsession with the class system
• The fact that at the moment we have politicians who are simply rotten to the core and allowing a small amount of people to make a huge amount of money while everyone struggles.

The (old) architecture
Thatched houses (although drove through northern France recently and there was an entire posh estate of thatched houses)
The fact that there aren’t lots of things in nature that will kill you-no scorpions/bears/lions/few deadly spiders
The green

However!

I hate the over drinking culture and avoid going out in the evening
Football/the rivalry/the poor behaviour of some fans
The government’s shenanigans
The crazy house prices

I'm British born and bred and I also hate the indirectness. I never have a clue what people really mean and find I have to second guess social interactions.

they don’t give a toss about looks.

Ouch!🤣🤣🤣

Love

The sense of humour
The availability of stuff
The country side and British seaside
Understanding everyone

Hate

Lack of ambition
How filthy toilets are and public spaces
Total lack of infrastructure
Short sighted political agendas

Shit gyms as well unless you live in a massive town

And yes - the uk is very "flat". Our mountains are barely more than hills compared to many other countries.

Love:

• the countryside
• london (it's the best city we've lived in)
• footpaths through the countryside
• easy access to the rest of Europe
• pubs
• humour
• prep schools

Hate:

• healthcare ( I don't think Brits realise how dire it truly is)
• lack of ambition
• class system (everything right down to the colour of your trousers means something)
• state schools (woefully under resourced with lacking facilities and a narrow curriculum(

Sadly I don't think we will stay past the next few years as there simply won't be the jobs and I don't want our kids to do the narrow secondary education here. The healthcare situation might force our hand even sooner.

They are smaller than some other countries - but that doesn’t make the UK very flat. Anyway, back to the fascinating thread.

Such an interesting thread.

We've been here nearly 20 years, which feels kind of shocking. I don't think I really hate anything (except Brexit), but there are things that seem to have gone disappointingly in the wrong direction in that time.

Love:
The humour
The BBC, and, specifically, Radio 4 (although less than I used to)
That you can get a cup of tea outside your house that's not tepid bilge water
Weather
London: parks, restaurants, history, cool neighbourhoods and hidden gems and corners
Also London: diversity of population, that most neighbourhoods have a mix of socioeconomic levels
Also also London, but other cities in the UK, too: galleries, museums, music, exhibits, theatre. I don't see how you could ever be bored here
Getting milk delivered in glass bottles (I will never stop marvelling at that)
Gorgeous and varied countryside, easily accessible in every direction
Proximity to Europe
The Eurostar and the ability to travel by train in general
The tube
Wales
The Isle of Skye
The fierce loyalty of British friends, once you've put in the decade it takes to really get to know them
Bacon sandwiches, ploughman's lunches
Food quality generally high, produce from Europe is much nicer than produce that's been picked before it was ready and shipped across the world
Better animal welfare standards than many other countries
As PPs have mentioned, biscuits, also McVities Ginger Cake
Eggs with lovely orange yolks
Trite, I know, but afternoon tea
Separation of church and state in public policy even though it's a Christian country
The way RS was taught in my children's schools
How (relatively) affordable university is
Christmas lights

Like less:
Brexit and an increasing sense of parochialism
Cookie cutter high streets with seemingly very few small, local businesses
Malls
Class divisions
Current government
Destruction of institutions such as NHS
How small certain factions of politics and media feel - like they've all gone to Eton and Oxford together and can't think outside that box
A bit of a culture of low expectations
Increasing anti-Americanism
Increasing societal division, which I fear is being weaponised (i.e. trans issues)
The way history, particularly the empire and colonialism, was taught in my children's schools
The education system, generally. I think academic and rote learning start too early and that the American system is better at senior level
Panto