To think England is a bit boring?

[Annalikesblue]

I'm from England originally. I was working abroad for a long time.

I moved back recently to work, and for a family reason. I probably won't stay here forever. Maybe for two to three years max.

Do any of you think that England is a bit boring?

Every street, wherever you go,
has the exact same shops.

The Weather is bad. People are miserable. When you go to groups, people are so serious.

It just seems so dull and lifeless

I absolutely agree with your comments about class. The class system here is very noticeable. I like to think I have friends from all classes (well ok, not the aristocracy) but plenty of my middle class friends really don't seem to mix with working class people. I feel like people here live in their own little bubbles.
I do think you'd benefit from being in a more lively, diverse city. I dislike the small town menrality. Your comment about different people not fitting in, doesn't apply where I live in Leeds. My kids are half Indian and blend in perfectly with all the other mixed race/Asian children. Someone like you, who has one British parent and one European parent, absolutely wouldn't stand out here. There are people from all over the world .

Are you London-based?

Absolutely not 'boring'. I lived on a holiday island a while ago, while fun, vibrant and exciting during the summer, the winters were awful. Everything shut down, no large sporting events to go to at the weekend, no live music, no meeting your mates at the pub for a pint (everything was shut), no art galleries, no theatre, just nothing. I think we think England is boring and grey when it rains but we have ALOT to be thankful for.

Thanks for your kind words Sally!

I'll be in Leeds this weekend. So I'll try some different groups amd activities there.

@Saschka I had this twice in Copenhagen when we lived there- both 75 years plus women hissing at me to speak Danish in the supermarket

@HoppyFish I agree but then those are tourist cities in Europe that people gravitate too because they are indeed all lovely. If you were European and had weekends away or visits to say York , Bath, Chester, Norwich, Exeter - a European would probably enjoy all those too- the shitty weather here really doesn't help though- I actually lived in Copenhagen and people always say 'isn't the weather shit there too? Well it rarely gets above 25 degrees, but we had a lot more sun, more snow and sleet and fog and definitely more blue skys and less rain

It depends where you're comparing to in the UK, but this might also show something about perception. Copenhagen has 60% more rain days of rain in the average year than London.

@MoreDangerousThanAWomanScorned ha, compared to Bath it felt positively dry !! But yes you may well be right. It did used to be less spread out though so you would get 4 or 5 nasty days and then 2 weeks with none at all -rather than every day with 2 hours of drizzle- it has been spectacularly wet last 2 years in Somerset

I think things are clearer for OP now. She doesn't find England boring. It's just that she has been living in a 'dark satanic mills' town in Lancashire where it rains all the time. Once she travels over the Pennines to God's own county, I think she will realise that she is more suited to living in or near a city. Maybe a 'big' city like Leeds or Sheffield, or a smaller city such as the 'Merry City' of Wakefileld, after checking them out in real life and doing a bit of research. Personally, I moved from my childhood small town in East Yorkshire, to study in Salford, worked and lived in Manchester for three years, before moving to Leeds which I enjoyed for 12 years, and finally to the nearby Wakefield. I still often visit Leeds.

Hahaha!

That made me laugh. You write very well. You should write a book.

Yes i will be escaping the dark satanic Mills, be going over the Pennines, and into Leeds this weekend.

As a Yorkshirewoman I agree, most people’s troubles could be cured by simply moving to Yorkshire.

Once OP said she lived “in the North West” I understood why she felt so miserable

Just looked at the weekend forecast for Leeds. Sadly, it will be raining here too! Hope you still have a nice time.

Ah the weather was the thing - that was probably lowest down on my list of what was making me sad, so I don't mind.

@Annalikesblue There's some truth about English people being clicky, this has been my own experience, too. It's really hard to be accepted in a group here, and I'm a very friendly and adaptable person. I've always felt that it was a bit difficult to get close to an English person. It looks like people have their own circles and have no reason to expand.. I hope I don't sound too critical btw, I have some wonderful English friends and colleagues, and an even more wonderful English husband.😊So it's not impossible, but it's definitely a battle to fight 😅
I think most mainland European cultures are warmer and friendlier, but of course there's other issues to deal with so I can't say they are better overall!

I was also bored with my home country and that's how I ended up here, so I can understand how you feel. Sometimes a place just doesn't suit our personality/needs and we need to move on and find the one that does. While I love it here, it's not perfect and I had a few doubts over the years. It feels like home now so I'm not going anywhere...probably. 😊
If I were you, I'd try a different county in England and see what that's like...we relocated a couple of years ago and the difference between where we live now and where we lived before is massive!!

It’s not the same thing though is it…. Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland are also beautiful places with different cultures to England. Maybe travel some more.

You can use ' living in the UK' to refer to ' living in England'. Check your terms.

I live in England, and I live in the UK.
Both are correct.

So what I said is correct.

I then narrowed it down to say that I am specifically talking about the area of England. People just want to take offense at something.

I have travelled loads, thanks. I've been to every country in the UK, and I've been to many more countries outside of it

Don't forget to check out the Corn Exchange at the end of Boar Lane. And maybe the art gallery which is joined on to the library if that's your thing. The first floor of the library is worth checking out.

Thank you!

I do like art galleries.

I also love any kind of creative meetup, like poetry, writing, crafts. I'll see if there's any of them on

'Rubbish Words', a poetry event, is on this weekend in the Corn Exchange. Plenty of other things going on. See the link below. I know I've mentioned Wakefield a few times but it's perhaps not for everybody. It's perfect for me because it's compact, has everything I need, a nice little art community, and I rent a little studio, something I probably couldn't afford to do in Leeds. I find that art groups (for me, drawing and painting) unite all types of people - young, old, poor, rich, bin men, solicitors, artists, plumbers, teachers, different nationalities, straight, gay etc...

www.leedsinspired.co.uk/site/search?search_api_fulltext=&field_date%5Bmin%5D=2024-10-19&field_date%5Bmax%5D=&family_friendly=All

😂🙌🏼

@Annalikesblue Ah I see what you mean. I'm not middle class and yes I agree I have found many of those groups stuck up and unfriendly, judging anyone lesser. I just wouldn't bother trying

Come to the more down to earth places, where it's not about money or social standing, we're very friendly, real and good humoured

What do you call ‘better’ though?

Warmer countries in southern Europe have suffered lot of severe drought and consequent wildfires in recent years. Ditto areas of the US and Canada.

Parts of the U.K. have also suffered from drought this year.

Rain isn’t often popular, but we do need it. Having lived in Middle Eastern deserts for 13 years I do (mostly!) appreciate it.

I think a lot of English people spend very little time exploring their own country.

I lived in London for years and it was anything but boring. What European cities are you suggesting are that much more buzzing, OP?

The fact you say there are no activities near you makes me think this is a you problem, OP. England has waaaay more going on than many European countries in terms of music, fashion, comedy, art, etc.

I recently spent a month with my friend who lives in a small town in Portugal (with a bigger town 15 mins away). The weather and food was great but I was starting to get bored of the place fairly quickly. I felt like I'd seen most of the area by the end of the second week which you defo couldn't say about parts of England.