We have lived outside the UK for about 6 years. The country where we live is incredibly safe and affordable, with a very high quality of life and a very low cost of living. It’s almost perfect except… we are not yet fluent in the language, the people are extremely hostile towards outsiders, the political situation in regard to immigrants is deteriorating, and the winters are brutal (6-7 months of deep snow, -20 to -40 celsius, stuck inside with nothing to do). It’s also - I’m sorry to say - kind of boring.
I never thought I would want to live in the UK but after a recent visit I was struck by how happy and comfortable and at ease I felt there. I realized that I felt at home in a way that I never do here (not for lack of trying). I feel that no matter how beautiful it is, no matter how nice our house or our car is, this place will never feel like home to me.
Even our kids, who were born here and speak the language and had never been to the UK, seemed so much happier there. The oldest, who is 4, has been asking if we can move there since we got back.
So now I’m wondering whether we should just do it. (We have the option to transfer our jobs there if we want to). I realize it would mean downsizing quite dramatically as we could never afford the lifestyle we have here in the UK. But then I think about the food, the shops, the history, the culture, the countryside, London… Life just feels so much richer and more stimulating there. I know people complain about the weather but a bit of gloomy rain is nothing to me after six terrible winters here! I feel like even if all we can afford is a tiny little terrace house, I CAN and WILL make it work somehow.
Has anybody else been in the same position?