Are you happy you did/are going to?

Yeah, since uni I've lived in 11 places.  I will be 31 soon.  I enjoyed moving, but am ready for a break for a while.

That's a word my mother often uses for what she'd like me to be.
I don't really know what it means anymore.

I don't really know what it means anymore.

Sat in a rocking chair with grey hair, smoking a corncob pipe.

I doubt that's my mom's idea, but it's definitely along the lines of mine!

We are moving back on Friday (ACK!) - and are excited - I have lived here 19 years off and on (am 31) and my DH for going on three. All of my friends are here - but I miss my family so much! The wages seem to be so much better there, and much more for your money, housewise, productwise etc.

I am really scared though as we don't have health insurance going back yet - and I need a car (he has one), we need a house, the list goes on! Anyone move to the Philly area? Is West Chester / Nether Providence nice?

Thanks!

My dad was born in Westchester and my aunt and uncle lived there.  I remember it being nice and tree-y when I was a kid. 

Looks like we're moving back! Dallas, here we come in 2008! I'll let everyone know how it goes. I am trying to get excited, but I will miss England dearly.

I grew up in Allentown, my sister went to West chester University, so I've spent time there. It's a really great area!

Thanks for the replies! We just got back last night and have scheduled some veiwings this coming week in West Chester - it looks lovely and the DH can finish his Uni there. Will keep in touch to let you know how we get on! x

Well i'm still happy I left England and came home.

However i'm really REALLY missing England. Mostly my friends and the little great life we had there.

I've been here 5 years. Apart from the initial wrenching homesickness, they've been the happiest years of my life. I've got my British citizenship now, we've saved up a little bit of nest egg. We have no debt. We don't own our home and most likely never will be able to, but I can't let that worry me if we're doing the best we can.

When I think of moving back to the US, it makes me feel slightly excited, but also a little sad. I don't want to have to have two cars just so we can from point A to B, I don't want to have to pay huge chunks of my salary for insurance only to then have to fight tooth and nail to receive a benefit if I try to use it. I don't want 10 days' paid vacation and a 40+ hour work week. I don't want to live in, as someone earlier posted, 'the world's only true superpower.' Maybe I've been here long enough that American jingoism and earnestness is grating to me.

The great thing is we all have the choice.

I guess I'm saying we've got a cozy little nest here. It's not perfect, but we love our life, and we're staying put.

I wish I'd found this site before we moved. I'm a Brit married to an American, but for the first 6 years we lived in the UK. Last year we moved to the US for all the usual reasons: he was homesick for the country andhis family. We could earn more and spend less here (which we are) and we thought the more relaxed lifestyle would suit us more. What we didn't bargain for was the schooling. We can't find a local school that can chalenge our children without having to pay tuition for private schools, we didn't plan for that and it's not an option financially. Everyone I speak to tell me it's the same all over. In England the schools aim at the top of the class and chalenge thekids. Here they teach to the bottom of the class and (I've been told this by a teacher) the bright kids will figure it out themselves!
My DH has spent 6 months teling me how much he misses England, and now is planning a move back! I would love to be back amongst what is familiar and with my old friends, but it's an incredibly expensive experiment! And I'm so worried we'l be back in the bad financial situation we were in before with cost of living so high in England. My DH says he'll do anything to make us happy coz we'll be giving up my green card so no option to hop back to the US. I'm just not sure I want both of us working 2 jobs, even if the kids will be happy to be back in their old school.
I feel like I'm living in Mars here, it does get easier and I think I could adapt, but I'm not exactly arguing for staying here. Has anyone done anything similar? Would love some support, many thanks

to reply to the original post question, I am now in the US just a few days after our move over and already and I am finding more positives than negatives to the move, I do miss things about the UK, mostly I think I will miss seeing DH in his home country, comfortable and happy as well as friends and DH's family. Otherwise, so far, I think we made the right decision for us.  Which is a darn good thing considering we can't afford to move back now!

IWhat we didn't bargain for was the schooling. We can't find a local school that can chalenge our children without having to pay tuition for private schools, we didn't plan for that and it's not an option financially. Everyone I speak to tell me it's the same all over. In England the schools aim at the top of the class and chalenge thekids. Here they teach to the bottom of the class and (I've been told this by a teacher) the bright kids will figure it out themselves!

I feel bad for you about this, because this is simply not true in terms of education all over the US. I am not sure where you are, but there are very good public schools all over - I was educated in one of the best public high schools in the country and they most definitely didn't teach to the bottom half of the class. Good luck!

I feel bad for you about this, because this is simply not true in terms of education all over the US. I am not sure where you are, but there are very good public schools all over - I was educated in one of the best public high schools in the country and they most definitely didn't teach to the bottom half of the class. Good luck!

Same here. I'm a teacher and I haven't been anywhere that is done either. 

I feel bad for you about this, because this is simply not true in terms of education all over the US. I am not sure where you are, but there are very good public schools all over - I was educated in one of the best public high schools in the country and they most definitely didn't teach to the bottom half of the class. Good luck!

On the other hand, I attended a public high school where, even as an identified gifted student, I had to FIGHT to get the minimum of courses and tests I needed to get into a halfway decent university. I and the other bright students were constantly discouraged academically by our guidance counselor, of all people. So, yes, there are both good and bad public schools out there. And sometimes (like where I lived) there is simply no choice.