Longing to get back to the U.S.?

ROFLMAO!!! There must be something in the air, 'cause I've been laughing to the point of tears for most of today....

Don't the new Beaujolais come out in the autumn?  So nice and fruity!

Don't the new Beaujolais come out in the autumn? So nice and fruity!

Beaujolais Nouveau!  Just in time for Thanksgiving!

In response to all your defense of the UK -  My husband having lived in the UK all his life and my having living in the U.S. all my life have decided that in our opinion the best place to live in the world is the  is the U.S.  If you are happy here that is great for you but we want the best life  for our daughter who will be born in September this year and we know we will have it in the U.S.

In response to all your defense of the UK - My husband having lived in the UK all his life and my having living in the U.S. all my life have decided that in our opinion the best place to live in the world is the is the U.S. If you are happy here that is great for you but we want the best life for our daughter who will be born in September this year and we know we will have it in the U.S.

Only you can know what's best for you and your family.  What works for one won't necessarily work for someone else.  I'm a strong believer in following your heart and your head.     There's no wrong or right path-you can only do the one that feels right at the time.  Good luck with your move and your new baby.

You outta come back for a visit!  It'll be culture shock.  There are 24-hour supermarkets, dishwashers, drycleaners, even pet grooming places!

*gasp* NO WAY!   

Only you can know what's best for you and your family.  What works for one won't necessarily work for someone else.  I'm a strong believer in following your heart and your head.     There's no wrong or right path-you can only do the one that feels right at the time.  Good luck with your move and your new baby.

a nice post mindy. thanks for accepting that not everyone who reads and posts here has to love the UK; that point of view hasn't been overly evident lately.

it helps to consider that many people who post regularly are living in the UK, or are moving to the UK, because of a significant other's british nationality. considering the huge number of US citizens here in the UK, lots of 'the rest of us' who read may not be in that position. many of us are here because of a spouse's job, and many of us live in or around london, which is a whole different culture...... i was told when we arrived 5 years ago that most expats enjoy london for about 2 years, and then the realities of cost of living, dirt, pub culture, hooligans and terrible nhs start to overtake the joys of the city. then it's time to move. i have seen that 2 year prediction come true with many expat friends of several nationalities, and actually am ready to move on myself... unfortunately, people can't always move exactly when they feel the urge, and their attitude toward  the UK goes bitter very quickly... when that bitterness comes out in posts, it bothers and offends those that love this country. and that's when some regular posters seem to turn anti-american and bitter. and that doesn't make any of us feel any better.....

just an infrequent-posting, outsider's point of view....

Beaujolais Nouveau!  Just in time for Thanksgiving!

Now THAT is something to be thankful for!   

i have seen that 2 year prediction come true with many expat friends of several nationalities, and actually am ready to move on myself... unfortunately, people can't always move exactly when they feel the urge, and their attitude toward  the UK goes bitter very quickly... when that bitterness comes out in posts, it bothers and offends those that love this country. and that's when some regular posters seem to turn anti-american and bitter. and that doesn't make any of us feel any better.....

just an infrequent-posting, outsider's point of view....

Spot on.

a nice post mindy. thanks for accepting that not everyone who reads and posts here has to love the UK; that point of view hasn't been overly evident lately.

It's not for everybody, that's for sure. And I don't think we're always fair in our expectations that everyone is adjusting.  Some people just aren't happy living away from their homeland.  And that includes expats who move here to be with a significant other.  I'm sorry that people feel that they can't express that.  I'd hope that we'd be supportive and try to find ways to make the adjustment smoother.  Not everyone on this forum has had an easy time of it.  
 I think though, that sometimes some people are so relentlessly negative about the UK that other people want to rush in and defend their adopted homeland.  And I also think that just possibly some people don't want to hear the bad things because they only want to focus on the positive.  And some people have found the adjustment so easy that they have problems understanding where people are coming from when they are unhappy.

There are definite phases of adjustment-and unfortunately I think most corporate expats move right in the middle of the 'unhappy phase' therefore never going through the more positive settled later phase.  Just as you're beginning to understand how things work it's time to move back.  

Thanks for sharing your views ncny.  It's good to hear a different viewpoint.  

Besides family being in another place, can it just be a lot to do with where you have grown up and what you are used to? I mean there are UK expats in the US I know of who after time (even a few years) being in US want to move "home" again. For them, the UK is "better" than US.

Or is it also personality as I have read here - that some people's personalities just fit in better by moving to the other side of the pond?

Some people love a US to UK move (or vice versa). Sometimes that lasts forever. Sometimes after the novelty has worn off life just becomes hard and they want to move home again. People are just different 

It's not for everybody, that's for sure. And I don't think we're always fair in our expectations that everyone is adjusting.  Some people just aren't happy living away from their homeland.  And that includes expats who move here to be with a significant other.  I'm sorry that people feel that they can't express that.  I'd hope that we'd be supportive and try to find ways to make the adjustment smoother.  Not everyone on this forum has had an easy time of it.  
 I think though, that sometimes some people are so relentlessly negative about the UK that other people want to rush in and defend their adopted homeland.  And I also think that just possibly some people don't want to hear the bad things because they only want to focus on the positive.  And some people have found the adjustment so easy that they have problems understanding where people are coming from when they are unhappy.

There are definite phases of adjustment-and unfortunately I think most corporate expats move right in the middle of the 'unhappy phase' therefore never going through the more positive settled later phase.  Just as you're beginning to understand how things work it's time to move back.  

Thanks for sharing your views ncny.  It's good to hear a different viewpoint.  

Mindy, I agree whole-heartedly with your post.

I'm one of those weird people who falls in the middle.   Or maybe I'm just weird.   

I'm sure no one here is repulsed by the US. But I think people on this site are defensive about the UK when they feel sweeping statements are being made.

Well sometimes it seems that way a little bit. I guess I feel a little defensive when sweeping statements are being made about the US by Americans who have relocated to the UK, as if they're somehow above other Americans because they live in a different country. Kind of the same way I feel when I hear them spoken by non-Americans who have never even been to the US, which is something that's not easy to deal with once you're over here as, yes, an American. Maybe I'm just misinterpreting here, and correct me if I'm wrong, because it's pretty hard to read people on a forum. Peace! 

Or is it also personality as I have read here - that some people's personalities just fit in better by moving to the other side of the pond?

I actually think that's an astute interpretation. I do think some personalities find it easier to live abroad. And their life circumstances too - how they were raised, how they are with their family, etc. - can definitely make it either more or less appealing.... But how their personality slots in with UK culture can certainly make a big difference I think....

a nice post mindy. thanks for accepting that not everyone who reads and posts here has to love the UK; that point of view hasn't been overly evident lately.

it helps to consider that many people who post regularly are living in the UK, or are moving to the UK, because of a significant other's british nationality. considering the huge number of US citizens here in the UK, lots of 'the rest of us' who read may not be in that position. many of us are here because of a spouse's job, and many of us live in or around london, which is a whole different culture...... i was told when we arrived 5 years ago that most expats enjoy london for about 2 years, and then the realities of cost of living, dirt, pub culture, hooligans and terrible nhs start to overtake the joys of the city. then it's time to move. i have seen that 2 year prediction come true with many expat friends of several nationalities, and actually am ready to move on myself... unfortunately, people can't always move exactly when they feel the urge, and their attitude toward  the UK goes bitter very quickly... when that bitterness comes out in posts, it bothers and offends those that love this country. and that's when some regular posters seem to turn anti-american and bitter. and that doesn't make any of us feel any better.....

just an infrequent-posting, outsider's point of view....

Thanks, ncny, for the input. I've been following this thread because I've been thinking about where I want to live and work when I make the move. I'm leaning towards spending a couple or three years in London then moving up north. I'll consider your comments carefully when deciding.

PaulaH

I just got back from a month long visit to the U.S. and already miss it again. DH and I have known since I moved here last year that we will eventually relocate back to the states. I have a very large extended family (that I miss VERY VERY much) and we have gatherings quite frequently...in fact most of my family all live in the same town. He has no extended family but his two older brothers and neither of them are married nor likely to get married, ever. But, his mother is disabled and elderly so we decided that for now we need to be here to help with her. I've lived all over the world and have never felt like the U.S. wasn't my permanent home and don't expect to feel that way this time either. Now, that said, I am doing everything I can to make the most of my time here, however long that may be.