"I could never go back to the US"...why not?

I'm beyond curious every time I see someone here posting that they could not imagine themselves ever moving back to the US. If you feel this way, would you mind telling me why?

Is it just because you've settled in and/or have friends and family you wouldn't want to leave behind, or is it something else?

As I've been reading/lurking on here and trying to consider everything...I could see myself being happy and content in the UK and really liking it there, but I can't see myself feeling like I could never stand to live in the US again.

So when I see other people saying that they could never go back to life in the US, it makes me wonder if maybe they know something I don't, or if their experiences in the UK (which I have not yet had) have shown them that in comparison, life in the US isn't actually as good as I think it is. But how, specifically? What is it exactly that makes you feel like you would never want to live here again?

I've been here for 11 years and its my home, its where my children were born and its where I want to be. Simple enough. I often have little fantasies about moving to the states, but I don't really know if I could do it. My family is here, my bestest ever friend in the whole wide world is here and she is a huge part of my life. I have worked really hard over the last 11 years to surround myself with great people, and I would miss that. I find that my relationships with girls here are much more meaningful with any friends I have met in the states, even my old ones from high school. I fit in here much better than I ever did in the states...my sense of humour is more appreciated here, and I have always just felt at home here. On a more practical side, I am a big fan of the NHS and I wouldn't really want to be involved in the whole business of health insurance etc.

I have a career here that I have been working for the whole time I have been here, and I feel like that would be hard to start over again.

In short, I just simply love my life here! I love everything about living in Manchester, I love the people, I dunno. I just love everything about the life I have built here. Except, I miss Target 

The easy answer, I suppose, is that my husband is here, his business is here and he couldn't uproot that very easily even if we wanted to move ... which we don't.

Also, I have more friends and family here than I do in the US. I feel at home here. I fit in here.

I like that I don't live anywhere near a lot of fast food places, or giant megastores (i.e., Target, WalMart, etc.). I like that people walk places. I like that people go to pubs with their families. I like that the shops don't have 800 varieties of everything. I like that people care about the sourcing of their food. I like the television. I like the weather.

But it's more than that. There are a lot of intangible reasons I feel as I do. My quality of life here is infinitely better than it ever was in the US. Life here is more relaxed, people don't take themselves so seriously, people's priorities are more in line with my own, I don't know any workaholics here, things seem more natural, I eat better food and I just have the sensation of having a much closer tie with the countryside and nature.

The thought of moving back has never occurred to me. I can't imagine a scenario in which that would ever be an option.

I'm not of the mind where I feel as though it's a "never again!" type thing.

I've been here just shy of a year as a student with no kids, no job, and no spouse, so I'm hardly as settled as a lot of the other members on UKY.  I can, however, say that aside from the fact that my boyfriend is from here, I've spent a lot of time and effort getting adjusted and starting a life in Scotland.  I like it here and I have really begun to feel that it suits me.

Also, the life I had in the states isn't really there anymore.  Friends have moved away, none of my old jobs exist anymore, and I think as far as progressing through life I've come a lot farther here.

I would entertain the thought of moving back to the US if the reasons/conditions were right, (or if I was forced to obviously  ) but I know the longer I stay here the less easy it will be.

I don't know, that's a bit of a ramble too I guess.  Long story short: I just love it here!  

x-posted with rache & chary: Good lord do I miss Target too!  

Don't forget the bagels, Rach. You know you miss those!

from years of lurking here, it seems that there are a few categories of people who would say 'i'll never move back' 

those who say it the most emphatically are the ones who have left bad situations behind in the US.  a fair amount of people on here seem to have have had serious financial issues in the US, and i think appreciate the government safety net in the UK more as such. 

another handful have left very difficult family relations in the US, and are more comfortable with the distance. 

others have moved here to be with a partner or spouse, and have naturally fit in. 

how one does or doesn't settle in the UK is not something to be proud or ashamed of, though you will find that attitude in some posts.  everyone is different and has their own place in the world....  people on both sides of the pond wear rose colored glasses from time to time, so don't worry that you are missing something

Don't forget the bagels, Rach. You know you miss those!

Omg, I really don't know how I'm going to live without access to real bagels and NY pizza by the slice when I move over.  I really don't. 

Omg, I really don't know how I'm going to live without access to real bagels and NY pizza by the slice when I move over.  I really don't. 

ASDA has some pretty good bagels.  I especially like their garlic and onion ones.  They're not the greatest thing in the world but equivalent to Wal-Mart bagels. 

Don't forget the bagels, Rach. You know you miss those!

Yeah! I do miss bagels, and cheap pedicures. And the drive through Dunkin Donuts near my parents house! Thank goodness I am back for August! Thanks for reminding me!

I've moved a lot in the last ten years, and once I leave a place, I leave it.  Going back would feel like a failure somehow.  However, since I've moved to the UK, I haven't wanted to move on the way I always used to.  I'm contented here and feel at home, I have a job I love for the first time ever, and my husband is from here and doesn't want to move.  If the worst should happen and I had to leave the UK, I don't think I'd go back to the US.  I'd probably go to Asia again--Japan is one place I've lived that I would go back to.  But I'm happier here than I've been anywhere else, and I have no plans to leave anytime soon.  

ASDA has some pretty good bagels.  I especially like their garlic and onion ones.  They're not the greatest thing in the world but equivalent to Wal-Mart bagels. 

Lol, no self respecting Long Island girl would eat Wal-Mart bagels!!! 
New Yorkers are totally prejudiced about bagels!!!

Lol, no self respecting Long Island girl would eat Wal-Mart bagels!!! 
New Yorkers are totally prejudiced about bagels!!!

I think us folks from Jersey are guilty of this based on our proximity to New York! 

Yeah! I do miss bagels, and cheap pedicures. And the drive through Dunkin Donuts near my parents house! Thank goodness I am back for August! Thanks for reminding me!

For the OP, my thoughts, in relation to all this is that I *did* go back. I was ambivalent about it in many respects and still am. I feel I am now neither fish nor fowl and I'm not sure which place is my real home anymore. I didn't hate the UK by any stretch but I certainly struggled with some aspects of it. Now, upon my return to the US, I find that many of the things I really missed, I don't like so much any more. Believe it or not, this includes Target! I've personally been very disappointed with their selection lately. But that's another story.

My point here is don't be overly worried about how some people come across with their love (or hate) affair with the UK. For me, I've accepted that I may never feel 'truly' at home anywhere anymore. But I'm OK with that because my experience of living abroad has enriched my life and was worth any smaller sacrifices I may have made or will need to make.

Lol, no self respecting Long Island girl would eat Wal-Mart bagels!!! 
New Yorkers are totally prejudiced about bagels!!!

I think us folks from Jersey are guilty of this based on our proximity to New York! 

I'm used to homemade bagels (my stepdad was obsessed with the bread machine and so we got lots of homemade goodies...man how I miss homemade soft pretzels!)...but ASDAs are pretty good when you have a pregnancy craving and need it NOW!

I think us folks from Jersey are guilty of this based on our proximity to New York! 

I'm certainly guilty of that.  By "real" bagels, I mean freshly baked bagels, that really aren't good 10 hours after baking, much less after being packaged and shipped.  I'm not sure that most home bakers could get it quite right, honestly.  If they have to be toasted to be edible, they're not bagels.  Also, I don't shop at Wal-Mart or its subsidiaries and I'm going to try not to shop at Asda if I can help it over there.