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

Sarah Palin, Tea baggers, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Bill O'Rielly, Sean Hannitty, Cadillac Escalades, I-95, Proposition 8....

 

Very good points!!

I think it's better to say 'never say never' (nice to have options!) - but I really doubt that we'll ever move to the US.  Many of the same reasons that have already been said by others:  the NHS, vacation time, proximity to (inclusion within) Europe, balance of work/life, public transportation, etc.  (NOT the weather - lol! )

But beyond all those, after 6+ years on, my life is here now.  I feel much more like a foreigner in the US now.  All of my grandparents & parents are gone now - just my two brothers & their families left in the US, while DH's immediate family (mum & dad, etc) are all still around.  We are homeowners, our jobs are here, our friends are here.  And yes, while I am originally from Kansas - and there's no place like home, this is home. 

It'd be hard for me to go back, for a number of reasons. Admittedly, a fairly key one is that I detest the political climate of the US and that ignorance seems to be something ennobling there. Also, I really am quite in love with London (and England, although I doubt I'd stay, if it weren't for London). There's just so much to do here and it's such an amazing mix of culture, cultures, history, and a ceaseless hustle-bustle of human activity. London puts pretty much every other city in the world to shame, in my opinion (although it'd be nice of things stayed open later). Other people have highlighted some other key reasons (access to fabulous vacations, a healthier culture, etc.)

That said, this is a rather abysmal place to be in the tech industry. Although I'm fortunately doing well, the industry here is significantly smaller and the pay and career potential are significantly worse than back in the Bay Area. In general, I think opportunities here are pretty crappy, at least in the industries I see. If I were faced with a period of unemployment, I'd probably have to move back, if I wanted to maintain a remotely comparable standard of living.

I'm of the "never say never" school of thought as well, but it is hard picturing myself going back to live in the US.  It's not that I feel I fit in here and didn't fit in there.  I'm a bit of a black sheep and have always sought out other black sheep and found my niche no matter where I was.  I'd be just as out of place in the suburbs of the US midwest as I would in parts of England I'm sure.  So I just do my best to find like-minded people wherever.

That being said, it's like being here in the UK is the next chapter in my story and I'm enjoying it.  I could list all the things I love like the countryside, ancient sites, old old architecture and the UK's proximity to Ireland, but I do miss certain things about my old life--I say "my old life" as opposed to "the US" as it makes more sense to me to put it that way.

That being said, it's like being here in the UK is the next chapter in my story and I'm enjoying it...  ...but I do miss certain things about my old life--I say "my old life" as opposed to "the US" as it makes more sense to me to put it that way.

I feel the same on these two points - this being the next chapter in my life, and while missing parts of 'my old life' in the US - that 'old life' was of a different time and place & it no longer exists there except in my memories, which I can have, here or there. 

I'd go back!  Of course I am already here!  We moved to be closer to family and further away from some family (sharing our house with a nice but eccentric FIL).  Since moving back my life has had some complications but things seem to be falling into place.  We love where we live nestled in the Blue Ridge and though I miss the sea -the mountains, rivers and streams are a good second choice.  The local food movement is gaining momentum, we live in a small city with a historic farmers market and even a lot of small shops.  We have a ton of parks and green ways and a real commitment to infrastructure.  That said the vacation sucks, but DH has a plan that allows 20 days for sick leave and holiday and since he's rarely sick... it's not too bad.  I think the key to living anywhere is having the right match for you.  I hated Atlanta and would never want to go back.  Here I am very content.  

Given all that I'd move back to the UK to Devon/Cornwall in a heartbeat once my PhD is done or if my parents are no longer around.  Given medical conditions we may have too.  I refuse to lose everything due to health care costs.  

I also love all the things that many of you have said about the UK.  I do really miss it!

I feel the same on these two points - this being the next chapter in my life, and while missing parts of 'my old life' in the US - that 'old life' was of a different time and place & it no longer exists there except in my memories, which I can have, here or there. 

Mmmhm.  You must be a black sheep, too! 

I also would never say never, because I don't know what might happen in the future that would force me to return to the US.

However, I don't want to move back to the US because the UK is my home.  I never regretted leaving the US. The only thing I miss about the US is my family, and I speak to them frequently.

I have experienced culture shock, but I have never felt homesick.

The UK isn't perfect, and I know I've complained about things here on this board, but the US isn't perfect either and if I lived there I'd be complaining about things there.
 
This is my home. I live in a beautiful city. I am settled here and I am happy here.

I have just moved back to the USA and I am having difficult in adjusting to the culture here in USA again. Reserve culture shock!! I am really homesick for the UK. Didn't think it would this way..but here I am. There is so many things I miss about the UK.
I have just found a job and my first years vacation is only 2 weeks. Sucks!!  I can whinge on and on,but I think if I went back to the UK,I would never think of the USA as home again.

Mmmhm.  You must be a black sheep, too! 

Yes, probably.  There's another one in the neighbourhood though... 

There are things that I miss from southern California/the States, but, even though I've been here going on just a year, I don't want to go back. This is where DH lives, this is where I've found a good place to work, this is where I feel like I'm "growing up" in way, and for me personally, I just feel like I'm growing into the person that I want to be. I miss my family, I miss Target, I miss my favourite foods, yes, but, this is my home now. I've worked for towards this for the past 4 years, and it's about DH and I being together, and building a life together.

That said, this is a rather abysmal place to be in the tech industry. Although I'm fortunately doing well, the industry here is significantly smaller and the pay and career potential are significantly worse than back in the Bay Area. In general, I think opportunities here are pretty crappy, at least in the industries I see. If I were faced with a period of unemployment, I'd probably have to move back, if I wanted to maintain a remotely comparable standard of living.

As I understand it, Reading is the place to get a tech job. But then you lose the living-in-London thing.

I feel the same on these two points - this being the next chapter in my life, and while missing parts of 'my old life' in the US - that 'old life' was of a different time and place & it no longer exists there except in my memories, which I can have, here or there. 

I agree with the above.  A few months ago I did get a bit upset at MrRed5 when he said that we will never move back to the States.  While I have no strong desire to move back, I always like to have that option.  While the NHS isn't perfect, it would be very difficult to leave that behind.  MrRed5 was lucky in that the company that he worked for in the States would allow him to buy additional vacation days-so we had the same number of vacation days that we have here.  However, here we don't have to pay for them.  I love the fact that I can hop on a train and be in London in a little over an hour.
And, the most important point, our daughters are happy here. 

I could go back.  DH and I have left our options open.  There are quite a few reasons why we decided to settle in the UK (for now) but to be honest, the main reason was because the visa was a lot easier and quicker to get and we were tired of being separated.  We've decided we will at least wait until DD and I get our British citizenship before moving (that way if we decide to, we can come back hassle-free on the immigration front).  We'll evaluate things at that point in time and see what we want to do.

I don't really get homesick for the US...but I miss my family a lot.  DH is close with his immediate family (only his mom, dad and brother) but I have a very close relationship with the majority of my family (mom, step-dad, dad, 3 brothers and 2 sisters...aside from aunts, uncles, cousins and close family friends) and I'd love to live closer to them.  It might sound a bit selfish of me but I think it's easier for him to miss 3 people than it is for me and DD to miss 30. 

But it's not all about that either.  There are so many things to consider like:  employment opportunities, education system, healthcare, and some general cultural differences (different driving age, different drinking age and how those things will affect my children). 

I'm a multi-coloured sheep  

I love it in New England (not South Florida, No thanks!) and I love it here. I'm sure I'd love other places as well.  My home is where I make it and wherever life takes me.  The good, the bad, and the in between.  I am just so, so, so, so thankful for awesome technology that allows me to have "face to face" visits with my family, almost everyday or every other, because they're the one true thing I miss constantly, wherever I may be.