Is the UK worth the change in life style and uprooting from America?

After three weeks of on the road back home, being reminded how easy it must be to pass a driver's test in California, I applaud the DVLA for making it so hard. Hard enough for me not to pass the road test yet. Granted I cannot drive a manual transmission, and automatics are way expensive here. I love the things we have for seniors here, like  bus passes, and sheltered housing. This is in Scotland so am not sure about England and Wales. And I appreciate the NHS so much, which is why my husband decided it was not good for his health to immigrate to the US.

Your input is greatly appreciated.Not an easy thing this moving across time zones to a different culture but I am collecting feedback in order to learn from other Americans and brits in case I make this huge step. Part of me wants to do it. Think I need a nudge.

I think if like you said, part of you wants to do it, you should do it.  It doesn't have to be forever if it doesn't work out.  You only live once.

As for being 'an older person' or 'middle aged' as you put it, what does that mean? 40's?  There are quite a few of us who have moved over here who are in that age bracket, me being one of them.  I'd have been scared to do it at 22 and circumstances weren't right anyway, but I had the courage and stability, plus some savings so doing it 20 years later was exactly the right time to do it for me.

... Many of my concerns have to do with learning and living in a whole new way of doing things. You commented on how the UK government goes so far as to want to tell people how to think even when it come where to drive a car.That does seem a bit over the top. I wonder if a middle-age libertarian can make the adjustment. Thank you man for your kind post.

Honestly, I think you're...kind of being a slight bit paranoid. Sorry  

The government here doesn't tell you how to think any more than any other western government does. Every government and society does try and shape the thoughts of its citizens to some extent so that people fit in to social convention.

Do you mean that in America they don't tell you where to drive a car? There are no laws about roads and road usage? Funny, I remember there being some.

Yes, driving tests and requirements here are tougher than in the US, as are car safety requirements, and that isn't a bad thing. Better drivers, better maintained cars (you won't find cars held together by duct tape here), etc. mean safer roads for everyone.

As for being a libertarian, well, part of the government in power at the moment is libertarian (the LibDems aka Liberal Democrats).

"That place"
Ok,maybe hate doesn't sum up how you feel about the United States.But I can't ever remember hearing an American refer to their birth nation as "that place". You have some very strong opinions about the States, and if you don't care to share them I'll understand but the vibe you put out about the States is very strong.

I, too, have called the US "that place". I'm not a fan, but I don't hate it. I am realistically critical of the country. And, yes, I am a born American. To not question things is unpatriotic, IMO.

The key to making a successful move is to open your mind and be willing to try something new. You might just find that your quirks fit in well with the British quirks, as I have. Or not. But you'll never know if you don't try.

As for being a libertarian, well, part of the government in power at the moment is libertarian (the LibDems aka Liberal Democrats).

{sarcasm directed at the LibDems, not at evilshell} Yes, and what a tremendous influence the LibDems have been on the government. {/sarcasm}

Since when are the LibDems libertarian  

The government here doesn't tell you how to think any more than any other western government does. Every government and society does try and shape the thoughts of its citizens to some extent so that people fit in to social convention.

I agree. When I lived in the US (I'm British), I found the US government to be much more intrusive than the UK government.

I was living there as a student in 2008, in the run up to the elections, and you couldn't go anywhere without having politics shoved down your throat - TV commercials, news articles and stories, debates and speeches, propaganda against the other party, people on campus trying to get you to register to vote.

In the UK, it's so much more low-key. The elections are quiet, the run-up to them is just a few weeks instead of months. The campaigns are mostly just a couple of flyers shoved through your letter box and there isn't all that much bashing of the other parties. On election day, you go to the polling station, tick the box and then go about your life as if nothing had happened. 

Also, when I lived in the US, I felt that religion was shoved down my throat much more than I'm used to. In the UK, we might not have that 'all important' separation between church and state, but religion is much more private here. It's not in your face; people don't care if you go to church or not, they don't care if you are Christian or not - that's your business, not anyone else's, and it's not often brought up in regular conversation.

Despite what a lot of people in the US seem to think, the UK is not actually a particularly religious country these days. According to statistics, 41% of Americans regularly attend church. In comparison, only 10% of British citizens attend church. I was raised Christian and I attended a Church of England primary school, but I haven't been to a church service (other than a wedding or Christening) for almost 20 years and I only know of one of my friends who attends church.

Do you mean that in America they don't tell you where to drive a car? There are no laws about roads and road usage? Funny, I remember there being some.

Exactly - the UK driving test is difficult because it's about learning how to drive safely and how to obey the laws and rules of the road. I would much rather be thoroughly taught how to drive well and how to be safe on the road than spend a couple of hours driving round some cones in a parking lot and then being handed a licence.

I met a girl in the US once who got her driving licence after spending a total of just 2 hours behind the wheel - she got in the car, drove around for a bit and got her licence. Here in the UK, I had 2 hours of driving lessons per week for a year (driving on the roads in the city) , plus I practised in my parents car for about 5 hours a week. By the time I got my driver's licence, I had probably spent about 400 hours behind the wheel and was a lot more confident in my ability to drive than when I first started (I was a nervous wreck at first ).

Since when are the LibDems libertarian  

"According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "In the United States liberalism is associated with the welfare-state policies of the New Deal program of the Democratic administration of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, whereas in Europe it is more commonly associated with a commitment to limited government and laissez-faire economic policies.""
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism

"According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "In the United States liberalism is associated with the welfare-state policies of the New Deal program of the Democratic administration of Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt, whereas in Europe it is more commonly associated with a commitment to limited government and laissez-faire economic policies.""
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism

That may be, but it doesn't seem in line with the LibDem policies. 

The bathroom plug situation: The US has had GFCI since 89 (ish).  I don't know why they don't use them here, perhaps the voltage difference makes them inefficient? But if you bathroom or kitchen has been remodelled since then unless there is a fault in your system you can't be electrocuted by your hair dryer.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/08/20/wall_socket_buttons_what_do_the_test_and_reset_outlet_buttons_do_.html

As for the government being more intrusive, well yes in some instances, no in others.  I have gotten into this subject on here before, but given recent court cases the lack of free speech disturbs me.  Yes, people in the UK have the right to Freedom of Expression, but who decides what is acceptable speech?

The elections here are more low key with only a few weeks notice because the current sitting gov't can call it when they like.  I hate all the ads at home, but I also hate thinking that we would have had more time with GWB because he could have called an election after the whole Mission Accomplished thing.  I don't know if I find either ideal, but then what would be the solution?

I like it here in general, I don't particularity like the location I live in but I do like the UK.  

I am at this very moment enjoying watching all the Showtime and HBO shows (Hello Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, and soon Game of Thrones) for 25.00 ish a month!  And internet is way cheaper here.  And mobiles.  Why the US puts up with the prices they do I have no idea.  

But what I want to know is living in the UK worth it, not including the above reasons, worth it despite any anti americanism?

Haven't experienced very much anti-Americanism - none that sticks out in memory in any case, so...  

 Do you feel the culture is at times too different or the system of government too intrusive...

No, not really, not more than anywhere else.

...or are there times when you just miss living in the usa a familar place?

Sometimes, but I think that's pretty normal when moving from one place to another, isn't it?  I mean, even if you just moved within the US itself - you might miss the familiarity of the place you lived before in some ways.

 Do you have to change who you are to fit in?

Not really.  I mean I think most people will change a little in so much as you are constantly being shaped by your environment, the people around you, the culture in which you live, etc.  Not because you 'have to change'.  If a person isn't changing at all in some way most of the time, then you're probably dead.  

 Do you avoid letting people hear your voice for fear they will notice that you are American?

I did in the beginning & I don't think it's that uncommon to feel self-conscious initially.  However, I've been here for going on 9 years now & still have an American accent that I don't bother any longer if someone hears me - and they probably do!  If they crane their head around when they hear me, I just think it's funny now.  Americans over here are far more common than you might think & if someone here (a native) thinks it's odd, then they probably just don't get out much.

 If you were'nt married to a brit or working there,would you want to live in the UK and why?

No, I probably wouldn't be living here if I had not fallen for & married a Brit - hadn't ever thought much about the UK before that.  However, now I'm a Brit too & have made my home here for getting close to 9 years, so it's hard to say what I'd do without my OH - because here is home now.

It was worth moving over for me - my standard of life improved & I'm very happy here in the home I have made with DH.  I do think you are overthinking things.  Usually it's the things that people don't think about (and reason all out) beforehand that are the ones you tend to trip over - you won't know 'til you get here.  However, that doesn't mean it's not something a person can't deal with.  I moved over here when I was about to turn 40 years old.  There were good times & bad times & in between times, but it all evened out.

Like someone else said - why not give it a try?  Come and check the place out for awhile.  You can always go back if you don't like it.  However, I would advise coming in with an open mind & willingness to be flexible - those are always helpful attributes when taking on something new!

Also, in the American sense of things/politics, I don't think that liberalism and libertarianism are the same things at all - although they may share views on some issues.  ETA -- As for the LibDems in the British government just now - it's really quite hard to say exactly what convictions they hold, as IMO, they've sold out most of what they formerly claimed to believe, to the Tories in order to hang onto some symbolic (shambolic?) little scrap of (imagined?) power.  

the UK driving test is difficult because it's about learning how to drive safely and how to obey the laws and rules of the road. I would much rather be thoroughly taught how to drive well and how to be safe on the road than spend a couple of hours driving round some cones in a parking lot and then being handed a licence.

Just to clarify my driving test statement, I have no problem with the the theory test or the road test, and I think it's good that the UK test is difficult to pass.  The idea that I have an issue with is the navigation portion of the test (and to a similar extent the hazard perception portion), because I think the test is getting bloated in an effort to train and test every possible hazard a driver might face, and it's that attempt to eliminate all risk that bothers me.

I'm talking about the driving test in the larger sense of the government's attempts to solve a problem - in this case driver testing - by adding more and more to the test, so that if there's a problem or an issue they can say "Not our fault; we trained them."

Put another way, look at the Life in the UK test, and how each successive government thinks if only they can get the test right, all of Britain's immigrant problems will be solved.  Recently the Tories decided Labour had too many questions about the welfare state and not enough about British pride, so the new test will have less about Job Centres and more about the Battle of Trafalgar, and that'll solve the problem of integration of immigrants.  Then if a terror cell made up of American immigrants attacks Legoland, the government can say "They shouldn't have done this; we taught them to have pride in Britain!"

I'm simplifying and exaggerating, but the idea that the government can provide the answer to every problem is what I disagree with.  I think the UK government sometimes goes overboard in this regard.

Oh yeah, I lived in Scotland for two years before I knew my husband existed.

House prices in the UK are of concern.

I have lived here for about 20 years and have never once thought twice about not having outlets in the bathroom.  I feel the quality of life here for young families is much much better than in the states, I was lucky enough to buy a house in the 90's and pay pennies for it, but even if I was buying today, its cheaper here than it is in the NYC suburb that I am from, I should say thr incredibly high property taxed, corrupt area that I am from. Paying $10k+ for property taxes on top of health insurance etc...no thanks.

House prices all depend on where you live in the UK or the US. 

Compared to where I lived in the US and where we live now in the UK I would say it would even out in terms of quality of life.