England can be a funny place when you’ve been away for a while.
Things that were once normal now seem odd and quirky but, as the visitor (the ‘outsider’), you’re the only one who thinks so.
Take the people for a start. Once you’ve peeled away the layer of politeness (and we English are polite to the extreme), you discover the talkers. Because the English love a good chat and a gossip.
The shop assistant wants a natter. The guy in the petrol station loves a chinwag. And the plumbers, carpenters and electricians can’t resist the urge for a cup of tea and conversation. It’s a wonder they get anything done.
When it comes to children, the English like to turn up the volume. The streets ring out to the sounds of “Amelie this” or “Charlie that”, followed closely by a stern word or two, and then an impatient bark or scream.
But at least they’re not talking about the weather, one of the national pastimes.
Because in three short months, we’ve had heatwaves and hurricanes, tropical storms and the occasional typhoon. While this summer will live long in the memory for its regular supply of sunshine and heat, I still won’t call it a heatwave. Because it’s not. It’s really not.
Food is both familiar and peculiar.
The national dish is the packet of crisps, while the national drink is whatever you find at the back of the store. I’m not complaining because I prefer to feed my vice wherever and whenever. No bottle shop closing at 7pm. No government-owned liquor store. I can quench my thirst in supermarkets and petrol stations, at newsagents and by street carts.
The country’s roast lunches and dinners always impress. Delicious locally-reared beef, pork or lamb, accompanied by over-sized Yorkshire puddings swimming in a sea of thick brown gravy. In this, no other country compares.
The current political dish of the day is immigration served with Scotland. It seems that we still don’t like immigrants and we remain undecided about the north.
Then there’s town and country, the two being distinct and far removed.
England’s villages remain the jewel in its idyllic crown. Peaceful and perfectly maintained, I could spend my entire summer meandering around England’s country laneways and meadows.
The towns are another matter. Inland, they seem rundown and bland. On the coast, they don’t fare much better. In this country, I don’t like to be beside the seaside, but I do like to be beside the sea.
Travelling around the land isn’t a preferred English sport. If your journey is longer than an hour, then it’s no longer a journey but an annual holiday excursion.
And you might still need deep pockets to live here. While the shopping is cheaper than Australia, property prices continue to climb. Meanwhile, wages stay low.
But for all the money it costs me to be here – all the 1p’s and 2p’s, 5’s, 10’s, 20’s, 50’s, $1 and $2 coins – and for all the issues I raise and unfair comparisons I might make, I know one thing: my head tells me England is a former home but my heart tells me to start being true.
We plan to shortly leave this fair isle for a return to Australia but I don’t really believe this is a final farewell.
It’s a goodbye but I hope to see you again soon. There’s unfinished business here but I don’t yet know the what, how, when or why.
Have you returned home and found familiarity and differences? Things you liked and disliked, preferred or ignored? Share with me below.
I know what you mean. I return to the UK every summer and always feel both at home and like a foreigner.
It’s a strange feeling. Being here for three months has made it easier to settle in but living abroad lets you see things in a different light…
I’ve just returned to London for the second time (from Australia). I love it here and feel at home, although am going through that strange readjustment period right now. Ahhh the life of an international – you guys get it. It’s all an experience and an adventure in the end – we wouldn’t have it any other way π
Wow, lots of moves, Sarah! Hope the readjustment continues to go well π Definitely wouldn’t have it any other way – it keeps life interesting, right?!
Yes, this resonates! When I moved back to the Netherlands where I was born and brought up, I had never lived here as an adult and wondered what it would be like. (see my comment on your next post, too! lol) There are things I like: familiarity, ease and comfort of living, some of the attitudes are liberal and open-minded. Also I enjoy speaking a second language fluently.
But there is a dark side too, underlying the tolerance is a lot of intolerance, rudeness, inconsideration (particularly of personal space, seems like a foreign concept here) and conforming, eg don’t stand out from the crowd!
There are pluses and minuses about the UK for me too – but what it comes down to is what do you want and what do you focus on? By focusing on the positive aspects of living in the Netherlands my experience here has been good, mostly. But my heart is not fully in it. I’ve come to realise that there are certain places where my heart sings, and those are the places I want to be/live – and as you know, I am moving to one of those places very soon! π
Thanks for sharing these insights, Carrie. Fascinating stuff, especially your second paragraph, some of which resonates with here in the UK too.
I sometimes think that the thought process behind where you want to be is completely irrational and wholly based on the heart. While the head might tell you one thing, usually those sing-out-loud emotions win over and I know well how this is playing out for you – and wish you every bit of luck with it! (not that you’ll need it)
Thanks! π
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