What brought you here?

[bigbadwolf]

I know there's alot of johnny foreigners on the forum but I like alot of others would like to hear why you chose Britain/London and does it live up to your expectations? Over to you.

[BigPhil]

I came to England because its where my dad is from and at the time had not seen him for 25 years. thought it might be worth a visit.

I arrived in '99 and planned to stay about a year (including a trip around europe).

10 years later, Im still here and plan to stay a lot longer, so , yes it lives up to my expectations.

and yes , I pay tax( lots of it) and national insurance and have never had a government handout.

[Brendan]

A 747 brought me here.

It?s shit.

The only reason I stay is to annoy the English as payback for the fact that they have been traipsing around my homeland for centuries.

[TheNewMrsH]

If it really is that "shit" maybe you shouldn't stay. It obviously annoys you more than the "english"

[Marmora Man]

Was born N. London / S. Essex (now Greater London). 4 generations of my family lived in Woolwich / Deptford. Moved out to 'the country" aged 11, back aged 20. Ever since London has been my town - brief sojourns elsewhere - including Brum, Cornwall and Devon, New York, Paris, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur but London is and will remain my ideal town.

The variety, chaos, resident people, incoming people, taxis, taxi drivers, traffic jams at Marble Arch, Rye Lane, Jermyn Street, Columbus Flower Market, Burlington Arcade, Natural History Museum (and the Blue Whale), the British Musuem, Brick Lane, Petticoat Market, things that change, things that don't change, favourite views, favourite pubs, favourite walks, favourite shops, favourite theatres

[Brendan]

TheNewMrsH Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If it really is that "shit" maybe you shouldn't

> stay. It obviously annoys you more than the

> "english"

See what I mean. They can't even take a joke.

[BigPhil]

which is your "homeland" Brendan ?

your name doesnt sound indiginous to any of the former colonies...

[Brendan]

If I ever had an actual ?homeland? it is now incorporated in what is known as South Africa.

I got my first name from my mom?s side of the family.

[Brendan]

Although arguably?

[SeanMacGabhann]

I left Ireland because back then (mid 80s) everyone did. No jobs to stay for. No prospects. I came to England because I didn'thave enough money to get any further.

I found the first several years in the county abysmal. Not worse than what I had left necessarily but differently abysmal. But I was making my way. Since approx 1992 I started to get things in order (as 20 somethings do) and by now I not only have all of my friends here, but I have spent longer in this country than my native. I wouldn't take UK citizenship (largely because of the whole monarchy "thing" but I'm not hung up on being "Oirish" eeder) - as I have previously stated, where my parents had sex and gave birth is arbitrary to the point of laughable

But of the things I like about this country, some include

It's a small place but there is still plenty of differences geographically and culturally across the country. I like travelling around here

Culturally the country is second to none IMO.Be it music, comedy, theatre - we get more here than anywhere else I've been to

The diversity of the population in London is extraordinary (a cliched view maybe but no less true for that)

There is less homgenity to the thinking here than I find elsewhere. Discussing political views for example with people in Hong Kong or New York I can meet very intelligent people but they subscribe to a very orthodox line. Even amongst Guardian readers in this country I find less agreement.

I could live elsewhere, and may yet do so (for experience rather than any discontent with here) but this is home

[Louisa]

Born here, totally English, hopefully wont die here, love the country but hate the class system something totally unique to any western country I have found, love the countryside and regional diversity, hate the prices and the weather (I dont care what anyone says about lovely seasonal weather, bring the sunshine on please), not keen on the lack of morality and disrespect for those who have laid down there lives for this country (good example being why should we have had to go through all the hassle of getting the war memorial fixed, surely it should have just been done without question or argument by the government to respect those men and women who have given their lives for this place!).

And the list of positives and negatives go on...

Louisa.

[PeckhamRose]

I was born in London but was a very ill child and so the doctors at the time suggested that I should move to the coast for the sake of my health. It might have worked. Moving anywhere for the sake of my health might have worked. But my parents came too. It was their constant smoking that made me ill! So spent childhood at boarding schools for sick children.

So when I finally left home I came back to London though everyone thought I was mad as London was after all referred to as The Big Smoke. But I have never been healthier. And I love it here. I love having CHOICES, which includes the choice to not do anything. I love the choices of theatres restaurants cinemas, different walks, the history, the different types of people and the architecture, and I love exploring the whole lot of it on a motorcycle. I travel a bit and love coming back to London. I love the fact friends live in different parts of London and love the fact that it is surrounded also by diverse geology - for example Thanet Brighton Cotswolds etc are a great day out. I see London as my Home but also my holiday as on days off I will go and explore and do a touristy thing too. Anyone been to Dennis Severs House yet? It's great fun.

[snorky]

Dennis severs house is great

what brought me here ? a " partner" who decided that another decade of academia and lie ins was a poor second to wage slavery - and being young and stupid, I went along with it

[*Bob*]

I came here because someone told me the streets were lined with gold.

Turns-out they're lined with vom just like everywhere else, but there are compensations.

[jaybee82]

I've zoomed here on the 484 Express all the way from Lewisham Hospital. Brap Brap.

[Annasfield]

My Nan met my Grandad during the second world war when Athens was under German occupation. They got engaged and my Grandad brought his Greek bride to the UK to live in Liverpool. Mum left Liverpool in her twenties and met my Dad down here in London. The rest is history. Haven't always lived in London though, Surrey, Norfolk, Hertfordshire to name but a few........

[????]

Organic lamb chops in a rosemary and mint jus, etc

[mockney piers]

Mum's west indian, but if we trace her family back then my folks were carousing around here in the 1600s, there's even a pub named after my great ... great grandfather in Deptford.

Dad came here in the 50s to escape Franco as soon as he was old enough (via Paris and Rome, a proper autodidact having had to leave school at 12 to take care of the family, grandma having died in the civil war, grandad having been jailed for the crime of owning a local newspaper and wanting it back, it having been stolen by the junta).

For some reason he moved back to Spain in the seventies had a couple of brats and then moved back here when Franco was dead during the tricky transici?n, ostensibly to give us a better education, but i think to make sure he wasn't there should Spain slide back to civil war, a very real possibility were it not for the consumate political manoeuvring of King Juan Carlos, a genuine great man.

So been in the UK since I was a young lad and in London as a default choice when I left university.

Love it, would love to stay were it not for the fact that I'll die on some godforsaken farm in the backwater of south east Ireland.

[red devil]

I came here to steal your jobs, drink your beer, and sh*g your wimmin', 2 out of 3 ain't bad...

[Brendan]

Yes well who can blame you, the beer is rubbish.

[Mick Mac]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> TheNewMrsH Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > If it really is that "shit" maybe you shouldn't

> > stay. It obviously annoys you more than the

> > "english"

>

> See what I mean. They can't even take a joke.

Absolutely Brendan - And anyway I preferred the old Mrs H. She had a sense of humour.

[Mick Mac]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I left Ireland because back then (mid 80s)

> everyone did. No jobs to stay for. No prospects.

> I came to England because I didn'thave enough

> money to get any further.

>

> I found the first several years in the county

> abysmal. Not worse than what I had left

> necessarily but differently abysmal. But I was

> making my way. Since approx 1992 I started to get

> things in order (as 20 somethings do) and by now I

> not only have all of my friends here, but I have

> spent longer in this country than my native. I

> wouldn't take UK citizenship (largely because of

> the whole monarchy "thing" but I'm not hung up on

> being "Oirish" eeder) - as I have previously

> stated, where my parents had sex and gave birth is

> arbitrary to the point of laughable

>

> But of the things I like about this country, some

> include

>

> It's a small place but there is still plenty of

> differences geographically and culturally across

> the country. I like travelling around here

> Culturally the country is second to none IMO.Be it

> music, comedy, theatre - we get more here than

> anywhere else I've been to

> The diversity of the population in London is

> extraordinary (a cliched view maybe but no less

> true for that)

> There is less homgenity to the thinking here than

> I find elsewhere. Discussing political views for

> example with people in Hong Kong or New York I can

> meet very intelligent people but they subscribe to

> a very orthodox line. Even amongst Guardian

> readers in this country I find less agreement.

>

> I could live elsewhere, and may yet do so (for

> experience rather than any discontent with here)

> but this is home

Sean's solicitor (Oirish) later said that this statement was beaten out of Sean and Sean has since retracted every last word. He later made a new statement confirming he hates England. When asked why he lived here, he could not think of a single good reason why he was here and immediatley left for Ireland.

[Mick Mac]

What Sean said.

[Strawbs]

Originally from Australia, came here over 4 years ago as wanted the 'live abroad' experience. Met the love of my life and got married and here I am. From the moment I arrived I completely fell in love with London and knew it was for me.. I have to say even the weather doesnt bother me to be honest, its all the same from the inside of a pub, do miss bbqs some times though..

Part of my family is originally from here (obviously) and in the 1800s lived in Bermondsey so I guess in a very drawn out way Ive just come home..

[Michael Palaeologus]

Mockers said "there's even a pub named after my great ... great grandfather in Deptford" Not .... The Royal George??

Your Majesty! *Drops to one knee, doffs cap, tugs forlock, falls over*