Settling/Not settling

[Evianers]

After living in other more distant parts of the world and encountering many other immigrant nationalities who have simply had to settle in vastly different cultures in order to survive, I am prompted in the light of Buster's sad tale to ask whether we are, because of current buoyant economic conditions, extremely spoiled. What I mean is, that after WWII destitute peoples from Middle Europe went to newer parts of the world without any assets and HAD to make a go of their new life, new language, - and many of us do - and, in some cases return to the UK if things are not to our liking. Is this a sign of the advanced economic environment in which we now live?

[Iceni]

To many people, choice in anything is a privilege not a right - merely waking up alive is a lottery with flood, famine, war and pestilence doing their best or worst to prevent it. Compared to that sort of existence none of us should ever complain about anything.

The current fashion for fleeing England for France has been helped along by tv presenters painting an ever so rosy picture of much greener grass (mixed metaphors ?) but many of us older and maybe wiser folk realise that what you see ain't always what you get. Our ability to make this change is mostly possible thanks to ludicrously high property prices on one side of the channel.

In many ways this echoes earlier decisions on relocating to a "new world" but at a much higher starting point. We have voted with our feet to leave our country/county of birth but it is far from an easy life (though the natives are friendly enough they don't speak English, for goodness sake . In our case it is unlikely that we will either want to or be able to afford to return though who knows - I am sure that Buster said something smilar at some point.

John
http://www.iceni-it.co.uk

[pagnol]

I think language is the key.Unless you are able to speak fluently the language of your chosen country you will feel cut off, isolated.
To be employed you must be able to read and write French and even then as a foreigner you have less chance of success.
Vanessa

[Evianers]

After perusing the replies to my thread, I notice that there is a whole sentence missed out, and that the message now no longer makes sense. The missing portion I put in brackets. Is this something the software does not like, or the Forum Admin?

[Evianers]

Hilda or Gertie....... mud wrestlers...... handbags at two paces? Methinks we have somehow sidetracked the original topic.