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As a native-born Brit who moved to Eastern Europe four years ago, there is some information in here I actually didn't know. Also, as someone who has moved coun

As a native-born Brit who moved to Eastern Europe four years ago, there is some information in here I actually didn't know. Also, as someone who has moved country twice (six years in Italy was the first time), I should note that this article doesn't deal with what I can only describe as general UK culture and the British character. I would strongly advise anyone heading Britside to do what I did with Bucharest and have as long an 'exploratory' trip as you can to get a feel of the place: the way people look you in the eye (or don't); whether you sense hostility; and just the general social atmosphere. You can assess this kind of thing in a couple of weeks, usually, at least at a broad level. As someone who gladly left, I'm obviously not the person to ask about whether you'd like living there. But it would be a good idea to stay with friends there, if possible, and scout that aspect out for yourself.

ChuckNorris89 5y ago
Out of curiosity why did you move from the UK to Bucharest?
- Hard_Space 5y ago
  I wanted to settle in Europe prior to Brexit finalizing, but I felt I was kind of done with Italy, having lived all over that country. Romanian is another Romance language, like Italian, so I figured (quite wrongly!) that it would be easy to learn. It was a right move for the wrong reasons, and I eventually found everything I was looking for here, including well-paid remote work (prior even to COVID).
- dragosmocrii 5y ago
  Probably LCOL, 10% income tax, great food, and stunning women.
  - ChrisKnott 5y ago
    The comment about women is fucking weird, especially the "take your pick" vibe in the context of moving to a much poorer country.
    - Hard_Space 5y ago
      > especially the "take your pick" vibe I don't really think that's a fair characterization of the mindset of the average Romanian woman, tbh, but rather seems 'drawn from the headlines'. Nor do I think the OP you're replying to meant that.
mFixman 5y ago
As a third-worlder from a loud country that's very happy after emigrating to Britain I had the opposite experience: the culture and the British character are big positives of living in London and the UK. Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side, but I enjoy the quietness and helpfulness of the average Brit. The only big negatives of UK culture for me are the general bad quality of produce outside of farmer's markets and the weird attachment everyone has to sash windows.
- 1_player 5y ago
  Same experience here. I'm originally from Italy, where the stereotype is friendly and warm people, I found Brits and Londoners in general to be quite easy to have a chat with, and relaxed around strangers especially after a pint or three. After 7 years in this country, my experience hasn't changed and I've grown very fond of the "British way" of doing things, the humour and mentality. While I moved to UK, part of my family moved to Switzerland (the French part of it), and their experience with Swiss people hasn't been as rosy as mine with Brits. YMMV.
- philliphaydon 5y ago
  The thing that prevents me from wanting to live in the UK is the food… I’m sorry if I offend anyone but the UK is one of the worst places in the world I’ve been to for food.
  - 1_player 5y ago
    The great thing about globalisation is that you're not limited to the local cuisine anymore. Pizza today, curry tomorrow and perhaps fish & chips the day after.
  - dkdbejwi383 5y ago
    I'm curious where you're from and what kind of food you like to eat. And what kind of food you tried, your experience with it in the UK. In my experience the food here can be really good. Food and choice in the supermarkets can be bad, and typical foods of those in poverty (including those who were raised under the spectre of rationing here) aren't good, but proper, traditional British food has a lot of variety and interest, in both produce and dishes.
jasonkester 5y ago
Absolutely agree on checking the situation on he ground before committing to move to another country. The culture and the expat vibe are going to be important factors in your life from here on out. We did a winter in Nicaragua with the intention of scoping out the possibility of buying a house. It looks pretty good on paper, until you meet the grumpy expat American surfers who will be your pool of future friends and see the soulless dusty plots of building land with all the locals cleared out except one guy with a shotgun whose job is to sit the same plastic chair all day every day... yeah. Pass. Naturally this is written from the perspective of a US expat developer with the entire world to chose from, so it’s a bit of a different situation to the one discussed in the article.
- e12e 5y ago
  > It looks pretty good on paper, until you meet the grumpy expat American surfers who will be your pool of future friends Why would you move to another country and not make friends with the (native) locals?
  - buffet_overflow 5y ago
    Cost of living most likely. A retirement goes further in some countries.
    - e12e 5y ago
      That's not really an argument against learning the language and making new friends?
      - deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    For most people, it’s not as simple as deciding to make friends with locals. People have various heuristics to determine the probability of rate of return (not financially speaking, but all around) on certain relationships, including differences in socioeconomic status, cultural background, age, etc. The locals also probably already have their own friend circles (or tribes or whatever you want to call it), and it might take a lot of effort to break in, especially if there is a group of expats that are easier to communicate with.

ChuckNorris89 5y ago

Out of curiosity why did you move from the UK to Bucharest?

Hard_Space 5y ago
I wanted to settle in Europe prior to Brexit finalizing, but I felt I was kind of done with Italy, having lived all over that country. Romanian is another Romance language, like Italian, so I figured (quite wrongly!) that it would be easy to learn. It was a right move for the wrong reasons, and I eventually found everything I was looking for here, including well-paid remote work (prior even to COVID).
dragosmocrii 5y ago
Probably LCOL, 10% income tax, great food, and stunning women.
- ChrisKnott 5y ago
  The comment about women is fucking weird, especially the "take your pick" vibe in the context of moving to a much poorer country.
  - Hard_Space 5y ago
    > especially the "take your pick" vibe I don't really think that's a fair characterization of the mindset of the average Romanian woman, tbh, but rather seems 'drawn from the headlines'. Nor do I think the OP you're replying to meant that.

mFixman 5y ago

As a third-worlder from a loud country that's very happy after emigrating to Britain I had the opposite experience: the culture and the British character are big positives of living in London and the UK. Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side, but I enjoy the quietness and helpfulness of the average Brit. The only big negatives of UK culture for me are the general bad quality of produce outside of farmer's markets and the weird attachment everyone has to sash windows.

1_player 5y ago
Same experience here. I'm originally from Italy, where the stereotype is friendly and warm people, I found Brits and Londoners in general to be quite easy to have a chat with, and relaxed around strangers especially after a pint or three. After 7 years in this country, my experience hasn't changed and I've grown very fond of the "British way" of doing things, the humour and mentality. While I moved to UK, part of my family moved to Switzerland (the French part of it), and their experience with Swiss people hasn't been as rosy as mine with Brits. YMMV.
philliphaydon 5y ago
The thing that prevents me from wanting to live in the UK is the food… I’m sorry if I offend anyone but the UK is one of the worst places in the world I’ve been to for food.
- 1_player 5y ago
  The great thing about globalisation is that you're not limited to the local cuisine anymore. Pizza today, curry tomorrow and perhaps fish & chips the day after.
- dkdbejwi383 5y ago
  I'm curious where you're from and what kind of food you like to eat. And what kind of food you tried, your experience with it in the UK. In my experience the food here can be really good. Food and choice in the supermarkets can be bad, and typical foods of those in poverty (including those who were raised under the spectre of rationing here) aren't good, but proper, traditional British food has a lot of variety and interest, in both produce and dishes.

jasonkester 5y ago

Absolutely agree on checking the situation on he ground before committing to move to another country. The culture and the expat vibe are going to be important factors in your life from here on out. We did a winter in Nicaragua with the intention of scoping out the possibility of buying a house. It looks pretty good on paper, until you meet the grumpy expat American surfers who will be your pool of future friends and see the soulless dusty plots of building land with all the locals cleared out except one guy with a shotgun whose job is to sit the same plastic chair all day every day... yeah. Pass. Naturally this is written from the perspective of a US expat developer with the entire world to chose from, so it’s a bit of a different situation to the one discussed in the article.

e12e 5y ago
> It looks pretty good on paper, until you meet the grumpy expat American surfers who will be your pool of future friends Why would you move to another country and not make friends with the (native) locals?
- buffet_overflow 5y ago
  Cost of living most likely. A retirement goes further in some countries.
  - e12e 5y ago
    That's not really an argument against learning the language and making new friends?
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  For most people, it’s not as simple as deciding to make friends with locals. People have various heuristics to determine the probability of rate of return (not financially speaking, but all around) on certain relationships, including differences in socioeconomic status, cultural background, age, etc. The locals also probably already have their own friend circles (or tribes or whatever you want to call it), and it might take a lot of effort to break in, especially if there is a group of expats that are easier to communicate with.