Damian P

The house is now filled with Colombians making various implements and sowing lots of fabrics for the game tomorrow.. I may have to root against them.

If we hadn't, this forum would be really weird.

There are pages and pages and pages of posts from people who have.

Since my approval last week, and the subsequent storm of planning and scheduling and booking and general blue-a*se-flying, i've been experiencing a new kind of charm as I go about my English life. Everything I do and everywhere I go gets studied from a different angle, under a different light. What is this place I call home? What does it mean to me? Why do we persist in being so English?! A kind of nostalgia is already setting in and i'm really enjoying it.
Just yesterday I was at the lido, enjoying some sun and a casual swim with friends, and of course peacefully distracted by all the other people sharing this space for the afternoon. Its June and a barmy 22 degrees outside, so the place was very busy. So there we are, the British, all half naked and lying on towel-draped concrete and sizzling our bellies in the sun whilst licking Cornish ice cream before sploshing into the outdoor pool and apologising for barely colliding feet or hands with the dainty breast stroke swimmers going back and forth in orderly rows. There was a gentle hum of chatter as yummy mummies with toddlers swapped yoga tips, freelance creatives waffled about next weeks' shoot, and old guard gents moaned about it being too hot whilst constantly fidgeting with their tight speedos. And still, in between the variety of people there seemed to be a common bond. Everyone seemed to be shouting, 'the sun is out, and we're going to bloody well enjoy it!'
It was quaint, it was quirky, and a thoroughly English afternoon.
I am soon due to swap the lido pool for swimming in the Pacific Ocean in a town where 22 degrees is probably considered 'chilly', and this is admittedly something of an upgrade, but its not really the point.
Being English, or British as we're inclined to be known over there, beholds an identity complete with a set of peculiar traits and quirky virtues that I will always cherish and uphold. If for no other reason than i'm, well, English (British, whatever). Our offbeat charm and dry humour is world famous, whereas our politeness and our apologising and our moaning and, yes, our piss-taking, are all things we're proud of too.
Keep your Cadbury's and your Jaffas and your teabags. This is what I will really miss.

Awful, awful "home crowd" decision by the referee. Let's be honest here - 3-1 totally flattered Brazil. They were woeful for large swathes of that game - Croatia deserved at least a point.

Agreed. Sadly, they are going to win it though: Messi, Aguero, Higuian, Di Maria? Yeah - they're gonna carve everyone open on their way to the title (but they'll never take The Falklands).

Anyone but Argentina for me.

You can see a lot of regional rivalries in those results like South Korea and Japan disliking each other.
Americans think the USA will win, more chance of Putin and Obama being caught making out in a broom cupboard at the UN.

At least she's wondering. If I was from Southampton, I wouldn't even have that.

Homesickness hit me hard today, harder than it has in years. I spent much of lunch looking at pictures of my old pub in Walberswick, where the former Mr Maven and I used to spend many hours drinking Adnams and reading the newspaper in companionable silence punctuated by the occasional chat. I thought of what it looked like when I emerged from St Paul's tube station, the quality of light streaking down Cheapside. The old Routemasters with the bare lightbulbs screwed in, sitting on the upper deck, back when there were still conductors and it's raining outside and you're a little cold and the conductor gives you 10p change from your pound because a bus ride's 90p back then and the smell of the upholstery in the wetness. 3am at the Troy Club in Hanway Street, 2002, the place a fug of smoke and sweaty Soho nastiness. Racing to get to Somerfield on a Sunday afternoon because it closed at 4pm. Cold little Boots tuna mayonnaise and cucumber sandwiches, maybe a cheese and onion one and OH I'd kill for a bag of Hula Hoops. Dawn on Parliament Hill. Sunset at some Notting Hill pub in August. Rushing from work on a Friday evening to get to the station -- there's a B&B in the Peak District to get to, Bakewell tarts tomorrow afternoon after a ramble.
I live in LA and I haven't owned an umbrella in years. It sort of makes me sad.

Football days. Drinking all day because you have to numb the feeling of watching the dross on the pitch(Leeds). In all seriousness, probably miss my friends and there's not really much you can do to compensate that.

Ok.... so things I would miss about America...
I am in the south... now despite the stereotypical redneck trailer images we might have, the people in the south are Awesome. My car broke down once and I had about 20 cars stop to see if they could help me. Some even stayed with me until my husband got there. This never happened to me in England.
I love the vast space. Fields, countryside, greenery. The flat plains of the delta bluff is breath taking.
I love the thunderstorms in America... so different compared to the storms in the UK.
I would miss grilling ALL YEAR ROUND LOL LOL!!!!! I see on FB that everyone in the UK has their grills cranked up for a weekend of sunshine this week. In the south we grill out, rain, snow, sunshine, winter, summer... who cares
The cost of gas here compared to the UK.... Im gonna say nothing else guys!!!
The customer service in America is outstanding. Especially in restaurants and stores.
We get humming birds. Random, but true. I love humming birds!!!

OK, if you really want to buy these very poor imitation of the vastly superior Jaffa cake ( I am definitely biased) in Virginia, try a Food Lion. I have bought them there.
As to home sickness, it has taken me nearly four years to get beyond this. I still miss Northern Ireland and will return for visit but my life is here in the US with my wife and kids. I have stopped dwelling on the past and started to embrace American things and American ways even if they seem counter intuitive and a bit odd. I am looking forward to applying for citizenship.
So pass me a Jaffa cake, a cup of tea and fire up BBC Iplayer. I am setup for the future.

Dear god people, man up. Al this whinging about food is making us all look like sad weak tea drinking limeys.
Embrace the tastes of your new home, and I will be round later for the Digestives.

Yes, they do and it is normally 6 months, but it it not enforced. In actuality you can use your EU DL as long as it is valid, along with a valid passport until you get your GC. The real incentive for obtaining a US DL is that you will need it to obtain insurance and car registration.

Yes I know that.
?????

Just emailed Nich, and here's the scoop:
"I was locked out of VJ for 24 hours. It was maybe 2 weeks ago. Ryan H I believe his name is. Could not even read why. No access. It now says I can't post unless I acknowledge the warning. Sod that. Done with VJ because there is nothing I would do inappropriate on purpose. How long have I been helping all these struggling people?
Offended."
So there you have it. Way to go, Ryan.

Damian! Your recommendation for Jack Stack... we went for our pre-nuptial meal with my father in law, and HOLY COW, that's some good food. Could barely move after - I had the burnt ends and I genuinely can't wait to get back there!!
Thanks sir - we'll be visiting again!
Now I'm out here I don't really miss British food as much as I thought I would... I've even had fish and chips, and while not as good as back home, certainly it was good enough. The waitress even brought me vinegar before I'd even asked - not her first British customer, I'd wager! (Fish and chips without vinegar is all kinds of wrong, surely something we can all agree on?)

Yeah, too ###### right, Nobbie. And as such, I, as the OP, would now ask the mods to close it due to arsehole interference. Thanks.

Shame the thread got hijacked by someone with a chip on their shoulder

Absolute #######. I'll tell you what's offensive - you coming on here trying to compare Cockney rhyming slang (and that's ALL it is) with vile, racially derogative slurs. How dare you . It could be "wooden plank" or "higher rank" and the meaning would be the same something that rhymes with "yank." Absolutely NOTHING more.The fact that it's "septic tank" is a totally moot point. And you are BANG out of order for insinuating otherwise.
It is, AussieNemesis. Absolutely nothing more. I'm afraid your countryman is an imbecile.

Perhaps if I highlight this enough times it might sink in?

Absolute #######. I'll tell you what's offensive - you coming on here trying to compare Cockney rhyming slang (and that's ALL it is) with vile, racially derogative slurs. How dare you . It could be "wooden plank" or "higher rank" and the meaning would be the same something that rhymes with "yank." Absolutely NOTHING more.The fact that it's "septic tank" is a totally moot point. And you are BANG out of order for insinuating otherwise.
It is, AussieNemesis. Absolutely nothing more. I'm afraid your countryman is an imbecile.

Proud of you, dude. You've been through some tough stuff. Some of the morons you had to deal with in your old job to begin with! I'm forever grateful to you for our long phone chats when I was losing my mind here.
It will be seven years for me in August. I can't believe it some times. I thought I'd never leave Blighty, and, well, it happened. I seem to have lost a husband along the way, but I picked up a domestic product that has more than made up for that. Cheers to Damian and Nicky!

Newbies, the lot of you.
But seriously, congratulations on making it to 5 years, with all you have been though.
Even if you do support The Scum.