I don't get this. Why on earth do some people get a perverse thrill from slagging off the country of their birth? They come up with reasons - I think they're excuses - as to their hatred of Britain.
It's too cold, it's too expensive, people are so miserable, it rains all the time, it's all so built up, it's all ugly, there is nowhere beautiful, the food is dreadful and so on and so forth. France is wonderful, France is this, that and the bloody other - get over yourselves! Why do you feel the need to do this? Does it make you feel big and clever to do nothing but criticise the country from whence you came? Does it give you pleasure?
It drives me mad!
OK, I live in France. But that does not mean that I hate Britain. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I love it, particularly Scotland. The only reason I don't live there is that I can't afford childcare. As a single parent, it's a lot easier for me to stay here looking for work with built in child care (ie. my parents) than pay for it there.
OK, the weather in Britain isn't that great. But it's not constantly bad. On a sunny day there is no place more beautiful than, for example, Somerset or the Highlands, or Devon. The autumn in Scotland is the most beautiful season - the colours are incredible. In France the summers are hot, the winters are cold. Simple. The countryside is not as green as in Britain, and this is due to less rain. So, either more rain and beautiful, lush green grass, or less rain and brown dull fields.
Too expensive - don't make me laugh! Have you tried filling your car up with petrol in France recently? It's cheaper in Britain you know. I've been looking on a couple of UK supermarket websites this evening to make a list of things to bring back from my little sojourn in April, and the great majority of products are cheaper. Yes, this is probably due to the weak pound, but that's not going to change any time soon. About the only thing I can find that is more expensive is cigarettes. Apart from them, most things seem cheaper. OK, in UK there is very expensive council tax, but for most people here it's not that much cheaper. So stop whinging that Britain is expensive because, if you do your research, you'll find that it ain't necessarily so.
People are miserable? Durr, there's a recession on you know. And it isn't just in Britain either. Jobs are no easier to find here, in fact it's harder to find a job in France, especially here, because it's rural and there aren't any! In UK, people can find jobs, if they are willing to do anything. But stacking shelves or cleaning is so below some people that they would rather be on the dole and sponge off the government. And that's good why exactly?
It's all so built up is it? Have you ever been to rural Hampshire? Or Somerset? Or Dumfries and Galloway? The cities are built up, the countryside isn't. You could say the same of France, which has many cities that are hugely bigger than those in UK. Every country has its beautiful parts - don't generalise on the basis of inner cities.
The food in France is, in my opinion, not much cop. It's fine if you like steak, duck, greasy duck or goose liver, or baked bean with sausages which is all that cassoulet is. I'd rather have the Heinz variety personally. I have no idea where France's reputaion as a gastronomic nation has come from. Britain, on the other hand, has some delicious food, and no, it's not all swimming in grease. Steak and Ale pie is the food of the gods! I know that Britain has some wonderful food, because I used to cook it for a living.
Compared to Britain, France isn't so wonderful. The thing that is wonderful about it, is that people can move here, where nobody knows them, and completely reinvent themselves. They can be anything they want to be, and there is no one around to contradict them. The expat community can be great, but you have to be careful who you tell what to, because if there is an opportunity to stab you in the back, there are many people who will do so.
If and when I finally leave here, the amount of people with who I would keep in touch, I can count on one hand. The friends that count are the ones I have had for years. Most of the people I know here are fairweather friends. Out of sight, out of mind, and that's just fine.
So what's my conclusion? France has it's good points, but so does Britain folks. And don't forget that, because, for most of you, it is Britain that is still paying your pension and your health care. Don't criticise the country that is paying for you to live out your old age in another country.
And don't be afraid to be proud to be British, whether it is English, Scottish, Northern Irish or Welsh. Well, maybe I'll let you off if you're Welsh!! But be British and proud. Your country is not awful, it's actually a pretty great place.
NB. Photographs Not My Own Work.
