Image of UK
 

I wonder what members think about the UK? As we have many immigrants or would be immigrants what is the attraction of the UK.


My japanese friend loves this country and would dearly love to remain here permanently. it is unlikely that she will get permission to remain here but she adores our countryside and much of our historical features. She also has made many British friends who have been very good to her.

yet she studies (English) constantly and has very little time off.

She does not wish to return to Japan.

dare I ask what others imagine it is like in UK?

I have never been, so i can only tell you a picture I have in mind and base on what my UK friends told me

City: Narrow street, casual people acting busy and ignore you. A lot of pop/punk wannabe skin head. You can see the big ben from anywhere. cobbles stone street everywhere. Lots of open air cafe

Country: Miles and miles of green with no houses. Milk delivery truck need to drive hours to get to one house. Lot of old retire folks that nobody care about.

I'm English, so I can't really give the view you ask for, lol.

I can say from my friends - some of which are immigrants themselves - that they seemed to have a rather picturesque view of the UK. You say 'UK' and England always seems to be the first thing that comes to mind, as if it's the only thing in the UK. I know that their preconceptions didn't match the reality . . . their main complaints are that the country is far too dirty and the houses way too small, but - with that said - they love it here. They became citizins last year and work harder than any English person I know.

I think the main attraction was the idea of 'freedom'. It's a culture alike theirs in that it's very structured, well-mannered, and this whole stereotype of everyone being 'by Jove, golly gosh' and all that . . . but it's easier to progress in this society. It's easier to get jobs, get an education, make money. They came here expecting a better way of life, less constraints, and although they love visiting their home-country they say they'll never go back to live. Oddly enough they tried living in Holland . . . hated it. I do wonder what's so wrong with Holland, but no one ever tells me XD

hmm the uk,well from all the power metal bands i seen from the uk everybody is a drunk, and does stupid stuff,but uk ;people are still cool.

You do occasionally get teetotal people. I am almost teetotal. I have alcopops,which I am unlikely to find in Japan basically. I'm only gonna drink if it's nice.

UK (including Ireland and Scotland) cool. One of the best music capitols in the world. Punk Rock was born in UK. Jungle/Drum n' Bass was born in UK. maybe dubstep too? I think musicians in UK have been being really vanguard for several decades. Beatles, Status Quo, Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, U2(they are Irish), Jesus and Mary Chain, Jesus Jones, Carcass, Prodigy, Tor Cesay, and may other musicians. They all had brought some sorta revolutions in music market.

A while ago I commented on a 'hate' for the UK but since then, I found pieces of writing stating that total obsession with another country can lead to this. I like the UK, it has great sport, great music and great food. I like life here, but saying that there is still things here that wind me up. For example, being on hold on the phone, transport being late, and a large number of people here annoy me

Although I'm not with this style, I must admit Prodigy I like and listening to No Good and Out of Space when you're going on the highway with 280 km/h it's something to keep you awake and ALIVE after 24 hours nonstop driving.

Breathe, and Omen are my fave :D Prodigy had a brilliant show in Japan 2years ago. I think their performance at Summer Sonic 2009 was perfect.

well. if my Snuff order won't show up any day now then i won't say any nice things about the UK... :cool:

Love the dry sense of humour and raw brutal honesty of the people, especially up north. Do not like the mindless violence on streets, as well as inverted snobism of all those midle-class yobbos, and self-inflated pseudo-aristocratic stiffness of many.

Although something tells me it will spark a flame war here, I am going to say it anyway - last time i was in London I was stcuk hard by the numbers of Muslims in the city. Even though I have few muslim friends, this religion freaks me out more than stupidity in Japan. There were not that many of them 20 years ago, which is when I was there for the first time.

Also, atfer living 10 years i Japan, the dirt on streets in London is really standing out. The whole place seems a bit chaotic.

Country side is lovely, but then again the weather sucks. So, all in all, UK is not for me.

Totally have to ask, but where in London did you go? I went for the first time the other month - all the tourist areas, I admit - but was struck by how spotless it was and how clean. It really amazed me, no chewing gum covering the floor like dalmation spots, no paper bags floating around in the wind . . . or is it just that we have different bases of comparrison? Like is the rest of the UK so dirty I thought it was clean, or Japan (other countries) so clean that other nationalities assume it's dirty?

Well i was mainly around the centre, hotel Savoy and Chancery Lane area.
Possibly it is the matter of different point of reference. It never cease to amaze me how clean Tokyo is. There are no trash cans here, man, only near convenience stores and some vending machines, and NO ONE is littering, well, unless they're drunk. The only filthy place in Tokyo is Roppongi, and that is because foreginers make a mess there every night.

Switzerland is, i think, the only country comparable to Japan. Even Germany does not stand a chance. I must say, I love that cleanliness here.

LOL! That is pretty much it! Anywhere else,there is quite a bit of litter.

EDIT:I'll be honest I don't know how to delete this.

I wonder why we bother getting the last bit out of marmite jars looking at Americans.

I have never been but my mom has a distance cousin there that her and my dad went to visit like a year ago. Their stories did not add too much about what I already had guessed.

I guess I just picture lots of "European" style buildings in older areas, and more "modern buildings" in city centers, lots of neighborhoods with narrow streets, but unlike Japan, having a lot more open country space. Rainy weather, fairly mild winters compared with other places, a wealth of pubs and soccer hooligans, a good music scene, varying accents some of which I probably cannot understand.. thats all I can think of for right now.

one cannot judge the uk on a visit to tourist area of london.

it is a real mixture. where i live not far from the south east coast, the countryside is glorious. brighton is just an hour by train from london--extremely popular-----------shingle beach-- night clubs--- shops. many foreign students study there----------in the season its hard for locals to catch a bus---------because the students crowd them.

i lived in london at various times. really the suburbs are like separate towns.

it is doubtful that tourists would see the outskirts. too many people-----too many cars and we have to adjust to the immigrants. the present govt. is cutting many facilities because of our debts----------

it is very expensive to live here--especially in london.

london has many parks such as richmond or wimbledon common. hampstead heath, there are many open spaces in london--and usually many events. the south bank--with its music facilities. i would say--that whatever your interests--you would find facilities for them.

Wales and ireland plus scotland have wonderful features--architecture--countryside, much of historical interest.

we are a small country but we have variety. if places are dirty--its because of lazy people who drop their litter anywhere.

our different counties have their own charms. countryside mixed with housing.

i love my country but not the behavior of some people who have no respect for what is around them.

the 24 hour drinking rules and numerous bars is encouraging binge drinking. i would stay away from those and that behaviour. it costs the police and nhs a lot of money.
a lot depends where one lives. high rise flats often over crowded, too many immigrants---------we do not have housing enough for many born here--yet alone housing large immigrant families.rents and mortgages are really expensive.

basically in some areas we are really over crowded--yet expected to assimilate ever growing number of immigrants.

i am really fortunate where i live. sea and countryside just a short distance.


Sussex-Image


Pictures of Seven Sisters Country Park


images of city of bath - Google Search

Lol

Zaandam! Isnt that next door to shangi-la and just round the corner from Nirvana?

Shock/horror

None are perfect...no more vs


maybe grow up

It's really sad there are still places like this in the world...

(+1 for Canada!)

I might add that I have generally seen a lot of Scotland, and tiny bits of Birmingham

I've only really seen around Herefordshire where I used to live,just loads of places around there like Kidderminster,Wales,Cornwall and I've been to London once. I want to go round Scotland and Ireland at some point.

Edit: I'm so sorry! I didn't realise that you were on about Holland, I had to google the name "Zaandam"! What you said fits totally in with what I've heard actually, but I never really realised it was that bad. - I've left my post up anyway, just because in the past there has been the assumption that the UK is racist, so it's not addressed at you personally, just those people in general, lol.

I think it depends where in the UK you are, in regards to racism. People forget it's probably just as diverse as America, with just as many accents, races, nationalities etc., despite the fact we're a tiny island . . .

I can't speak for everywhere but in my hometown we have a huge multi-cultural commuinity and a whole suburb is dedicated to Indian and Pakistan nationalities. Our largest street is filled to the brim with people from these cultures residing there and starting businesses there. My local school was probably 1/4 foriegn students or 'ethnic minorities'. I can count the times I've experienced racism on one hand, one finger even!

There are some times when it can feel racist . . . if my friend and I walk into a shop and ask for help the shop-assistants naturaly address me rather than her, even though she speaks at a native-level, and at her house I've been assumed to be a computer repairman and a childminder, no one assumed 'friend of the family', but it's never been malicious. I've yet to hear any racist terms regularly, or hear about any violent racist attacks, or anything like that. The racism here seems to be just naive assumptions, rather than anything malevolent or cruel.

I think most people have rather idealized views of any foreign country, unless it's a war zone or has a climate that is well known to be hostile.

Even though I lived in England for 4 years and visit once in a while, I tend to block out some of the more negative things I know when I think of England.

My fellow military dependants would always seek out someone who had recently lived in the country their family was about to be transferred to, because we knew our parents would focus mostly on the good side, but our peers would tell us the rest. I doubt the general public has the initiative to challenge their expectations like we had, until they are faced with the reality of living there on a long term basis.

well. i lived in Englan for 2 weeks. on my first day Birmingham someone stabbed some 3 people. whole street was closed down because of the long blood trail as evidence :cool:
also me and friends didn't leave the house the evening when Germans won against UK in the football since i look a bit german aka blond. like 2 min after the game all around city police sirens lit up :cool:

ive travelled my fare share and i can say that i don't "have rather idealized views of any foreign country". all the big cities are almost the same - either full with skyscrapers or with 16th century buildings that all look the same and full with drunk people on Fridays - for UK its 9pm, here its 1 am when everything starts.

P.S my god damn snuff isn't here...srsly UK? 2 weeks already... :mad:

Culturally, the UK is just like New Zealand/Australia.

The only difference I can think of is that everything is old and people tend to like soccer (here it's Rugby that is popular and soccer is a sport that is only popular really in school)

That's weird because I've actually got blonde hair blue eyes and I've got no German in me as far as I know. I'm just imagining a Brummie with a knife shouting "ARE YOU A BIT GERMAN?!"

When I first went to London I expected to be mugged. Nothing got nicked. Nothing happened. It was all just what I'd heard on the news. It seems strange to me now that I believed it.

What country do you live in?

my brain

soccer soccer soccer soccer soccer soccer soccer
Monty Python Monty Python Monty Python Monty Python
Cause of war
Do not spend time in cooking
soccer
Top Gear
music
Detective fiction
spam(newspaper)
soccer
Pirate
Development of strange arms
soccer
Attachment 11498

Images of UK
 

Eighteenth century :

When Britain first, at Heaven's command
Arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain:
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

The Works of James Thomson by James Thomson,1763

Nowadays :

Before this challenge, Britain, in its own self-interest, has to play the same balance-of-power politics it used to do in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe. That means siding with the EU and no longer being US conservatism's lapdog. We cannot, for example, be part of the US national missile defence system if its purpose is to destroy the fabric of international law or join America's war against Iraq.

Guardian

not everyone likes football--i get sick of it.

Eurgh I hate football.

England - a country who's government only cares about increasing it's fuel prices - now a staggering £1.32/ Litre and it's scumbags. It's possible to live off "job seekers allowance" and recieve more money than someone who works 39 hours a week on minimum wage. The only way to earn more than that is to go to College and or get a decent job, and with College/University tuition fees being increased to £9000/ year, we're on a downward spiral.