On Sep 12, 8:34*am, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 14:27:57 on Mon, 12 Sep
2011, remarked:

My family means a lot more to me than a job and a naff condo in a cultureless
country on the other side of the world. If thats being "simple" then thats
fine by me.

Many of the people who emigrate take their immediate family with them,
and do it because of a promise of a "better life".

Thats fine. But that "better life" (ie big house and flash car) obviously
trumps any feelings they have for the rest of their family. A word to describe
it would be "shallow".

I don't think you are in any position to make that kind of judgement.
The "rest of their family" might be one second cousin!

Housing is half the price of the UK, so some will then be able to afford

Probably because most of the young locals have buggered off to more interesting
places.

Not at all. The place I went to is what the young locals regard as the
"happening place".

Have you actually been there and experienced it at first hand (I did).

No. Experience what? What can I see there that I can't see in europe apart
from the southern cross?

What it's like to live there, of course.

Exceptionally, and unusually, Roland, I am with Tony on this one. It
takes a while to understand anywhere. A week is barely enough to give
a flavor. At this time I am in the UK. After spending decades in the
US, I still learned something new every week.

Indeed, currently, I am still adjusting to the changes in the UK
during my absence. The first time I tried to use a chip and pin debit
card was embarrassing. It was at Victoria Station and I kept removing
the card too soon.