UK convincing

[marryme]

Hi there,

I'm trying to convince my fiancee to come with me to London. We were in the UK for 18 months, based in Preston, then Cheltenham, then returned to South Africa at the end of last year. She didn't really enjoy it ie. people? What positives are there to convince her that London can be different and that it may just have been that the particular area or place that we were in that people seemed miserable?

[vehelpfulguy]

All big cities can seem very off putting when you are a visitor. People seem to be rushing around, and nobody says hello to anybody.

But London, like most large cities, has micro communities.

These are small communities within the large city.

So if you move to one of these micro communities, then you soon get to know the local people, the local shops, the local placs to eat, the local pubs.

Once you go out of these micro communities, like say shoping in Oxford St, then you join all the other faceless people.

Go back to you micro community, and you are amongst friends again.

If you are coming from South Africa I would try to find an area where lots of people from South Africa live, there is bound to be one.

The Earls Court area is well known as an area where Australians live, so there is probably a similar area for South Africans.

[vehelpfulguy]

I did a quick search for "South Africans in London" and found this web site

http://www.rainbownation.com/uk/clubs/index.as p

I am sure a bit more searching around with Google will help you find out what area of London is popular with people from South Africa.

[vehelpfulguy]

Another site

http://www.dontstayin.com/groups/south-african s-in-london

Even a shop !

http://www.southafricanshop.co.uk/

[spudqueen]

Well if she thought that Northerners are miserable wait until she sees people in London! Here in the north people will speak to you whilst you're stood at a bus stop etc, nothing special, just pass the time of day. You won't get any of that in London! I lived in London for 7 years, and even though I lived in a 'micro community' as vehelpfulguy calls them I didn't know anyone in the area, apart from the Northerners in the flat upstairs!
Don't get me wrong, the people I worked with were lovely (northerners, southerners, welsh, canadian etc etc), but I certainly wouldn't have found anyone to speak to where I lived.
I loved my time in London, I did have great friends, who I met through work, and actually met Mr Spudqueen down there (through friends), and am really pleased I lived there, but I wouldn't want to live there now - I wouldn't have wanted to bring my family up there.

[KARL]

I have to say I rather doubt you can find a good reason for living in London rather than anywhere outside it, although no doubt most Londoners would find this statement offensive - but then the same people probably reciprocate vis-a-vis places outside London. The comment about cities is one I agree with. One thing that foreigners (especially non-European ones) note about the British is that British people often appear rather reluctant to open up to anyone. They will very often be careful to display "friendly gestures" but will be disturbed if these are taken at face value. I know someone who refers to certain types of rudeness as "English invitations" - as in "Come and visit me, I'll send you my address".

[bobs1975]

Australians lived in Earls Court in the 80's. It's now full of bankers. South Africans might find a familiar accent in Earlsfield in SW London

[rojash]

I was in the UK on business recently and was surprised by how friendly and polite all the shop assistants,waiters, hoteliers etc, were. After a few days I mentioned it to a colleague,and he replied "Yes, but how many of them are English?". I realised he had a point.

So, if you want to meet friendly polite people in England, you just need to avoid the English :-)