Had enough - time to go back to Norfolk - Page 3

#41 15.05.2011, 18:42

	Quote:	Ittigen
	I have lived here since 1989 and I have had girl friends from France, Germany, England, New Zealand and one from Switzerland. My advice for you is that you are making the right decision, a good potato beats an evening with a Swiss miss every time.

Oy- you cheeky so and so, come and say that right HERE, right now

A good potato indeed!

cannut · #42 15.05.2011, 18:47

	Quote:	wdf
	Though in a bizarre twist of things on the integration thing is that I do actually enjoy going out......ie. given how "difficult" (or impossible to crack as I have been told...) Swiss women are, its actually quite an acheivement when one actually wants to chat...even if nothing else... I think that's the key point to all this. I mean, if you are here with a family then you don't need to worry about going out etc etc. ie same as in Uk really.. but I have just come out of a 7 year marriage to an evil ex wife, who I went thru a bitter twisted 2 year divorce... and in fact, I actually went to Cyprus for 6 months DURING this two year divorce to get away from her.... and then had to get rid of the mad ex g/f housemate of 18 months so this trip to der Schweiz was supposed to be something as a recovery from all that....... which it has in a way, as had some wicked nights out........ so, I won't knock the nightlife.... even if the Swiss women are impossible, and its expensive... just I can't afford to keep going like that......... and I am not prepared to sit in the flat over the weekends reading a book and twiddling my thumbs.....

aha ! The swiss women are on to you they don't like to become EX

Panther · #43 15.05.2011, 18:51

Are the potatoes really so bad here??

Coop's potatoes are far more superior than any other store, adn for baked potatoes try the Angria, or Bintjie variety

wdf · #44 15.05.2011, 18:52

	Quote:	Liverbird
	But apart from that, as boring as pants! Surprised you didn't love it here! Ah, yes of course.... the lack of decent spuds.... it must have been a terrible time for you

Okay.... West Norfolk (King's Lynn...) = beer at JD Wetherspoons £2.05 a pint, massive baked potatoes, and "friendly" Lynn girls......

#45 15.05.2011, 18:58

	Quote:	cannut
	aha ! The swiss women are on to you they don't like to become EX

Last time somebody made me an 'ex' I was 14- so it does not scare me. Have made a few 'ex's' since - but been married to the same Brit for 40 years (well in 2 weeks time) - so there

wdf · #46 15.05.2011, 18:59

	Quote:	Pather
	Are the potatoes really so bad here?? Coop's potatoes are far more superior than any other store, adn for baked potatoes try the Angria, or Bintjie variety

Yes, they are aweful.

I mean, I do like a nice bottle of Shiraz wine.. but when it comes to potatoes it's the fundamental thing... okay, I know they were brought from America but that's another story.......)

cricketer · #47 15.05.2011, 19:09

Interesting point you make about going back. Indeed since I have been here 14 years the UK has changed utterly and completely - for the worse I might add.
I return to see my kids who live in the Midlands but in truth it is now a strange place to me. I dont think I can ever return to live there. In fact am planning to retire to Spain. Sad sometimes to think you can't go back.

	Quote:	Louis Wu
	Well, Switzerland isn't for everyone, I lived there for 4.5 years and to be honest, I was glad to leave (I suspect the Swiss weren't terribly disappointed either, it probably saved them from having to build another nuclear power plant and the crime rate might have fallen off a bit). I'm originally from Norfolk too (Old Costessey, just outside Nowrich) but I didn't head back there rather carried on further Eastwards to Budapest. Then again I left the UK in 1993 and haven't been back other than for short family visits since and I doubt I could hack living there now. The culture shock of moving to a new country is one thing but the shock when moving back to what was once your homeland is apparently far worse - the problem being that your homeland hasn't stood still whilst you were away and when you go back you find the past is indeed now a different country. Anyway, enough digression, good luck to you wherever you go and as they say in some parts of Norfolk, "Mind 'ow ye go"

cricketer · #48 15.05.2011, 19:14

I lived in Kings Lynn for 7 years. Not a bad place actually. North Nofolk coast is fantastic. Good potatoes too

	Quote:	wdf
	Okay.... West Norfolk (King's Lynn...) = beer at JD Wetherspoons £2.05 a pint, massive baked potatoes, and "friendly" Lynn girls......

#49 15.05.2011, 19:18

As a matter of interest though, how long did you give it in CH? And in how many locations? Small country, but as in the UK, can be very different depending on where you are (honest).

Anyway, good luck, god speed - boootiful

wdf · #50 15.05.2011, 19:26

	Quote:
	As a matter of interest though, how long did you give it in CH? And in how many locations? Small country, but as in the UK, can be very different depending on where you are (honest). Anyway, good luck, god speed - boootiful

I take your point, and have travelled about (been here since Jan). The Italian part was much friendlier, and I have been told the French bit is also better... in fact, when I went to Zurich I much preffered it to where I am... I think I am potentially in the most miserable part.

TiMow · #51 15.05.2011, 19:30

	Quote:	wdf
	I think the crunch point is that I could just about cope with living in a small flat for a few months... but am finding I spend ALL my money.. (plus more..) to actually get out and find amusement.... and with a good night out on the tiles on a sat night setting me back at least 150CHF....

I can't help but wonder, that you could have avoided all the hassle of moving here, only to return home 5 months later, if you had only taken the trouble to post a thread prior to making a firm commitment of coming here, along the lines of:

"Can I survive in (*insert location*) on (*insert salary*) ?"

I'm sure you would have received helpful advice, as there are many experts on this matter.

wdf · #52 15.05.2011, 19:36

	Quote:	TiMow
	I can't help but wonder, that you could have avoided all the hassle of moving here, only to return home 5 months later, if you had only taken the trouble to post a thread prior to making a firm commitment of coming here, along the lines of: *"Can I survive in (insert location) on (insert salary) ?"* I'm sure you would have received helpful advice, as there are many experts on this matter.

well it was six months for a start but they were trying to make me stay longer. I am effectively only going back a month earlier than what was originally intended, and just not pursuing the idea of extending the stay.....

saint7uk · #53 15.05.2011, 19:40

Cost of living and partying is high sure...but aren't we getting paid more to be here than elsewhere?....

But I guess if you want weatherspoons prices.... Personally cheep booze has the opposite effect for a good night out, 'specially in the UK...

Cosmicgirl · #54 15.05.2011, 20:02

	Quote:	Ittigen
	I have lived here since 1989 and I have had girl friends from France, Germany, England, New Zealand and one from Switzerland. My advice for you is that you are making the right decision, a good potato beats an evening with a Swiss miss every time.

I would definatley take a good potatoe over an evening with a Swiss man !

#55 15.05.2011, 20:09

Time to go home for you too then, if it's how you feel. Life's too short to prefer potatoes.

wdf · #56 15.05.2011, 20:12

So, as a final conclusion to this very long discussion...

1. A good potato is better than an evening with a Swiss miss.
2. A good potato is better than an evening with a Swiss bloke.
3. You need about 1,000,000 CHF to pull a Swiss girl.
4. There are cleaner streets in der Schweiz
5. Less crime.
6. The cheese is good.
7. Chocolate is good.
8. Trains are better (and cheaper) than the UK.
9. They don't like 20 year old British RHD Landrover that leak oil.
10. Wetherspoons is cheap, but not neccessarily a good night out.

That's it.

saint7uk · #57 15.05.2011, 20:19

LMAO, that list made me spit me tea out!

#58 15.05.2011, 20:25

LOL - when I met my future British husband, he was earning £1000 a year. Guess maybe I am not typically Swiss

Having come back to CH on his UK pension, we are almost back to square one

Phil_MCR · #59 15.05.2011, 20:38

	Quote:	cricketer
	Interesting point you make about going back. Indeed since I have been here 14 years the UK has changed utterly and completely - for the worse I might add. I return to see my kids who live in the Midlands but in truth it is now a strange place to me. I dont think I can ever return to live there. In fact am planning to retire to Spain. Sad sometimes to think you can't go back.

Well, the truth is it's hard to go back to the past. When I was in London a while back, I remembered the fun times I had there and really missed it. But it wasn't just the place I missed, it was a different life and a different time. I have no time machine to re-live those times and I'm not sure I would want to.

If I went to London again, I would not be 'going back' to a previous life, but going to a new life which just happens to be in the same city.

A curse that I have is that I never look back and only look forward. Most of the time, I don't even look at today but am always planning for and thinking about the future. But I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing, since I can't do anything about the past, but I can try to influence my future.

#60 15.05.2011, 21:00

I've made the journey back, but t'other way, after 40 years in UK. So many good friends here still - lots of things have changed, including me, but that's OK. Now I've got children, grand-children and so many friends in UK + a small flat we regularly go back to = 2 homes, 2 lives, huge contrast- love it that way.