The most unusual place I've been to is Gibraltar...couldn't really get my head around it.

It so obviously benefits from being British but locally it felt such a confused mish mash....still I was only there for a day so it probably wasn't long enough to properly evaluate it....the missus loved it, while I started to understand the Spanish resentment....because I came away with a 'cake and eat it' feel.

Edited by Stirlingsays (05 Jun 2021 11.49am)

In Andorra they absolutely loved Eastenders. Said it felt like the Catalan culture.

Is this not a universal trait? Most people are brought up to believe that their country is best. It's hardly a revelation.
I have seen some wonderful places and experienced other culture but one is seeing it as a foreigner. Your perspective is different. When observing another country from afar, one is also bringing their own prejudices to bear.
As an ex pat, it is likely that you left Britain for work or because you didn't like your country or people there didn't like you. You might hold a resentment that you could even be unaware of.
None of this is very interesting or surprising.

I left the UK because I didn't like the way of life. I discovered this after being given a 3 month assignment in Germany. I discovered there was more to drinking and getting drunk every weekend, eating crap food and basically doing nothing interesting at all plus the expense of everything and the under capacity of everything. I never saw any of this until I worked abroad and it was an eye opener looking back in from the outside. I joined a company in Germany and after that, I set up my own business, working and living in a number of other EU countries. I've got multiple citizenship now, 3 passports.

The term 'ex-pat' I never use, I'm a British immigrant and so is every other Brit who lives abroad. I've never experienced the 'flag waving' nationalism in any other country I have lived in, only the UK and that's only obvious when you've been living outside of the country. I'm not talking about football tournaments but everyday life. No 'resentment' at all, just observation from looking in from the outside but typically it's taken as a resentment when it's pointed out. Heyho, nothing I can do about that but it's a typical trait shown when people don't have real experience of other cultures. A week's vacation somewhere hot twice a year doesn't really cut it.

Edited by Orange1290 (05 Jun 2021 3.26pm)

If someone is content with all parts of their life and where they live then that's fine with me. You probably were never happy and it's all false as you are still not happy. Hey ho though it takes all sorts I suppose.

Looks like you're a very good example of someone who's always looked out but never looked from the outside in.