Are you local? If not have you fitted in?

greenstiles":3fk0neum said:

I got moved to wales from the east coastwhen i was 5 ...i recently moved back to england aged 43 a couple of years back.......

North wales wasn't so bad but when i moved to mid wales in about 91-2009 it was a different matter...........regardless that i grew up in wales had welsh friends, could speak some welsh....i was not welcome, nor we other english people...........one chap i knew was like me, spent most his life in wales grew up with others, but all through his life he was reminded he was an outsider............when i moved a few miles to a new village, i was imediatly asked'' why have you moved here'' and not in a friendly way...........us and them..........now i'm in england it's kinda a relief after all these years just to be accepted as english..........BUT i know small villages can be very clicky where ever you go !

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We moved to a small village, just the one road through it. I'm not sure if that makes a difference here but some of the villagers will say hello when they see us and might comment on the weather a bit but not much more. It's definitely a case of we'll be polite but don't expect any more.

Alison

When we bought some woodland in Kent to live on and to eventually build a eco house in we expected the locals to be up in arms. Nothing could have been further from the truth, it took a while to be accepted but after about 9 months and a few good nights in the local we stopped being those hippies in the woods and became just Rob and Pippa. The only people who had a problem were the neighbours about 400m away, they soon changed their tune when spent 3 hours up to our necks in shit getting their horse out of a bog.
When we were faced with an eviction order because the council kept refusing every single one of our plans and proposals the local pub collected nearly 300 signatures on a petition to stop the council evicting us.

Born and bread in Blackpool, moved to Salford few years ago fit in fine but i supose its not that far anyway so we sound the sameish anyway? Not like moving to Germany or France is it

In general (and I say that because there are some places which are very much an exception to the rule), if you make the effort to 'fit in', you will.

Get yourself down to the local pub and just chat to people.

Like most I suspect if you make the effort to fit in..certainly when abroad trying to learn the lingo helps) then most times I have had it work okay

some places are just weird though

Little sark for one, stayed there for a while and man they are some strange folk

the u.s. my current haunt..for now, I'm in sturgis in the middle of the blackhills with only about 5 thousand people and that includes outlying villages so I am the only englishman in the village. As soon as I open my gob I can see women going moist within a second which is great for anyone with a face like a bulldog as that compensates massively

And contrary to the "only in america" perception I've been accepted very well, the yankees are more openly polite, welcoming and prepared to have a chat with a complete stranger. Not something I could hold up as a leading positive back in the uk

Stayed near snowdonia for a while...it's almost like that scene from american werewolf where the locals go quiet the minute a stranger walks in..except they went into welsh..which is funny because I felt like standing behind the door and in quick succesion opening and closing it just to hear english/welsh/english/welsh

I like many have travelled quite a bit and have always felt if you make the effort..they do too

Isaac_AG":344v2kr2 said:

greenstiles":344v2kr2 said:

I got moved to wales from the east coastwhen i was 5 ...i recently moved back to england aged 43 a couple of years back.......

North wales wasn't so bad but when i moved to mid wales in about 91-2009 it was a different matter...........regardless that i grew up in wales had welsh friends, could speak some welsh....i was not welcome, nor we other english people...........one chap i knew was like me, spent most his life in wales grew up with others, but all through his life he was reminded he was an outsider............when i moved a few miles to a new village, i was imediatly asked'' why have you moved here'' and not in a friendly way...........us and them..........now i'm in england it's kinda a relief after all these years just to be accepted as english..........BUT i know small villages can be very clicky where ever you go !

Click to expand...

We moved to a small village, just the one road through it. I'm not sure if that makes a difference here but some of the villagers will say hello when they see us and might comment on the weather a bit but not much more. It's definitely a case of we'll be polite but don't expect any more.

Alison

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All comes down to where you live in North Yorks Alison. I've lived in or on the boarder of North Yorks all my life. Skipton's (most of my life here) quite welcoming for the most part and I enjoyed living in Scarborough. I work in Harrogate and work with people from all over the county. Some of the small villages are just plain odd and I've never found the people from 'the middle' (Northallerton area) very warm or friendly, except my work chums.

I'm near Malton. I just don't know how to integrate here I guess, I was much better in Newark.

Alison

If locals seem to dislike you as an incomer then thats only because they think you dont have enough fingers to play the banjo correctly.......but who wants to play the banjo

Only ever lived in Glasgow and Dundee as a student so was never going to entirely fit in being from a satelite town of Edinburgh but never felt anyone was particularly stand offish.

Amusingly the somewhat insular Shetland Islanders refer to incomers as 'Ferry Loupers' people who leap off the ferry

Stockport to Congleton to Macclesfield, now there all within a few miles of each other so no problem, then we moved near to Church Stretton in Shropshire...........It was about 3 months before I could understand a word anyone said, I'd just stand there looking blank and say, 'eh?'

Now we've lived in Shropshire for 20+ years, but when ever I head up north and cross the county line it feels like arriving home.

Never moved from where I was born but travel a lot for work in the UK and I generally find that a "morning" when walking past someone is more welcomed the further north I go. Live near Brum, when we work in London I don't bother even trying to make eye contact when walking down the street as everyone seems to be in too much of a rush

When we are digging away we will generally find a decent looking pub and have a few pints and try and chat with the locals. Though I like to think I could talk to anyone I often find the youth of today to be hard work to get more than a yes or no to a question!

When we holiday we normally go to the Caribbean and my wife sometimes gets frustrated when I'm chatting to the American/Canadians that are at the bar! Old Habits..

Germans/Dutch - great people had a great holiday following the TDF and met some great people at the campsites we stopped on.