Are the Brits friendly?

[Burnaby]

The Brits I know tend to be superficialy friendly, because they are friendly enough to say hello to me, but aren't friendly enough to want to say, go out for a few drinks after work.
I mostly hang out with other foriegners (mostly other Europeans and Australians)now and then who are in the same situation.
I hate London and I would like to go some place else idealy in the countryside but I dont want to go somewhere where the people are all English or where I wont fit in. Can anyone recommend any locations? Ive had Bournemouth and Bristol suggested to me.

[themeone]

The main issue I would caution against with leaving London is the availability of work elsewhere in the UK. You're OK if you do a job that's available anywhere e.g. teacher, social worker, pharmacist, doctor, but for other sorts of jobs it may be hard to find something comparable to what you have in London, and even if you do find a comparable job, the pay will be a lot less.

Bristol would probably offer many more opportunities than Bournemouth, since it is much larger.

Whether you find people friendly or not is a personal thing and for each person who says one place is friendly, you will always find another who says it isn't. I think it's only natural you should feel more comfortable with other incomers as you have something in common.

Having spent time in Canada being considered "British", I found exactly the same thing there.

[Canada1972]

It's funny that you have raised this point, as I was just talking about it with my American friend the other day.

I said that all of the people I have become close to over the past 4 years have all been foreigners, like me. The only exception to this is my British boyfriend, but he's an anomoly as he grew up in British boarding schools overseas, and doesn't really consider himself British. Friendship-wise I think that the Brits are a hard nut to crack, and I know that I am not alone in thinking this.

All of my "foreign" friends have said the same thing, that even after many years in the country they have no close friends who are British. I know that this wasn't the case when I lived in either Ireland or France, so who knows if it is just a British thing. Somehow though, I doubt that it is.

[wanderlust]

the british are far more extroverted and will strike up a conversation or invite a random stranger for a drink. canadians are very shy people...perhaps you don't click with them because you are a foreigner and have a different method of communication.
i find the british a lot more ruder, louder, and friendlier than the average canadian...

*shrug*

[themeone]

Having lived in the UK and Canada, I have to say I pretty much agree with Wanderlust. Compared with the UK, I have usually found Canadians quiet, and shy of contact.

I know the general image is of the "reserved" Brits and "friendly" Canadians - but I've usually found quite the opposite!

[pkennedy1990]

They are, supposedly, as long as you are not in East London. I find them to be much better now that I wear a much bigger Maple Leaf on my coat, without it I can't talk in English without being called an "American." And I'd hate to have to go around England speaking only French for that reason. In the dodgy areas of cities, they are not really friendly to Canadians because their first assumption when they hear the North American accent is "you're an American!" which naturally, causes problems. If and when they can get past that, then they act like they don't want Canadians around, like they'd rather have the Americans around because then they can, legitimately, torture and harass them but we Canadians have really done nothing to deserve to be treated the way they really want to treat anyone with the North American accent, if you can follow that. They can poke fun at, (and do other things like steal their passports and break into their homes and sexually harass them on the streets and turn them down for any job which requires a brain and intelligence, let alone a college degree, etc.) the North American accent but they actually do know the difference and can't really justify doing what they want to do to Americans, to Canadians. (of course, they do it anyway. In my case they've obviously, without admitting it to me as the Americans did when I was in the States, decided that they think I'm lying, so they go ahead and treat me like what they think I really am...one Aussie recently told me that "they think you're from the States anyway, no matter what you say or how many Maple Leaves you have on everything." The thing is, this is not a country where you can legally get stopped in the street for no reason and demanded to see your passport or your birth certificate, so I refuse to be held to that expectation. No one makes Americans show their passport to prove that they ARE Americans, so they shouldn't act like that's what I'm expected to do in order to prove that I'm NOT American.) So, in other words, we're "no fun." I've even gotten those who can see my Maple Leaf, recognise that I'm from Canada, and then start talking about the last time they were in New York City! So am I saying that the British are friendly only once they're convinced that you are truly Canadian and not those dastardly evil Americans? That, naturally, is not the least bit fair (being "fair" is a big thorn in their sides!) to those of us from the West Coast who have had our passports stolen. They're fair and friendly when they want to be. And maybe, to a Canadian "Red Indian" they have decided they don't want to be.

[Brenda]

I'm torn between two responses to the last post...

1. wha????

and

2. Fascinating, once again. Thank you for gracing us with your troubling perspective.

[Michelle]

Dear Pkennedy,
I am pretty sure the NHS must have some sort of therapy available for you. If not maybe you could get that giant chip on your shoulder surgically removed.

I lived in the US for 7 years so I am constantly mistaken for an American, Who really cares. People who make that mistake just don't know and that has no bearing on my life at all.
I am also married to an American and neither one of us have had any negative experience. Perhaps that is due to the fact that we are approachable and generally friendly and positive people. As has been said to you numerous times before maybe you need to take a look at how you live your own life and what you expect to understand why you have such negative experiences.

I don't find brits to be unfriendly generally. I think there are open and friendly people as well as closed and negative people wherever you go.

I mean if you represent Canadians to most people here, god knows what they must think of us.