Foooked OFF !!!

spent 8 months in India then another 6 later. Been on holiday there a few times. The Portuguese background of Goa sets it apart from the rest of India with its Christian background. It has very little in common with the rest of India proper goans are very proud of the fact

surprised you would want to go somewhere where the Communists are so strong.

 

Sunniest and warmest May since records began not good enough for you then?

 

I'm sure the majority of people have an extremely enriched cultural experience when they visit Goa (surely that's why you go the extra mile?). However Nudge stated it appealed to him rather because he believes it has a 'westernised' feel and that it is more 'christian' (it wasn't until the Portuguese colonised it). So my replies were based on his view rather than mine.

 

You can always rely on someone to shoehorn 'Brexit'into a thread, this being one, ironically, specifically started by someone who would like to emigrate to India (Hint... Goa is not in the EU)

Many people complaining about loss of FoM probably never had and never will have any intention of leaving the UK except for annual holidays. The UK has the smallest proportion of migrants living in another EU country than any other EU country. The majority of those that do are there to work exploding the myth that most Brits abroad are retirees.

Seriously, warmer climates in Europe are limited to Spain, Italy and Portugal and South of France. All three (excepting the Canaries have their fair share of cold wet (and even snowy) weather in winter. Italy has an ageing population and overall declining numbers so post Brexit, I honestly can't see them pulling up the drawbridge any time. There will, no doubt be a few more hurdles to clear but I don't see any of them being insurmountable.

I can't comment on Spain or Portugal. TBH they never appealed to us as most retirees seem to go there for the sun, cheaper booze and little else. The Costas and the Algarve apear to be full of Pubs, Irish bars Fish 'n Chips and ex-pat enclaves not particularly bothered about integrating but the Spanish in particular don't seem to bothered as they are less rigid when it comes to their own cultural heritage as tourism is the main driver. Obviously there are exceptions many people living, particularly away from the tourist hot spots that do make the effort o absorb the culture and integrate.

It is fair to say, there have always been hurdles to overcome when moving 'lock, stock and barrel' to another country. Nevertheless it is surprising how many Brits (mainly wealthy ones from London or S.E.) retain property in the UK so not fully committing to emigrating. Many used to try to live 'under the wire' playing one system off against another e.g. keeping a UK registered car but not taking it to the UK so no MOT or Annual vehicle tax and no revisione(MOT) or tasso circolazione (Road Vehicle tax paid here. ) Most dont realise until it is too late that it invalidates their insurance! Many are now being caught out as the authorities have clamped down. Same with residency, staying here most of the year but claiming they are only here less than 6 months to avoid tax. Fine until the Police turn up at the house to check after the 'resident' has claimed they are out of the country!! It is often the aforementioned 'wealthy' ones who try to 'play the system'.

Italy and the Italians, on the other hand, are fiercely patriotic and you live here in their terms. Most people who emigrate here to retire know and accept that and in most cases, like ourselves, it is WHY they chose Italy.
Places like Cambodia (I have a close friend who has lived in Phnom Penh for many years because it is incredibly cheap) is full of Americans- a leftover from the Vietnam War but life revolves around Westernised bars with strong expat communities living side by side with local people who are incredibly poor. However my friend reports, in spite of the poverty and the dictatorship they live they are a happy and friendly. The downside is Healthcare is virtually non-existent and you have to travel to neighbouring Vietnam to have any hope of getting some.

Moving anywhere, domestically and especially internationally si a major change and stressful. There are may obstacles and decisions you have to make pre or post Brexit. Brexit may cause a small number of people additional obstacles but those determined enough to pursue their dream will find a way.

 

It wasn't stressful for my parents. They sold their house here 20 years ago, packed 2 suitcases and went to Greece. They found a house they liked and moved in a couple of months later. They were in their late 50s and had no income. They therefore had to find work. They are still working. This I guess makes them immigrants as opposed to 'ex-pats'. They have had no problems at all and have long been recognized and accepted into their village (learning and being able to speak Greek has helped massively). It is an amazingly beautiful place and the community spirit is something to behold. There is no greater privilege for me than to be challenged to a game of backgammon by the '****' of the village Manolis in the one and only kafenon.
There are though others that have never attempted to learn the language nor mixsocially with the Greeks. I can't speak for their experience.

 

Wow! That was very brave. They sound like adventurous types carefree types and presumably had sufficient capital (selling the house?)to survive the initial period. All respect to them for learning Greek. I have enough trouble with MY memory with Italian (still barely adequate after 7 years!) even with its recognisable alphabet and many common shared words (albeit quite a few 'false friends' in vocabulary to catch you out). We loved Greece but as a holiday destination

I agree, It is absolutely essential to mix and integrate to get the full experience of living abroad. People who holiday abroad for a week or two annually and think they know a country and its people really don't. We too, have been welcomed and accepted by the local community. The only problem is, particularly in the early stages, they constantly apologise for not being able to speak English!! Crazy! We had to keep pointing out we ARE in Italy and it is up to us to speak Italian and not the other way round.

We also kept hearing of the 'English tax' from a couple of elderly Brits people complaining about it. i.e. bumping up the price as all English are apparently 'rich' .

We have more often encountered the exact opposite i.e. agreeing a price for work only to be presented with a bill at the end which was lower because the price was "troppo caro" according to the person who did the work. Only experienced a couple of rip-off traders giving inflated preventivos in all the time we have been here. It is quite awkward as you (well I do) feel guilty that they have done a great job and feel the need to do so. often it is because they argue that Btits pay on time and they wait months for Italians to pay their bills so we are saving them money which is hardly the point IMO.

Roberto a maestro with a JCB (on the phone whilst eating a sandwich whilst digging a trench millimetres from our patio without causing the slightest damage to any tiles using a large bucket mill) runs a company doing lots of road repairs etc for the comunes, and did quite a lot of 'scaping and drainage works for us. he was sat in our kitchen late one evening (having worked 6am until 10pm to finish a job on time ) working out the final bill. He kept muttering and saying non, non, non and 'troppo caro - troppo caro' and in the end charged us less including IVA (VAT) than the original estimate exc IVA (and we are talking a 6k euro project. He even flagged us down a few weeks later when in the car and presented us with a large bottle Vino Cotto made using his grandfathers recipe. I always quote him as an example (and there are many others) to explain why the claim from some, that Italians are lazy, is a total myth.

if only people could experience and see what we have in Italy some on here might understand why I have such a jaundiced view of the UK and attitudes of some. Italy has its faults but we would never consider returning to the UK.

 

Immigrant pub, get it reyt

 

They had 20k left over and my dad bought a new car with some of this (still running to this day!) So with no other income pre-pension they started looking after a couple of holiday homes in the area/pool maintenance etc. They still look after 4 or 5 houses.
They too would never come back: why on earth would they?
Very sociable, welcoming and hospitable people's. After my dad had been in hospital after being quite seriously ill (I went over for a few weeks) we had a procession of locals turn up on his return bearing best wishes and gifts. This is priceless.
My grandma's sister has lived on Elba for many years too. My mum and dad went over for a visit a few years ago: dad wasn't impressed by the cost of living