cyrnel

I've just begun investigating a trip to the U.K. It will be my first trip off the continent. Since there are so many unknowns, this first jaunt will be exploratory with the intent of a longer stay should things permit. I have no contacts on that side of the pond. It's just a place I've always loved from afar: the personality, history, humor, and diversity.

-What costs should I expect? I won't likely stick around London since everything I've heard says traffic is a nightmare. Still, I will want to spend time in both city and rural areas.

-Where did you go? How did it compare with your life in the U.S., and what's your favorite area?

-Long term, how difficult is it to obtain a work visa? I've been to the UK's immigration site but would like a dose of reality from people who've made the attempt. I'm a 25+yr developer/IT vet who can weld, rebuild transmissions, and appreciate a pint & greasy food with the best of them!

-What to expect of healthcare?

-I want to continue my education. How might that affect my options?

Come one, come all!

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There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195