I moved to north west France two and a half years ago and find so many people here mind-bogglingly, breath-takingly rude and selfish. Even now I can’t take in how lacking in basic human civility and generosity so many people are here. Not everyone, but enough to put a very severe dampener on daily life. It’s like I have entered a parallel universe and am living amongst a different species. Can’t afford to move back to the UK but desperate not to have to live here anymore. Are they any friendlier elsewhere in this country? Can’t relocate within the EU coz of Brexit so it’s here or Ireland.
Perhaps you should have made more effort here in Sweden.
I made one hell of an effort. The whole trip cost me about 2.5k euros and I wasn’t being especially lavish. I drove three solid days to get there. I drove round every transport company in and around Orebro, I followed leads in Facebook groups, I went to meetups, I asked everyone I came into contact with if they knew any truckers, I marched round job agencies, went to the job centre, posted online, went to a truck stop and asked around, went to migration, applied online to multiple vacancies. No chance of a job anywhere. Yes I went home when the snow came in as it was either buy winter tyres or risk dying on the road north, but up until that point I couldn’t have humanly done more to look for work. I also got the shock of my life when I discovered the tax rates for the self-employed as I don’t intend to truck forever. However, all things being equal I would now take the tax hit than the local culture where I am now. So I guess ultimately, you are probably right.
When you came here you didnt want to come to the far north so were directly limited in what you will find.Also you kept saying that you real dream was France so were not motivated to move completely here .Now and for the foreseeable future there will be a chronic shortage of people due to the gigantic projects being started here,in Skellefteå the biggest battery factory in Europe,In Gällivare and Luleå new furnaces for environmentally friendly Iron ore.Completely moving and rebuilding Kiruna town and a large part of Gällivare.Hundreds,if not thousands of new housing projects.The tax rates are irrelevant if you are earning the money,what is important is what you have in your bank at the end of the week and i dont see too many of the Swedes complaining about things or having to pay taxes on their normal and summer houses or when they upgrade to a new scooter or quad each year
Mike I will PM you rather than writing more personal stuff on a forum post.
I watched a documentary on the Kiruna move - amazing. I think I’d heard of the battery project but not the iron ore one.
wanderingstar:
I moved to north west France two and a half years ago and find so many people here mind-bogglingly, breath-takingly rude and selfish. Even now I can’t take in how lacking in basic human civility and generosity so many people are here. Not everyone, but enough to put a very severe dampener on daily life. It’s like I have entered a parallel universe and am living amongst a different species. Can’t afford to move back to the UK but desperate not to have to live here anymore. Are they any friendlier elsewhere in this country? Can’t relocate within the EU coz of Brexit so it’s here or Ireland.
Welcome to France you obviously haven’t met any Parisians yet, it doesn’t get any better going further south .vive la France
Weirdly I went to Paris for the day and had a great time. Maybe I got lucky. I was in the Indian part for a chunk of it. Thanks for the info on the south - I had suspected as much. It’s very ironic to me that the phrase I think best encapsulates what this country lacks - ‘joie de vivre’ - is a French one. Maybe it was a happier place once upon a time. Just before I moved here a French lady told me I was making a mistake and that it was ‘such a sad place’. And just after I moved a French guy asked me why I had come as it was ‘a strange country’. I argued the case for France with both of them.
There are more or less friendly people all over the place, in all countries.
But, and it is a sweeping generalisation, people in the country or smaller towns, are more friendly then those in big cities. Workers in small companies ate more friendly than those in big ones.
Lots of exceptions, that’s how it strikes me.
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And aren’t covid restrictions making everyone more fed up for past 18 months?
Hi Franglais, You are dead right about the rural vs city thing. I’ve definitely noticed that. I suppose one of the thing in trucking is you can be at a yard in a city but mixing with yokels who have driven in for the day. I had my red flags with France when I visited in my 20s and also when I did my recce three years ago but I brushed them to one side in the name of being ‘open-minded’. I know that we all react differently tho. It really is personal.
Just seen your post there Wanderingstar, got to say am a bit surprised, are you in Bretagne? Have been there a few times delivering and thought they were ok. Is it because you’re British and not Cornish perhaps? Nowt stranger than folk eh?
Generally speaking you are reasonably treated when delivering or collecting in any country as you are contributing to the economy.When you move to a country its another ball game as you then have to prove that you are worth being there in their eyes.This involves fitting in with all aspects of the country,language,culture,ability,and most important,showing that you WANT to be there.
Don’t really think the swedes are as bad as hutpik describes. But as it often stands - people who act the worst towards outsiders are other immigrants. The “domesticated” ones.
Milodon,I never said anything bad about the Swedes,I merely stated that delivering to a country is different to moving there and working there.I have been treated incredibly well by Sweden.I found Sweden a much more relaxed country to move to than other countries I have lived in.My point was that wherever you move to you have to try and fit in,depending on the country this will be made easy or hard for you.I have lived her now for nearly 15 years and am totally contented.