Dr Masimba Mavaza

Are England’s tall buildings rolling hills and cozy cottages calling your name? Weighing the pros and cons of living in the United Kingdom is a critical part of your decision to move from Zimbabwe. 

For many Zimbabweans moving to England has had its challenges.

From expensive flights to the gut-wrenching wait for visas to be approved and delivered, you need to be prepared emotionally and financially for the roller-coaster ride of moving overseas. 

It is an arduous process riddled with bureaucracy, legalese and confusing terms. England indeed could be a case for the blues, an expensive and gloomy life in the UK. 

Despite some advantages, relocating the UK continues to be on a downward trend and according to a survey by Migration Centre in the UK, only 3 percent of  those who responded in a survey rated the weather as very good.

It is a fact that the UK has a high cost of living and less than ideal child care costs.

Contrary to what the English would rate themselves, the local population is particularly unfriendly, and some are outright racists. 

Life in the UK is characterised by busy working routines and indeed the rush to England’s glory is sauntering. We must all be realistic; life is not all sunshine and rainbows in the gloomy United Kingdom.

 The  current political climate negatively impacts on the happiness of the foreigners.

 Because of the Coronavirus the UK has seen a drop with regard to economy and job security. Some people  are unhappy after moving abroad but others have succeeded and turned their lives around. 

Staying in England has been dampened by its rainy weather, stormy politics with politicians blaming the foreigners for taking their jobs and their beautiful girls. 

According to another survey only 66 percent of expats are generally happy with their life in their new country of residence, compared to 74 percent worldwide.

This below-average result might be influenced by the gloomy and rainy weather, which has a negative impact on everyday activities. 

In fact, 49 percent rate the climate negatively — well above the 21 percent average — with a mere 4% thinking it is very good. 

The quality of life in the United Kingdom is affected by the current political instability, which puts all political failures on the feet of a foreigner. 

Other aspects that contribute to the lack of satisfaction with the quality of life are health and well-being.

While the cost of health care is not considered a big issue among expats — 21 percent are dissatisfied against 26 percent globally.

The quality of medical care doesn’t seem to be one of the UK’s strongest points and  many health care facilities are manned by foreigners, who are usually not treated well.

Luckily there are two sides to any coin and many who relocated to the UK have had their lives improve. The UK has even made several millionaires from the expatriates.

Last week, social media was awash with a very misleading video claiming that Zimbabweans were suffering in the UK. There are upsides and downsides of English life.

To start with, there are no bin eaters in the UK. Since I relocated to the UK 30 years ago I have never seen a person eating from the bin.

 While there is a talk of unemployment in the UK, most people are employed and there are adverts for general hands in every corner. 

Many Zimbabweans have climbed the property ladder. They have bought houses and some have so many houses to the extent that they are renting out other properties. 

To say that Zimbabweans are sleeping rough and that they stay like rats is an insult of the highest order. 

Zimbabweans have done so well in the UK and many are enjoying their lives. 

We have Zimbabweans who live like kings. The fact that there are a few people who have not made it in the UK does not mean that all Zimbabweans have been condemned to poverty. 

  People love to talk about the weather; however, among expats in the UK, these conversations don’t seem to be overly positive. 

Winter days are gloomy and long as there’s no sun all day and only about six to seven hours of daylight. The UK is, after all, an island in the North Atlantic, so there is not much sunshine at times.”

While you generally won’t pay anything for health care, it may take a while to get an appointment. If you need to see a specialist, waiting times can be months or even years long. Although we love efficiency, it is hard to fully trust a medical system that is designed to get as many people in and out the door as possible.

There are some ways to get around the long wait times. Many people choose to pay for private healthcare insurance, which gives them access to a wider range of doctors, specialists and medical facilities.

Some cities also have in-home health visits, like London’s VisitHealth. Many general practitioners have also started offering virtual consultations that you can do via video chat or over the phone, which cuts the waiting time down to a few days. 

Zimbabweans in the UK have been able to move around the European continent. Being able to take a day trip to Brussels or spend a weekend in Paris is something many dream about everyday. 

This definitely is in the top three favourite things about English life.

Every Zimbabwean in England is not a destitute, neither is he an illegal immigrant. There is no way a Zimbabwean can come into England under a lorry or in a boat. 

If you love life come to London. 

Greater London is the best connected city with six airports and an international train station. However, Luton Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle airports also have frequent flights to Europe and other countries. Depending on the season and day of the week, £50 can get you a flight to Rome or a train to Paris.

Putting London aside, England has a pretty good cost of living compared to other European countries and the further north you go, the cheaper it gets.

Like any country, some regions are more expensive than others. For example, housing prices in southern England drive up the cost of living there. But in my experience, things like food and clothing cost the same as other places in the country.

One of the biggest cons of living in England is low wages. Both expats and life-long residents want to work in London to make good money. It may be cheaper to live up north, but the difference in pay may not be worth the trade-off.

England has four distinct seasons and even in the peaks of summer and winter, temperatures are pretty mild. It rarely dips below freezing or exceeds 25 degrees Celsius .

Being an island nation means the weather patterns vary greatly depending on where you live. London has its own climate – slightly warmer and drier than the surrounding counties. 

As you might imagine, southern England has milder weather than the Midlands and northern regions, though coastal areas can get wild storms and snowfall. The weather is unpredictable but exciting. 

 Unless the sky is utterly devoid of clouds, you will need to carry an umbrella if you are venturing out of your neighbourhood. You never know when a big cloud will roll in and cause a misty drizzle. This experience is priceless. 

Again many Zimbabweans in the UK are now proud owners of thatched roof cottages, manors and Victorian houses.

England is brimming with gorgeous architecture and Zimbabweans are swimming in this luxury without restraint. So to hear some one saying Zimbabweans are suffering in the UK is laughable. 

Thanks to England’s legal protection of historic residences, there are countless character homes that have been lived in for hundreds of years. It’s not unusual to find 300-plus year old properties among the country’s cities and villages.

Full time workers in the UK are entitled to 28 days paid leave per year. That’s a lot of time to travel or relax, especially if you combine it strategically with the public “bank” holidays. Companies can technically include bank holidays as part of your 28 days.

Many Zimbabweans in the UK enjoy the dazzling landscapes, chalky white cliffs, misty moors, lush forests with crystal lakes. England is a truly stunning country. 

No matter where you choose to live, you’ll have a diverse range of landscapes within driving distance. A road trip through England is a worthy travel experience.

 It is important that many Zimbabweans are running hospitals, ambulance companies, nursing homes and we actually have Zimbabwean magistrates in the UK.

Almost every aspect of life is filled by a hard working Zimbabwean.  People in the Diaspora laughed at the video that was meant to insult Zimbabweans in England. 

Feeling at home in a new country can be a tough task, although one in five expats completely agree that getting used to the local culture is easy in the UK.

 In the words of an Australian expat: “The English seem unwilling to welcome and socialise with outsiders. They’ll even tell you that’s the case to your face. They’ll tell you it’s an English thing!”

Zimbabweans take risks and these risks have paid big in the UK. 

One must remember that the British social welfare is very active. They will not allow any person to sleep on the road. 

There are so many charitable organisations which are on the look out for those sleeping rough. 

Vazet@yahoo. Co.Uk

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