Living A Life Abroad

I also disliked the ex-pats meetings because it seemed to me that a lot of Brits put on airs and graces, trying to pretend that they were a class above everybody else. That sort of nonsense does not sit well with me. And it is even worse after they have had a few drinks of alcohol. I remember all too well once being in a bar with a female friend having a social chat. Some drunken British idiot from the south of England, who I did not know from Adam, overheard what was in fact a private conversation. Out of nothing more than stupified paranoia he deluded himself into believing that I was talking about him! He stood up to chastise me.

"I heard what you said about me, you bastard!"

"I beg your pardon? I don't even know you. What the hell are you talking about, you drunken bloody fool?"

He stepped closer toward me and puffed out his chest, limbering up for a fight. I told him to piss off before I put him on his arse. He suddenly thought better of it and turned and made himself scarce. Two minutes later his equally drunken wife came to speak to me.

"I'm sorry about my husband's behavior toward you. It's just that... with you being from Scotland....."

"Oh, good lord! Listen, madam, I am not from Scotland, not unless the Scots have moved the border a hundred miles south to include Liverpool and Manchester, but I would be very proud if I was. It is an amazing country and the people are fantastic, in my experience. Please, just stop making fools of yourselves and go home and sober up.

Sadly, over the years of being abroad, the British in general have not over-impressed me with their behavior. A time or two I have even felt compelled to either deny being British or apologize for being from the United Kingdom.

I do realize that not all Brits are the same, and in fact, I do have quite a few lovely British friends who fly the flag of decency for all of us. I just wish the fools among us would stay at home instead of giving us all a bad name abroad.

In the final analysis, I must recognize that maybe my experience of these types of social events is not the norm, I really don't know. Perhaps other people have had a completely different, more positive, rewarding experience.

All that being said, I do believe that lots of people from all over the world have a tendency to misbehave when far from their own backyard. Possibly they think that nobody will notice, and even if they do, who gives a shit? They can always go back home untainted by the experience. I would certainly be interested to hear from others who have lived abroad, to hear if their experience has been different from mine.