I have been really busy in the last few days, mainly because my workplace is understaffed, and partly as we are moving again soon. Yes, again... We have been living here in the UK for four years now, and we have moved four times already, this will be the fifth. This is something we would never do in our home country. Not in Eastern Europe. This moving when we have enough or a better opportunity is a western thing, typical of America, Canada and The UK, and in more and more Western European countries.
In Eastern Europe people want to have their own houses. We would rather take long term mortgages than to rent a property, even if it does not make sense. This is how our parents did it, and our grandparents, and their parents, and their parents. If you do not have your own property, you are looked at in a strange way, kind of how comes you never managed to reach that point to buy a house. It is changing now since we had the economical crisis, but still the tendency is to buy your own house.
Not in western countries. People rather rent properties, less hassle and you can relocate yourself easier if there is a good opportunity. To be hones, I just started to like this way of life, however it is still nice to think of the fact that we have got a flat in Hungary as a base, so there is a 'home'. With rented property I can never have the feeling or 'home', I do not buy expensive furniture, I do not decorate it exactly the way I like it as it is not mine. The landlord have to approve everything, and if I have to move it is more trouble to move lots of stuff than having only what we really need.
The problem with Canada or UK housing is that it is so expensive. If you earn minimal wage, you can probably only afforrd to live in a shared accommodation for a long time and it is really hard psychologically, and quite often physically as well. Why?
First of all, you have to live with strangers. They can become friends or mates, but they will always be strangers. You do not tolerate them as you tolerate your family or partner. We have different lifestyles, different habits, and there will always be conflicts. An example is today for me, I am shattered as our flatmates had a party all night loudly. This is the first time it happened so I did not make a big deal, and we are leaving soon anyway, but it does affect my day today.
We used to live with close friends who became nearly enemies because the way they lived was not compatible with the way we wanted to live and it ended up badly. You know a person for real when you have lived with that person... Big truth...
There will be times when you need clean clothes but the washing machine is always used by someone else. Annoying. People using your stuff and not cleaning them, sometimes others eating your food without permission. When you are in your early twenties, you can survive for quite a while like this, but for us closer to forty it is extremely hard. Also, when you are single it is different, you socialise with flatmates more, and you do not need that much private sphere. As a couple you need privacy, intimacy, which are really hard to create in a shared place.
Sometimes cultural differences are challenging as well. I used to live with Pakistani people. They were lovely, friendly but so loud. Not because they wanted to be loud, but because that is the way they live, speak loudly, always high on emotions. Same with Italian and Greek people as I experienced. With my own nation I never really had good experience with shared places, so we tend to say never with Hungarians, which is sad but our nation tends to behave strangely when out of their home country. I do not get into details now, if anybody is curious, you can always ask.
Renting a flat or house is a big step and requires hell a lot of money. As most of us send money home and quite the majority of Eastern Europeans work in blue collar jobs, being able to afford a flat is challenging. We could do it in Manchester as it was quite cheap, but in London we had to give up after less than a year as we were technically just earning to the ridiculously expensive studio we were renting. Now we are moving to a transition place, a mid aged couple is renting two rooms and a separate bathroom and toilet in their house as their kids all moved out and they are alone, so we will only have to share the kitchen and the garden with them and their dogs. So not an own flat but not a busy shared house. Also because they are not young and they do not work in shifts, we will have a peaceful as I expect. I cannot wait to have some privacy again. And we'll see what happens after if we manage to settle and I find a teaching or NHS job.
I would be interested in others' opinion and experience in housing abroad. Feel free to comment, it is an interesting topic.
Have a nice day everyone.
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