| Product: |
No Going Back |
| Date: |
06/10/06 (688 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Good entertainment.
Disadvantages: Not always realistic.
I have keenly been following the series on Channel Four called "No going back", because the program is about people who have chosen to live in foreign countries, and follows their progress in that country, and I believe that programs of this nature are useful and I shall tell you all why later on in the review.
PROGRAM PRESENTATION
The diversity of this program is rather good, because they have chosen couples living in different parts of the world and have not made the mistake of concentrating on one area like other programs have.
COUNTRIES THAT THE PROGRAM COVERS
This is one of the best features of the program. People are departing from the U.K. at an alarming rate at the moment, following their dream of what life should offer them, and thoroughly sick of the rat race.
Amongst the locations covered in the program, there have been The Zambia, Biarritz, Andalucia, the french alps, Australia and Italy.
CONTENT OF PROGRAMS
Here it is interesting to find out how the dream matched the reality, as my dream does match what I have found in France, though for a lot of couples heartbreak awaits, because they are not properly prepared for the life that lies ahead on foreign shores.
Not only do they have to contend with the foreign language, but the children have to try their very best to integrate in a foreign culture, and it is interesting to see the attitudes of people and just why their experience either works or does not, and most of the negative aspects seem to be caused by people'e high expectations of what a "utopia" their foreign life will offer them.
INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS
We watched a couple that were settling into the Alps and it was disheartening for the children to watch how the adults argued and bickered over small things. These were teenaged kids trying to start again in a culture they had no knowledge of simply to live out the dream of the parents, and it all seemed a little bit of a half hearted dream.
Another couple bought a place in the Riviera, and here they tried hard, because they made the right moves as far as integration is concerned, and although their difficulties were caused by the previous owners negligence, they were stronger people for the experience.
It is strange to me to watch these programs knowing that I am in the same situation as them, living on foreign shores, and time and time again, children really show their parents up, being quick to integrate, much more accepting of change than their adult counterparts, and maybe it has something to do with age.
CHANNEL FOUR LINKS
Channel four have a webpage which takes you into the lives of these people who have moved abroad and there are forums and chatrooms, although one thing that I noticed was that although at the end of each program you are asked if you would like to chat to the people that have moved abroad, when you actually get to the chatroom, your comments are sensored and you are not really allowed free chat with these people which is a bit of a con.
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF PROGRAM
I think the program hilights something that I see every day here in France, people living in foreign countries that do not understand the language and really are finding life difficult abroad. Australia and English speaking countries have different problems of integration and one of the things you notice here is that the British way of life seems to be so stressful compared with other countries, that I can understand why people seek out their "utopia".
ENJOYMENT FACTOR
I enjoy the program very much and get involved because I care about people seeking dreams, knowing that 50 per cent will fall by the wayside by being mislead by television programs, whilst the others will find some kind of life where the quality of it is better, in that although I do not value the material things as much as I did when I lived in the U.K., I am a much more balanced person, and the unpredictability of living abroad has made me a much more open person, and I love it.
The program shows bad points and good, and I believe that more of these programs would be helpful to people thinking of taking up a new life in a new country. It is all too easy to pack and leave, although not so easy to set up a new life in a new country when you do not speak the language nor have any idea of the culture, which can both make the difference between integration and settling, or feeling left out and lonely.
The program makes the balance very well and is an enjoyable look into how other English people have taken the plunge and succeeded or failed because of their own personal preparation for the experience, and their own attitudes.
The couple I admire the most are a couple that started art holidays in the south of France. The difficulties that they encountered with the building made it a little like watching "the Money Pit", as the swimming pool filter worked backwards and sent all the pollution into the pool, the terraces leaked into their freshly plastered guest accommodation, and then they found out that the property they owned was not even supposed to be there, and had been built illegally. Worse than this, the human toilet remains came out of a pipe in the garden and they found that they had no cesspit at all !!!
OVERALL CONCLUSION
Great viewing. Good fun stuff, and an eye opener for anyone thinking that living abroad is the easy option. Sometimes, it is not !! Fifteen years down the line, I would say that my experience of living abroad has been a real eye opener and that it has made me a better person, a more understanding and patient human being, and a much more flexible person, as all the things that you take for granted in the U.K. are not always readily available. I have done hand washing for the past 15 years and have only recently acquired a washing machine !! But life is good, and can be and this program should be essential viewing for anyone in the throws of trying to live their dream.
Thankyou for reading.
Rachel
Summary: I enjoy seeing people try.
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