We're living in a student house currently. We moved in when I started studying nursing and then switched who it was under to my wife when I finished my studies and she was still working on her Bachelor's degree. She's doing Masters now (and maybe a phd after that but hasn't decided yet) but she''l lose the right to a student house once her Master's is done in the spring so we'll have to move out. This place hasn't been too bad. It has problems, the biggest being it's dark as hell all year round because the windows aren't big enough or in the right places, but, for a first home and a student house at that, it's pretty nice. My sisters in England have had horrible experiences with student flats. Loads of maintenance problems, arsehole landlords, terrible roommates, loud neighbours... For us, the few problems we've had have been fixed very quickly, we didn't need to cram in with a load of strangers so it's just been us (and we mostly get along
) and the area we're in is more families and couples so there hasn't been raging parties all night long every weekend. The area around us is really close to nature and the spot I've used for slinging, though far from perfect, has worked out well. I think I will miss this place when we move. At the very least, our new place will almost certainly be smaller and more expensive. Just can't beat those student prices...
Speaking on the slightly larger scale, I've lived in Finland now since 2013 (my god it was a long time ago I moved here...) and there has not been a single second I've regretted that move. Of course, the main reason I moved was for my now wife, but I can't ignore that their are other reasons I've stayed over here. I often speak disparagingly about the UK and talk about Finland as if it has no flaws, but this isn't true. There are things I miss about the UK and there are things I wish were different about Finland. On the whole though, Finland is more my country than the UK ever was. Something about the culture here speaks to me and the sheer amount of nature can't be beat. I don't want to make this topic political (we've all had enough of it at this point), but I will say that I prefer the direction Finland is going than the UK. Again, things are far from perfect over here, but at least it seems, for the most part, politicians make their choices based on actual political beliefs on how they believe the country should be run, even if there are politicians I disagree with. I get less of an impression that politicians are beholden to their own interests and are just out for their own gain. I also feel voters here are not as easily taken in. I've seen decades of voters in the UK get taken in by the Conservatives who do not, even for a moment, care about common everyday people. I think that's something I appreciate about Finland, though their are still levels in society, there is no hard entrenched class system. The UK is not a fair and just society for all. Neither is Finland, but it feels closer to that idea that everyone is equal and equally entitled to help and respect. This is my home.