Madonna is something of a global citizen. She’s lived in several other places before settling down in Barnsley, England, with her family. To adapt to the local way of life, she socializes at the local pub, enjoys the Yorkshire countryside, and observes some of the customs, which, thankfully, are not all that hard to do.	Madonna English

July 7 2006

-Where were you born?
Manila, Philippines

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my hubby (25% of the time - he works away!), teenage son and baby girl

-In which country and city are you living now?
I live in Barnsley, United Kingdom (it's up north).

-How long have you been living in the UK?
I've been here for 5.5 years... waaay too long!

-What is your age?
I'm 36

-When did you come up with the idea of living in England?
It was more of my English hubby's idea really, although he always tries to remind me that it was a mutual decision back then. We met in Manila, where he worked as a management consultant for Philippine Airlines and decided that after spending about four years in the Far East, he'd had enough of the good life and felt it was time to move back home.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
It was a nightmare for me to get an entry visa to the UK. I got refused twice by the British Embassy in Manila. I did eventually manage to secure one from the British Embassy in KL with the help of the then Philippine Ambassador who happened to be a family friend. It was the first time as well I ever got refused an entry visa to any country.

-How do you make your living in England? Do you have any type of income generated?
At the moment, I'm a FTM (full-time mom), and I have been for about a year and a half now after giving birth to my daughter Anoushka. Before that, I worked for a publishing company as an advertising sales manager. We used to have our own furniture importing/retail business that sadly didn't quite take off.

-The language issue isn’t a problem for you since you speak English well. But in general, do you think it's important for expats to speak the local language?
Well, there is a very distinct accent spoken by the locals here in Barnsley. It’s quite broad, which I think means that it’s a bit difficult for non-locals to understand. Even after five years here, I still struggle to understand what is said most of the time, probably because I know that it is not the correct way of speaking the language. But yes, if you live in places where English is not widely spoken, then you put yourself at a greater advantage if you learn to speak the language -- which I tried to do when I lived in Japan, Italy, Thailand and Malaysia. The locals appreciate it, plus it's a great asset to have - speaking foreign languages!

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I miss the Philippines so much so that I started a blog as a way of venting out my frustrations/homesickness. It can be a bit of a depressing read sometimes but for me, that's the whole point of why I blog - to release my pent-up emotions.

Also, my husband has finally managed to convert me into a fan of this peculiar English activity: walking. Yes, walking for no particular reason or destination. We go for long walks out in the country and it's a nice way to spend the day, weather permitting. The Yorkshire countryside is absolutely beautiful. On top of that I try to keep fit by working out, swimming and just generally running after my 1.5-year-old toddler.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
We plan to move back to the Philippines, sooner rather than later. We're still trying to work out how; it's a work in progress. If all else fails, I'd wish to move to either Italy or Spain, where the weather is glorious, the food is sublime and the people are good-natured. Turkey is on the list as well.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We've bought our own home, one of our first purchases when we moved to England. It's a lovely, cosy detached house in a very quiet and quaint little village. But it’s a bit too quiet for an out and out urban dweller like me.

A three-bedroom house with a medium-sized garden in our village (a relatively posh area of Barnsley) just sold for £350k. A friend of ours just bought a semi-detached one-bedroom house in Surrey (Southern England close to London) for about the same price. To rent the same house in Barnsley would probably cost between £700 to £800 a month. A modest two-bedroom flat in London will set you back anything from £1,000 to £1,500.

-What is the cost of living in England?
Very high. And I'm not just comparing it to the Philippines. As I've mentioned, I've had the pleasure of living in many other places like Japan, which ranks amongst the most expensive places in the world. And the UK has got to be way up there. I had trouble spending money on anything during my first year here because I just couldn't help but convert everything into pesos. When I first arrived and didn't have a car and had to take buses, I remember how much it pained me to pay £1.25 which was equivalent to about 100 pesos to take me five miles up the road. Five years ago, 100 pesos could buy you a decent lunch in Manila. Now, I'm used to it. Life has to go on. But I still find eating out to be expensive and definitely not a good value for money, especially in these parts.

-What do you think about the English people?
The locals here, I have a feeling, are a bit unsure of foreigners. It is a very small town and it's even common for locals of a certain village to be wary of people from the next village! But that's how it is and you just have to learn to deal with it. I have a friend from Zambia who used to get really offended by what she deemed as racist attitude/behaviour towards her and her family but I don't allow it to bother me in the slightest. At the end of the day I figured, it is their problem if they chose to stay ignorant about these things.

There aren't that many foreigners living in Barnsley compared to other neighbouring towns but I think the numbers are steadily increasing and the locals are getting more and more exposed to foreigners whether they like it or not. Major cities in Britain such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham are melting pots of different cultures. I'm sure racism still exists everywhere but I guess because people are more exposed to different peoples/cultures in the cities, they are more tolerant.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in the UK?
Positives would have to be the obvious first-world offerings that most people take for granted like health care, social security (I happen to think the British are very well supported by their government to the point of spoiling them), education, opportunities etc.

Negatives (my list is long): First world, which to me equates to being soulless sometimes, everyone's into this rat race of earning as much as they can, having a big house, fancy car, new furniture/gadgets, go on nice holidays - nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I think people forget to just enjoy the simplest things in life like smiling or chatting to strangers, long and leisurely lunches, stopping to play with a smiling baby.

I'm not a big fan of British cuisine either, and for someone like me who worships the sun, I couldn't have chosen a worse place to live! The weather is simply atrocious.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in the UK?
I've always discouraged friends from leaving home if they can help it. For me, the Philippines is still the most comfortable place in the world. But there are obvious reasons why people still choose to leave for greener pastures, and if you've no other choice and you happen to end up in England, stay away from living in small towns. It'll drive you nuts! Stay in the cities where there are lots more opportunities, choices and stimulation. A friend advised me the same thing before we came here but I didn't heed her. There’s a huge price to pay.

England has got to be from my experience the hardest place for a Filipino to acclimatise. The cultural differences are so huge, not to mention the freezing temperatures that our tropical bloods have to put up with during winter, which seems to go on forever. Summer is by no means a guaranteed respite.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about anything related to England and/or living there?
I keep my own blog. (pinayinbarnsley.typepad.com)

One thing I appreciate about the UK though is BBC. I watch BBC programs, listen to BBC radio and check out BBC website for anything from the weather, news, sports. (www.bbc.co.uk)

I read the Guardian as well. (www.guardian.co.uk)

I also read Torn and frayed in Manila (http://tornandfrayed.typepad.com) for his candid observations on the highs and lows of Philippine life amongst other things.