Local acquaintances
About two months ago I joined to the ESOL group, Entry 3B.
Today we were talking about our opportunities to speak English.
I'm in quite good situation becouse I've got English speaking neighbours (2 French & 1 Italian upstairs, Jews in the nextdoors) but the others have got problem with this becouse they rotate middle their countrymen and they doesn't know any Englishmen (The Amishes use to say like that..don't they?)
Ye me to, I don't know any.. I was talking about that with my lovely Italian, Miss D. and her Spanish friend.
The last one has rational explanation, why we don't know English people in London.
Rational and simple.
She remarked that in her country she had her group of friend, very near but closed to the others.
And she added that she didn't knew any immigrants until she came to UK. I agree but there are exceptions.
Miss D. for egzample hasn't got any problems with finding friend everywhere and in everybody.

A propos or like you wish by the way Miss D.
I hate my sister-in-law, Aneta, ok almost hate, I'm just on the border. She came to me with her husband once and we mentioned that we have very friendly Italian neighbour upstairs.
Half our later Miss D. came to us with her friend from movie study who was looking for living room like ours to shoot a short movie.
Aneta quickly disapeared, like usually, becouse she's strongly afraid to speak English.
So we were talking in English about everything and nothing, but I wasn't feel comfortable with that and I went to Aneta to see how is she.
And you know what?
She started to talk about Italians, that they are arrogant, they throw Italians sentences to their talking becouse they think (!) that their language is the best, and generally they think (!) that they are the best etc. etc.
I tried to object but she rejected my arguments saying that she knows better becouse she was in Italy..
So I gave up becouse we cannot win with someone's inferiority complex.

My reason
We prepare to the test Cambridge at the ESOL.
We had some pretests before Eastern holidays and now hearing for the results.
Anyway, to prepare us to speaking test, one of our teachers, Mr Teacher, asked us why we came to live here.
He mentioned that it's horrible place for him.
But in my opinion it's not so bad especially becouse of my reason to live here.
Me and my husband, we're atheists and we couldn't stand living in katholic country where our constitutional law were/are broken all the time.
But it's a long story so be prepared... Now, you probably guested that I come from Poland

Almost forgot
There is a link to story about some Italian man:
http://9527.net/archives/2005/12/29/16/
I must add that I pasted it few days ago as a comment below prydwen's post, also very good:
http://grinandbearit.blog.co.uk/2008/04/23/you-have-to-laugh-4083156