Yup, I agree.
Just for the giggle of it, about a year ago, I looked for online groups for expats in New Zealand - there are a few. Most posts were from frustrated, homesick people who were ranting about things that were different to home. There were a few kiwi's on these sites who got really indignant at almost every turn, many of them bashing away at the countries these people had come from or pointing out the many reasons for the way things were (and are).
The tragic thing is that the expats were complaining about pretty valid things! It's true that the wages are crap and taxes are outrageous. The government does lack balls. The rental market is indeed full of run-down properties that people hold onto as retirement options and resent doing a single improvement to in the meantime (but will raise your rent, no problem). It's true that the whole place is like most countries were 20-30 years ago. It's also true that most people are far too laid back about some things and way too fired up about others... Ah, the list goes on... None of the complaints are anything I took umbrance with because, as much as I love the place, I understand that those are not the warts that everyone loves. And that's ok. But I had to live overseas for years before I was able to see all that.
The sad thing, I reckon, is that once you get to the point where you can see "home" through foreign lenses, you never quite feel at peace with it in quite the same way again.
