Walter, your article certainly seems to have resonated with a lot of people. The truth is that Americans from the United States have all bought the myths that the USA is the 'greatest country' and that what that country experiences is desired by everyone in the world. 'Streets paved with gold' and all that nonsense. I moved to Britain nearly 20 years ago, had an abortive run at moving back with my British husband, and then thought - 'why subject him to all that abuse?'

Working in the USA ramps up adrenaline and leads to a level of cortisol in the blood that can feel needful. I remember when I first began working in the UK and realized that my place of employment was actually charged with a 'duty of care' and that my welfare was supported by law that acknowledged me as a human being. The pace of work was also slower, and more considered. It drove me nuts. Get it done! Get it done! Get it done! sang like a mad, mob chant in my brain.

Years later, I recognized that behavior and its results for the horrendous insanity it was. Now when I visit the US, I'm astounded that people still think this 'chew'em up and spit'em out' employment process is okay.

My husband enjoys 25 paid holiday days a year PLUS 8 Bank Holidays here in Britain. 9 this year because of Coronation Day. 33 to 34 paid vacation days. Think on it. In the US you'd be lucky to get two weeks after 5 years with a company. My husband's brother is a civil servant (as was I) and he gets an extra 3 days per year. The only people who get that kind of time off in the USA are the Military.

I've had two knees replaced which would have cost on average $35,000 in the USA. Even good insurance covers only 75 to 85% of such a bill. That would have left me in debt to the tune of at least $10,000. Could you easily defray that kind of debt? The insurance companies have the USA by the short hairs, they leave the people struggling and losing their life savings to pay off catastrophic medical bills. Health care is free in the UK aside from the tax bill which no one, NO ONE, quibbles about. Why? Because every citizen, even the healthy ones see the benefit from tangible services. We know where our tax fees go and what they pay for.

Freedom. That's the overriding myth. The people in the USA are not free, not in the least, they are held hostage by their fears and that drives gun ownership and gun violence to stratospheric levels. In the UK gun violence is so rare we might go all year without an incident. Compare that to the US. When I come back to the UK from a visit to the US, I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm not afraid of people with guns here. There are problems, we have violence, people are dumping sewage into the rivers and seas, politicians are corrupt, and climate change is happening, but people care, which is worth a lot and they do things about it by actively reducing their carbon footprint in a multitude of ways. We shop at a zero-waste shop every week. We go to the greengrocer, we buy cheese from the cheesemonger, bread from the bakery, and what little meat we eat from the butcher on the corner. We do all of this WALKING. We so rarely enter a chain grocery store we have to think long and hard about what we truly need there.

I'm ending this diatribe here. Your article was inspiring and I'd love to visit Peru. My input would be to go. I don't think you or your family would ever regret it. Citizens of the World Unite!