Qatar Uber drivers want to come to England – ‘boring and expensive’

So far, I have used the app three times. It’s something I use often in England and just like at home every driver is ready to have a chat.

As soon as I speak, they ask me where I am from. For a little fun, I tell them to guess. A driver guessed Germany, which took me by surprise.

But when they’re told I’m from England, they break out into big smiles. They are fans of our country and believe that it is the land of opportunity like America once was.

My first driver, named Muhammed, told me that he hoped to visit me one day.

“It’s a great country,” he said. “Everyone in England is very nice. I have friends there, they say it’s a brilliant place to be.”

They are right of course. England, for all its obvious problems, remains a place to be proud of. Sometimes leaving makes you appreciate what you return to.