What a lovely read!! I can relate to this, as I lived in England for many years (I am Canadian and also British). I did say this a lot, but interestingly, people in England were the worst for trashing their own country. Even if I said anything against it and mentioned how much easier something is in Canada, they would just top my issues with England by telling me how much worse their own experiences are there!

Mostly, I raved about the place or when they knew I was from Canada, they'd say "Why on earth would you want to move HERE?" and they'd tell me all the awful things they think about England. In about 15 years, no one had anything good to say about it. But after they listened to me for a while (as in weeks or months), they started to see their country through my eyes and actually appreciated it more.

I do take your point, though. I think my reaction to those words would depend on context. What did they say, why did they say it, and most importantly, what was the tone they used? The body language? Was it meant as an insult? or just an observation and being interested in how different the country is from theirs?

Thanks for an interesting read!