Experience it, you'll probably enjoy it. You'll probably find things about it you thought were great which you hate and things you didn't think you'd enjoy about it which you do. Just dont big something up that you haven't experienced, it's rather ignorant. I'd love to visit Iceland for example, I've heard great stuff about it but it would be silly me telling people how wonderful it is before I even have a clue about it.

I dunno, maybe I'm being a bit sensitive because I've been to Australia and to be honest, I found the racism shocking and even though I can take a joke about being a pommie, when you get the same silly ones, day after day, hour after hour, it gets irritating and makes you appreciate England because it's home.