Yeah, I've had a similar experience to what you describe, except that I neither like nor dislike my own accent (Yorkshire, England). I'm mostly completely unaware of it. But since I've lived in the US, I've been told by loads of Americans that they love UK accents. When I'm out and about people say "You have such a cool accent, where are you from?" I always explain that I'm just as fond of their accent, and I find it just as cool, as they do of mine. I love the US, the culture, the people, the accent, the politics. At least, I did until... no, I won't go there. :P