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If you moved to a different country, where would it be & why live there?

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Xerobull, Sep 24, 2020.

  1. B-Bob

    B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

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    Does Sweden need physics professors who do not speak Swedish? Asking for several hundred friends.

    On the serious, good for you and thanks for sharing the experience. We are definitely frogs in boiling water in the US. We know something is deeply, deeply wrong (and that includes people all across the political spectrum; we just blame different factors and people for the stress).
     
  2. AroundTheWorld

    Supporting Member

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    Wait for the winter...August to September, I can totally understand you love it so far...

    As to the thread.

    Other than all over Germany and in Houston, I lived in Copenhagen, Barcelona, London and have traveled all over the world.

    I think it depends a lot on what stage of your life you are in. If I were single, I would want to be in Latin America...where i traveled extensively. If starting out in a professional career, I think spending a few years in an Asian expat hotspot like Singapore, Hong Kong (before the recent trouble) or...Bangkok...could be interesting. At least in the past, there were great perks for expats and you kind of live in your own bubble and only leave it as much as you want to. If you are in the startup world and don't want to be in the Valley, places like Berlin, London, Paris, Stockholm are good.

    With children, you start caring a lot more about safety, good childcare options and good schools and this kind of stuff. Places like Munich and Zurich start to sound really good. Or something somewhere in Oxfordshire.

    As a retiree, being in a warm climate becomes even more important. So...Barcelona, Miami, San Diego...Cape Town, if not for the crime. Or anywhere near the Mediterranean...with some nice places like Maldives or South Pacific or the Caribbean to escape to in winter.

    In my personal situation, we are working like crazy, running a startup/scaleup, with two small children, so cannot think about moving. If that were to come to a positive conclusion before the children have to go to school, we would likely move to Oxford or something like that, near one of the good schools (my wife is British...never thought that would happen, but...).

    I would like to park the family there and - hoping the Covid issue would have hopefully died down by then and international travel would have become easier again - would like to travel much more for fun again, exploring more Soho Houses and other things in various places, usually chasing sun and beaches.

    Would maybe be nice to have a base in a solid location and spend time (I would probably prefer to not own something outside the base, because it is a headache, but instead stay at nice hotels, preserves flexibility) during European fall and spring near the Mediterranean, and during European winter in Latin America or the South Pacific.

    Of course, one never knows if personal health (of oneself or loved ones) and other circumstances will allow all of that. And ultimately, what matters most are the people you care about, wherever they are.
     
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  3. Master Baiter

    Master Baiter Contributing Member

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    My wife and I have been together 16 years and I’ve spent at least 18 months in Sweden before we moved here so I feel I’m pretty prepared for what it’s like here. I also spent over 5 years in the Chicago area to prepare me for cold weather. My experience in Swedish cold has been way better than Chicago cold. The lake effect sucks.
     
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  4. Master Baiter

    Master Baiter Contributing Member

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    There are a lot of master’s programs here in English so....
     
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  5. donkeypunch

    donkeypunch Contributing Member

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    That where youre wrong amigo. Murica is the greatest gawdam country in the gawdam world. There aint nuthin we aint got, aint nuthin we caynt do, aint nuthin nowhere better.
     
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  6. SemisolidSnake

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    Japan. I've been wanting to visit since I was 6 years old. My mom has a pen pal over there, and they've been writing to each other for about 65 years now, I believe. It's an incredible story. When I was 6, my mom went to visit her for the first time, and what she brought back turned me into a huge Japanophile. And then 15 years later, I discovered anime.

    I know that it wouldn't be as heavenly an experience living there as it seems in my mind. For one, I'm 6'4", and Japan is not made for people of my stature. On the other hand, I'd basically be a kaiju on the streets, the prospect of which has always amused me.

    I wish the language wasn't such a bear to learn. Characters instead of letters, inverted sentence structure, totally different accenting on machine-gun-like speaking. Even though I know many of them speak English in the bigger cities, I'd still feel much more self-conscious than most being that guy constantly having to say "Could you say that more slowly?"

    Still, I bet I could make it living over there. For well over a decade, I've been saying that I could do my job from anywhere in the world. The technology was there. I could easily have done my engineering work from a cafe in Tokyo and been much happier than doing it in a miserable office surrounded by idiots in Houston. Now, that I don't have that job anymore I sometimes wonder if I could do it now. Except no standard job would accept my proposal even though Covid has definitively proven my work-from-anywhere hypothesis to the entire world.

    I recently learned about the "loud American" role in Japanese businesses. I don't know how much of it is fact and myth, but the premise is that since the Japanese will never stand or speak out of turn to their bosses no matter how bad an idea is, companies will hire a "loud American" who doesn't give a **** to say what their native employees won't. There has never been a job description more befitting my talents. I have spent a dozen years and countless thousands of hours in meetings being the only one telling my boss/dad that his ideas were terrible and should never see the light of day. I was forged in unquenchable flame and agony for that exact job. I just don't how I'd apply for it. Or how I'd keep the examples of my loud Americanship on my resume under 10 pages.
     
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  7. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

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    Nuthin a wall can't keep out and a gun can't take out.

    USA!! USA!!! USA!!!
     
  8. Dr of Dunk

    Dr of Dunk Clutch Crew

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    I've always thought Argentina would be a beautiful place to live and their love of beef is a plus, but they've got issues as a country. Otherwise, that would probably be one of my top spots to live.
     
  9. ThrillaNManilla

    ThrillaNManilla Contributing Member

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    I should clarify, I did not hear of or have first hand experience with crime in Argentina; however, crime is rising in Medellin. While anecdotal, my fiance was almost robbed at knife-point in a nice barrio (Laureles), but women are far bigger targets especially when they are alone. I personally don't have any fears about being robbed. I stay away from El Poblado especially at night when the pre-pagos and drug dealers are out. As a white person, even though I speak Spanish, I am an automatic target. Recently, there has been some unprovoked mass killings in Colombia for no apparent reason. Sadly, most of the victims were children. Just like any city, you have to be smart and know where not to go, such as Bello in Medellin or other poorer areas up in the hills. Overall, Medellin is a fantastic city and I cannot imagine living anywhere else. If you are single, just wrap it up. If you have any questions about Colombia, I am here to answer them.
     
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  10. ThrillaNManilla

    ThrillaNManilla Contributing Member

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    Most of the best beef is sent out of the country, but they still have amazing meat for asados; however, each weekend you have an asado and it gets very tiresome. There is not a lot of diversity in the options for food (especially fruit and vegetables). If you are a meat and potatoes kind of guy, you will get by fine. Mendoza also has the perk of producing a large percentage of Malbec wine for the world, so each bottle (even at a restaurant) is under five dollars for a good bottle. I much prefer Medellin, Colombia. Yes. Ever since the new president took over, the economy has tanked even more! The people there are arrogant (less so in the north - Rosario for example) as they see themselves as European and not Latin.

    Edit: I have a lot of Expat friends from around the world (mostly European) who love Argentina, but they are already retired and have checks coming in every month, so it works in their favor getting paid USD/Euros with how strong other currencies are compared to the ARG peso.
     
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  11. Buck Turgidson

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    Nice post. I lived in Mar del Plata for about 8 months, btw, and traveled to literally every region and major city/town repeatedly (their bus system is top-notch, something I had never experienced). I enjoyed the food beyond beef (Italian everywhere, seafood on the coast "picada" hot and cold, but you're right, asado more than once a week would get boring. We cooked at home a lot, so the markets with the freshest veggies/meat/dairy were brilliant. Loved the people, and they loved us. No way I'd put more than the required amount of money for and expat in one of their banks, the rest stays in the US. That country has so much potential, natural resources, human resources, but they just can't get their **** together.

    Loved Medellin and Cartagena, Colombia's got most everything I like: beach, mountain, forest, city (architecture, culture, etc), rivers, yep...I just haven't spent more than a month there.
     
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  12. Dr of Dunk

    Dr of Dunk Clutch Crew

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    I was thinking the proximity to the ocean would provide a lot of seafood. I love seafood. I'm wrong about that?
     
  13. Buck Turgidson

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    For whatever reason, Argentinians do not really love seafood. Most of what they catch is processed and shipped overseas. I was very surprised by this, but it was awesome to hike to the port and buy fresh whatever-you-want.

    The do like, in what I called a "picada" ealier, basically a tapas meal, fried sardines/calimari/octopus/etc... But you would not see any fish dishes on the menu. Go up in the Andes...Bariloche, etc...and there's a ton of fresh and smoked trout/salmon. Great fishing, great food.
     
  14. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    of all the places I’ve been to, Paris for sure

    I honestly can’t wait to go back
     
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  15. Nook

    Nook Member

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    Out of curiosity, why do you think it would be incredibly difficult to pull off? When I have lived in Northern Ireland it was incredibly easy to do culturally.
     
  16. B-Bob

    B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

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    I don't want to speak for @MadMax but in my case, I have elderly parents in TX and I just can't leave them completely and move overseas. But absent that, I would so be game to try something wholly new.
     
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  17. Nook

    Nook Member

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    That is completely understandable. The USA gets a bad shake. The nicer parts of the USA are the best place I have been on the planet and I have been in the nicest places in Europe. For me the issue is the political climate in the USA is extremely concerning and there are consequences for that.

    I will say that living in the UK was about the same, if not less culturally difficult than when I moved from Texas to Chicago. It is an extremely easy transition.
     
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  18. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    I’d like solid weather, access to water, ability to garden and lots of outdoor emphasis. Some ability to get by on English.

    my wife would prefer mountains, is open to colder.

    I’ve had Portugal higher on my list. She’d probably prefer the Vancouver area

    We’d both like New Zealand but is SO far away (from most things not a Australia) and also they won’t let you bring in dogs with any kind of pit bull in them (which we have).

    The Northern European countries seem nice but not sure if I can do that much cold.

    I’m not sold on the Asian countries. Maybe if I went when I was younger but now with a family it doesn’t seem up my alley really. South America?? Meh. Not sold.

    Any ideas...?
     
  19. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    I will say that i used to think “move because you don’t love the political party that’s in power?!??” Seems kind of extreme. And it probably was.

    however this situation is a tad different. If Trump is re-elected, or via scheming wins, if republicans continue to control the senate, if the SC is likely to be 6-3 with extreme fundamentalists for the next couple decades plus, never mind the fact that it, like most things involving power, is insanely not representative of America today demographically... etc, etc... then I think it’s a valid reason to move out of country.

    I have kids. If I’m going to think about their lives and happiness (which btw, is the meaning of life. It’s about happiness, full stop), and their kids, etc, I need to factor in the near, medium and long term future.
     
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  20. B-Bob

    B-Bob "94-year-old self-described dreamer"

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    Yeah, I think the Mrs. and I would be taking all of this even more seriously if we had kids.

    [deleted possibly political content]
     
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