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I enjoy going back to America to see family and eat Mexican food, etc. But the idea of having to live there gives me a panic attack. And it is the only country that I feel the need to get travel insurance for.
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As an expat who was forced to come back for reasons, i have many thoughts. On the one hand my dual citizenship is a godsend as far as knowing I can bolt at any time, but that other country happens to be brexit UK, so…jaded shrug.
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Yep, I left the USA in 2012 and don’t plan to ever move back. I’ve lived in Australia, Germany, and Japan, and in all of those places working people have a much better deal than they typically do in the USA. Less so in Japan than the other two (the work culture here has its own problems), but still you’ve got better access to healthcare, better public services, and more holiday time than working people in the USA do. There’s some stuff I miss about the USA, but once you get used to a system where working people are treated like human beings it’s kinda hard to contemplate going back.
For those interested in making that leap, I will say that it is surprisingly easy if you’re in a field considered “highly skilled”. You don’t really have to deal with immigration directly at the start; you find a good job with a large company and they do the work of bringing you in. In particular for people in STEM, you are often eligible for faster and less onerous visa tracks than most other workers, meaning you can immigrate and become a permanent resident or citizen with considerably less work than it takes most people. You’re usually only married to that job for a period of 3-5 years, after which you can often convert to a more long-term visa that allows you to move between jobs or even get permanent residency or citizenship.
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Incidentally, my wife (who is Japanese) has always dreamed of emigrating to Germany. There is still a lot of rampant sexism here that makes a lot of women especially want to leave Japan for Europe or Canada or Australia or (if they haven’t been paying much attention over the past decade) even America.
ETA: I have chosen to tie my future to Japan permanently because, while I see America only getting worse in this and other areas, I also see Japan ever-so-slowly getting better, and I have a lot of hope that Japan can and will do better in my lifetime. For instance, there is so much enthusiasm for things like SDGs and carbon neutrality and both the government and corporations are beginning to take real action instead of just paying lip service to these ideas.
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For feminism in public policy, look to Iceland.
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There is indeed a lot of sexism here. I have the impression that it’s a lot more directed at Japanese women than foreign women; my wife and I are both scientists from America, and she really hasn’t experienced anywhere near as much of that sort of thing as many of our Japanese colleagues. That’s just our impression, though, based on personal experience.
As I mentioned I moved here from Germany, and I absolutely loved it. I enjoy Japan quite a bit too, but on balance if I were able to pick anywhere I’ve lived before to settle permanently it would be Germany in a heartbeat. Australia would be a close second, but just being able to hop on a train in Germany and be in any one of ten different countries within a few hours was so cool that I think I could never get tired of it.
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Seems accurate.
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An English engineer friend would up and get on a plane to wherever he fancied, apply for a few jobs, get offers for all or most of them, accept the best offer, and stay until he got bored or the visa ran out.
Lucky Dave is aptly nicknamed.
[He once handed me a j, while saying in his best fake RP accent, “Spot of dope, luv?”]
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Yeah, but as someone who has lived in Iceland: if you want to live in Iceland you should really want to live in Iceland. There are downsides you have to be aware of (the darkness, the wind, the diminished choice of goods and jobs that come from being a small country at the periphery of Europe). Many people who move there are willing to accept those and know about them beforehand but stay because they have a reason (often Icelandic horses, outdoor sports, or, in my case, the history and language). But it’s not the kind of country you move to for an IT job alone. Whether their gender equality in politics alone is a reason that outweighs the rest, everyone has to decide for themselves.
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American living in France since 2004 here. The idea of going back fills me with so much anxiety that I have my final interview for French nationality in 10 days. The madness of the last five years finally pushed me over the edge. I miss my friends, I miss (some of) my family, I also miss Mexican food, but I am so grateful that life lead me out of that dumpster fire.
Do I feel guilty about being out? Yeah. But then I look at my non existent medical bills over the last year while my heath has been horrible and I feel ok again.
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Pre pandemic I flew overseas (all over the world) at least 1-2 times a year, but I was only ever worried about insurance for the US. My CC and work benefits covered pretty much everywhere else.
Want to fly thousands of KMs to different continents? We gotchu. Drive a couple hours south? Sneak back through the border before you seek treatment or you’re screwed.
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I made up my mind since the pornscan implementation after 9/11 and the craziness of having to get an American Visa just to fly anywhere that briefly touches USA soil en route to my final destination that it’s simply not worth it (and that includes having to answer questions proving that I have no desire to live illegally in the country whatsoever) ever visiting the country. Maybe on a much less hostile to foreigners future I’ll change my mind.
The funny thing is that all this tiresome bullshit only exists because people believe the imperialist propaganda being constantly churned out to media worldwide. The grass looks really green, too bad when you look a close look and realize it’s made of cheap plastic.
As an emigrant person I strongly recommend living outside your birth country for a couple of years at least. You get a clearer understanding of the world (and even learn to see your own original country with a fresh perspective)
And now, a known joke about Brazil
“God was creating the world and deciding strengths and weaknesses of countries.
Japan will have beautiful mountains and emerald seas, but will have tsunamis, this here will be Italy, let’s put some volcanoes. Chile, I think earthquakes. Here I will put tornadoes… Moonsoons there…
Then an angel noticed a huge trait of land, lush forests, huge coastline, blue seas, white sand beaches and said:
“Lord, I don’t get it. This place has no volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, nothing! How? Why? Is this paradise?”
Then God chuckled and said “You didn’t see the politicians that I will put in charge here”
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TSA Agent, “Do you plan on settling in the USA?!”
Tourist, “No way!”
TSA Agent, “WHY NOT! WHAT’S WRONG WITH GOD’S GREATEST COUNTRY?!”
When Bill Clinton visited my home town for some shindig, we were having a bit of a mini drought; so the city council sprayed the grass verges green. As a result, when Bill drove around, it looked like Boston St Patrick’s Day, with waving crowds, all covered in the green paint particles from the grass.
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Tbf, fleeing from Maggie into the hive she (or rather her ideology) had come from in the first place seems like a lateral move
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That’s a bit like the British couple who wanted to get away from looming nuclear war as far as possible and moved to the Falklands. In 1981.
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Definitively. The Netherlands is usually in the top ranks for child well-being indices. One key aspect is the freedom to roam, usually by bike - in the Netherlands it’s perfectly normal that children cycle to school (and to other activities) independently. The key is proper bicycle infrastructure that is safe for everyone, as explained in this excellent blog.
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As an American expat living in Munich, I’d say that although burrito places are popping up and one decent (if pricay) high-end restaurant exists, there is still lots of room for good Tex-Mex and Mexicali restaurants. Except that Germans don’t really grok what Mexican food is really like, and put corn kernels in everything.
Oh, and I’m staying over here, thankyouverymuch. I’ve been living over here for over 30 years and prefer life in Germany to life anywhere in the States. Even though I’ve yet to view the video, I suspect I agree with all of his reasons.
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Yeah, there are also a few decent Mexican places popping up in Japan (mostly in Tokyo, mostly Chipotle knockoffs) these days, and I am even seeing proper BBQ places (only in Tokyo, ridiculously expensive). I think that the world is catching on to the previously unknown hidden gem of world cuisine that is Mexican food (or at least the version of Mexican food that exists in the US).
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