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I'm an American that has lived in Prague, CZ for 10 years now. I work for a US company and have traveled everywhere either on business or vacation. Europe is a lot of fun but personally I can't wait to move back to the US and I'm planning to do it in 2015. Europe gave me great career experience (at the cost of crap salaries) and a cheaper higher education through a UK University but job prospects for professional growth are bad, unemployment is generally much higher, salaries lower, taxes sky-high, cost of living is higher and buying-power is much lower here. In Prague a mortgage costs on average 80% of average disposable income and property values are so high you can only rent, buy out in the country where there is no infrastructure and deal with traffic or like most young people live with their parents.
Also people here have no morals and I don't want to raise my kid here. Hard drugs and prostitution, under-aged drinking run rampant and everyone smokes weed which gets old after a while. I don't agree with the general laziness pervasive amongst the youth here which is not helped by a severe lack of competitive sports in schools.. Look at results for McDonald's for example: profits continue to decline in the US but are surging in Europe, I see more and more fat kids, its really sad but its not looking so hot for the next generation of kids in Europe. People complaining about a nanny-state culture in the U.S. have no idea its nothing compared to what's happening in Europe.
How do they try to rip you off in stores? Or when applying for a job?
For example, we were sold ClearWire 4G internet although it wasn't even available where we lived. The seller checked in his system when we specifically asked if it was available at our address and said it was fine just to get his sales provision. Clearwire refunded everything afterwards btw and apoligized this had happened.
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The key to dealing with urban sprawl is to choose your location carefully. Pick a part of town that has most, or all, the shops you need, so you can walk to the grocery, the pharmacy, to a few restaurants, etc. It can be done. I've lived in the US all my life, never had a car until recently, and walked to get most of what I needed. The bus systems where I've lived were fine for going across town or downtown to special events.
I know there are some places like NY where it is possible to walk and use public transportation but usually it is rare. And we found out that places which have 'good public transportation' and 'walkable amemities' according to US standards are still very poor for European standards. We lived in Austin and that is not a walkable town, you need a car there for everything. But really, that is true for most of the US.
I would never move to Canada either. The snow and cold most of the year would just kill me.
I'm an American that has lived in Prague, CZ for 10 years now. I work for a US company and have traveled everywhere either on business or vacation. Europe is a lot of fun but personally I can't wait to move back to the US and I'm planning to do it in 2015. Europe gave me great career experience (at the cost of crap salaries) and a cheaper higher education through a UK University but job prospects for professional growth are bad, unemployment is generally much higher, salaries lower, taxes sky-high, cost of living is higher and buying-power is much lower here. In Prague a mortgage costs on average 80% of average disposable income and property values are so high you can only rent, buy out in the country where there is no infrastructure and deal with traffic or like most young people live with their parents.
Also people here have no morals and I don't want to raise my kid here. Hard drugs and prostitution, under-aged drinking run rampant and everyone smokes weed which gets old after a while. I don't agree with the general laziness pervasive amongst the youth here which is not helped by a severe lack of competitive sports in schools.. Look at results for McDonald's for example: profits continue to decline in the US but are surging in Europe, I see more and more fat kids, its really sad but its not looking so hot for the next generation of kids in Europe. People complaining about a nanny-state culture in the U.S. have no idea its nothing compared to what's happening in Europe.
>lives in Prague
>is an expert on everywhere in Europe, as if it as homogenous unit
For example, we were sold ClearWire 4G internet although it wasn't even available where we lived. The seller checked in his system when we specifically asked if it was available at our address and said it was fine just to get his sales provision. Clearwire refunded everything afterwards btw and apoligized this had happened. .
I am glad you did not purchase a used car.
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Originally Posted by drro
I know there are some places like NY where it is possible to walk and use public transportation but usually it is rare. And we found out that places which have 'good public transportation' and 'walkable amemities' according to US standards are still very poor for European standards. We lived in Austin and that is not a walkable town, you need a car there for everything. But really, that is true for most of the US..
What is European standard? Munich or Cadiz? I actually prefer not to go grocery shopping burro style and using a car instead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by drro
I would never move to Canada either. The snow and cold most of the year would just kill me.
What is European standard? Munich or Cadiz? I actually prefer not to go grocery shopping burro style and using a car instead.
Its like the Trader Joe's in downtown Chicago. They are very small compared to for example a Wallmart or Costco, have much less choice and people who live around those mostly go there on foot and just buy a basket full of groceries. They don't even have dedicated parking spots. That is pretty common over here.
There are places in Europe where people go grocery shopping using a donkey?
I go grocery shopping in my car - I buy a lot of shopping, and I couldn't carry it all. If I'm going to get a few things, rather than a big shop, I'll walk there and back (2 miles).
I'm an American that has lived in Prague, CZ for 10 years now. I work for a US company and have traveled everywhere either on business or vacation. Europe is a lot of fun but personally I can't wait to move back to the US and I'm planning to do it in 2015. Europe gave me great career experience (at the cost of crap salaries) and a cheaper higher education through a UK University but job prospects for professional growth are bad, unemployment is generally much higher, salaries lower, taxes sky-high, cost of living is higher and buying-power is much lower here. In Prague a mortgage costs on average 80% of average disposable income and property values are so high you can only rent, buy out in the country where there is no infrastructure and deal with traffic or like most young people live with their parents.
Also people here have no morals and I don't want to raise my kid here. Hard drugs and prostitution, under-aged drinking run rampant and everyone smokes weed which gets old after a while. I don't agree with the general laziness pervasive amongst the youth here which is not helped by a severe lack of competitive sports in schools.. Look at results for McDonald's for example: profits continue to decline in the US but are surging in Europe, I see more and more fat kids, its really sad but its not looking so hot for the next generation of kids in Europe. People complaining about a nanny-state culture in the U.S. have no idea its nothing compared to what's happening in Europe.
And everyone doesn't do that in America!
Dream on they are flipping legalising weed there! And its nothing like that here at all...
>lives in Prague
>is an expert on everywhere in Europe, as if it as homogenous unit
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