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I would like to know as well. It's not so much that I am fed up with America, more so I need a change. I am actually considering a move to Brazil for a few years.
Are there any Americans on here who got fed up with America, moved somewhere else and ended up successful?
I was never fed up with America and left. I left because I wanted to experience living in other countries. I've been doing that for the last 15 years. So, I guess it would be considered successful.
I think people who just get 'fed up' with America...will probably be in for a rude awakening, as there are all kinds of issues in every country on the planet.
Also, the U.S. is so huge, whatever you are fed up with where you are at, you could move to a more conducive to your preferences place in the country, and probably find more of what you are looking for, than just randomly fleeing.
United States 311,833,000
Mexico 738,100
Canada 688,000
Philippines 250,000
United Kingdom 224,000
Liberia 160,000
France 100,000
Israel 100,000
Germany 99,600
Hong Kong 60,000
Australia 56,276
Japan 52,684
Brazil 40,640
Saudi Arabia 40,000
Costa Rica 40,000
Norway 33,509
Lebanon 25,000
New Zealand 17,751
Very suprised to see Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica & Norway (that high) on the list.
I expected more Americans in China, India, Thailand & Italy. Maybe also in South Korea, Spain & Argentina.
Are there any Americans on here who got fed up with America, moved somewhere else and ended up successful?
If I can change "fed up with" to "very pessimistic about," and "successful" = "content and at peace," then I would include myself.
In the 80's the Republican agenda for redistributing America's wealth upwards, its determined erosion of oversight of the banks and investment business, and its cultivation of divisiveness and hate-mongering as acceptable political tools to polarize and manipulate the public dealt a body blow to the republic. Since the Reagan presidency we have been living in a new country: U.S.A II. And as in Hollywood, the sequel is only loosely moored to its predecessor. And the Democratic party had lost its center by the late 60's, early 70's, and has since lurched and wobbled like a poorly contructed top, so that it has been unable to provide a credible political counterweight.
By the 90's I was even more strongly disaffected from the national political scene – as well as the unrelenting shrillness and whingeing that seemed to have become the endless loop theme music of American society in USA II.
At the very end of the decade my feelings turned to unabashed pessimism with the emergence of George W. Bush as a major Republican figure, my belief was that he would be his party's candidate for U.S. president and would, I thought, win handily.
I emigrated in January of 2000.
Mr. Bush did not "win handily", of course, but he did become president via the Electoral College. Thus, finally bringing the ultra-conservatives and Christian Rightists who had become acceptable political allies under the Reagan administration into a positions of power in the national government. Rove, Cheney & Co. anyone?
Since then the chickens of Reaganomics have come home to roost in USA II's economic meltdown, and it has been downhill from there. Shortly thereafter, of course, though Sarah Palin may have been unable to utter two comprehensible sentences in a row she became a VP candidate. But no matter, you could watch a more insightful video of her on YouTube in which she stands in the center of three wacko preachers as they wave their hands over her in an invocation to protect her from "witchcraft." And this creature would be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office! And subsequently the Meltdown, the "Tea Party" crowd, and now another Far Rightist mental midget considered as a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination, and a Rightist GOP confident enough to nakedly oppose tax increases for the wealthy while eagerly demanding massive budget cuts that would heavily impact all but the wealthy.
It is the scenario I imagined, and it will get worse. So, to the extent that pessimismistic foreboding about the direction and stability of the U.S. motivated me, I have to say that those feelings have become cast in concrete by events.
On the other hand, as Tiger Beer has already pointed out, if anyone is "fed up" and just jumps to any ol' where, they may encounter a worse environment for them than the one they left. In my opinion, doing homework about your possible destintion is a must.
But being "successful" in such a move has another equally important component, I feel.
Based on my experience, you must be able to do some really heavy-duty homework about yourself. I think you have to know now, before departing that is, what do you already have in life that satisfies you, and that you feel is essential to your happiness. And if these things or qualities cannot reasonable be found in your destination, you will probably never be really content unless you are fortunate enough to experience a metanoeia as a result of their absence...and I would not count on that.
How much do you need the familiarity of your American environment to feel like you are you? That, I think is very tough to be honest about for lots of folks. And it is important, because you will lose that familiarity completely, and then who are you? I guess I may be talking about what's called "culture shock." Imagine as hard as you can, not having any Americans around and virtually nothing American in the social environment. Nothing. When all the stuff one is "fed up with," or "pessimistic about" has been removed, what's left? Can you start at zero without having major depression or living in constant anger?
If you can't imagine "home" as beginning with you - the human being, and not a place - I think anyone who leaves the U.S. will be dead meat emotionally.
An alternative is to move to a nearby country, and live in an American enclave. Judging from the Brits I see here who do that, they have not really left their own country at all...only their bodies moved, and they are still obsessing about what they hate at "home," and have often only added their gripes about things here to their ol' kit bag. Are the Americans living in expat enclaves in Mexico any different, I wonder.
United States 311,833,000
Mexico 738,100
Canada 688,000
Philippines 250,000
United Kingdom 224,000
Liberia 160,000
France 100,000
Israel 100,000
Germany 99,600
Hong Kong 60,000
Australia 56,276
Japan 52,684
Brazil 40,640
Saudi Arabia 40,000
Costa Rica 40,000
Norway 33,509
Lebanon 25,000
New Zealand 17,751
Very suprised to see Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica & Norway (that high) on the list.
I expected more Americans in China, India, Thailand & Italy. Maybe also in South Korea, Spain & Argentina.
I recall hearing that Liberia was formed as a country that African-Americans could go easily emigrate without visa/citizenship hassles or something. Can't recall exactly, but something related to that.
I'm equally surprised South Korea isn't on that list. I lived in SOuth Korea for 7 years, and tons of Americans there.
I'm also quite surprised so many are in the Philippines. I have a feeling those might be Filipino-Americans going back or something..not sure. Oddly high stat.
United States 311,833,000
Mexico 738,100
Canada 688,000
Philippines 250,000
United Kingdom 224,000
Liberia 160,000
France 100,000
Israel 100,000
Germany 99,600
Hong Kong 60,000
Australia 56,276
Japan 52,684
Brazil 40,640
Saudi Arabia 40,000
Costa Rica 40,000
Norway 33,509
Lebanon 25,000
New Zealand 17,751
Very suprised to see Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica & Norway (that high) on the list.
I expected more Americans in China, India, Thailand & Italy. Maybe also in South Korea, Spain & Argentina.
Do those numbers include troops and their families?
I can understand where this is coming from. The economic situation in the US keeps looking more grim in terms of employment and careers. The unemployment rate mysteriously hovers around 9% despite the continual layoffs, especially in public jobs over the past year and half. Whatever your politics may be, it's becoming a matter of survival and self worth. You can find employment at minimum wage jobs, but for someone with a BA and even a MA, you'll find it nearly impossible to find solid careers now unless you know someone or went to a top ranked school. The economy wasn't exactly great in the 2000's, the unemployment rate was lower, but it was still hard to find solid career jobs then, it's just far worse now.
Canada is doing better than the US in terms of jobs (not that much better in terms of the quality of the jobs) and it's close obviously, so you can aim for it. Australia is apparently doing quite well right now. Far away, bit of a gamble as their economy could easily turn sour as well. The only countries I trust right now are the ones where the governments have shown they'll intervene strongly, and effectively, when their economies start to decline instead of relying mostly on the market, companies, and austerity (we're seeing the results of that in the US and UK). Those countries are in northern Europe, particularly Germany, and East Asia (less so). Hardest countries to immigrate into and more of a culture shock.
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