People in the U.S. who just got up and moved to another country (to live, move)
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OH,WOW!!! I couldn't believe how many great responses I got. Been offline the last few days due to the end of the school year activities with my daughter. I want to get back to your responses but it might take me a day or two. I feel so invigorated by reading your experiences and opinions/views. See, you guys get it as you lived in other countries. Just the way you say things is very open minded and non judgemental. Love it....will be back soon.
Mossy....There's a lot to this question and it's difficult to answer your question to move or not to move. I'm 33 yrs old and have lived in Asia for the last 12 years. I made the jump right out of college because I had a strong interest in China's culture, language, history and people. It was the best move I ever made. I've met so many different people with different backgrounds, I've learned a second language, I met my Chinese wife over here and made a good amount of money given the tax breaks American expats receive plus the low cost of living. Mossy, since your married (maybe you have a child too, I forgot) you need to consider a number of things. First off, what would you do for employment? Your husband could work and you could stay at home or perhaps teach English or find something to do. Moving to Asia is one thing, but to Europe, things will certainly be more expensive then in the U.S. Plus, you would be far away from your family and friends, which is tough. living in the U.S. at times is boring, and I know. Every time I visit my family in New Jersey for Xmas or summer vacation I can't wait to fly back home to China. However, I'm not in my 20's anymore, and I'm already married and if we do start a family, the U.S. is looking pretty good for me and my wife. Its inexpensive (compared to Europe and many other developed countried), family and friends are there, good restaurants and employment options. Mossy, if you and your husband really wanted to try to move, why not do it for one or two years and see how you like it. Maybe your husband could get a 2 year contract or something. I would say try it, and if it doesn't work out, you could always move back to the U.S. The worst thing you could do is not try it, and then regret it for the rest of your life. I wouldn't sell everything and buy a place in Europe, but maybe first try it out and go from there. Best of luck!!
What region in China have you lived in/are you living in?
Not very easy to move to another country. Unless it's a third world nation. It's not like moving to a different state. If you hate where you live, MOVE TO A DIFFERENT STATE!
I lived in Shanghai for 10 years, and now live in southern China, Guangzhou city. Beijing is ok but not nearly as nice as Shanghai, which is getting very expensive nowadays. China's great for saving cash from your job, and if your a single guy, but it can be rough on some people. No matter where you live overseas, you need to realize the rest of the world isn't always going to be like it is back in the U.S. You need to move with an open mind and enjoy the experience and meeting different kinds of people.
I lived in Shanghai for 10 years, and now live in southern China, Guangzhou city. Beijing is ok but not nearly as nice as Shanghai, which is getting very expensive nowadays.China's great for saving cash from your job, and if your a single guy, but it can be rough on some people. No matter where you live overseas, you need to realize the rest of the world isn't always going to be like it is back in the U.S. You need to move with an open mind and enjoy the experience and meeting different kinds of people.
Thanks for your reply. I know it's been three months already, I just happened to remember searching for this thread. I'd like to know more about the following:
How much more expensive is Shanghai than Beijing? (e.g. in %)
Great for saving cash? Wouldn't a foreigner have to pay extra for daily items, etc. because the locals there treat you differently because you're not Chinese? (Asking you based on my third-hand experience)
What about the wages? Aren't the rates still too low for all the costs of living?
How long are the working hours? I know this may depend on the particular field, so let's say, e.g. Polymer/Chem-related R&D or pharmaceutical-related areas
A little about myself, I was born in the Philippines and at the age of 7 our family immigrated to the U.S. in Northern California.
To make a long story short, at age 49 I took a "Leap of Faith" and took a voluntary retirement due to health reasons, but because my disability claims kept on getting denied, so I just decided to quit working all together and accept an initial small retirement pension from my employer! Then, my wife and I got rid of everything we owned in Northern California since we couldn't afford to live there anymore and since I couldn't work anymore, we decided to move to the Philippines, our roots where we wouldn't have to work since my small initial pension was adequate to live on at that time in the Philippines!
15 years later we are still here in the Philippines and still enjoying our retirement and it even got better when I started to collect my other U.S. Government pensions at age 60 and 62!
It's all about each doing their own thing or by taking a "Leap of Faith" of the unknown and or it's a planned safe decision to relocate to another State or country and whatever makes one happy in life and if one can afford to do so, because it is always a matter of money, one's health and or of family ties!
Decisions decisions, if one can not makeup one's mind, just stay put in one place the rest of your life without any regrets or complaints later, because once we are 6 feet under, it's too late to do anything about it!
As I always say, "Life Is What We All Make It To Be"! "It's Always A Matter Of Money"! "Que Sera Sera"!
I was born and raised in the U.S. . 18 years in western NY state, forty-two in Manhattan. I mulled over places in the U.S.to move to upon retirement, and after two years was ready for the move.....and found myself with absolutely zero interest in locating to either of the final two places I had decided upon. So, at age sixty-two I said, "Why not!?"... gave my furniture to friends and charity thrift shops, gave up my rent-stabilized closet-size apartment, bought a one-way ticket to Portugal and made Europe my home. I had spent exactly ten days here six months before I made the move.
I am far, far happier here than I was my last twenty years in the U.S., and would never dream of going back to live.
Though I live in Portugal (and have also lived in Cyprus) most of my friends are English-speaking Germans and a smaller number of Brits and Portugese. There are no American residents where I live, or if there are they are unknown to me and not numerous at all. In the past two years I have met one American woman at the dentist's office, she is married to a Brit, as I recall, and lives in another town.
My town is small - 17,000, a mixture of old an new parts. A small international airport is fifty minutes away, though most flights are connecting ones - I have travelled to Ireland, Spain, Turkey, Greece, etc. for holidays. I live in a condo in a Portuguese working class neighborhood, within sight of the sea and with a view of the inland mountains. Medical care is as good as in the U.S. in the private hospitals, I have had had two angioplasties here and a very complicated spine surgery in Barcelona, Spain. In Spain the hospital was better than anything I had ever been in in the U.S., and the surgeon was one with a top reputation.
I don't miss anything at all about the U.S., so neither homesickness nor nostalgia interfered with my settling in. After living here for nine years I took a five-week trip back to the U.S., I couldn't wait to leave, and I cannot imagine anything that would ever get me to return again.
My impression is that my experience as an American is not the norm. From the expat forums I read occasionally, and comments in C-D forums I think most Americans are wretchedly unhappy over here in Europe about almost everything, and live in a constant state of negativity, resentment and personal deprivation. I don't share those feelings - and do not sympathize with them - so I am quite happy that there are zero Americans where I live.
I'm not very thing-oriented, most of what I buy is books and music, and clothes to replace what has worn out. I spend only part of my SS and pension; so I can give several thou a year to a local day care center and home for severely physically & mentally disabled children and adults. I eat out at cheap cafes, my favorite overlooks one of the best views on the coast of Iberia. I worked for a large bureaucratic organization in the U.S.: twenty years of waiting for a constipated elephant to poop - tremendous stress, but excellent training. I am very patient as a result...nothing over here is any worse, any more stupid than that place was. And none of it matters anyway.
My grandmother emigrated to Canada, cousins to Brazil and Cuba, me to Portugal...most likely we are a family of genetic malcontents and traitors. We probably did the U.S. a favor.
This post is the most inspiring thing I've read in these forums in recent months....
I can totally see doing this; all I know is I wouldn't even be tempted to come back.
I'm curious now as to which countries are the easiest to start over in.
And I'm the same way with my money & spending- music, books & art....
I can live cheaply but I do need those.
Shanghai and Beijing are actually similiar when it comes to costs of living each month. It really depends on how you want to live in Asia ( or China to be more specific). If you can eat Chinese food or buy meat and veggies from local markets and cook at home yourself, and maybe just go out to eat on the weekends, then food is relatively cheap. Some foreigners living in China though only buy imported groceries and take out every night. I would say for a single man living modestly but having some social life, you'll spend about 1,000 USD (Rent), 500 USD (food & drinks) and that's the bulk of your expenses. Transportation, even taxi's are cheap.
You can save a lot living in Asia because you don't have the expenses like living in the U.S. You will not need to pay for a car, car insurance, gasoline, tolls and other costs.
To make a good salary, you need to work for a foreign company like a U.S. or European company in Asia.
Good Luck!
Jake
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