Living Abroad: Good or Bad Idea?

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by azoria

Beijing last year. I lasted a month. The pollution was absolutely ungodly.

We quickly learned to make sure all the windows were closed and locked by 10 PM, because after 10 some kind of horrible gassy cloud of ash and soot descended on the neighborhood. Visibility was reduced to a few meters. It was hell on earth.

No amount of love or money could get me back to Beijing.

In fact I believe that today is exactly the day of the first anniversary of our escape from Beijing.

Your electricity went out a year ago? Weird. That stopped happening a while ago to everyone else I knew of.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by bluebeard

I dunno how long ago you lived in Beijing, but that certainly is a far cry from what it's like today.

Oh I got it, you had crummy wiring...
And the pollution in most Chinese cities is indeed horrid. Quite possibly the worst part about living there.
At one place I lived in China, an answer to a leaky sink was to put a hole in the floor. Luckily that wasn't needed.

That being said, I loved living in China. I could see going back for a time.

Like I was saying. Do research. Everyone will have different opinions. Make sure you have an idea of what you want out of a place.
Although really, if you're flexible and open-minded you'll have a good time most places.

[hkgal]

Originally Posted by Mooseketeer

I have lived "abroad" pretty much all my life and I love it. I have been in the UK for over 20 years, then I spent 3 years in the US, then Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Tahiti, Italy, New Caledonia, South America, Denmark,North Africa etc... I only spent 4 years of my 41 years on earth in France which is "my" country and I can't say I feel traumatised in any way.

As a kid I used to be a bit fed up with moving schools every few months but otherwise I did and still do relish all the new adventures, cultures, languages etc... I got to do things most people will never be lucky to do and have experienced different cultures first hand not just as a tourist.

Some places I loved, some I hated but all of them taught me something and even the bad experiences have served me well in life.

After 20 years in the UK I am still baffled by certain aspects of life/society ( like binge drinking ) and some things irritate the hell out of me but on the other hand I find that about France and any other country for that matter.

I has taught me to be more independent, a lot less "proud" of any Nationality, and more respectful and understanding of other people.

When you live abroad ( and travel a lot) you start to realise that people though very different are also linked by a great chain of common human experiences and humanity and it makes you a lot more humble about where you come from . For me anyway.

I am a nomad at heart and wish I could move on all the time. I am experiencing seriously "itchy feet" at the moment and if my fiance could get a job anywhere else in the job easily I would be packed within a day , ready and raring to go...


I do not like being in one place for too long, it makes you complacent and less appreciative of your surroundings I feel.

My idea of heaven would to be able to spend 3/4 years in a place then move on to the next.

Living abroad is exciting, enriching and a great deal of fun. It can be difficult to adjust to certain cultures and environments but certainly worth the try. The world is way too be big and varied to constrain yourself to only one tiny part of it.

I never feel very French at all , not do I feel British or anything else. I am just me and for that I thank my father for dragging me around the world and giving me a love of "otherness".


I am at my most French when food is concerned , but apart from that I love many aspects of France and many others bug the hell out of me. I have no problem acknowledging any shortcomings from the Nation I was born in. As far as I am concerned Nationality is an accident of birth and babies become what we and their environment embues into them.

ALL countries have their upsides and downsides. There are no "best" /"worst" . it is just so subjective.

If I won the lottery tomorrow ( if I started to play that is ! ) there would be no huge mansions, no expensive cars, no diamonds , no private jets for me. Simply travel and live abroad until I dropped !

Great post, Mooseketeer. You hit the nail on the head for me.

Well, I can't really say it any better than that. I don't think you realise how fluid your concept of identity is until you immerse yourself in other cultures. You realise strongly how an accident of birth is just that and how quickly you can adapt to 'new' ways of doing and seeing things - if you let yourself. I see plenty of people resisting adaptation...'but it's not like home', it's natural and most of us will do it at first, but once you accept the differences and let them go you can see new possibilities opening up all around you.

You also learn to appreciate what you have at home, but 'home' will never be the same again. Like they say, for some ignorance is bliss, and for some not knowing the world outside their own is fine. But once you do, you'll look at where you come from in a new light.

BTW - when people who have lived in Beijing comment on how clean the air in in Hong Kong, I'm always amazed!! Say what?? Beijing's air is awful and air pollution can be truly debilitating.

[Vichel]

If you've got the opportunity to live overseas, even for 6 months, you'd be crazy not to take it.

I was born in Australia, lived in Canada, now back in Oz for 10 years but wanting to go live someplace else again, back to Canada very likely, just a different city. I'd love to live in the US for some time. I've been there countless times and loved it. I would live in Italy for a few years too.