Would you spend significant time/move overseas?

[Keystone Phil]

This is some minor attention whoring, I guess. I've been over this with a few people (both people from the forum and some friends) but I figured I'd throw the question to the forum at large.

If given the opportunity, would you spend significant time (more than just a two week vacation or something like that)/move overseas? I've been seriously wondering about this myself. I'm obviously always sure to point out that it isn't really about faulting life here aside from the fact that I've been extremely bored. I've always been the type to appreciate life elsewhere and have had the desire to really experience it (mainly through trips) but now it seems more serious.

What advice do you have? I think I'm pretty set on my desire to get away for awhile but it's obviously a huge decision to make.

[opebo]

It all depends.  Where, KP?  And what would you be doing?

I LOVE living in Thailand - so much so that I think its a little dangerous (I might become depressed if I had to return to the Bad Place).  But when I lived in Europe I wasn't particularly happy with it.

[dead0man]

Once the kids are out of the house, sure.  I can get a job at most (US/NATO/generic west) military installations around the world.  Doing a few years each at various Euro Bases has been discussed with the wife. 

The youngest is 7 so this is still a few years off.

[opebo]

Doing a few years each at various Euro Bases has been discussed with the wife. 

Western Europe would be great fun if you had like 80-100K euros per year to work with.

[dead0man]

I don't know if I'd be able to get that, but it should be close.

[opebo]

I don't know if I'd be able to get that, but it should be close.

Wow, you're in like, what, the top 1% or 5% of workers?

[Platypus]

I learnt more in the four months I had in South America than the four years before it. Just don't go to a tourist mecca or a western nation for a 'long holiday'.

As for moving, I plan to. Melbourne will aloways be home, but I'm coping with my third year in Canberra, and I know I could cope with three years in Chile, or the US, or Panama. I think you could too.

[dead0man]

I don't know if I'd be able to get that, but it should be close.

Wow, you're in like, what, the top 1% or 5% of workers?

No, not here in the states (I'm pretty high on the "non-college graduate" pay scale though).  Defense Contractors (generally.....always exceptions) make quite a bit more overseas.  (and buckets of money if you're willing to go some place sucky and have a needed skill)

[Rin-chan]

Yes   I'd love to live in Japan for a while

Rin-chan

[Frodo]

Been there, done that... 

[Keystone Phil]

It all depends.  Where, KP?  And what would you be doing?

Take a guess...

Been there, done that... 

Where? When? How was it? Would you recommend that others do it?

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I was in Greece for a month, and it got old fast. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being in the mother country, but I couldn't wait to get back to the US at the end of the trip.

[Keystone Phil]

I was in Greece for a month, and it got old fast. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being in the mother country, but I couldn't wait to get back to the US at the end of the trip.

On the topic of Greece, I enjoyed it when I went in 2006 with people from school but I think a lot of us were expecting more. Then again, maybe we were unfair to compare Greece to the first half of our trip - Italy 

My point here is if you liked a place you've visited overseas, would you go there for awhile? I'm sure many people would think this is a no brainer and would ask why someone wouldn't go but it's a big commitment to leave home (especially when it's the U.S.).

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I was in Greece for a month, and it got old fast. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed being in the mother country, but I couldn't wait to get back to the US at the end of the trip.

On the topic of Greece, I enjoyed it when I went in 2006 with people from school but I think a lot of us were expecting more. Then again, maybe we were unfair to compare Greece to the first half of our trip - Italy 

My point here is if you liked a place you've visited overseas, would you go there for awhile? I'm sure many people would think this is a no brainer and would ask why someone wouldn't go but it's a big commitment to leave home (especially when it's the U.S.).

I enjoyed Rome when I visited there. Your question is too vague though. Would I go with friends or just myself? I would not want to leave the States with just myself. I'd miss friends and family (and golf) far too much to go for a long period of time. I may study abroad, but that would be with a group from school, so it won't be so bad--more like an adventure like Greece was.

I felt almost isolated from the "real world," or what I deemed it when I was away for a month. I couldn't follow baseball as well, the stock market as well, and I missed the US Open golf tournament, which didn't sit well with me. I suppose if I was in England or Scotland, golf would've been more accessible, but I haven't been there yet.

I was overseas for the World Cup, so that was fun for a while, but I've never been a big soccer fan.

[Keystone Phil]

I enjoyed Rome when I visited there. Your question is too vague though. Would I go with friends or just myself? I would not want to leave the States with just myself. I'd miss friends and family (and golf) far too much to go for a long period of time. I may study abroad, but that would be with a group from school, so it won't be so bad--more like an adventure like Greece was.

Well, the friends and family thing is obviously relevant but let's assume you had them or an equivilant overseas. For example, I wouldn't have my American friends with me but I do have Italian friends.

Basically, the question is "If you had enough of the things you like there, would you go and spend significant time there?" There are obvious drawbacks to going but that happens with anything in life. It's just a matter of whether they are serious or not to get in your way. For example, would not having your American friends with you mean more than having your friends from that other country with you?

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Again, just assume they had that activity where ever you'd be going (Me --> Soccer --> Obviously present in my situation).

[Frodo]

Been there, done that... 

Where? When? How was it? Would you recommend that others do it?

1984-88: Seoul, South Korea

1988-92: Tokyo, Japan

1992-94: Manila, Philippines

Being the son of a foreign service officer with the State Department (who almost became Ambassador to Japan), we got around.  I don't really have a clear memory of South Korea -I was maybe two when we got there, and not even six when we moved out.  

As for Japan, outside of school, I liked it.  My mother is Japanese (as I am sure everyone here knows by now...), and we used to visit her relatives down in Osaka by means of the Shinkansen bullet train (the old blue version).  We stayed at the American compound in downtown Tokyo, and visited ancient temples, castles, as well as several resorts.  In downtown Tokyo, I always used to enjoy watching noodle-makers make their noodles through a display window through which any pedestrian could peer through and watch them do their magic.  I became very well adapted to using mass transit for I used it to get to and from school everyday, and as far as I am aware, there were never any train delays of any sort.  The stations and trains were clean and organized, though almost always crowded.  

Manila had its own charms, though it was distinctly a third world city -you had kids from the slums pressing their faces and hands against the rolled up car windows as we idled in traffic.  It was my first exposure to poverty.  We stayed at a gated residential compound called Dasmarinas Village (among other adjacent compounds, like Forbes Park, Fort Bonifacio, and so forth).  We had our own chaffeur and maid at our house (who was never shy about changing her clothes in front of me).  We went to various sites around the city, like Corregidor Island, where the embattled American and Filipino soldiers made their last stand against the invading Japanese until they were forced to surrender in May 1942.  The whole island was sprinkled with remnants of bombed out buildings and batteries, and though the whole island seems alive with ghosts, Malinta Tunnel (the main command post) is said to be especially haunted.  If you come to Corregidor, I dare you to camp out at night.  

Another place we visited was Baguio, the American colonial summer capital up in the mountains not far from Lingayen Gulf and Mt. Pinatubo.  When we went there, it was shortly after the eruption, and the villages we passed through getting there were absolutely devastated, being nearly completely buried by the then dried up lahar (liquified ash).  Baguio itself was fun (I rode my first pony!), and we stayed at the main residence, which also happened to be the scene of General Yamash**ta's final surrender to the Americans in 1944.  I think it is still owned by the US government.  

I also visited Borocay Island (a small island just off the coast of Panay), and back then it was quite rustic.  We got there via a small fishing boat, and you stepped off unto the island on a bare wooden plank.  There were places we could stay, but I would hardly call them fivestar hotels -in fact, I do not recall ever seeing one.  But the beaches were enjoyable, as well as the sandy avenues along which were various food stalls.  
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It's a rough overview (I would go more in depth, but there are space limitations, as well as the fact that I am currently at work), but it gives you an idea of what it was like.  And yes, I highly recommend staying in a foreign country for a year or more.  You hardly give justice to the country you are visiting if you are just going to vacation there for maybe a week or so.  To really appreciate it, you have to live there.    

[Hash]

I already did that. For the majority of my life in fact.

[Keystone Phil]

Absolutely!  I plan on moving to Portugal after graduation for a few years

That's what I have a desire to do now (well, not in Portugal, of course ).

I really should have done study abroad last semester. We have a great campus in Rome and I let that opportunity totally pass by. I really could have used a few months away but now it has gotten to the point where I want a few years and I really don't have much of a problem telling people that despite some worry at asinine responses ("You're being naive," "You're not serious," "You'd be throwing everything away," etc.).

The problem here is that while I always had a serious appreciation for live abroad, I've used the "you're being naive" argument with a few people that have expressed a desire to do exactly what I want to do. Now I do believe they were being naive, to an extent, but it does make me seem like a hypocrite to say that while trying to excuse myself for doing the same.

As for the Frodo and Hashemite cases, it's a bit different for you guys. You went with family and basically had to do it. I obviously appreciate hearing about your experiences but it's just not the same for me.

[Hash]

As for the Frodo and Hashemite cases, it's a bit different for you guys. You went with family and basically had to do it. I obviously appreciate hearing about your experiences but it's just not the same for me.

Yes, but I still plan to spend significant time overseas in the future. Maybe in France, probably outside of France-Canada.

I might study in Ottawa, but I have no intention of making a living here unless I have good reason to.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I would really really like to go to Australia or Canada.

[Sensei]

Maybe not over a sea, but maybe Canada.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I'd have no problem living in England, Germany, France, Italy, or Israel.

[Keystone Phil]

The way I look at it is that I will never be able to do it again.  Sure it may be harder and we may not have much money to show for it but it's an experience that few can rival.  It's something that can really only be done at this time in our lives and I don't want to pass it up simply because it would be easier and more prudent to stay here.  After our 20s we'll have to be responsible for more than just ourselves.  You clearly have a passion for Italian culture and life and it would really be something you could remember for your entire life if you were to actually live that out instead of just reading it in a book or watching from a tourist's perspective.  I fully intend to mess up and spend all my money and struggle because there's more to life than being comfortable and stable the whole time.  There's nothing special about that and nothing you can get out of it except what everyone else already has.

Well, see, that's what I'm thinking, too. I'll never be able to do this again. However, I'm still stuck in the middle. I realize that I'll have more responsibility after my 20s but I don't think that justifies being reckless and "messing up." I, too, realize that there is more to life than having the most stable life possible (getting a run of the mill 9-5 job, saving and not enjoying what I've earned until later in life, etc.) but it's crazy to me to ever entertain the idea of pissing away my money abroad for a few years and then coming back here to start over with nothing.

My plan is to go abroad for the World Cup in 2010 anyway. I'm planning on staying for about a month. Everyone knows this already and it's not a big deal. The issue will become a little more serious if I act on my desire to spend more time there. Then my future concerning a career (whether in politics or not) is called into question.

I'm going to have to make some big decisions in the next year. I'm leaning towards taking some risks but they can't be insanely risky. That's the real problem with living abroad: this isn't like packing up and living/working down in Florida or Illinois or Texas or somewhere else that's far from home but still in this country. It's a new country with a language I don't know (yet) with not nearly as much stability as I'd have here.

[Hash]

France

The FN vote is high enough like that.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Already did it.. but you're aware of my situation.  Trust me, you're not throwing anything away by going.