Two Questions for Readers - Moving
A recent poll taken in 16 countries asked the question, "Suppose a young person who wanted to leave this country asked you to recommend where to lead a good life, what country would you recommend?" The poll results are briefly summarized at this link. First question for readers: What would your answer be and why?
A second question: What was the most traumatic move you ever made?
A second question: What was the most traumatic move you ever made?
posted by Tom Blake | 3:17 PM
4 Comments:
First answer: Sweden. Socialism at it's best--everyone has health care, for starters. Comparitive wages between the highest paid and lowest paid workers are close enough to free people to work at what they genuinely feel drawn towards, and not just at what will best pay the bills. A college education for anyone who wants it. Plus, when I lived in Europe, the Swedes I knew were funny, friendly, and great conversationalists. Who wouldn't want to live in their country?
Second answer: my most difficult move has been the one I made to Texas. Sometimes a subtle culture shock is the most difficult to adjust to--things are similar enough to where you've lived before that you think you just might be imagining the differences, but there they are all the same. Living in Texas has forced me also to confront my own prejucides about the South. It's hard to learn you do actually harbor a predisposition to dislike people, and harder still to work through that. But important, all the same.
Sarah,
My first move away from Seattle, where I was born, was to Houston Texas. The term "culture shock" was just in vogue then, and my wife Nancy and I experienced it. But we also experienced climate shock. I couldn't believe that condensation formed on the outside of the windows! I worked on the Apollo Program so the people I worked with came from all parts of the country and seemed more or less normal. But the real Texans seemed unreal to me. I remember waiting for a ferry to cross a bayou and watching some little kids playing. A wizened old white man saw the expression of pleasure on my face and came over to tell me he would like to see the little black bastards with their throats slit. That was my worst experience. I also remember the women of Houston being very shrill. When we'd go to a bar or to a party, the Texas women would screech. Cultural differences.
First question: where to lead a good life outside the US? Answer: Many places.
Many people from this part of the country retire in Mexico. It's a beautiful country. The Mexicans are a friendly, hard working people. The living is cheap. The people are beautiful.
Another choice would be Cananda. A beautiful country, not much different from the US. Except it doesn't start wars in places it has no business to get involved.
My favorite country is France. W tried to make it unpatriotic to love France. Too bad! Vive la France! My first trip there was in 1971 and my last trip there was in 1995. I may never go again, but I love Paris in all its seasons. Americans say the French are arrogant. What arrogance! Americans are the most arrogant.
John from Phoenix
Three of my four children have lived for a few years in foreign countries, two in Thailand (where Chris still lives) and one in Korea. Had they asked for my recommendation, I would not have suggested an Asian country. My advice to a young emigrant would be similar to what Sarah and John have said. A Scandinavian country would offer a laid back secure life. For easy access to visit the US, Mexico offers low cost living and Canada offers a non-arrogant version of Americana. Any Western European country would have appeal, but like John, I find France particularly attractive.
I also at first thought I would agree with Sarah and John that my move to Texas (for Air Force basic training and tech school) was most traumatic, mostly because of the Air Force, not Texas itself. But I knew the Texas sojourn would be for less than six months, and the tech school program allowed more chance to socialize with the locals, which turned out to be OK. My most traumatic move was actually the shortest, from the family home to a nearby apartment chosen for proximity to my children, when the separation that led to marriage dissolution was commenced.
There's way too many places I would recommend. I guess it all depends on what they are looking for.
I personally couldn't handle the winters of Scandanavia, and most of my friends from there look to be seeking warmer cliamtes.
If I had to pick somewhere in Europe, it would either be the Irish countryside or London -- although Eastern Europe is an up and comer.
For South America, I've heard great things about Brazil and Argentina -- and my friends in Colombia say it is great despite its bad rep.
For Asia, I think Thailand is superb, obviously, but I've also been hearing great things about Jakarta.
It'd be hard to go wrong with either Australia or New Zealand -- they offer the comforts of the West with Asia right on the doorstep.
I guess I'm less interested in the politics of a new location than in other factors -- after all, most countries have screwed up politics.
As for most difficult move? Uh, most have been really easy -- I like the excitement of a good move. The most difficult wasn't really a move, but a return. It was flying out of Holland on New Year's day 2000 and returning to Seattle, where I had to pack my bags again and head to Bellingham for the start of classes on the thrid or fourth of January.
We'd just had a big get together of friends from our kibbutz in Israel and it was hard to say goodbye and face the prospects of a return to normalacy.
Chris
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