Guys dont hate me for asking.

D

Dr sharp

Joined
Oct 20, 2003
Messages
299
First off, im a true american and i love america. People say america is the greatest country in the world, and im sure its true. But i dont fly and im curious about other countries, like germany, switzerland, austria, and the like. Ive seen many pics and documentarys. They all look great. I was wondering what its like to live there as oposed to america. What are the down sides? please share any negitives about these places. also include canada and italy if you have been there, Just wondering what other countries are like.
 
I'm keeping a close eye on this thread. If it gets nasty or political it's getting moved to the Political Arena. Everyone who posts has fair warning.
 
I thought Switzerland was nice. Have to be a citizen though, as actually there laws are rather less "liberal" than ours in many areas for non-citizens.

Also, it is expensive there. My small wad didn’t go too far, anyway.

But, then again, I was only there for a day. But, it was one of the more enjoyable experiences I had in various countries in Europe.
 
Well the politics in Canada is down right.... ooops.... sorry Ken :o :D


Hey Dr. Sharp,
I live on the West coast of Canada, British Columbia, about 3 hrs away from Seattle Washington.
The weather: believe it or not we get very little snow where I live (if you go to the mts or head up north/interior thats a different stroy). One saying they have here is that you can go play golf, go for a jog/hike or sailing, then go skiing or snow boarding all in one day. We do get ALOT of rain.... we just had 27 days straight of rain and very little sun. I think in the month of december we had a total of 8-10 hrs worth of sun?
The Environment: the lower mainland (where i live) is made up of one large city (Vancouver) and several large suburbs. That said, the wilderness in not that far. I think Vancouver (and BC) is probably one of the most beautiful places in Canada. Although I've heard Montreal is rather nice too. But since the city and surrounding area is growing so is the traffic and polution. Also, Compared to the rest of Canada, the cost of living is high. Recruits from the RCMP tend to not want to be posted in BC (if not originally form there) because of the high cost of living.
The People: Like any large city there is a diverse population, which i feel is a good thing. A friend of mine just finished clelebrating Chirstmas (hes orthodox christian) while another friend of mine will be celebrating chinese new years in a few weeks (so its like i get to party and eat good food every few weeks ;) ).

Anyways, I love this place so its hard to come up with many negatives otherwise i wouldnt be living here.
Good luck on your quest for information!!

-Jay
 
Japan is very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very crowded.
 
Lost In Shuffle said:
Japan is...........very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very......................crowded.
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No?! You're just kidding us, right? ;)
 
I'm from Australia - everywhere else is bloody crowded.

Also lived in the US for a a year and 3/4 back in the late eighties and have travelled fairly extensively. That's too big a question to answer easily but in general I'd say that the rest of the world is more similiar than it's different. I've been to places that have been portrayed on the TV news as hell-holes and found people smiling, laughing and talking about sport. Every human has fundamentally the same desires. The rest of the world is also safe when compared to that large American city you have just left. So get out there and travel you Seppos:D
 
The more experience I have with people of other nations, races, and beliefs, and the more I travel some small parts of the world, the more I believe that people all over are essentially the same.
 
I have lived in (meaning 3+ months)

UK
Italy
Holland
Hong Kong
Japan
US

Holland and Italy were probably the most enjoyable for me. The pace of life was cool, the people were cool and the food was great in Italy and the beer great in NL. Hong Kong was a stinky dump, couldnt wait to get out. Japan has its charms but its too crowded and too much of a PITA to do anything and you will always be a Red Panda, people stare even in Tokyo which becomes tiresom after a few years. The US I didnt like and couldnt imagine living in (I was in MA which seemed a lot like the UK in some respects) I went to SF though in the autumn the other year and would have moved to CA in a heart beat.

A lot of living in another country is about how easily you assimilate, nothing more.
 
Ming65 said:
I'm from Australia - everywhere else is bloody crowded.

Also lived in the US for a a year and 3/4 back in the late eighties and have travelled fairly extensively. So get out there and travel you Seppos:D
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What is it with you people? Are you all born with Backpacks on? I had one of you Aussies living with me off and on for a few years. Came from india, stayed with me in new orleans, went to San francisco, then someplace else, then back to NO, then back to London before Going home to NSW. I've only been west of Texas once!
 
Temper said:
Holland and Italy were probably the most enjoyable for me. The pace of life was cool, the people were cool and the food was great in Italy and the beer great in NL.
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These are my favorite countries to visit, I can easily imagine living in either. I have had enough of living in cities but I do love Paris. If I could live anywhere I'd stay in the USA; Hanalei Bay.
 
I lived in Britain for the last 52 years. Nice landscape, lots of contrast in a 700 mile x 400 mile triangle. People generally polite and very friendly. We like queing for things. Food is diverse, due to ethnic mix, great Chinese, Indian, Thai. Weather is pleasant, bit of snow in winter, warm in the summer, and quite a lot of rain. Free healthcare, and a good benefit system (welfare) is a bonus.

No downsides apart from guvvmint and a fairly high cost of living. Income tax is 21% and you pay 17.5% tax on everything you buy apart from food and children's clothes.

I am now in Canada and it is a lot like the UK but cheaper.
 
Dijos said:
What is it with you people? Are you all born with Backpacks on? I had one of you Aussies living with me off and on for a few years. Came from india, stayed with me in new orleans, went to San francisco, then someplace else, then back to NO, then back to London before Going home to NSW. I've only been west of Texas once!
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I dunno - but going OS is certainly a tradition for most Aussies. Kiwis too I've noticed. I've also met lot's of Swedes and Poms (English) in my travels. I've only met two americans outside of the U.S.A.
 
Have you met many Russians, Chinese, or Indians? People from large countries tend to be insular, because there is so much diversity within their own borders.
 
Seen quite a few Chinese and Indians Essav, can't say I've ever met a Russian on the road..........

I agree with the diversity in the U.S. This suprised me the most when I lived there, how markedly different it was between the states in terms of culture, accent, clothing etc. But it's still no excuse, now get your butt OS - you've all got plenty of money (something Indians and chinese don't as a rule):D

My clan all hail from the Orkneys Max. I must get back and do the ancestral thing myself one of these years.
 
I have visited a few countries mainly for vacations (holiday for you European folks) and others because duty called. I have been to......

Italy
Sicily
England
Ireland
France
Germany
Spain
Saudi Arabia
Bahrain
Oman
Yemen
Kuwait

While they were each nice to visit they each had their little nuances that made me wary of actually living there for an extended period of time. I just didn't feel comfortable knowing that the some of the countries I was visiting didn't particularly care for Americans. A large majority of people were nice and didn't care where I was from. Others got pretty nasty once they figured out I wasn't a local, the French being a major player. They spoke nasty about me and my wife. My wife speaks fluent French and fully understood what was being said about us. It was a shock to them and complete joy for me to hear her curse them out in their native tongue. It was a proud moment for me.

The last four places on my list were not of my choosing. I was on the US Military World Tour at the time. 5 countries in 6 months. I would not want to live in the Middle East. No thank you.

Italy, Sicily, and Ireland were the best for me. My family is from these countries and I still have ties to them. The farthest I can trace back my families history in Italy and Sicily is to the late 1700's. My Irish heritage goes back even further. I still have relatives living in each. If I was to live in any other country, based on where I traveled, it would be one of these three.
 
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