Have you immigrated?

[zenmonkey]

I have also considered as a consolation prize, New Caledonia which might appease the family as it's not so far from our shores.

I could be wrong but, having looked into it several years ago, I was under the impression that this was complicated, job-wise.

I had the same impression.

French Polynesia?
Just looked at the flights from SFO to PPT and they are ... less than astronomical.

[PeterMollenburg]

I have also considered as a consolation prize, New Caledonia which might appease the family as it's not so far from our shores.

I could be wrong but, having looked into it several years ago, I was under the impression that this was complicated, job-wise.

I had the same impression.

French Polynesia?
Just looked at the flights from SFO to PPT and they are ... less than astronomical.

I have considered this. Immigration is complicated even if short-term-ish. Immigration as a nurse, being a registered health profession comes with more hurdles. Having been educated outside the EU is more complicated when aiming for somewhere in the EU, but having an EU passport helps a lot.

To get into nursing in France as a non-EU educated nurse is very difficult, as one's qualifications are simply not recognised. To go to either New Caledonia or French Polynesia means the same as the French rules apply. Thus, the 'French Pacific route' or even the 'DOM-TOM route' is potentially no easier than the 'French Metropolitan route' despite some of these places being much closer to Australia.

In theory I'd have to go to another EU country and jump through all their hurdles to have my qualifications assessed and hopefully recognised in that country then be permitted to work in France, but actually go to New Caledonia or French Polynesia and attempt to find work (no guarantee of succes of course).

Where there's a will there's a way, but those are a lot of hurdles with family in tow, little capital and an unsettled world. For now I'll focus on other things as it's not currently high on the priority list or the hierarchy of needs list.

[jimmy]

A Question to All members under this thread:

how would you consider at this scenario (if you are at my similar age, I do not prefer to explain my exact age, but I can say that the range is 32-35)

the scenario:

you are away from your family home. one of your family member (e.g. Your sweet mother had been died) but other members did not explain to you ...

then you learnt when you returned back home.
what would you do then??

won't we lose two things in such case : 1) that member (oh my sweet mother!) had already gone away!
2) you spent the time with others , not with that member of your family.

this is one of the worst scenario but probable.

it is really difficult to decide. not a toy of child!

however, I am sure everyone has right to walk through his/her dreams.
And all of signs show me that it would be very difficult to reach my dreams here in Turkey.
What is more, I am expecting/predicting some troubles across folks. (like famine, or may even be war)

[Xenops]

A Question to All members under this thread:

how would you consider at this scenario (if you are at my similar age, I do not prefer to explain my exact age, but I can say that the range is 32-35)

the scenario:

you are away from your family home. one of your family member (e.g. Your sweet mother had been died) but other members did not explain to you ...

then you learnt when you returned back home.
what would you do then??

won't we lose two things in such case : 1) that member (oh my sweet mother!) had already gone away!
2) you spent the time with others , not with that member of your family.

this is one of the worst scenario but probable.

it is really difficult to decide. not a toy of child!

however, I am sure everyone has right to walk through his/her dreams.
And all of signs show me that it would be very difficult to reach my dreams here in Turkey.
What is more, I am expecting/predicting some troubles across folks. (like famine, or may even be war)

I have considered this, and honestly I don't have strong familial ties to the US: my mother is already passed away, and my father and sister are toxic, and I have not spoken to them in years. I don't have strong ties to my extended family either.

As to why I want to move to Europe, some things come to mind:

--Sense of adventure. I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast of the US, and so far it has been a good change...For now.
--Work/Life balance
--A different healthcare system
--Close proximity to multitudes of Western cultures (and non-Western)
--As a single woman, the number of countries I would feel comfortable in are limited

[dml130]

Have you packed up your bags and moved to another country? Or have you seriously considered it, and but something got in the way?

I am considering moving to Europe, and I have read Cavesa's logs in depth, and I am starting to understand the difficulty of the task.

I've considered it, but not seriously. I romanticize about the possibility often, but practical considerations (network of family, friends, a good, stable job in my current location) prevent me from giving it serious consideration as of yet. Still, the idea of more fully immersing myself in a different culture is enticing, and someday in the future I might realistically do a mini-retirement (or whatever it would be called) abroad, even if it's not fully immigrating to another country.

[garyb]

I romanticize about the possibility often, but practical considerations (network of family, friends, a good, stable job in my current location) prevent me from giving it serious consideration as of yet. Still, the idea of more fully immersing myself in a different culture is enticing, and someday in the future I might realistically do a mini-retirement (or whatever it would be called) abroad, even if it's not fully immigrating to another country.

I feel like something like that might be more appropriate to my situation where I just want to get the "living abroad" experience for maybe a year or so, rather than taking the full plunge of finding a job and moving for the longer term, but the opportunities to do it seem more limited.

The ideal way is of course studying abroad, but my university days finished a long time ago and I currently have zero desire to go back. I suppose a mini-retirement is a good option if you have the savings, which I probably do in theory but I'm quite focused on my career at the moment so don't want to take a long break and I'd rather get the full experience of living and working in the place rather than an extended holiday or even remote work. Maybe working for an international company and doing some sort of placement or secondment is a solution. Or just taking a job but not planning to stay for the long term, although that would feel a little disingenous and out of line with career plans. I suppose there's always a way if you really want to do it.

[Sae]

I used to live in Germany when I was a toddler and that was about it.

But I am seriously considering emigrating but I am still weighing my options and reasons to go versus reasons to stay.

I've looked at Vietnam because the cost of living versus what I can earn there is really good plus I like the culture, language, food and environment. My job is in demand and the economy is growing really well there.

I've gone as far as breaking down all my expenses and what my jobs pays and compared them to the UK and it's pretty staggering.

My tutor works in HR and says he could probably help me get a job.

The downside is leaving family and friends behind, at least with friends I usually stay in touch online anyway (and most aren't local to me). But if I have enough left out of my wages, then it's not like I can't fly back to visit every so often.

I've also looked at Mongolia, the economy is also growing there but not at the end kind of rate and the cost of living compared to wages is not as good, but the good thing about my job is that you can find a new for it almost anywhere. The attraction of course is the culture and people, as well as the environment there and it puts me closer to Tuva.

Both Mongolia and Vietnam would put me closer to a lot of countries I am keen to visit including: Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Bhutan, and so on.


And without trying to get political, I think there's a lot of uncertainty regarding our economy that I think pushes me to wanting to emigrate more, because things already are too expensive. And seeing how Vietnam compares with what my wage would be in mind, convinces me of this more.

[anitarrc]

Yeah. I am a professional foreigner.
I was born near Rotterdam. Had a violent father, ran away when I was 15. Ended up in France. did an apprenticeship as a mechanic in Germany. German women didn't do that then, so you can imagine how exotic I was. Married a Yugoslav, picked up some Serbocroat during our marriage since I really needed to talk to the family and felt better.

One day , I decided that I had enough of Germany. Went "back" to NL. Studied at German open university. Tried the US because I could obtain a green card with my trade. Didn't like it.
Went to Oz instead. Impossible to stay legally unless I married although i was never short of work in the outback.
Got back, finished studies, worked in Luxembourg for a while, then in Belgium. Married again (idiot me) then took up an offer in France.
Started my own specialist repair shop in the SW of France. Worked well, sold the lot because my then British partner had a bee in his bonnet about emigrating outside the EU. As it turns out the UK emigrated from the EU since.

Went to Costa Rica, ex swapped me for a model with newer bodywork and less mileage and disappeared. I stayed, became a successful go-to person for all things related to European cars and electronics.
Was it legal. Of course not.
If you want to live LEGALLY in CR you need to be either a drug addict or drunk, know very little or absolutely no Spanish, serve strictly no purpose in life and never do anything useful.
Oh yes and you need a US passport. Canadian will do.
I became a 25% partner in a garage to cover my back, everybody knew me and nobody was ever going to grass in my area. Nica border head officer knew me as well and never wanted a bribe but always had a friendly chat.
Getting back in usually needed a call from my boss.

Will I go back? You bet. I have my house, garden and everything there. Far from gringo ghettos in a wonderful mountain range.
They have recently passed a law that remote workers can get a permanent residency, so I'll be fine till I find another loophole when I'm 70.

[PeterMollenburg]

Yeah. I am a professional foreigner.
I was born near Rotterdam. Had a violent father, ran away when I was 15. Ended up in France. did an apprenticeship as a mechanic in Germany. German women didn't do that then, so you can imagine how exotic I was. Married a Yugoslav, picked up some Serbocroat during our marriage since I really needed to talk to the family and felt better.

One day , I decided that I had enough of Germany. Went "back" to NL. Studied at German open university. Tried the US because I could obtain a green card with my trade. Didn't like it.
Went to Oz instead. Impossible to stay legally unless I married although i was never short of work in the outback.
Got back, finished studies, worked in Luxembourg for a while, then in Belgium. Married again (idiot me) then took up an offer in France.
Started my own specialist repair shop in the SW of France. Worked well, sold the lot because my then British partner had a bee in his bonnet about emigrating outside the EU. As it turns out the UK emigrated from the EU since.

Went to Costa Rica, ex swapped me for a model with newer bodywork and less mileage and disappeared. I stayed, became a successful go-to person for all things related to European cars and electronics.
Was it legal. Of course not.
If you want to live LEGALLY in CR you need to be either a drug addict or drunk, know very little or absolutely no Spanish, serve strictly no purpose in life and never do anything useful.
Oh yes and you need a US passport. Canadian will do.
I became a 25% partner in a garage to cover my back, everybody knew me and nobody was ever going to grass in my area. Nica border head officer knew me as well and never wanted a bribe but always had a friendly chat.
Getting back in usually needed a call from my boss.

Will I go back? You bet. I have my house, garden and everything there. Far from gringo ghettos in a wonderful mountain range.
They have recently passed a law that remote workers can get a permanent residency, so I'll be fine till I find another loophole when I'm 70.

Hi anitarcc,

That's one hell of a background and you're certainly not one to fit stereotypes. You've spent a good deal of time in many countries that top my wish list for wanting to return to spend a significant amount of more time in. Some questions just to satisfy my curiosity if you wouldn't mind?

How's your experience with Dutch (language, country, culture) nowadays? Did you enjoy your long-term stay in SW France? We spent a month in Costa Rica going back a good number of years. Do you ever come across French or Dutch speakers there? Is English spreading significantly? Is crime a problem outside of the capital? I feel like Luxembourg couldn't be any more different than CR. Are you learning Luxembourgeois? I guess I'd love to hear more.... maybe it's time for a log... hint hint Yes, I'm asking too many qns, I know!

[anitarrc]

Hi anitarcc,

That's one hell of a background and you're certainly not one to fit stereotypes. You've spent a good deal of time in many countries that top my wish list for wanting to return to spend a significant amount of more time in. Some questions just to satisfy my curiosity if you wouldn't mind?

How's your experience with Dutch (language, country, culture) nowadays? Did you enjoy your long-term stay in SW France? We spent a month in Costa Rica going back a good number of years. Do you ever come across French or Dutch speakers there? Is English spreading significantly? Is crime a problem outside of the capital? I feel like Luxembourg couldn't be any more different than CR. Are you learning Luxembourgeois? I guess I'd love to hear more.... maybe it's time for a log... hint hint Yes, I'm asking too many qns, I know!

I'll try to answer most..
If you want to live in another country, you need a desirable profession. Many countries, including Australia have weird ideas about protecting their own. Which means that you can be the perfect person where nobody else can or wants to do it, but the rule says your qualification is inferior.

Let me explain.
A friend of mine worked for 25 years, (15 of them as the head surgeon), as a heart surgeon in the neonatal department of the biggest hospital in Rome. Her qualification is spotless and superior. She speaks Spanish and French very well, decent English and of course Italian.
She immediately received a job offer from the nearest hospital, where they already had lost babies due to distance to the nearest qualified surgeon. Guess what, they fought for 3 years to get her recognized. Nope. She works in Morocco now, for 3x the salary.

Prepare to work in "inferior" positions or ignore the rules.

Yes I liked France, apart from the infuriating bureaucracy.
Yes, many Ticos speak US English for dumb tourists. After all, it is the biggest "industry". Costa Rica has also many gringo ghettos for lazy rich immigrants who refuse to learn Spanish. Those immediately get long term visas.

Yes, I still speak dutch, but I often need to think hard; and I used more here in 12 months than in the 30 years before. In CR and Aquitaine once each I think.

French was definitely far more useful in CR, there are many Quebecois immigrants and a few Belgians. The former are very polite, unlike many US immigrants and thankful for a good repair.
Crime problems? Inside the capital, sure. Burglaries are quite common.
Letzeburgish: Everybody seems to have a different grammar which is extremely confusing for kids. Teachers speak it, but all books except maths are in German. Your chances to pick it up as a foreigner are grim. There are also hardly any courses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxembourgish
says that there are 285,000 native speakers.
There are 80,000 Portuguese speakers in Luxembourg and there are 240 million worldwide.
I speak fluent French and German and half decent Portuguese. Hence, during my time here I aim to improve my Portuguese to well, pretty flawless. Or so that it will be hard to find faults in my texts. The small commune of Troisvierges has about 40% Portuguese speakers so I find it easier to adapt to them.