Sunday 4 July 2021

If You Did 'Hate' America to the 9th Degree?

 Well....you probably need to leave.

So I'll make some suggestions:

1.  Belize.  Sexual assault/harrassment are pretty much normal things everyday there.  Robbery is something you contend with day in, and day out.   They have some nifty snakes and spiders.  If you pay extra for private security....you probably feel 'safe'.  

2.  Peru.  Just about everyone talks about bureaucracy in Peru....even if you lived in a 12-dog village.  Getting sexual comments from neighbors and co-workers is routine. Pro-litter is a regular habit.  Don't go expecting driving habits match up with anything you've seen in the US.

3.  Chile.  Smog is a regular and accepted thing in Chile.  Cost of living is a regular daily criticism in Chile.   While housing is reasonable, you won't get a decent education situation for your kids, unless you pay for a private school.  Petty theft is a significant issue.  Power outages....something that you need to adjust your lifestyle around.

4.  Greece.  Great healthcare if you catch your village doctor in his public clinic situation....most of the time, he disappears after 10 AM to handle his private clinic patients.  Got phone issues....don't expect a technician for at least six to eight weeks, and you'd best have some cash bribe ready to hand him.  If you were trying to add a room onto the house, you'd prepare yourself for a three-year project.  

5.  Finland.  Brutal winters, each and every year.  Alcoholism is significant and you need to get used to seeing drunks in the middle of town.  High percentage of Finns are dealing with depression.  One of the highest cost of living places in the world.

6.  Iceland.  Road maintenance practices are a joke (go and report a pothole and wait three years for the crew to arrive).  Everyone whines about tourism now.  Volcanoes are a year to year event to work around.  Sexual harassment/assaults are a regular event around urbanized areas. 

7.  France.  The TGV bullet train is fantastic....but ultra expensive and not something that the working class can afford.  Toll roads and toll bridges exist throughout the country...making long-distance travel expensive.  Sexual harassment/assault is extremely 'controlled' by laws, but don't go expecting miracles.  

8.  Scotland.  As indexes go on feeling miserable...Scots lead the world, and it's mostly about feeling unfulfilled.  Don't ever bring up the dismal weather.  Just about everyone in Scotland has some personal story to tell about friends or relatives with serious drug or alcohol abuse issues.  The majority of Scots talk about 'independence' as though it was fantasy dream where some wizard would eventually emerge from the woods and deliver it once and for all.

9.  Japan.  Don't bring up work-life balance....it just leads to a two-hour discussion from your Japanese neighbor.  Smoking in public places is condoned, so don't get all hyped-up and insult people about them smoking six feet away from you.  Just so you are prepared....the Japanese run female passenger only trains....because of the harassment on regular trains.  Mental illness is typically seen by the public as 'your' problem, and you need to resolve your own issue....professional help or clinics aren't on every corner.  

10.  New Zealand.  Whatever you pay for your life's needs.....it'll be shocking for the first month after you arrive in New Zealand.  The quality of houses there.....will make you second-guess the decision after a year.  You probably will hear a minimum of one racist comment each week, from co-workers, associates or neighbors (they expect you to just handle it).  Beyond Auckland, most people would say that urban life is uninspiring.  

I could go on, but the emphasis here is that as much as you hate the US....you probably won't find 'paradise' anywhere on Earth.