The crumbling of America has really helped motivate me to keep up with my Duolingo. Got into the pearl league last week.
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Weirdly enough, small talk is one of those things that is almost unique to English-speaking western countries but most specifically America. I mean I occasionally had it in the UK but that was mostly bitching about the weather rather than small talk youād hear in America. Iāve lived in multiple countries where small talk doesnāt exist. Cashiers in Prague sometimes look at me weird if I even say hello to them (in Czech before you ask).
To be honest, I really donāt mind the lack of small talk much. It actually feels weird to engage in it now that Iāve been gone for so long. Now it feels more like the cashier was trying to fill in silence with idle chatter for fear of social awkwardness than anything else.
It probably depends on where you live, but Iāve found that people tend to give you a lot of leeway if youāre a foreigner, especially if itās a 2nd language.
Iām on the shy side and my humor in English tends to be witty, sarcastic comments. In the past couple years Iāve had to make do in French and Spanish, and as such Iāve mostly lost the ability to inject witty comments, but you learn to make do. Now a lot of my humor is based on cultural differences, self-deprecating humor, and Iāve learned a bit of slang expressions which get a great reaction when used properly.
In a couple situations, I felt like I was being a little show and didnāt make a great impression, but was later surprised to find out that others found me very charming. I think most people will understand your situation and give you the benefit of the doubt. Of course, this assumes youāre living in a city with curious, cultured people. If youāre in the midwest or southern USA theyāll probably just think youāre weird and not give you a chance.
I love Duolingo! I hadnāt used it for awhile and came back last week and just noticed the addition of the leagues. Great concept. I breezed through bronze and will easily advance from silver. Iām trying the Spanish for a French speaker course to try and improve both my foreign languages at the same time. Not sure if itās a good idea, but I figure they are so similar grammatically that it might work out ok.
Sure, but I donāt get to pick where I live that easily. We donāt have a green card.
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I have found nothing interest Americans less than my strikingly accurate remarks on culture differences. Not even the Trader Joeās cashiers.
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This is a big thing for me, but the joy of occasionally landing a good joke in group conversation in a foreign language is almost enough to make up for it.
Maybe if youāre only talking about the West, but Latin America tends to be even warmer socially than the USA. In fact, a lot of people here consider Americans and Canadians to be ācoldā much the same way Americans consider the French and other Euros to be.
As for the lack of small talk in Europe. I found that it didnāt bother me much in France and was more authentic. I think in the USA we BS a lot and force small talk or say things like āweāll have to grab lunch sometimeā even if we donāt mean it and it rubs me the wrong way.
What would be the most comfortable place to immigrate for a black/Asian/Hispanic man who speaks only English?
I honestly wouldnāt know.
Normally, places that already have a lot of diversity or a large foreign-born population are your best bets in general for integration. Not sure specifically for those three ethnicities.
Left UK 13 years ago, settled in Uruguay 10 years ago (bought 10 acres).
Have been a perpetual tourist here all that time, mainly because I despise red tape and am lazy, plus the authorities dgaf.
ā¦having said that Immigration here is not that complicated. Can go into further deets if wanted? Iāve taken a few Muricans through the whole residency process (as a translator).
Any questions: I am happy to answer
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I am Dutch and moved to Australia 20 years ago. Moved back to Holland after 12 years but then moved back again 3 years later. Got here on a sponsored business visa and then got sponsored for permanent residency. Moving here as a skilled person that a company is willing to sponsor and if you speak English is still easy. Pretty hard without sponsorship. Good thing about Sydney is a laid back lifestyle and great weather. Bad thing is that is far away from any other place in the world. Even the close Asian countries are still a 9 hour flight and the only other interesting city closer than that is Melbourne. Also cost of living is pretty bad because renting/owning property is bad compared to income.
If you want to move here and are willing to cheat the system than giving back part of your salary will get you a sponsored visa and then permanent residency with quite a few smaller companies that can sponsor. There are agencies that facilitate that. Costs about $AU10k plus 20% of your salary for 4 years.
Nobody cares about your ethnicity when immigrating but speaking English is important unless you have money. If you are below 26 then you can take the student route and stay after graduating in a desired education.
Sounds like Mexico. Have you just been renewing tourist visas this whole time?
Havenāt even bothered to renew tourist visas tbh. Cheaper and easier to pay the 35 dollar fine whenever I visit the UK (every 3 years). Zero consequences with immigration, noone cares.
Rumor has it that this is about to change: canāt open bank accounts, buy cars, get health insurance etc without at least temporary residence, but I got all that shit done a decade ago.
Iāll end up doing the residency thing this year no doubt (been saying that since my son was born here 8 years ago).
Iām an American who is living in Berlin for the last 2 years. Iām on a corporate assignment so everything is basically taken care of for me from an immigration perspective. I have several expat friends here. Life is good, rent is high in the good neighborhoods, but offset by not owning a car. Groceries are better and better priced here. Healthcare is better, regardless of whether you have private or public insurance. I know exactly what it costs because I pay everything myself. My wife and I are having 2 babies here before we move back.
Bad things are lack of air conditioning, even in most high end apartments and customer service kind of sucks everywhere. Salaries are lower than in comparable American cities.
I donāt think it is possible for an American to just move here without having a job or university sponsoring your status, or perhaps a German fiance.
Child care is reimbursed by the government but there is a shortage and difficult to get spots in Kita near your apartment for a lot of people. The free day care is different in different parts of Germany but it is the policy in Berlin.
People spend a lot more time outside here. Like the parks in the city are packed with a family or group of friends on a blanket every 10 meters. But that is kind of cool too. No open container law is awesome for a casual drinker like me who wants to have a beer while pushing my sonās stroller through a park.
Thereās definitely a great going out scene, with everything from beer gardens to dive bars to dance clubs but with the baby itās not really my lifestyle.
Probably a lot more I could say, not sure what is of interest to people. My brother lived in Mexico City for the last 10 years and his lifestyle was awesome for a teacher.
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Have lived in Japan since 2015. The move wasnāt politically motivated but the timing turned out to be fortuitous.
Since my wife is Japanese the immigration process was a nonissue. I live here on a spousal visa and after 10 years can apply for permanent residency. I speak the language so that too is a nonissue.
If you donāt have a Japanese wife, a decent job prospect, and donāt speak the language, emigrating to Japan becomes considerably more challenging, though certainly not impossible.
Among my reasons to consider living in Japan:
Affordable, accessible, high-quality healthcare. Safe, nonviolent, largely crime-free society. People are kind and unfailingly polite. Rich culture and history. Excellent public transportation. World-class food and dining. Clean, exciting cities like Tokyo & Kyoto. Did I mention they are safe?
If anyone has any questions about living in Japan, feel free to ask away.
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Cost of living? Housing situation? Is it weird living in a country with negative interest rates / declining population? Thoughts on the economy?
Cost of living & housing
Housing can vary greatly depending if youāre living in central Tokyo, out in the burbs, or in the country. Even within the city, the same apartment may, for example, cost a couple hundred (US dollars) more if itās close to a train station as opposed to being a bus ride or long walk away. Youāre also going to get far less square footage for your money compared to the US.
That said, unlike somewhere like SF housing is abundant. Itās easy to find a small-but-livable and reasonably well-located apartment in Tokyo for under 1000 US. But it will be small.
In Tokyo, things like groceries and a cup of coffee tend to be on the pricey side. Dining is surprisingly affordable. Good, cheap eats are abundant and there is no tipping.
In the countryside, the cost of living is comparable to the US Midwest. Due to Japanās declining population abandoned homes are abundant and can be purchased in some cases at prices comparable to a new car.
Negative interest rates & declining population
Negative rates donāt affect me on a personal level. Iām self-employed with most of my income from a US-based LLC and most of my savings and investments based back home. Also doesnāt seem to be affecting the Japanese here that I know. I never hear anyone talking about it. Japanese are notorious savers and conservative investors, even with near-zero interest to be gained. Inflation has been nonexistent for years, although the recent consumption tax hike from 8% to 10% has put a dent in peopleās wallets.
A Japanese friend of mine describes Japan as actually being two Japans: front-facing and hidden. The front-facing Japan is basically the thriving cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Yokohama. Here, business is flourishing, construction is booming, and is full of young, energetic people. There are no signs of economic decline.
Hidden Japan is basically rural, backwater Japan. Here, the declining population is very much an issue and the aforementioned tax hike is one way they are dealing with it. Rural Japan is full of abandoned homes, aging, declining populations, and rusted, shuttered, once-thriving centers of commerce.
I live in a place like this. The average age in my neighborhood is something like 80. Abandoned homes are everywhere. The main business strip is largely shuttered. My wife tells me that when she was a kid this was a thriving area but itās hard to imagine today.
So itās really a tale of two Japans.
Future Outlook
In the near future Japan should be fine. However, fast forward 20-30 year and things will be far more uncertain. Innovation lags compared to China and the US, as do wages. I believe the country will need to relax its rigid immigration policy and make it easier for foreigners to live and work here to supplement its declining population. This is already happening to some extent.
Nonetheless,despite these issue the pluses far outweigh the minuses and there is nowhere else I could imagine living at this stage of my life.
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Wow sounds great
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Awesome info, thanks. I think I would love living in one of those cheap abandoned regions.
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