Ever lived - or want to live - overseas?

paintgirl

I'm watching House Hunters International. (After a week of business travel on crutches I deserve some brain rot. Plus I consider it a cultural education.)

Have you ever lived overseas? Is it a bucket list item for you or something you would at least consider? If so, how far away from Western culture would you go (i.e. far east? middle east? Or more like Canada is as far as I want to go?)

I'm not necessarily thinking of studying abroad. In that scenario you have a fixed period of time to be in the country, housing and finances are pretty handled before you go, and so on. Would you pick up your family, your career, your home and move overseas?

bethsmiles

I love househunters!

I think I would enjoy living overseas. I would really like to live in Australia, maybe New Zealand. I wouldn't stray from Western culture - I'm not that adventurous. I'd rather travel a lot than move somewhere permanently.

ravenray

Yes!  I have lived there but more on a fixed time period so I guess that doesn't count.  I actually have to live there to be useful for my degree at some point.  FI and I have talked about it a little, I think he is less thrilled with the idea but I have always wanted to live in Europe for some amount of time.  Not forever, I love America way way to much but for a few years would be awesome.  I like Europe; I have no desire to live anywhere else.  Ideally I would live in Germany or France and I have to at some point if I want to become fluent.  So hopefully I will get to do that.    I really think living in another country gives you something for your life and respect for what you have here, I like it.

Are you thinking about moving paint?

paintgirl

I'll answer my own question to get the ball rolling - and just in case no one is on TK on a Friday night. I hear some of you have real lives.

I have never wanted to live overseas. I would consider it IF I were moving for a particular job (or BF was). I'd probably not just pick up and go for the heck of it. I would consider a Caribbean location within a reasonable flight of the U.S. in order to keep my current job but that's sort of cheating.

BF gets job offers in the middle east all the time. The only way we could go there is if: 1) He made enough money that I didn't have to work (although I could still do a little work in the U.S. remotely) because I wouldn't be permitted to work in my field in the countries he receives job offers. 2) We would have to agree on staying there for a fixed period of time - maybe 2 years - and re-evaluate whether to stay, come back to the States, or try something new.

Asia has a lot of jobs in our field right now but I've never been attracted to the Asian culture (aside from the FOOD!) enough to consider living there. Again, I would go for a year or two under the right conditions but it's likely I want to come back to the U.S. after a short time.

paintgirl

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_ever-lived-want-live-overseas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:b4ff119a-fc4b-4aa7-8368-ddc261b19972Post:5f9cbd77-b578-45c5-9a44-b8d5b7360bac">Re: Ever lived - or want to live - overseas?</a>:
[QUOTE] Are you thinking about moving paint?
Posted by ravenray[/QUOTE]

Dear god I hope not. :) I've moved 4 times in 2 years. We just bought a house here so I hope we're here for awhile. But BF gets offers now and then in UAE and Saudi. Some of them are attractive.

ravenray

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_ever-lived-want-live-overseas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:b4ff119a-fc4b-4aa7-8368-ddc261b19972Post:77e8db96-61e2-4dc9-8bd1-9815f5299320">Re: Ever lived - or want to live - overseas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Ever lived - or want to live - overseas? : Dear god I hope not. :) I've moved 4 times in 2 years. We just bought a house here so I hope we're here for awhile. But BF gets offers now and then in UAE and Saudi. Some of them are attractive.
Posted by paintgirl[/QUOTE]
Ya I thought so but I wasn't sure.  :)  It might be fun?  And a crazy culture shock! :)

paintgirl

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_ever-lived-want-live-overseas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:136Discussion:b4ff119a-fc4b-4aa7-8368-ddc261b19972Post:bf3fbb36-9369-4e59-a81e-279c09274667">Re: Ever lived - or want to live - overseas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Ever lived - or want to live - overseas? : Ya I thought so but I wasn't sure.  :)  It might be fun?  And a crazy culture shock! :)
Posted by ravenray[/QUOTE]

My sister has spent a lot of time in the middle east so I think I'd do better with the culture than some folks going in completely cold. HOWEVER... we'd have to be in one of those countries that caters to the westerners a bit and allows alcohol. :)

And I think there's a good chance I would get fat if I had to cover myself all the time.

paintgirl

OMG I think it's an HHI marathon.

ravenray

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_ever-lived-want-live-overseas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:b4ff119a-fc4b-4aa7-8368-ddc261b19972Post:5690dff0-5a02-4a5f-a498-6abd08387d87">Re: Ever lived - or want to live - overseas?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Ever lived - or want to live - overseas? : My sister has spent a lot of time in the middle east so I think I'd do better with the culture than some folks going in completely cold. HOWEVER... we'd have to be in one of those countries that caters to the westerners a bit and allows alcohol. :) And I think there's a good chance I would get fat if I had to cover myself all the time.
Posted by paintgirl[/QUOTE]
Lol  Good point!  The alcohol is important :)

peekaboo2011

I was an exchange student for a year.  And while my parents handled my finances and the program found me a family, I was fortunate enough to get a family that actually treated me as another daughter - I had chores and found an after school job and was expected to do the same things that my host sister was.

I loved Germany.  I loved going to school and being a part of the culture.  I loved my family and I loved the whole experience of it.  And because of that experience, if given the opportunity to pick up my family and move them overseas - my husband, my kids, whatever, I'd do it in a heartbeat.  Probably only to Germany.  Anywhere else would take a lot of thought and consideration.  But if it were Germany, I wouldn't think twice.

elannis

I lived in Spain for 4 months for my degree, but didn't really get all that immersed. I went with a large program and so most of my time was spent with Americans, speaking English. I did pick up a bit of an accent though. I really wish I would have gotten more into the culture and met Spaniards though because I suck at speaking Spanish and having conversations. I'm so much better at translating written work. I'm shy too though, so I get nervous when I have to talk to people, especially in Spanish, so that makes it hard for me to concentrate.

I'd love to go back for a year or two, if I could take FI, but going alone was too much for me. I could never move there and leave all of my family for any extended length of time.

IrishDreamer

I'd move to Australia in a frickin heartbeat. BF would too... or so he says. But as of right now, he has lived here in the Zoo his entire life. Born and raised here... i've never lived in a house longer than 2 years. Lived in the same town/area  for more than that, but never the same house/home - so I have no problem up and moving. I'm good with jumping ship :-P

bethsmiles

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_ever-lived-want-live-overseas?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:b4ff119a-fc4b-4aa7-8368-ddc261b19972Post:82fca0c7-ef54-468d-8716-db37f9a08998">Re: Ever lived - or want to live - overseas?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'd move to Australia in a frickin heartbeat. BF would too... or so he says. But as of right now, he has lived here in the Zoo his entire life. Born and raised here... i've never lived in a house longer than 2 years. Lived in the same town/area  for more than that, but never the same house/home - so I have no problem up and moving. I'm good with jumping ship :-P
Posted by IrishDreamer[/QUOTE]

BF and I would move to Australia in a heartbeat too! Both of us would really like to move actually. I would love in live in Washington.

mookow86

FI and I would both love to live in Singapore. You kind of get the best of both worlds there since they speak English and everything, and yet you still get freaking AMAZING Asian food! Mmmmm. I could see us living there for a few years, but I wouldn't want to be away from my family in the states for longer than that.

And I'd love to live on an island in Thailand...maybe for retirement?

thejucheidea

I studied abroad in Germany and lived in Ghana. I would definitely do it again, but I don't know if Tyler would. For some reason, he refuses to get a passport. I don't understand. You should have a passport in case you need it at any point.

paintgirl

Bf wants to live in Australian. I guess their Visa requirements are pretty tight though so that one is unlikely for us!

aeroprincess87

I had always wanted to live abroad (meaning not in the US one day). When I was younger my aim was for England so I could snag myself a hot British guy with an equally hot accent. Somehow though I ended up in Canada with a hot Canadian guy who is of British decent. Go figure, lol.

becunning2

I would love to live abroad.  Mostly, in a heart beat.  There are many, many places I'd go (pretty much anywhere in Europe, Austrailia, New Zealand) at the drop of a hat. Many more places I'd be excited about (Japan... maybe China, but it depends), south america...  I'm not sure I'd be teaching my dream job (Latin), but at least I'd be living in some dreamy places!

jaycee7389

FI and I have been talking about it recently. He has the option to transfer internationally in the future, and we thought it may be an interesting option for a few years. I would only move if we went to an English speaking country so that I could work easily as well, and for a few years until we wanted to start a family.

Lil B Mama

IWhen I was younger, I wanted to live in the UK where my family is from. As a first generation Canadian, I've always felt a strong connection with British culture and grew up surrounded by it. Now that I'm older I have much more Canadian pride and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Trips are nice, and I love being on the road, but my home will always be here.

Narwhal

I'm an army brat and my parents spent the majority of the beginning of their marriage living all over Europe (Germany mostly, but also France, Spain, Holland and.. Austria maybe?). Neither of us want to join the military, but the idea of being able to experience a lot of different countries and cultures while living on an American base seems ideal to me.

I would love to live in the middle east because the culture fascinates me but actually in practice I probably wouldn't do it. And there's no way FI would go for it. I've been trying to talk him into moving to Texas after we get married and he's not very enthusiastic.

ETA: I would love to have a year-long vacation though and experience several different countries for at least a month each... but I don't think living in any one for a long period of time would do it for me.

Peaseblossom55

I am a little late to the game, oh well.  I lived in China for  3 1.2 weeks for grad school adn 2 months in Italy for grad school as well.  Both were amazing experiences.  I would love to live in Paris though. I love house hunters international too.  I love when they show episodes in Paris too.    I love Paris and I miss it dearly I haven't been there since 2008.