The expat life... how?

[BananaBuds]

For a time I lived out of country and got a sample of what its like. I was in asia and I have to say that I saw so many foreigners living there and the way they live just struck me as vastly different from being at home. All of them had something unique about them and while some took advantages of the no-rules sort of situation they found themselves in, others really seemed to just enjoy the change of pace offered by living abroad. I really enjoyed the area I was in and would go back in a heartbeat. A lot of the WCG-goers seem to have experience living abroad. My question is how did you end up there? The first time I went it was specified to be 9-12 months and that was that. I want to know how you managed to find a way to move. Working for a multinational company and just got transferred? Moved on your own and just found somethin once you got there? Bum around and never work? Anyways, just wondering how you guys found your way in to that quirky little community of expats

 

[Citizens Aux PD]

Locate an international penpal site---there are loads out there---and start writing. You might fall in love with a foreigner. It happened to me and now I live in a beautiful country free of reptiles named Bush & Cheney.

 

[Guest]

Spent time in Germany in the Army and went TDY all over the world. After a medical discharge a prominant company offered me a job on the phone while i was smoking weed with a friend. He lost his mind because the Army put me out on a medical making not much money as an E-6, sitting at home getting high and this company calls and says would you be interested in an overseas job? I said maybe, where. They said Italy for 120k a year. I left 11 days later. That was Jan 1991.
Peace
MOD

ps It seems when i got out and applied for un-employment my resume got passed around. This offer was out of the blue.

 

[Chamba]

I went for a 2 week overseas holiday to Asia once......over 20 years later, I'm still there!..boy met girl etc etc

travel to Asia.... experience everything...Asia is the place!.......after living in Asia, back "home" seems like an overtaxed, over priced, overly bland, rat race full of self absorbed, selfish, wankers, wheel spinning their lives on caffiene..well, sometimes it does, anyway...

 

[BananaBuds]

I went for a 2 week overseas holiday to Asia once......over 20 years later, I'm still there!..boy met girl etc etc

travel to Asia.... experience everything...Asia is the place!.......after living in Asia, back "home" seems like an overtaxed, over priced, overly bland, rat race full of self absorbed, selfish, wankers, wheel spinning their lives on caffiene..well, sometimes it does, anyway...

I know exactly what you mean This is how I feeol now being back and is really why I want to go back and stay

 

[redrider]

I met a beautiful girl in Colombia and moved down here. Been here three years and have no plans of returning to the USA. I really love it down here but there are some things I miss about the good old USA, like a real mail service and english then I take a hit of my homegrown and forget all about it.

 

[BananaBuds]

So what kind of work does everyone do abroad? I know in when I was in asia everyhting a western foreigner did was related to pimping out their english skills, being it for a corporation, radio station or teaching 5th graders. Other than that I don;t know what kind of jobs exist. I have heard siging up with companies like the big oil ones and such can get you out and about but I dunno.... sounds like a good way to get stuck in some dead end desk job somewhere in texas; that and the fact that i'm not sure the oil companies are in tune politcally with some of my beliefs...

 

[Chamba]

you can teach English to kids (and you can earn a good wage in Nth Asia!) or work for a company in Asia....but working for oneself doing some type of business or commission selling, although more challenging, is way more satisfying in many ways.

Asia is the land of opportunities....just about everything is produced there for export and it is booming with 5~ 10% growth..

...so use your imagination, become a consultant? get involved with export trade?, open a bar or restaurant with a local person?

...seize the day and all that....if you have to be told the what, where and how, I guess it's not for you...just do it!

so, head east!..experience the exotic..hello new, fast and exciting, goodbye bland and safe....every young person from the UK, Australia, Canada, Europe, the US etc should take an extended trip to Asia and see new cultures, do new things etc..widen your horizons and then maybe set up a small business and sell widgets by the container load to back home!

 

[Guest]

if you are interested in teaching (no! no! aaaaargh!) then have a look at

www.ajarn.com
www.tealit.com

both of them have much useful info beyond that

 

[BananaBuds]

sweet thanks guys! I had always wondered if it was feasible to open a bar or small business in asia. I know when I was there I noticed two things; the first was that a lot of the bars lacked flair and good atmosphere and the second was that a lot of western luxury items that were popular did not have a proportionate ratio retail shops, i.e. cigars were liked by many of the businessmen i met but unless you went to the very expensive and exclusive places... the selection was not the best. Alright, got the ideas flowing... I'm sending everyone postcards from china in 5 years

 

[Guest]

China?

you must be joking mate

live somewhere for a couple of years and learn the language before you even begin to think of going into business

furthermore develop a network for freinds, obviously

apologies for being brusque

no one but the most ardent Sinophile would want to live in China, let alone do business

are you aware of the enormous restrictions in place on even citizens there, let alone visitors?

Namkha

 

[KharmaGirl]

China?

you must be joking mate

live somewhere for a couple of years and learn the language before you even begin to think of going into business

furthermore develop a network for freinds, obviously

apologies for being brusque

no one but the most ardent Sinophile would want to live in China, let alone do business

are you aware of the enormous restrictions in place on even citizens there, let alone visitors?

Namkha

Funny. My l'il sis has been there for almost 2 years with nary a problem.

 

[BananaBuds]

Meh, chinese isn't so much a problem, I've spent 6 months plus at a time there and have experience with the language... not to mention that most of the major coastal cities are much more capitalist in nature. Then theres always Taiwan, chinese capitalism at its best

Funny. My l'il sis has been there for almost 2 years with nary a problem.

cool... what part? if ya dont mind my asking

 

[Guest]

lol yes mate I lived in Taiwan for a couple of years myself and have passable Mandarin

of course it is possible to live in China without hassle
Shanghai and HK are examples of two fantastic places to live

but to emigrate there and start a business?

not to mention:
appaling human rights abuse
huge restrictions on your freedom of movement
ongoing civil uprisings in rural areas by angry farmers being forced off their land by state projects
massive floods
spiralling AIDS epidemics, 1000s of deaths due to state hospital blood contamination
lack of freedom of speech
appaling genocide, oppression and destuction in Tibet which continues in quiter form to this day (cf new line)
locking up, organ harvesting and killing of Falun Gong and Yi Guan Dao members in their thousands
internet censorship
state control of the vast majority of business
state control of institutional religion

I could go on

sound like a nice place to you?
it is possible to have a very mellow time in an autocratic society - I speak from experience

brutality is not always visible - when was the last time you visited your nearest prison, or neighbourhood sink estate?

Not to mention, they don't always look too bad... lol

nasty things are going on all around you

woooohahahahaha

Namkha

 

[Grow Girl]

get the fuck out of the usa........................NOW

 

[Grow Girl]

where i live...........cell phone per month $6.00, one acre property taxes per year....$32.00, water 3.00 per month. big plate of fresh red snapper and all the trimmings........3.50... grow your own, no problem , just dont sell it. sex everywhere, waterfalls, monkeys, its paradise!!!! fuck the usa. and no, i wont say where it is. buy its between mexico and columbia.

 

[BananaBuds]

where i live...........cell phone per month $6.00, one acre property taxes per year....$32.00, water 3.00 per month. big plate of fresh red snapper and all the trimmings........3.50... grow your own, no problem , just dont sell it. sex everywhere, waterfalls, monkeys, its paradise!!!! fuck the usa. and no, i wont say where it is. buy its between mexico and columbia.

Time to learn spanish

lol yes mate I lived in Taiwan for a couple of years myself and have passable Mandarin

of course it is possible to live in China without hassle
Shanghai and HK are examples of two fantastic places to live

but to emigrate there and start a business?

not to mention:
appaling human rights abuse
huge restrictions on your freedom of movement
ongoing civil uprisings in rural areas by angry farmers being forced off their land by state projects
massive floods
spiralling AIDS epidemics, 1000s of deaths due to state hospital blood contamination
lack of freedom of speech
appaling genocide, oppression and destuction in Tibet which continues in quiter form to this day (cf new line)
locking up, organ harvesting and killing of Falun Gong and Yi Guan Dao members in their thousands
internet censorship
state control of the vast majority of business
state control of institutional religion

I could go on

sound like a nice place to you?
it is possible to have a very mellow time in an autocratic society - I speak from experience

brutality is not always visible - when was the last time you visited your nearest prison, or neighbourhood sink estate?

Not to mention, they don't always look too bad... lol

nasty things are going on all around you

woooohahahahaha

Namkha

First of all, yes I am aware of all the things you mentioned, and no, I don't support tehm or think they are in any way appealing to live with. However, seeing some of the bad in this world is not a bad way to stay humble and grounded ya know. And besides Shanghai and HK could both be fun. Besides, to me at least, a bar and a business strike a little different note

No offense, just my thoughts. YOMD

 

[BruceLeeroy]

hey that sounds like someplace i know!

hey that sounds like someplace i know!

lol yes mate I lived in Taiwan for a couple of years myself and have passable Mandarin

of course it is possible to live in China without hassle
Shanghai and HK are examples of two fantastic places to live

but to emigrate there and start a business?

not to mention:
appaling human rights abuse
huge restrictions on your freedom of movement
ongoing civil uprisings in rural areas by angry farmers being forced off their land by state projects
massive floods
spiralling AIDS epidemics, 1000s of deaths due to state hospital blood contamination
lack of freedom of speech
appaling genocide, oppression and destuction in Tibet which continues in quiter form to this day (cf new line)
locking up, organ harvesting and killing of Falun Gong and Yi Guan Dao members in their thousands
internet censorship
state control of the vast majority of business
state control of institutional religion

I could go on

sound like a nice place to you?
it is possible to have a very mellow time in an autocratic society - I speak from experience

brutality is not always visible - when was the last time you visited your nearest prison, or neighbourhood sink estate?

Not to mention, they don't always look too bad... lol

nasty things are going on all around you

woooohahahahaha

Namkha

oh i know this one! "What is the United States?"

lol

 

[KharmaGirl]

BananaBuds..........My sis is in Fujian Province, Fuzhou City

 

[motaco]

yes. I'm very seriously thinking about undertaking steps to become a canadian citizen.

its not like america will have health care or social security for my generation or anything. that shit'll be well done with by when I retire. they'll just tax the fuck out of my generation for the war and not give us anything in return. at least in canada my taxes would go to free healthcare and shit like that.