advice on moving to a new country

Roethke said:

I can only hope that most of this is facetious, but I'm afraid that it isn't.

TAFKASP said:

she's just bitter because an illegal immigrant took her strawberry picking job.

Femi said:
I'll be living in Nepal and Africa for the next 10 months, I'm trying to get out of California. But if you really want to come here you can always have fun losing your job to the million of illegal aliens, h
Pay for those illegal aliens and their 9 illegitimate kids, take a dip in one of our polluted beaches, also don't forget... Breath in all that fresh smog and roll around in all the trash! Your paradise awaits!

Stiles said:

So you live in L.A., then.



Seriously, though, there are good points to be made about the effect of illegal immigration in california, but you're not making them. You're going for the cheap shots instead.

LA is not San Francisco nor Humboldt nor San Diego nor Inyo.

Everywhere you go there will be good and bad things. Smog, traffic, incredible canyon twisties, mountains, desert, beaches, high cost of living, lots of things to see and do, great food, earthquakes, vibrant nightlife, beautiful scenery, fires, sunny warm weather all year round, surfing, - all part of California living.

Nepal and Africa will have their own good and bad points too.

SockPuppet said:

Especially given that Africa is a whole continent.

The Young Communist League (YCL), a Maoist Party subgroup, continues to engage in extortion, abuse, and threats of violence, particularly in rural areas. Youth groups from the other two main political parties, the Nepali Congress (NC) and the United Marxist-Leninist Party (UML), have also formed and clashes continue among these political rivals. Violent actions by multiple armed splinter groups in the Terai region along the southern border with India remain a significant concern.

While protests and pre-election localized bombing incidents have decreased, demonstrations and disruptions still occur. During demonstrations, protestors have used violence, including damaging vehicles, throwing rocks, and burning tires to block traffic. Given the nature, intensity, and unpredictability of disturbances, American citizens are urged to exercise special caution during times when demonstrations are announced, avoid areas where demonstrations are occurring or crowds are forming, avoid road travel, and maintain a low profile. Curfews can be announced with little or no advance notice. American citizens are urged to consult media sources and to register with the Embassy (see instructions below) for current security information.

Crime in the Kathmandu Valley, including violent crime and harassment of women, continues to rise. Police resources to combat such crime are limited. Police have reported a number of robberies by armed gangs, sometimes resulting in injury to the victims. The U.S. Embassy reports an increase in crime in some popular tourist areas such as Pokhara and the Thamel area of Kathmandu. Visitors to Nepal should practice good personal security when moving about, especially at night, and avoid walking alone after dark, carrying large sums of cash, or wearing expensive jewelry. In several reported incidents tourists have had their belongings stolen from their rooms while they were asleep. Solo trekkers have been robbed by small groups of young men, even on some popular trails. Some Young Communist League members extort money from foreign tourists along some popular trekking routes, and have threatened physical violence to Nepalis and non-Nepalis alike for violating localized strikes.

...

Crimes such as mugging, robbery, burglary, and carjacking pose the highest risk for foreign visitors in Abidjan. Visitors should be careful when stopped in heavy traffic or at impromptu roadblocks due to the threat of violent robbery, and should avoid travel outside of the city after dark. Land routes to neighboring countries are open, although overland travel to Liberia and Guinea is strongly discouraged, and caution is urged when crossing into Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana.

In November 2008, armed groups based in Somalia crossed into Kenya near the town of El Wak and kidnapped two Westerners. Travel by U.S. Embassy personnel to border areas of Kenya northeast of the town of Wajir has been restricted until further notice.

Violent and sometimes fatal criminal attacks, including armed carjackings and home invasions/burglaries, can occur at any time and in any location, particularly in Nairobi. As recently as June 2008, U.S. Embassy personnel were victims of carjackings. In the short-term, the continued displacement of thousands of people by the recent civil unrest combined with endemic poverty and the availability of weapons could result in an increase in crime, both petty and violent. Kenyan authorities have limited capacity to deter or investigate such acts or prosecute perpetrators.

Terrorist attacks including bombings, false roadblocks, kidnappings, ambushes, and assassinations occur regularly. Since early 2007, the use of suicide bomb attacks, particularly vehicle-borne attacks, has emerged as a terrorist tactic in Algeria, including in the capital. The group that claimed credit for the December 11, 2007, suicide car-bomb attacks in Algiers has pledged more attacks against foreign targets, and specifically against American targets.

The Department of State warns American citizens against travel to the Kabylie region of Algeria. Since June 2008, the Kabylie region has seen a series of bombing and other terrorist attacks of increasing size and frequency, including a suicide car-bomb attack at a gendarmerie school in Issers on August 19 that killed at least 44 people. While many of the attacks have targeted Algerian security forces, other targets have included a bus transporting the employees of a foreign company, and many of the victims of the attacks have been civilians.

hotcurry said:And you best not lose your job because they've lowered unemployment benefits.

Femi said:
I'll be living in Nepal and Africa for the next 10 months, I'm trying to get out of California. But if you really want to come here you can always have fun losing your job to the million of illegal aliens, h
Pay for those illegal aliens and their 9 illegitimate kids, take a dip in one of our polluted beaches, also don't forget... Breath in all that fresh smog and roll around in all the trash! Your paradise awaits!

Femi said:
I'll be living in Nepal and Africa for the next 10 months, I'm trying to get out of California. But if you really want to come here you can always have fun losing your job to the million of illegal aliens, h
Pay for those illegal aliens and their 9 illegitimate kids, take a dip in one of our polluted beaches, also don't forget... Breath in all that fresh smog and roll around in all the trash! Your paradise awaits!

Cassiel said:

and you plot yr revenge.

hotcurry said:
This thread took a terrible turn.

I just want to stress how impossibly difficult it is to move somewhere if you are an American. Other countries hardly welcome you with open arms ample employment opportunities and free healthcare. Do your research, there are very strict laws in place limiting your working abilities and access to healthcare. I have often times thought about moving out of the country, but it is something that requires a lot of paperwork and a lot of money. The later part being the more difficult.

I don't mean to talk you out of moving, but it's not something one rushes into without careful research and a healthy bank account.

Salome said:
Ignorance aside:

I moved to Russia and lived there for two years. I got myself a job at the English-language newspaper before I arrived, but the visa requirements became almost impossible to satisfy so I had to leave.

I then did a three-month stay in Taipei. I taught English until it was clear my agency was taking advantage of me (paying me only six hours of pay for eight-hour work days, not including out-of-class lesson planning), so I quit and left (I didn't like the country so I left rather than sign up with a new agency.)

Then I moved to London for almost a year. I was on a student visa there, but due to my status my hours were capped and I had to move back home and finish my program long-distance.

So there are the three easiest ways to travel to another country: 1. Work 2. Work teaching English and 3. studying. Other options are volunteering with agencies like the Peace Corps, Doctors Without Borders, etc.

With the last two countries, I was living with someone else who could help with the bills. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to support myself.

Please let me stress that you CANNOT just show up in a country and expect to live there, especially if you're trying to get to the EU and you're American. You MUST spend a lot of time researching your opportunities or you'll have to come back 4 months later broke and live with your parents, or be deported.

If you aren't sure what you want to do and just want a change and to do some good, please consider the Peace Corps. It's a two year commitment, but not a single person I know has regretted doing it.

Tiger_Fodder said:

Or move up North. New York City would be a culture shock compared to Charlotte.

baudot said:


The most important question hasn't been asked yet. What is it about life abroad that's romantic to you? What experience are you chasing? That determines a great deal of where you should go. And where you go has much to do with what you should do.

If you're thinking of anyplace third world, look over http://www.comebackalive.com/. Robert Young Pelton has a writing style that's loaded with know-It-all bullshit, maybe because he does know more than anyone else who's talking.