The Expat/Emigrant Lounge

brasiliareview said:

Tell us the worst thing! You know, if it's not PTSD or anything. I want to go to SA to see some of the sites of the Cradle of Humanity, if possible, or at least museums of paleo-anthropology like the Transvaal Museum.

Click to expand...

The country is horribly still embroiled in racism (and it's not all white on black, let me assure you) and it's constantly used as propaganda.

I don't want to sound flippant (or politically incorrect), but effectively every time the non-whites in SA (I use the term loosely) have had enough of the ANC (remember that non-whites are usually the ones who vote for the ANC and make up a HUGE majority of voters), the ANC will remind them about Apartheid and scaremonger them into voting against the DA (out of fear of the past). Apartheid is something that could never really happen again, but you can understand why people are terrified of it again. The ANC is driving SA further into the ground. We had a maid whilst we were there (who we had a family-like bond with), she ate with us, was invited to all our family occasions, had her own room, was paid well, etc etc. and even she said she wishes (quite controversially) that it was still apartheid, because it was better than what SA has become. That's her words, not mine. I was only there for a year and a half.

For me though (politics aside), I'd say it was pretty difficult being unable to work. As crazy as it sounds, I was unhireable for being both foreign and white. Most of the jobs I would have been eligible for required low-skilled work (I have a substantial Retail-related CV) and favour 'previously disadvantaged' workers over others. Basically, I was stuck in a bad loop and all I wanted was to make a living - a reason to get up every day.

As a country though, it's absolutely stunning. I'd recommend visiting to anybody. It's an eye-opener for sure. Not somewhere I'd recommend anybody to live, but definitely somewhere everyone should take the time to visit.

Wow, huh. America is so screwed up and complex regarding race that it's hard to know what to say about this. It reminds me of certain Eastern Europeans who want to go back to the days under Communism. It hardly seems like Aparteid could be better than their system today. I can't discount the maid's opinion though since she has the experience.

I sympathize with you about your trouble finding a job. I've read about India where the cronyist bureaucracy stifles people trying to get ahead. It seems like a frustrating life.

brasiliareview said:

Wow, huh. America is so screwed up and complex regarding race that it's hard to know what to say about this. It reminds me of certain Eastern Europeans who want to go back to the days under Communism. It hardly seems like Aparteid could be better than their system today. I can't discount the maid's opinion though since she has the experience.

I sympathize with you about your trouble finding a job. I've read about India where the cronyist bureaucracy stifles people trying to get ahead. It seems like a frustrating life.

Click to expand...

It's really a tough situation out there, but of course I can only speak from my perspective.

I'm hoping that things will get better, and we're planning on going out every few years on holiday. SA has all the potential in the world - but they need to oust the ANC and fix their political issues before they can ever progress it seems.

I was born in the U.S. and still live in the U.S., but reluctantly. I lived in Athens for 18 months, and, additionally made two trips to Germany with side trips to France and one to the English countryside. I have to say that my soul longs for Europe. I am location-independent with my writing (as long as I can get or find Internet), and I'd love to just live a couple of months in various countries--especially France, Germany, the Czech Republic and others.

Poland expat experience = SA expat experience = Poland expat experience

DjentlemanJoe said:

SA has all the potential in the world - but they need to oust the ANC and fix their political issues before they can ever progress it seems.

Click to expand...

It sounds like Poland; where the country needs to open its windows, realise the time it is living in, and look to the future rather than live in the past.

Last edited by RosalynGlas Yesterday. Reason: too much info - rewrote to stay on subject

Click to expand...

Mark of a real writer there!

brasiliareview said:

Which language is the most difficult to master?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure actually. I love learning languages, so I don't really feel doing it to be a difficulty if you know what I mean. Arabic was pretty tough, tho

Creative Cowboy said:

It sounds like Poland; where the country needs to open its windows, realise the time it is living in, and look to the future rather than live in the past.

Click to expand...

sounds like Hungary, too

Thinking

Susan Anwin said:

I'm not sure actually. I love learning languages, so I don't really feel doing it to be a difficulty if you know what I mean. Arabic was pretty tough, tho

Click to expand...

Much is told about how different cultural experiences inform the writer, and didn't linguistics influence Tolkien's work.... But Arabic, Hungarian, English are very broad in the spectrum of languages (and pathways of thinking associated with speaking one's thoughts).

How has this affected your writing?

Creative Cowboy said:

Much is told about how different cultural experiences inform the writer, and didn't linguistics influence Tolkien's work.... But Arabic, Hungarian, English are very broad in the spectrum of languages (and pathways of thinking associated with speaking one's thoughts).

How has this affected your writing?

Click to expand...

Great questions. Exactly what I was wondering.

For example re: pathways of thinking, I learned this at school. Irish has a different way of handling emotions. In English, I am sad. I = sad. In Irish, they say "I have a sadness on me." It sort of divorces how you're feeling from how you are at your core. Very interesting. Perhaps it could lead to more control over your emotions, rather than being controlled by them?

Native and current Israeli, but planning to move out to the Netherlands. Wasn't raised to tolerate blatant discrimination.

Sad that so many people seem to have experienced intolerance.

I'm moving to Japan at the end of March. I have friends out there and I really want a change of scene. Should be an adventure!

I thought to share my Polish experience.... this from The Guardian. And I can testify, in all dispassionate expat truthfulness, it is 100% what I have experienced. Over 5% of the entire population of the country has emmigrated out, leaving Rome to burn, so to speak.

I mentioned about opening a window and looking out of it in a post above and this documentary nails it.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/jan/19/pretty-radical-young-woman-poland-far-right-video

So does Nigel Farage, confronting the leader of Poland who quit his party and his leadership to work in the EU... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYdQO58FXvE

His winning campaign slogan? "Razem"
Razem means "together." O, the irony.

I am an American, born and raised in California, but I have been living in Australia (Tasmania) since August 2010. I fell in love with one of those pesky local boys, and decided to marry him.

I currently hold a permanent residency visa, and I'm on the "long wait" until I can attempt to get a citizenship. If I can pass muster, I will go for a dual citizenship. But that won't happen till around 2017 I think.

Hello. I'm currently writing from Rwanda. A Brit originally, I first came here in 2007-09 with VSO to publish the country's sign language dictionary. Went away, came back in May 2014 and currently deciding how long to stay. Approaching the fourth house move in eight months, so a bit tired, but the country does seem to push me to productivity. I wrote my first two novels here.

I've worked in development, and been a bit of a wanderer. Travelled around Laos, Australia, and visited other areas of Africa: Uganda, Kenya and Sierra Leone. Worked briefly in Armenia. Written about 1930s South Australia and 1850s Northern Iran.

I truly believe travel is wonderful for writing, provided you can sit down somewhere quiet afterwards and process all that you've seen.

Any other writers in EA? Love to hear from you.

Not following any of the recent posts, but I read some of the original on this thread. Just wanted to throw my hat in the ring...

I'm an American Mid-Westerner living in Dalian, China. It's the city at the bottom of the peninsula everyone always misses, to the west of the Koreas. I've been here for more than three years, and will most likely straddle America and China indefinitely considering I married a Chinese national and she has no desire to live in the US. Neither do I, quite frankly at this point, but who knows in the future?

I taught in the States, and decided to come over here instead of starting my career in an American public school. Was only supposed to be here one year...but, yeah, plans change. I'm in an International School, so I'm putting my degree and schooling to use, and traveling as much as I can. I also blog about China, and have about half a dozen China-inspired short stories along with a few novels brewing.

I love my life here, and though there are days when I'd rather not leave my apartment in order to preserve the illusion that I'm not an outsider, I find being a "lao wai" here pretty interesting and educational. I've written articles for teaching websites and a few on travel, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for publishing the great Ameri....Sino-American...Chinacan, Americhinan Novel...

Receding Waters said:

I've been here for more than three years, and will most likely straddle America and China indefinitely considering I married a Chinese national and she has no desire to live in the US. Neither do I, quite frankly at this point, but who knows in the future?

Click to expand...

I know that feeling. People look at me like I have antlers coming out of my head when I say that I have no desire to return to Canada (I'm Canadian). It's a great country, but I lived there for 35 years. I'm totally on board for seeing other parts of the world now, thankyouverymuch.

LM Ashton,

You lived in China for 35 years? Dang, that's a long haul. Bet you have a lot of interesting stories. And now you're in Malaysia. Never been, but I'll be there this March for a week.

Try reading that again. Canada. Ca. Na. Da.

Nice. Yeah, read that as you being a Canadian who lived in China, then moved to Malaysia.

American living in Penang, Malaysia.

I've been here for 5 years now, and hope to retire here.

First time I've lived in another country, but I've traveled all over the world.

Hardest thing about being an American working in Malaysia is paying taxes in both countries.... ugh

Receding Waters said:

Nice. Yeah, read that as you being a Canadian who lived in China, then moved to Malaysia.

Click to expand...

LOL! Yeah. My actual path has been Canada > Sri Lanka >New Zealand >Singapore >Malaysia. Not sure where we're going next, assuming there is a next, although it seems rather likely.


Hey, Thewitt, and welcome. I hear there are a lot of expats in Penang. True?

There are quite a few ex-pats in Penang, though I think more from the UK than from the US. It's a very matsaleh friendly place

Cool.

The food is so good in Malaysia! Mmm, my mouth still waters remembering the Nyonya food I had there when I was visiting my uncle.

Hey kids, I'm originally from England, emigrated to Canada in the 80s. Circled the drain in Toronto for a long time, then recently moved to Nova Scotia. Currently enjoying the off-grid lifestyle on the Cabot Trail in beautiful Cape Breton. Would love to hear from any expat Brits around the globe.