I've been thinking a lot about my future plans in my adopted country recently and it prompted me to start this thread to get the temperature of other RVF expats.
The prompt: Where are you from? Where do you live? How long have you been there? Do you plan to move back home? Follow on commentary is of course encouraged.
I'll start:
From the US. Living in Brazil for nearly 3 years. Yes I will likely move back, though it won't be for at least another 3+ years.
I miss being close to my family (2 nieces born since I got here and another on the way) and friends, and day to day annoyances of dealing with the overall clusterfuck that this country is (everything is more complicated than it should be) so far have been outweighed by the thrill of new experiences, overcoming personal challenges, and the women. As the novelty wears off the downside becomes greater.
Mostly I see myself moving back to the states because I am engaged now and I can't see myself raising a kid here. The fact is simple things that we take for granted in the states, like good public schools and safety, are luxury items here. My opinion of the US (and the west) is jaded but not as negative as the general board sentiment.
I'm not returning in the near future though as I'm still happy here overall and I have not yet accomplished all I set out to accomplish. In the medium to long term it is not a foregone conclusion that I will move back to the States (Spain is actually appealing to me at the moment) but it is more than likely.
The prompt: Where are you from? Where do you live? How long have you been there? Do you plan to move back home? Follow on commentary is of course encouraged.
I'll start:
From the US. Living in Brazil for nearly 3 years. Yes I will likely move back, though it won't be for at least another 3+ years.
I miss being close to my family (2 nieces born since I got here and another on the way) and friends, and day to day annoyances of dealing with the overall clusterfuck that this country is (everything is more complicated than it should be) so far have been outweighed by the thrill of new experiences, overcoming personal challenges, and the women. As the novelty wears off the downside becomes greater.
Mostly I see myself moving back to the states because I am engaged now and I can't see myself raising a kid here. The fact is simple things that we take for granted in the states, like good public schools and safety, are luxury items here. My opinion of the US (and the west) is jaded but not as negative as the general board sentiment.
I'm not returning in the near future though as I'm still happy here overall and I have not yet accomplished all I set out to accomplish. In the medium to long term it is not a foregone conclusion that I will move back to the States (Spain is actually appealing to me at the moment) but it is more than likely.