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escaping my current home


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hello! i am trying to move away from the US, simply just because my husband and i disagree with the culture, or rather lack of culture here, and we do not want to raise our children in this socity. we were thinking about corsica, but i've read some less than appealing things about the island. can anybody give any sort of general advise. i am looking for a decently priced home near the ocean where it will be safe to raise kids, and not nearly impossible to find work. neither of us speak much french, but are planning on learning a lot more before we move. also if someone could explain, or give a website that could explain how the cost of living works out there (i.e. pay rates in comparison to monthly payments on housing & utilities). thanks in advance, for your help.

*tara
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Just wondering why you haven't considered the UK or Ireland, at least as a first step. There is more work available, you will not have the language barrier, getting a residency visa can be a lot easier.

And you will have a chance of understanding the culture straight away. Lots of ocean too!

As for pay rates, what sort of job are you considering?

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We have a regional forum on Corsica, you may want to post there too.  Depending upon where you come from in the US - and if you say you lack culture I suspect you're not moving from one of the major cities - you are going to find both property and the general cost of living hellishly, if not, prohibitively expensive compared to back home.  Can some kind person give this lady an idea of gas prices?  I think that alone would put me off.   You'll be paying southern California prices for a place with a sea view.  Incidentally, have you been to Corsica, especially out of season?  Do you speak French?  Are you trained in fire fighting skills so that you can save your house when the Corsican separatists fire bomb it?    M

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ireland? now that sounds good. i'm from phoenix, az if that gives you an idea of the culture. cali prices is what i'm use to because that is my original home, but for a sea view, i don't know. and firefighting skills... will a large bucket of water cut it or should i purchase brush pants and a fire truck?
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I tend to agree with the poster above, why not try an anglophone country (GB, Ireland) or one where your lack of the local language (or at least knowledge of English) will prove more of a benefit. Professionally speaking, there is a greater opportunities for English speakers in say, the Netherlands or Germany than Corsica and you might stand a better chance of finding work. What is it you don't like about the US? You might find the same problems in Europe.

Just something to think about. Good luck with whatever you decide!

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Gas here .... 1.36 per litre for 98 !!!!!!!!!!!!  Unbelievable..

I am from San Diego, and can tell you that I find this area (Provence) extremely expensive.  Some things on par with CA, others WAY OVER !

As far as work, be sure to check out your Visa requirements.  If you are moving to France from the U.S. with no job, it can affect the type of Visa that will be issued to you.  Mine did not allow me to apply for work here for 5 years.  Do check it out.  And, in order to work here, you will need to speak and write well in French. 

I agree with the other poster.  Check out Great Britain or the Netherlands and compare all the data.

Your reasons for moving were on our list too.  We had many other reasons, as I suspect you do too, but we hated living in the U.S. and we are American.  Do we find it different here - absolutely.  Believe me, it is not perfect here, but no place is.  You just have to do your homework and balance out what is important to you.

Good luck.

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Talking of Ireland, hate to appear a damp squid but has anyone looked at property prices there recently?  Had dinner with an Irish expat recently who sold up in the mid-90s when he moved abroad and bitterly regrets it.  Even in the back of beyond pint size cottages are in the $400,000+ price bracket.  Also, coming from Phoenix, wouldn't it be a bit damp and grey?  M
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thanks for your help, guys. i'm from san diego (originaly), too. everything is expensive out there, but we kind of figured it would be more over seas. thank you for your suggestion about the work visa, that is something i absolutely need to look into. 5 years without a job!! how did you do it? (if you don't mind me asking!) as far as the damp and grey weather, i love that! Arizona is too bright and dry for me, and my husband. we've lived a lot of places and the heat out here is inhumane! i'm looking forward to a sudden change in climate. all in all i think france might not be the place for us concidering the language and work thing. corsica was my husband's suggestion, but the netherlands has been one of our choices too. a few others have been itally, costa rica, ireland, belgium, and greece. does any body have any comments on any of those places or know of any good sites to look at before i aimlessly research them?

thanks, tara
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> itally, costa rica, ireland, belgium, and greece.

Well Ireland has (or used to have) one of the laxest citizenship requirements. Basically one Irish born grandparent and you're away. And as soon as you're a citizen of one EU country you can move between them (and work) at will.

Belgium (Brussels in particular) has a lot of international instituitions (so easier for English-only speakers to find a job), is a good laugh too.

costa rica, think you're on the wrong continent for us lot...

For some more sites:

http://www.escapeartist.com/ is the biggest site for American expats (billed as "Resources for Americans fleeing America!").

http://www.britishexpats.com/ is the biggest site for British expats so if you want a British perspective on places other than France, that is the place to go

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Costa Rica is a great place. However, they (the Costa Rican gov.) still seem a bit undecided as to whether or not they want foreigners residing there. They have been going through different sets of regulations changing their requirements and then not really changing them and there is now a lot of uncertainty about the requirements for different resident status. You can apply for residency under a number of different schemes, which need renewing yearly (or every 2 years, depending on the scheme). You cannot apply for permanent residency until you have been there 5 years. With their attitude changing all the time, it is not impossible that the rules may change after your initial residency is granted but before you can apply for permanent residence. Regulations need to “stabilise” in my opinion.

That said, it is a quite beautiful country that is making real efforts to preserve its diverse environment (tropical dry forests in the north, cloud forest, rainforest, etc.) – and is succeeding at it. I have not been there for some time, but when I was last there the volcano just outside San Jose crater lake boiled dry and it started venting smoke – dramatic. Similarly, spending a night camping at the base of Arenal with molten rocks being thrown out through the night is amazing, etc. etc. etc.

Ian
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Tara - we lived in Greece for about two years.  Our 11 year old daughter was born there.  It is lovely, but VERY expensive.  You might be quite surprised just how expensive.  Also, the language is very unique and can be difficult to manage.  Totally different alphabet and absolutely essential to learn.  Everything is in Greek (naturally) and finding English speakers can be impossible.  Where-ever you choose to go, rent there for at least 3 months and do your homework.  We rented in France for 11 months before buying our home (for various reasons).

 

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I realize that costa rica is on a little out of the way from you all (thank you), it was just one place we wanted to consider. their constant change of mind is a down fall and is steering me away. thank you all for your help so far. i really needed it. i am doing this whole planning the move thing alone, and i have a LOT of homework ahead of me. keep the advice comin if you'd like. i just wanted to take a quick second to say that i'm really greatful for the help. G2G.

peace, tara
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IMO the number one consideration has got to be how you are going to earn a living. No work = no money = bigtime stress, even if you are living in the loveliest of places. Being poor tends to restrict your ability to enjoy a new country to the full. In France, don't underestimate how hard it would be to find work or to start your own business. Easier in the UK or Ireland. But even that is academic because as non-EU citizens you won't have the automatic right to work, so maybe the best way to narrow down the choice of where to live is to find out if there is any country where you can get into the labour market with your particular skills.

Jo

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It's a thought.(the grass is always!!!)

Aesop, the storyteller, was one day walking from Athens, when he met a man from Argos going to the city he had left. As they talked, the man from Argos said, “You come from Athens. Tell me, what sort of people are they there?”

“Tell me first,” replied Aesop, “what the people of Argos are like.” “Oh, very disagreeable.” Said the man, “mean and selfish and quarrelsome.”

“I am sorry to tell you,” said Aesop, “that you will find the people of Athens to be the same.”

Later he met another man also coming from Argos, who asked him the same question about what the people of Athens were like. “Tell me first,” said Aesop again, “what the men of Argos are like.”

“They are very pleasant people,” said the second man, “kind and friendly and good neighbours.”

“I am happy to tell you,” said Aesop, “that you will find the people of Athens just the same.”

Jerry Atrick 

 

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to 'jerry', i like your story, and i get it. very true. now i don't know if your lesson was intended for me or not, but as I am the one who started the post, i'm sure it was. let it be known that it is not the people here in the US (persay) that my husband and i want to get away from. true there are good and bad people, and situations, on every inch of this earth. i do not disagree in any way. there are just plenty of reasons why we are tired of this country and want to live elsewhere.

peace, tara

 

  

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[quote]It's a thought.(the grass is always!!!) Aesop, the storyteller, was one day walking from Athens, when he met a man from Argos going to the city he had left. As they talked, the man from Argos said, ...[/quote]

One of my all-time favorites, Jerry! It goes along with 'No matter where you go, there you are' and 'You always see what you look for'.

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[quote]to 'jerry', i like your story, and i get it. very true. now i don't know if your lesson was intended for me or not, but as I am the one who started the post, i'm sure it was. let it be known that it i...[/quote]

** there are just plenty of reasons why we are tired of this country and want to live elsewhere.**

Indeed there are, Tara. With me it was 'Executive burn-out' and the downward spiral almost impossible from which to escape. I just could not 'turn-off'. I was 53 when we left the US and moved to the UK to a 'quieter-place-in-time'. It worked and I was fortunate enough to have a successful second career, at my own pace, and it spanned 17 years.

If I were to give advice to anyone moving from one country to another, it would be 'Don't compare!!!!'. I know it is almost impossible not to but if you maintain a positive attitude, look for all the good parts and find a way around those not so favorable, you will love it. If you find you can't, then you are in the wrong place and you'll be miserable. The only thing we really miss are Americans.

Good luck with your venture and if we can help, give us a shout.

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