Many thing to miss, but what to you like about living abroad?
Posted by Humble_Interest_9048@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 61 comments
I like being able to shop without a cart or car. I love being able to shop without brands and labels and discounts shouting in my face. I love knowing the woman who made the goods, and knowing that I vote with my money and my money goes to her and her family.
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
I like the laid-back driving here. The contrast from Southern California is stark, in a good way.
UYarnspinner@reddit
I've been thinking lately that one thing I especially like about living in Uruguay is that the police are actually here to help. You can literally pass a police car and not only will they not do anything about it, but only the Transit Police can actually give you a ticket. There are no speed traps (there are radar cameras in certain places). Very occasionally, there will be what I would describe in the US as a sober checkpoint. I don't think it's really meant for catching drunk drivers. They just set up a little gathering of uniformed people and check IDs. In 5 years, I think I might have seen it three times. But the ever present backdrop of police and paranoia in the US simply does not exist here.
Catcher_Thelonious@reddit
Not having to overhear everyone's conversations.
UYarnspinner@reddit
I actually think about this a lot. Good point!
Humble_Interest_9048@reddit (OP)
Agreed. A peaceful existence
wheeliesinheelies@reddit
I like not being exposed to certain conveniences like a Starbucks and McDonalds in every street corner to limit the amount of temptations that I'm exposed to, and to humble myself to other walks of life where the necessities of life are held more more sacred. Getting closer to the bare necessities of life, food, water, and shelter, I feel more connected with my self and the world around me.
UYarnspinner@reddit
Word.
i-love-freesias@reddit
Being able to live within my social security pension alone, paying for everything I need out of pocket without needing a ton of different government benefits.
And being safe, without scary homeless people everywhere.
UYarnspinner@reddit
One of the things I love about Uruguay is that everyone is taken care of - partly by family, partly by being able to work even if it's just something very basic, and partly by municipal systems. While you occasionally run into homeless people (more so in Montevideo than out in the coastal, country areas), first of all, they are harmless. And when I say 'occasionally', I mean like once a year. And I do not live in a gated community or expat enclave or anything like that. On the contrary, when we go shopping or to appointments, we are actually more likely than our native counterparts to venture into the more blue collar areas, so I think my experience is pretty valid. Anyway, what I wanted to emphasize is something that might be a little hard for me to describe, but I'll try: in the US, where I lived for +/- 60 years, I saw what I would un-PC-ly call a scary looking person virtually every time l went anywhere. (sorry, I'm not trying to be mean; just trying to make a point, so please stay with me) Here, in Uruguay, when I see someone who's a little unkempt or maybe looks a little unhealthy, they invariably turn out to be just a very pleasant person with no nefarious intentions whatsoever. And they are almost never begging. Maybe once in five years were we approached for money. In fact, I remember one time, shortly after things opened up post-pandemic when we were in Montevideo and were approached by some rather sketchy guys, but they were offering us a joint! I couldn't tell you what might have happened if we had said yes - maybe then they might have asked for some bucks, but I would have been pretty surprised in it was anything more sus than that. Sure, there are the occasional (very occasional) people who try to exact a gringo price or pass off poor work, but honestly they are very, very rare (absolutely less common than the rate of getting a raw deal in the US) and almost comically easy to spot before things get out of hand. You are far more likely here to need to gird yourself against the tendency of people to be too nice, to the point of giving you worthless information, when they are trying to offer an unduly optimistic answer than to encounter rude or sketchy types that seem to be everywhere in the US.
Theal12@reddit
the quality of food is so much healthier in the UK than the US. I love that lots of people shop charity shops as a normal thing
Cueberry@reddit
I like everything about being abroad mainly that I'm well away from family/relatives so I don't hear about their quarrels, drama and who's not talking to whom, and they can't mind my business.
Humble_Interest_9048@reddit (OP)
Hear you. How long has it been?
Cueberry@reddit
How long I lived abroad? Coming up to 28 years.
Both-Basis-3723@reddit
It really helped motivate me to cook food I miss. My tortillas, salsa, taco game has never been better.
I don’t mind missing nonstop political turmoil at home.
Humble_Interest_9048@reddit (OP)
Yes! I don’t miss the politics, the consumerism, the materialism.
Both-Basis-3723@reddit
My kids had no answer for what they wanted for Xmas. I was kind of shocked - at 12&9 years old I would have had a list.
Humble_Interest_9048@reddit (OP)
Love this so much. Sounds like you’re doing well? Maybe a group outing, memory making escapade?
Quick_Clue7011@reddit
how do u go on visit visa and stay for years if most visits to countries is 6 months
Quick_Clue7011@reddit
guys please help how do u travel to different countries and survive if you have no Job And How Do U Guys Survive For many years Please help
Both-Basis-3723@reddit
Ironically, we are headed into the belly of the beast to visit mom. Lots of food and other madness. I will pick up my tortilla press though haha
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
Yes! My wife and I are in the process of sourcing proper Mexican ingredients. We quickly realized that if we want good Mexican food, it was going to be a DIY sort of deal.
Both-Basis-3723@reddit
Flour tortillas are super easy. I’ve cross referenced about ten recipes that I can crank out 20-40 tortillas in an hour.
3:1 flour to butter by weight g Add water slowly. X amount. It really varies based weather. 100-200 ml on 500 g flour. 5g salt approximately. The trick is to make a ball in your hands and squeeze. If it cracks, more water. A bit sticky is better than dry. Kneed five min. Rest 20. Make balls 30-50g depending on Tacitos or bigger ones. Here’s the trick: cut open a freezer bag so it’s just has one seam in the back. V shaped. Put your rest dough ball in and squish with a pot the size tortilla you need. Perfectly round. Cast iron on medium. Peel and throw in the pan. Squish your next ball, flip the first one. Repeat. Soooo good.
Howlsgal@reddit
Thank you for sharing your magic!! It’s funny but where I am the so called “ethnic food” is strange and bland, it’s like they water it down based on the people who eat it.
Both-Basis-3723@reddit
The Netherlands only trades in spices.
Both-Basis-3723@reddit
Also look up Macha salsa from Vera Cruz Mexico. My newest favorite
brooklynaut@reddit
I make taqueria peppers about once a month. They go with everything for us. Our Mexican food has vastly improved & I've used chatgpt to figure out better ingredients for what we want to make. Cantal cheese has worked very good for cheddar when we want make kind of "Midwest Mexican" dishes. Not authentic, but really nice.
There's a very short list of things we miss, but I've been hankering for corn tortillas and diner food this week.
AmethystsinAugust@reddit
Nothing to contribute, since we haven't made a move yet - but this entire thread makes me super happy! So many threads/videos/comments are focused strictly on the negatives (of both where you moved from and/and where you are at now) that it's refreshing to see focus on the positives and more of the "happy endings" once in a while.
Humble_Interest_9048@reddit (OP)
It’s hard, can be really hard, but I always come back around to the positives and ultimately appreciate living abroad.
palbuddy1234@reddit
The anxiety of living in America. It's just too much.
m00z9@reddit
Hell. on. earth.
anection@reddit
You're too privileged to see how other countries are doing.
m00z9@reddit
Material privilege alone is one thing. Not enough.
napalmtree13@reddit
Lack of car dependency and how everyone (generally) isn't so loud.
Unfortunately, the second one has been changing a bit since COVID. I think people lost all sense of how to behave in public. So many people listening to music, watching movies, etc. on their phones without headphones or making speaker phone calls. People did this before, but it seems like the number of people doing it has quadrupled.
hashtagashtab@reddit
I constantly marvel that things are designed for people to enjoy them and be comfortable. For instance: designated access points for swimming in the river, outdoor fire pits and grills in parks, free electric air pumps for bike tires installed along the cycle lanes. Coming from a place where everything costs money to access, or is made inaccessible, it just feels so humane.
misatillo@reddit
This is funny because where I come from many things are free and I moved to just the opposite lol this is within EU
hashtagashtab@reddit
I guess it’s a spectrum.
Kibblesnb1ts@reddit
Gives me a home base to rest while exploring the region.
doggosWhisperer@reddit
Slippery-Augustina@reddit
Two lines in particular: Miss Americana and the half blood prince. I’m just a soldier returning half my age.
SlippingAway@reddit
As coming from a place where could be killed if you are robbed, I am now in a country where my kids are safe by themselves on the street when going to school and where I can go out and have peace of mind.
MarcoEsteban@reddit
Not sure where you are from, but I’m from the US, I don’t have kids, but I can’t imagine the fear I’d have if I did, of a school shooting. If I think too much about going to a strip mall popular with Latinos, I get panicky (I’m still in Texas, planning my exit, married to a Mexican), because we keep having shootings focused on the Latino population.
PreposterousTrail@reddit
More laid back culture that allows better life/work balance, much safer place to have kids knowing they won’t be in physical danger when they’re at school.
BrokilonDryad@reddit
Public transport is a godsend. Holy fuck, my life in Canada could’ve been so much better if my country wasn’t a giant cunt.
“Cheap food”. Like I acknowledge that my standard of “cheap” may not be the same as a local’s, but from a Canadian perspective getting a whole ass meal for $5CAD is fucking insane.
It’s not cheap by local standards and I totally appreciate that. But as someone who struggled to make a decent and healthy meal back home, the fact I can get a healthy meal with meat and veggies etc for five bucks is crazy. And I appreciate that so much.
I know I’m privileged by being able to live abroad. I’m still counting pennies tho.
stupidFlanders417@reddit
Thanks, it's definitely a huge PITA trying to get my license here. Unfortunately I wasn't able to transfer my US license, so I have to go throttle whole process from the beginning. I did manage to get the writing test completed though, so now I just need to 20 hours of instruction. Luckily I already know how to drive a manual transmission, so it's more just learning to pass the test.
There's honestly not a lot (if anything) that makes me want to go back to the US besides friends and family. Don't want to turn this into another "US bashing" type of comment, but after almost 5 years, even with all of the difficulties I still have around the language, I still find myself saying "I love living here" on a weekly basis.
hater4life22@reddit
Not needing a car is honestly they best thing. I still want to get one in the future to have, but to not need it is real freedom.
stupidFlanders417@reddit
This 100%. When I left the US I was debating on shipping my car over with me. I couldn't even imagine life without one. There, the closet grocery store was about 10km away. Here I have 4 of them within 1km of my apartment.
The only reason I'm trying to finally get my driver's license here is so that I can rent a car when visiting the US.
hater4life22@reddit
It's honestly so great. In the last country I lived in I was in the capital city and centrally located so I had literally everything I needed within a 30 minute walk and access to the best public transit in the world. I just moved to a very very small city, and while it's not as convenient like the last place, everything still very accessible and I don't need a car. This city is actually the same size as my hometown and the accessibility of things is night and day.
I hope you can get your license soon! I still have my US license and I'm hoping to get it switched over within the next few months.
Vier3@reddit
Even in the USA you do not *really* need a car. It is just that in many places they make it almost impossible for you to (safely!) get around any other way.
It is *normal* that you spend maybe an hour per day walking to places you want to go to that day. A bit of daily light exercise is good for you! And you get some time to relax, think about whatever happens in your life, etc.
hater4life22@reddit
I'm well aware that there's places where you don't really need one, but where I'm from (Tennessee) you do. Even if you don't have a car, you're still relying on rides from others a good 80% of the time, even in a city. It's almost like that's what the statement "needing a car" means!
funkmastafresh@reddit
If you live in a major city, maybe you could survive without a car, if you work and live downtown. However, a lot of Americans are committing 30 mins or more to work by car. Not really possible for them to walk to work.
AdKitchen4459@reddit
I miss road side food stalls and shopping markets Yes I am from India
SokkaHaikuBot@reddit
^Sokka-Haiku ^by ^AdKitchen4459:
I miss road side food
Stalls and shopping markets Yes
I am from India
^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
CompanionCone@reddit
I like the weather, the true multicultural society and having friends from all over the world, how family oriented everything is, the FOOD (I'm from the Netherlands so food is better pretty much anywhere...), lots of convenience services easily available, desert camping and bbq in winter time, road trips, easy travel to lots of cool places not too far. I like lots of things and don't actually miss that much. My family, better walkability and autumn. That pretty much sums it up.
fromwayuphigh@reddit
No need for a car. Fewer ads shoved in my face every six seconds. Less of a grifter/hustler mentality. Less pearl clutching in general, but especially around things like kids riding transit or, you know, not being helicoptered over 24/7. Diverse neighborhoods; healthcare better, cheaper, and not run solely to pay C-Suite bonuses. I'll stay abroad as long as I'm able.
1Angel17@reddit
I like the ability to travel to new countries easily, I’ve had amazing experiences.
Codadd@reddit
People here have real problems. No one is going around complaining all the time about bull shit. Due to this people are much kinder, open, and appreciative of everything going on in their life.
Borderedge@reddit
I can afford to live alone instead of a shared room or with family. Moved from Southern Europe to the Benelux area for context.
The cost of life is similar to my home country but I make double here. I can save and go on vacation more or less where I want. Even my family is telling me to not come back because of this.
More open-minded and international mentality but that's also due to being near a capital city. The people I meet are well travelled, come from more or less anywhere and have a similar life story so we're close. The fact that I'm not in a metropolis means I can randomly bump into friends, dates and the like. If, but that won't happen, I feel nostalgia or so I find just about every food item from my country plus there are tens of thousands of people from my country.
As for where I am geographically... If I want to change atmosphere there are several countries and landmarks within 2/3 hours by car. Trains and buses also take you there, of course.
I actually have a lot more pros over cons. My honeymoon phase should be over as I moved here more than a year ago and I visited a few times in the past.
Extension_Waltz2805@reddit
No family drama
amora_obscura@reddit
Good public transport and the ability to walk to the shops, so there is no need for a car.
Desperate_Quest@reddit
I love the low cost of living.
It takes this invisible weight off my chest knowing I can go buy groceries without worrying about breaking my bank just for basic food. In my home country, I often ended up semi-starving myself because I only wanted to buy healthy food, but couldn't afford to get it too often.
I get paid much less where I am now, but yet I can afford food, toiletries, makeup, clothes, and other fun stuff sometimes if I want to. 😁 And! If I ever have to go to the hospital, I wouldn't have to worry about going into to debt from one visit.
brooklynaut@reddit
Yes. Paid less, but need less.