I live in the US and even beyond the current stuff going on, I’ve just become so depressed living in a place that feels like it doesn’t care about people. I’ve been watching videos about some other countries, in particular Vietnam and China, and I’ve thought it might be nice going somewhere that’s more committed to making life better for people. At the very least going somewhere that’s building a bunch of trains would be cool. (Yes I’m autistic, how could you tell? /s)
I don’t know if I’d actually end up doing anything because it’s tough for me to get anything done at the moment, but I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts or experiences to share about living in other places, especially if you moved there. What’s your pitch for why it’s a nice place to live? What problems does it have?
If you moved there, what were the challenges in moving and adapting to the new place? Did you learn the new language? Was it tough getting used to the local foods? (This is something I worry about a lot because I’m kind of picky) How did you meet people? Etc.
Outside of college, I’ve lived in the same place all my life. I’ve only traveled outside the US twice and it was to other western or westernized countries. (France, Amsterdam, and Japan.) I’m relatively introverted and socially anxious, but it is nice to try to get to know people I could be comfortable around. I have a college degree but I haven’t had work experience due to my depression, so I’d be kind of starting from scratch in that regard. (I’m maybe about to get some treatment which might help, fingers crossed.) So all around it’s hard to say if I’d be able to move anywhere, but maybe at some point I can work up the energy and courage to make the leap and it would be helpful to have some ideas of how to approach that. Maybe I’ll try to slowly learn the language as I can.
I have a friend who was born and raised in China, and move to Europe when they were 16 yo. They’re first language was basically Chinese, despite having an American and German parent respectively.
I was always super curious about what their time in China was like, and asked extensively about it. Of course they were quite biased in favor of China, so things like the crazy surveillance that goes on there never really seemed dubios to them, but one thing they mentioned very frequently: discrimination.
I should say, this individual did not look Chinese (and couldn’t get a Chinese passport, despite being born there). This — according to them, and I am inclined to believe this, due to the aforementioned bias — caused them to be intensely discriminated against, as a lot of Chinese people apparently don’t like Westerners (well, a lot of Westerners also discriminate against Chinese).
Your mileage may vary, but that did always surprise me. If you look non-asian, China might not be the best place to move to 🤷.