tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18968645095474623692024-03-20T16:11:53.911+01:00Overseas ExileEveryone should have a chance to live in another country. I'm an American who's lived in five countries and am currently living in France with my lovely French wife. This blog is about finding opportunities abroad and the challenges you'll face.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.comBlogger496125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-25008901230417110832016-11-16T09:20:00.000+01:002016-11-16T09:21:05.932+01:00Permanent Residency in Japan After One Year<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitubdzgkE4BXRAslZVio-ruGL6oKYUJDU2Bs688tZ1UL8h8wby7uP8CRiN0CFSbeB1zhubomVKYFic-p549wODzmbAp_aa_HUPfu6suwjMttsgm8ANwbf2CE_gS9-W4yuX5D4Lv_Ux0TI/s1600/ginza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitubdzgkE4BXRAslZVio-ruGL6oKYUJDU2Bs688tZ1UL8h8wby7uP8CRiN0CFSbeB1zhubomVKYFic-p549wODzmbAp_aa_HUPfu6suwjMttsgm8ANwbf2CE_gS9-W4yuX5D4Lv_Ux0TI/s400/ginza.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ginza_Wako_Clock.jpg" target="_blank">The Ginza Wako Clock, Tokyo, Japan, Jordy Meow</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's a strong competition amongst countries to attract highly skilled labor, particularly those in STEM (science, technology, engineering, medicine) fields. Japan has made an interesting move in this game: <a href="http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Japan-to-offer-1-year-path-to-permanent-residency" target="_blank">highly skilled workers may be eligible for permanent residency in Japan after only one year.</a><br>
<br>
<a href="http://overseas-exile.blogspot.com/2016/11/permanent-residency-in-japan-after-1.html#more">Read more »</a>Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-46247332152808489452016-11-10T11:20:00.002+01:002022-06-25T12:07:27.027+02:00How to Move to Europe (or elsewhere)It's that time again when people are upset at the results of the US presidential election and traffic to this blog spikes. I've written for years on different ways to move abroad, but I've let the blog go fallow as other priorities presented themselves. So here's a quick primer for those new to the topic.<br />
<h2>
Who Am I?</h2>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/publius_ovidius/3804398952/in/album-72157621988421736/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Ovid"><img alt="Ovid" height="266" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2561/3804398952_691ab3eb71_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your author at the São Jorge Castle in Lisbon, Portugal</td></tr>
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I'm an American who's lived in the US, Japan, the UK, the Netherlands, and now France. My wife and I have considered other options, such as moving to Spain or Malta, but in all honesty, we'll probably stay here in France. Despite some problems, France is a pretty awesome place to live.<br />
<br />
I started this blog simply because people kept emailing me to find out how to move abroad and other sites were too niche (how to move to Belize!), or scams (pay us money to move to this deserted island and be free!), or were light on details in an attempt to sell you something (buy my e-book on how to get a new passport!). So my emails got longer and longer and I learned more and more and eventually decided it would be easier to start a blog and point people at it than cut-n-paste from older emails all the time.<br />
<br />
So let's consider why and how to move abroad.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><h2>
Trump!</h2>
If you want to move abroad because Trump is the president-elect, <i>slow down</i>. Moving abroad is a very tough decision, it can be very emotionally difficult, and the grass isn't necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. In fact, surveys conducted by <a href="https://www.kent.ac.uk/brussels/staff/profiles/brussels/koppenfels.html" target="_blank">Dr. von Koppenfels</a>, myself, and others all tend to indicate that few Americans living abroad are doing so for political reasons (the number seems to be less than 5% of the 6 to 9 million Americans abroad). Also, while many migrants move abroad for push factors (war, famine, unemployment, etc.), those factors honestly aren't that serious in the US. Instead, if you're considering moving abroad because of Trump, I would strongly recommend asking yourself the following question.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Would I want to move abroad if my favorite candidate was elected president?</i></blockquote>
If the answer to that is a sincere "yes", you're good to go. Why? Because that's a <i>pull factor</i>. You want to move abroad for adventure, love, or work, not because you're running from something. In the long run, you're more less likely to be disappointed living abroad.<br />
<br />
That being said, if you still want to move abroad because of Trump ...<br />
<h2>
The Basics</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/publius_ovidius/2901042769/in/album-72157607603916939/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0317"><img alt="IMG_0317" height="266" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3268/2901042769_09cf09974d_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Paul, hamming it up on top the Leaning Tower of Pisa</td></tr>
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Next, be aware that other countries probably don't want you. That's harsh, but consider that I live in <a href="http://www.e-unwto.org/doi/book/10.18111/9789284418145" target="_blank">France, the most popular tourist destination in the world</a>. If France were to suddenly let everyone move here, without restriction, our basic services would be flooded. We have what is arguably the best health care in the world, virtually free university education, and a fantastic social safety net, along with mind-boggling bureaucracy. That's expensive, so France, like every other country on the planet, usually tries to limit immigrants to those who are likely to pay more into the system than they receive. This means that you typically can't just buy a plane ticket and move. You'll usually need to apply for a work permit or a residence permit and most countries (not all!) are very picky about who gets those.<br />
<br />
Second, you'll want to read <a href="/2010/11/why-youll-say-no-to-living-abroad.html" target="_blank">why you'll say "no" to moving abroad</a>. It sounds paradoxical given that you're here, but for most people, moving abroad is a fantasy. Were they to be hit with the reality, they'd be woefully unprepared. They don't have a passport, or they're in a long-term lease, or their partner says "no", or they don't want to leave their family, and so on. So if you want to move abroad, read that link and get your affairs in order. You can't leave if you aren't ready to leave. And for goodness' sake, <a href="/2010/12/are-you-papers-in-order.html" target="_blank">get your papers in order</a>.<br />
<h2>
Getting Out</h2>
So now that you've made the commitment, how do you get out? Mostly people leave via one of three routes:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Marriage/Civil Partnership</li>
<li>Citizenship</li>
<li>Work/residence permit or the equivalent</li>
</ol>
<div>
First, let's be honest: maintaining a relationship is hard, a long-distance relationship is even harder. Doing so merely for the opportunity to move abroad generally doesn't work. Believe me, I've followed this topic for years. Maybe you'll travel abroad and meet the love of your life, but that's the exception, not the rule, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/22/absurd-minimum-income-visa-rules-forcing-uk-citizens-into-exile-court-told" target="_blank">some countries are trying to even limit that</a>. Unless you are very lucky, that's an unrealistic expectation. I have a French wife, but I met her while living in London. I didn't leave the US for her.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Second, you probably don't have citizenship in another country and can't get it. However, there may be options. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_nationality_law#Attribution_of_citizenship_through_jus_sanguinis" target="_blank">If you have Italian ancestors, you might be able to claim citizenship in Italy</a>. If one of your parents or grandparents was born in Ireland and had Irish citizenship, <a href="http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/irish_citizenship/irish_citizenship_through_birth_or_descent.html" target="_blank">you might be able to get an Irish passport</a>. <a href="/2012/08/emigrating-to-israel.html" target="_blank">Jewish ancestry might get you into Israel</a>. In short, trace your ancestry and if you find a (relatively) recent ancestor with foreign citizenship, explore that country's laws. <a href="/2013/07/want-to-move-abroad-trace-your-family.html" target="_blank">Many countries offer citizenship to their citizen's descendants</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/publius_ovidius/5214442070/in/album-72157625484479548/" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="During the ceremony"><img alt="During the ceremony" height="266" src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/5/4106/5214442070_9fff9f8f56_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your author and his wife, getting married in the Tower Bridge, London</td></tr>
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But you probably don't have that route, either, so you're looking at a work or residence permit (or the legal equivalent thereof). If you're lucky enough to have high demand skills, particularly in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine) field, <a href="/2010/12/work-permit-1-of-5-introduction.html" target="_blank">read my five part "how to get a work permit" series</a>. That will explain the basics that most people go through (and it's the route I took), aside from those who transferred with their work.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
If you're young, or poor, or have little work experience, then you're probably looking for <a href="/2011/11/young-persons-guide-to-living-abroad.html" target="_blank">the young person's guide to living abroad</a>. That covers a variety of options you likely didn't know about.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you have a remote income (i.e., you work from home and can do your work from anywhere), there are <a href="/2013/09/move-abroad-by-working-remotely.html" target="_blank">a number of countries which will let you live there with a remote job</a> if you can demonstrate financial self-sufficiency.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's a big world and there's a lot more I could say, but that covers the the most important points. There is plenty of other information in this blog, including opportunities to buy residency or citizenship (usually requires a lot of money), what to do if you have a felony conviction, emotional considerations, legal implications, and more. I can't even begin to cover it all. So I'll just finish with my list of the top 10 expat myths.</div>
<div>
<h2>
Top 10 Expat Myths</h2>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Expats are rich</li>
<li>Expats hate America</li>
<li>You need a college degree</li>
<li>Everyone speaks English</li>
<li>I'll learn the local language</li>
<li>The world is dangerous!</li>
<li>People in country X are rude/friendly/some other stereotype</li>
<li>It's like a 24/7 holiday</li>
<li>Life is better/worse in country X</li>
<li>My kids will love it!</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div>
Explaining all of those would be a blog entry for each, but many of them are covered in this blog, somewhere. Use the search box and explore!</div>
Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-45955460849696458772016-07-14T13:48:00.002+02:002022-06-25T12:07:28.515+02:00US Trying to Prevent Americans Giving Up Their Citizenship<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmubKuikpPB6s_t9PRH98d6ccN2d0pBYehqCjweRfMGQI_62JFXLI_HPOaTJYSsLINOkn71w0hN9micGLJtq2Kynm3EopPH7Q-rEkfzooYVMDP6CUSATlp7oIRSLHJWxhOItOGo0391k/s1600/cln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmubKuikpPB6s_t9PRH98d6ccN2d0pBYehqCjweRfMGQI_62JFXLI_HPOaTJYSsLINOkn71w0hN9micGLJtq2Kynm3EopPH7Q-rEkfzooYVMDP6CUSATlp7oIRSLHJWxhOItOGo0391k/s320/cln.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Certification of Loss of Nationality (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renunciation_of_citizenship" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I haven't written in this blog for a while, but this story is too important to ignore. The US is trying to solve its public relation disaster of the <a href="/2013/08/sixfold-increase-in-americans-giving-up.html" target="_blank">massive increase in the number of Americans giving up their citizenship</a> by throwing up as many obstacles to renunciation as possible.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Background</span><br />
First, <a href="/2012/12/top-ten-expat-myths.html" target="_blank">Americans back in the US frequently have a distorted view of Americans abroad</a>. In fact, we know from extensive expat research (my own polling, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Klekowski-von-Koppenfels/e/B00GSMT6M2" target="_blank">the research of Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels</a>, and many others), that most Americans move abroad for love, work, study, or adventure. We're not rich, we're just average folks who happen to live in different countries.<br />
<br />
Many Americans back home think we're ungrateful, rich sods who've turned our backs on the US. As previously mentioned, most of us aren't rich, polls show that few of us moved abroad for political reasons and we don't hate America. We get up, go to work, hang out with our friends, mow the lawn, love our children, and so on. Not much different from back in the US, except that the food's different, the language is different, the culture is different, etc.<br />
<br />
So why are so many Americans abroad giving up their citizenship? Most of them will tell you the same thing: <a href="/2012/01/fatca-us-declares-war.html" target="_blank">FATCA</a>, a law designed to force international banks to report US customers to the IRS. Thanks to this law:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="/2012/07/ing-france-turning-away-us-customers.html" target="_blank">Americans abroad are often being denied bank accounts</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.econmatters.com/2014/06/you-dont-know-consequence-of-fatca.html" target="_blank">Americans abroad are being denied business opportunities</a> (happened to me)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/06/the-unintended-consequences-of-cracking-down-on-tax-dodgers-abroad/276560/" target="_blank">Some overseas companies have simply stopped hiring Americans</a></li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.angloinfo.com/us-tax/2014/09/19/thank-you-fatca-youve-just-busted-my-marriage/" target="_blank">FATCA is breaking up marriages</a></li>
<li><a href="/2012/08/the-tragic-story-of-expat-alice-versus.html" target="_blank">Americans abroad are now going into hiding</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.taxanalysts.org/content/understanding-accidental-american-tinas-story" target="_blank">People who didn't know they were Americans are being hunted by the IRS</a></li>
<li><a href="/2012/02/congressman-john-tierney-d-ma-wants-to.html" target="_blank">US Congressman have been trying to bankrupt US expats</a></li>
<li>And so on ...</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
There are, at the present time, only two countries in the world who tax their citizens abroad: the brutal dictatorship of Eritrea and the US. <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/05/18/tax-history-why-u-s-pursues-citizens-overseas/" target="_blank">Taxing Americans abroad was an old law instituted during the US civil war to punish Americans fleeing abroad to avoid the war (and paying for it via taxes)</a>. However, the law remained on the books but was largely ignored. Americans abroad were not told about it and they lived, retired, and died in blissful ignorance of this Civil War era law.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In 1970, the <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bank_Secrecy_Act" target="_blank">Bank Secrecy Act</a> was passed and it contained the Foreign Bank Account Reporting provision (tell the IRS if you have a foreign bank about with more than $10,000), but this was a money laundering measure, not an attempt to enforce the Civil War law.</div>
</div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was after the Great Recession of 2008 that the US government started searching for other sources of income that it realized it had largely been ignoring this old law on the books. Despite the complete lack of evidence that enforcing this law will work (<a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4231-census-bureau-finds-it-cant-count-americans-abroad" target="_blank">the US Census Bureau doesn't count Americans abroad, despite repeatedly losing lawsuits over this</a>), law makers are painting expats as billionaire tax dodgers living abroad to avoid paying taxes. Honestly, anyone who thinks I live in France to dodge taxes is an idiot, and as mentioned above, surveys repeatedly show that we're just a bunch of ordinary Americans — not wealthy tax dodgers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="/2012/12/us-congress-again-going-after-expats.html" target="_blank">Ironically, this move has been championed by many politicians who are themselves famous for dodging taxes</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Government's Solution</span></div>
<div>
All of the above has led to the problem of record numbers of Americans trying to renounce their citizenship. Previously, it had always been free to renounce your US citizenship. Go to a consulate abroad, fill out your paperwork, and wait for your CLN (Certificate of Loss of Nationality). <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128414887" target="_blank">In 2010, the US started charging $450 for allowing Americans to renounce</a>. However, US renunciations continued to skyrocket, though <a href="/2012/03/more-americans-giving-up-citizenship.html" target="_blank">the numbers appear to be seriously underreported</a>. There have been reports of increased waiting times for various countries as a result.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Rather than address the root issues, the US attempted to contain the damage by raising the renunciation fee by 422% to $2,350! This puts it out of the price range of many Americans abroad, particularly those in lesser-developed nations, or those living paycheck-to-paycheck. However, this still didn't work. <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/08/news/americans-citizenship-renunciation/" target="_blank">In 2015, there was a 20% increase in the number of Americans giving up their citizenship</a>. From 2008 to 2015, the number of Americans renouncing has increased 18-fold and, as mentioned earlier, this is probably severely unreported.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So again, instead of fixing the problem, the US government has found yet another "solution." You can't legally renounce without an appointment, so since January 2016, <a href="http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2016/07/13/is-the-state-department-shutting-down-expatriation-appointments-in-canada/" target="_blank">the US embassies in Canada are simply not scheduling renunciation appointments</a>. People are reporting delays of over a year to get an appointment. <a href="https://de.usembassy.gov/citizenship-services/" target="_blank">In Germany, renunciations are now restricted to the US Consulate General in Frankfurt</a>, despite there being an embassy in Berlin and five consulates around the country. <a href="https://fr.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/citizenship-services/" target="_blank">Here in France, they've restricted this to Paris and Marseille</a>, despite an embassy and six consulates. If you've <i>ever</i> had the misfortune of wading through the consulate lines in Paris or trying to get an appointment, you know what a high bar they've set for letting Americans abroad renounce.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You would think that a politician might ask the obvious question: why are so many Americans giving up their citizenship? But no, no one cares. Americans abroad overwhelmingly say they don't want to do this, even as they're filling out the forms to renounce. Something has to change.</div>
Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-53898776122004714402014-09-25T13:38:00.001+02:002022-06-25T12:07:29.647+02:00New banking scam targeting expat Americans<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sV9G_XRna0BWplt1TFeH305rlSUYY22Bl7wSH4J_Lzs9OkYelgjRra8vyqF9Pjtd7SYU4euPKVm14L_rt9DWl1iLs1PF7hqyd5e1QmMncqOq2Y19nL9ltwO17glZW7Qtg0c-cmX9-Kg/s1600/IRS1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0sV9G_XRna0BWplt1TFeH305rlSUYY22Bl7wSH4J_Lzs9OkYelgjRra8vyqF9Pjtd7SYU4euPKVm14L_rt9DWl1iLs1PF7hqyd5e1QmMncqOq2Y19nL9ltwO17glZW7Qtg0c-cmX9-Kg/s1600/IRS1.jpg" height="260" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The IRS has FATCA thrust upon them,<br />but I don't think they're too upset about it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's a new banking scam targeting overseas Americans and there's not much you can do to protect yourself. Yesterday <a href="http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-Financial-Institutions-of-Scams-Designed-to-Steal-FATCA-Related-Account-Data" target="_blank">the IRS issued a warning</a> to FATCA-compliant banks stating that scammers posing as IRS agents are calling banks and requesting confidential account information of US persons for FATCA compliance.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Ever since Congress passed this insane law demanding that every foreign financial institution on the planet obey US law, regardless of whether this conflicts with their local law, <a href="/search/label/fatca" target="_blank">FATCA compliance has been nothing but a morass of unintended consequences</a>. Helpless Americans are losing their bank accounts, <a href="http://blogs.angloinfo.com/us-tax/2014/09/15/thank-you-fatca-youve-just-left-me-stateless/" target="_blank">some people risk becoming stateless</a>, and the number of Americans renouncing their citizenship has skyrocketed. Further, it's not clear at all that the possibility of extra income from FATCA will be offset the extra costs of verifying compliance. On top of that, <a href="https://www.uschamber.com/blog/irs-delays-fatca-enforcement-banks-start-date-looms" target="_blank">FATCA implementation has been delayed</a> in part because foreign banks haven't received clear guidance from the IRS about how to comply. And now scammers are stepping up to help the banks "comply."<br />
<br />
Everything about this has been lose-lose right from the very start.<br />
<br />
And now some people are going to lose their life savings due to the compliance ambiguity. Please, if you live abroad, translate <a href="http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-Financial-Institutions-of-Scams-Designed-to-Steal-FATCA-Related-Account-Data" target="_blank">the IRS warning</a> into your local language and give it to your bank. Make sure it gets to their security department (I guarantee they have one) and not just a teller. People are going to be hurt by this; let's help to contain the damage.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-15004575365607053252014-02-16T10:24:00.002+01:002022-06-25T12:07:31.487+02:00Grateful For High Taxes in France?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT2Oy7XFxM2wk4Bo5OLYJdOGg7lScbBzMrxrEEczfgiRgjNfikiuTO-LLMexPw_X8xvKo9eN6A8A7-7qXEO40U4yn92h_yMh-EUMlCxMq3lykQIV8JOTHVKzx5qqtx5-ecz-pttrRdek/s1600/rue_du_minage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT2Oy7XFxM2wk4Bo5OLYJdOGg7lScbBzMrxrEEczfgiRgjNfikiuTO-LLMexPw_X8xvKo9eN6A8A7-7qXEO40U4yn92h_yMh-EUMlCxMq3lykQIV8JOTHVKzx5qqtx5-ecz-pttrRdek/s1600/rue_du_minage.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grocery store by our home in La Rochelle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's been a while since I've posted. We've been very busy with <a href="http://www.allaroundtheworld.fr/" target="_blank">our company</a> and I've been working <a href="http://jsfiddle.net/Ovid/ALMZD/3/" target="_blank">other projects</a>. On my Facebook page, I've made some comments about French health care, in particular referencing <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/anya-schiffrin/2014/02/12/the-french-way-of-cancer-treatment/" target="_blank">this post about cancer treatment in France</a>. Once again, I received private messages from people talking about taxes in France, so let's talk about them after we explore a bit what this means.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The highest marginal income tax rate in France is 45% (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25541739" target="_blank">though there's an idiotic temporary 75% tax on millionaires</a>), but you have to be earning over $200,000 US to reach that point. Most people pay far lower. In fact, while well-off people will pay higher taxes in France, <a href="http://www.french-property.com/guides/france/finance-taxation/taxation/calculation-tax-liability/rates/" target="_blank">lower-income French households will enjoy lower tax rates than in the US</a>.<br />
<br />
That being said, it's still worth noting that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-tax-rates" target="_blank">the US used to have much higher income tax rates and the economy boomed</a>. And while <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/news/business/0915taxesandeconomy.pdf" target="_blank">one study of 65 years of data fails to show conclusive evidence that raising or lower taxes necessarily hurts or helps GDP,</a> it showed that it <i>does</i> impact income distribution, showing that lower taxes allows wealth to accumulate in the hands of the rich. In fact, <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/05/u-s-income-inequality-on-rise-for-decades-is-now-highest-since-1928/" target="_blank">the US now has the highest income inequality since the 1920s</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-zuesse/us-is-now-the-most-unequa_b_4408647.html" target="_blank">the US now has more income inequality than any other industrialized nation</a>.<br />
<br />
This wouldn't matter if everything were fine and dandy, but it's not. <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/05/30/half_of_americans_living_below_or_near_poverty_line_partner/" target="_blank">Half of Americans now live in poverty</a> and <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/01/22/fact-check-no-actual-unemployment-isnt-37-2-percent/" target="_blank">the actual unemployment rate is around 13%, much higher than the official 6.7% rate that's reported</a>. And <a href="http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/family_home/family/childcare/children_childcare/malnutrition+impairs+us+childrens+health+behavior+says+lsu+agcenter+food+and+nutrition+expert.htm" target="_blank">the large number of children going hungry in the US is growing</a>. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshfreedman/2014/02/11/student-loans-are-a-big-drag-on-the-economy-and-society/" target="_blank">Student loan debt is growing</a> and <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2013/09/03/number-of-students-enrolled-in-college-drops/" target="_blank">the number of US students enrolling in college has been dropping</a>, a guaranteed long-term drag on economic growth.<br />
<br />
So what does that mean? We know that <a href="http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/2/241.full" target="_blank">income inequality is correlated with higher crime rates</a>. (note: it's not poverty that leads to higher crime rates, it's the disparity). <a href="http://www.ifn.se/wfiles/wp/wp715.pdf" target="_blank">Income inequality leads to a breakdown in social trust</a>.<br />
<br />
And it's getting worse.<br />
<br />
Here in France, I pay higher taxes and while we're also caught up in the world economic struggles, life here is still pretty good. So what do I get for paying my taxes?<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.expressnews.com/business/health-care/article/1-million-Texans-seen-going-begging-for-health-4902104.php" target="_blank">I'm never going to have to beg for my daughter's health care</a>.</li>
<li>My wife paid a little over €2,000 for her <i>Master's</i> degree in law.</li>
<li><a href="/2012/07/real-difference-between-france-and-us.html" target="_blank">French political campaigns aren't paid for by businesses</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.thelocal.fr/20130724/top-tips-if-you-end-up-jobless-in-france" target="_blank">Assistance to the unemployed is generous</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.parisvoice.com/practical-paris/135-french-social-security-system-explained" target="_blank">French pensions are generous</a>.</li>
</ul>
You know what? I'm OK with that. I'm OK with helping other people.<br />
<br />
Yes, the French pay around 30% of their GDP for this, compared to <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21578385-entitlements-america" target="_blank">9.8% entitlement spending in the US</a> (though these numbers are likely far from a fair comparisons). But you have to remember, the French people <i>voted</i> for this. This is a democracy. The French fight hard to protect their welfare state because they believe it's more fair and so far, the French have "hung in there" for a long time. France has some serious problems, but <a href="http://about-france.com/geo/french-economy.htm" target="_blank">it's not going the route of Greece any time soon</a>. When the overall world economy rebounds, France will too.<br />
<br />
I'm happy to pay my taxes here. I often hear people in the US say they'd be happy to pay more if they knew they were really helping others. I'm putting my money where my <i>bouche</i> is.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-80962948510325410972013-12-12T15:03:00.001+01:002013-12-12T21:32:08.299+01:00We're back from New York ... sort of ... (pics)Doubtless you've noticed the lack of updates recently. This was a combination of a significant work load, lots of work last month to get out the survey results (and I still haven't posted the last part) and a business trip to New York, the latter of which was a huge amount of fun but left me a bit wiped out. I was only there for a day and couldn't get many photos and had to apologize to friends for not being able to meet up with them (you know who you are).<br>
<br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIgm3e1fgd9vui0Cmg6d2xyZqJ3cw5Sueepj87xwLOhzc1cACy-OHiJ-xZF7ymgPsquJpELNshlduws_asTU2uKuRzOeqvJqgaI1SGptghs5OzP1ctlg7xBWrA6dNY5fGcmIb_cBgV3s/s1600/20131206_074027_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIgm3e1fgd9vui0Cmg6d2xyZqJ3cw5Sueepj87xwLOhzc1cACy-OHiJ-xZF7ymgPsquJpELNshlduws_asTU2uKuRzOeqvJqgaI1SGptghs5OzP1ctlg7xBWrA6dNY5fGcmIb_cBgV3s/s400/20131206_074027_HDR.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New York Stock Exchange</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
<a href="http://overseas-exile.blogspot.com/2013/12/were-back-from-new-york-sort-of-pics.html#more">Read more »</a>Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7143528 -74.005973140.3291648 -74.65142010000001 41.0995408 -73.3605261tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-43985463842655234392013-11-27T10:50:00.003+01:002022-06-25T12:07:32.618+02:00Overseas Exile Expat Survey Results — PoliticsToday is part 4 of the Overseas Exile survey results. It's all about that subject we love to hate: politics. The answers may surprise you. As usual, click on the images for larger versions.<br />
<br />
If this is your first time reading the survey, see also:<br />
<br />
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><a href="/2013/11/initial-overseas-exile-expat-survey.html" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Part 1 Expat Results: Personal</a></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><a href="/2013/11/overseas-exile-expat-survey-results.html" style="color: #4d469c; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Part 2 Expat Results: Living Abroad</a></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0.25em 0px;"><a href="/2013/11/overseas-exile-expat-survey-results_25.html" target="_blank">Part 3 Expat Results: Emotions</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
Starting off with the last US presidential vote, 63% of expats said they voted. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2012" target="_blank">This contrasts with 57% of the general US population voting</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMHXU0vFeXHUG6oWg8CqpTIPKVEyKjj8Otx52dB8g6mROfyKIY3AxF1woE7A7oVFRvNOmlLQRk6xZfzaIzJElJnIUxO5UAWSjdDmwvc-cJhnZyxA0CughRNWuoqKeQs-wNI2xMrgLihU/s1600/presidential_vote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMHXU0vFeXHUG6oWg8CqpTIPKVEyKjj8Otx52dB8g6mROfyKIY3AxF1woE7A7oVFRvNOmlLQRk6xZfzaIzJElJnIUxO5UAWSjdDmwvc-cJhnZyxA0CughRNWuoqKeQs-wNI2xMrgLihU/s400/presidential_vote.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">234 participants by voting in last presidential election</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
However, only 27% voted in their last state election. This is unsurprising as many expats care about the direction of the US but they may find a less strong affiliation at the state level.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtckBtjucttcLHDeRCRahqIzWqb_brA6jYAdRXP05-gOV239DAdvtaZCogK9sptJkT-Mv713J7ylh8XABsiJwn8yA_H7ZbO_sCvEBDvmath7zOXQWIbSVJ8DoGBWR_EAwnToC0efqFR-o/s1600/state_vote.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtckBtjucttcLHDeRCRahqIzWqb_brA6jYAdRXP05-gOV239DAdvtaZCogK9sptJkT-Mv713J7ylh8XABsiJwn8yA_H7ZbO_sCvEBDvmath7zOXQWIbSVJ8DoGBWR_EAwnToC0efqFR-o/s400/state_vote.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">233 participants by voting in last state election</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To my surprise, only13% of US expats felt politically close to the US, with a whopping 44% saying they didn't feel close at all. I've found US expats sometimes defending US policy and trying to be informal ambassadors of the US, so I expected that the "very close" percentage would be higher.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTMdF0Pr9mrdXDSs45mmJ1sfiQZqmPZFr4ZAyw4qt5FVwKWtgcA-gyEbuO0zNca0q5pP87SEgABYO7YSxF1lKP_SHQEYvMdcinYmGyw2hEniCcYU_p4tQWsNwjNdvCf3p7JawK8asWns/s1600/close_to_us.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTMdF0Pr9mrdXDSs45mmJ1sfiQZqmPZFr4ZAyw4qt5FVwKWtgcA-gyEbuO0zNca0q5pP87SEgABYO7YSxF1lKP_SHQEYvMdcinYmGyw2hEniCcYU_p4tQWsNwjNdvCf3p7JawK8asWns/s400/close_to_us.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">234 participants by how they feel about how close they feel to the US</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Only 9% of participants felt "very close" to the current country they were living in, while 38% didn't feel close at all. Those who felt very close to their current country were generally outside of the US longer and did not plan to return to the US.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqn9YhuVk8wCzFk-ayjoQ5CrsKJRgAluOljoXyS0rtwHgEJwyRe7wF8EM1lE98kfqsoOCDn8x0W9c_UbYeu8vofW7rHEeAd-GAm0CyUR17o__zKV9zk1zluHxz24mOWqANfvBQAYYnFA/s1600/close_to_current_country.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqn9YhuVk8wCzFk-ayjoQ5CrsKJRgAluOljoXyS0rtwHgEJwyRe7wF8EM1lE98kfqsoOCDn8x0W9c_UbYeu8vofW7rHEeAd-GAm0CyUR17o__zKV9zk1zluHxz24mOWqANfvBQAYYnFA/s400/close_to_current_country.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">233 participants by how close they feel to their current country</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
42% of respondents felt they "definitely" had more economic opportunities outside the US, with another 22% feeling they had somewhat better opportunities. Only 20% felt they did not have better opportunities outside the US.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpCLwUlU53hB6tY-9z_ObbKYvK1RUP0rsuSwnI23C0widMNJDDvs0AZQ24pywf-OHndbLATAgNu3R9JVE25cFDR4ngxXlCwOAcKxZDldgTdOy1okv5qU4001dAQtDQ4PGFtqXx3qRqxU/s1600/economic_opportunities.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpCLwUlU53hB6tY-9z_ObbKYvK1RUP0rsuSwnI23C0widMNJDDvs0AZQ24pywf-OHndbLATAgNu3R9JVE25cFDR4ngxXlCwOAcKxZDldgTdOy1okv5qU4001dAQtDQ4PGFtqXx3qRqxU/s400/economic_opportunities.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">234 participants by whether they have more economic opportunities outside the US</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And I saved the most interesting for last. Only 7 out of 227 (3%) respondents identified as Republican. 123 respondents (54%) identified as Democrat. Libertarians were well-represented, but I didn't break them down by traditional Libertarian and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolibertarianism" target="_blank">Paleolibertarian</a>, though judging from responses, I suspect that few would have chosen the latter.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAA6O8CLGucGXT5CtmtNWY9nWavhSl3q4k64TljYAeMnlpkVrPqeWZvn51yAmHDtD6NQMUJttP7ApRDIryIe4rfGKk7-G38ERqrjSRyeVwC_jsGTVhHzurzL56zRFwsTEnzcAwb2IvOU/s1600/political_party.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAA6O8CLGucGXT5CtmtNWY9nWavhSl3q4k64TljYAeMnlpkVrPqeWZvn51yAmHDtD6NQMUJttP7ApRDIryIe4rfGKk7-G38ERqrjSRyeVwC_jsGTVhHzurzL56zRFwsTEnzcAwb2IvOU/s400/political_party.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">227 participants by US political party</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of those in the "other" category, their original responses were as follows:<br />
<ul>
<li>7 — None</li>
<li>5 — Independent</li>
<li>1 — Anarchocapitalist</li>
<li>1 — General leftism</li>
<li>1 — Independent (very left-leaning)</li>
<li>1 — None. All are corrupt.</li>
<li>1 — Reform party</li>
<li>1 — Somewhere between D and R</li>
<li>1 — They all suck</li>
<li>1 — They are all thieving war mongers. No plane hit WTC7.</li>
<li>1 — To vote is to support a failed system.</li>
<li>1 — Unsure</li>
<li>1 — Working Family</li>
<li>1 — depends</li>
<li>1 — liberal libertarian</li>
</ul>
And if you're curious, the two communists live in China and Slovenia.
<br />
<br />
If you're wondering why Republican representation appears to be so low abroad, here are a few thoughts. First, my survey is likely biased due to the readership. How that plays out, I can't say, but Republicans may be over- or under-represented here. However, <a href="/2012/07/i-still-cant-find-republicans-abroad.html" target="_blank">I've also written about the difficulty of finding Republicans abroad</a>. This point is hammered home by this old post from the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RepublicansAbroad" target="_blank">Republicans Abroad Facebook page</a>:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTSjC3BGqCapuEJAzOzJYBVOP83tuprZmt3a3DRtXTRGqt74m4-SkO9s5u42d5WJj7E900WoNsMxZDQN162L3xaJ7Eac1IBYNMYD7Wao1-MzP_c8gMG3Q7TQLPX3wqrAE5ucSC18D2N8/s1600/no_republicans_abroad.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTSjC3BGqCapuEJAzOzJYBVOP83tuprZmt3a3DRtXTRGqt74m4-SkO9s5u42d5WJj7E900WoNsMxZDQN162L3xaJ7Eac1IBYNMYD7Wao1-MzP_c8gMG3Q7TQLPX3wqrAE5ucSC18D2N8/s400/no_republicans_abroad.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Even though the Republicans Abroad Facebook page hasn't had an update for six months (as of this writing), one person told me that Republicans Abroad actually has meetups in Paris, but that's the only significant activity I've heard of. My experience with Republicans abroad is that they <i>generally</i> moved abroad as part of a work transfer (banking, oil, etc.) or for love. After living outside the US for seven years, I can only recall three Republicans I've met abroad.<br />
<br />
Of the Republicans who answered this survey, six were male and one was female. They generally lived in Europe with the exception of Thailand and Japan. One was agnostic, the rest were Christian (compared to only a quarter of the expats identifying as Christian). And their reasons for becoming an expat:<br />
<ul>
<li>Transferred abroad for your job</li>
<li>Adventure</li>
<li>Escape US politics</li>
<li>Adventure</li>
<li>Adventure</li>
<li>To seek work</li>
<li>Love</li>
</ul>
They were also generally upper-income and fully employed (I'll cover finances in a later post).<br />
<br />
It's also possible that Republicans simply have little interest in online surveys or, perhaps, many Republicans are transferred abroad by their jobs and don't consider themselves to be expats. Who knows? It's a topic that I'm still trying to understand, but I'll add this one caveat: I've met a number of conservative Americans living outside the US, but there's a general level of disgust amongst them for the Republican party. It's entirely possible that they simply reject the moniker, though the general tone of comments made and my personal experience suggests that Republicans are simply less likely to move abroad and those who do sometimes start to lean more to the left.<br />
<br />
Finally, we have the answers to how US expats feel about US politics and how the feel about their local politics. These are "free form" answers for which they can type in anything they want. The answers are generally depressing.<br />
<br />
How US expats feel about US politics:<br />
<ul>
<li>Embarrassed</li>
<li>Disappointed, deceived, betrayed</li>
<li>U.S. politics is currently a joke.</li>
<li>Dysfunctional, fragmented, hostile</li>
<li>I hate politicians worldwide and they all pretty much make me sick.</li>
<li>It's idiotic and I'm glad to be away from it.</li>
<li>it's a mess. Until corporate money is out of politics I will try to avoid going home.</li>
<li>Absolutely repulsive, both main parties are butting heads all the time. Never really accomplishing anything, just shutting each other down.</li>
<li>Congress is a mess</li>
<li>I do my best to ignore it, but even non-US news sources can't seem to stop talking about it.</li>
<li>I'm rather ashamed of how polarized, arrogant, smallminded and self-centered the USA has become, politically speaking. I don't feel the US government represents me, or for that matter that it represents the majority of American people.</li>
<li>Don't pay much attention to it.</li>
<li>:(</li>
<li>It's not improving. It's soundbites and catering to the lowest common denominator, with no real difference between the two major parties. The amount of money involved in US elections would be considered corruption anywhere else. It seems like American debates are very self-contained, without reference to the rest of the world.</li>
<li>mother fuckers</li>
<li>The Tea Party is an embarrassing disgrace to America.</li>
<li>It's a joke</li>
<li>Not very good. It seems hopeless that the Dems and Reps will ever learn to work together for the common good.</li>
<li>Depressed. It seems so bitterly divided and ideological. Even my friends and family seem like they've drifted further from the center toward various fringes. Everyone blames each other for the current state of things, but don't seem to see the vitriol is the core of the problem. Cool heads and compromise are what's needed.</li>
<li>They're part of the reason I left</li>
<li>Apathetic</li>
<li>Badly</li>
<li>A total mess of people saying "I've got mine. Too bad for you."</li>
<li>Excuse my language, but perhaps it'd be best to cut off all the cocksuckers' heads.</li>
<li>I don't. To me, it's a bunch of politicians telling lies to people who want to hear lies. As someone who prefers to deal with reality, I don't waste my time reading the news about the US.</li>
<li>crap</li>
<li>It's a shitshow and only going to get worse. I wouldn't be surprised if they started rounding up leftists and putting them in camps like they did to the Japanese. But America was always right-wing and genocidal, so it would be nothing new.</li>
<li>I think that US politics is a joke, and that Obama is sociopath who belongs in prison. Before I knew this about him, I voted for him the first time he ran for office.</li>
<li>Completely nonsensical</li>
<li>2 parties, 1 set of beliefs.</li>
<li>cess pool full of tea.</li>
<li>I keep finding myself apologizing for the craziness in the US.</li>
<li>Disgusted.</li>
<li>More akin to professional wrestling than so-called "leaders of the free world".</li>
<li>Frustrating</li>
<li>Meh. Not the least bit interested. I see the highlights on telly I guess.</li>
<li>Major train wreck. Please note that I did not vote in the last presidential election due to being disenfranchised by the state of mississippi- they refuse to send me ballots unless my lawyer requests them.</li>
<li>It is just a mess...</li>
<li>Awful. It's awful.</li>
<li>I feel the US is totally ignoring the 7 million of us who live abroad, and I'm so thankful for HR 597, a bill to establish a commission in Americans abroad. However, we Yanks abroad are terrible about coming together and being one voice for our needs.</li>
<li>It is a messed up system. It's embarrassing.</li>
<li>Being abroad, it's like watching two children throw a temper tantrum. It disgusts me how the US portrays themselves to other countries. It really is a nation divided, and that will absolutely be their downfall. Rather than democrats and republicans working together to fix things and save the country as a whole, they're fighting over who has the biggest cajones. Ridiculous.</li>
<li>A train wreck.</li>
<li>It's fucking crazy.</li>
<li>They are a disaster, but any one who tries to fool themselves it is better in Europe has not been reading the news. There are just as many whackjobs and idiots in power.</li>
<li>It is a disaster ruled by the greater polarization of both parties, an inability and/or unwillingness to compromise, and the persecution of the poor and middle class by the rich through political donation.</li>
<li>ugh.</li>
<li>dysfunctional and scary</li>
<li>Crazy. Arguing about non-issues and making everything a big deal without getting anything done. Shouldn't even be called 'politics', it's embarrassing.</li>
<li>We're fucked.</li>
<li>A complete disaster.</li>
<li>If you've ever watched the South Park episode Giant Douche Vs. Turd Sandwich it explains how I feel. Also, I'm definitely feeling like renouncing my citizenship to the recent NSA scandals.</li>
<li>I'm honestly totally disgusted by them. I do my best to keep up with the news but it's difficult to listen to what's happening.</li>
<li>Let's just say I'm glad I'm here and not there.</li>
<li>Gridlock</li>
<li>Obama is a lying bitch.</li>
<li>Myopic and delusional.</li>
<li>An improvement from the former regeim but not where I would want it to be. Would like to see more progressive liberal reforms.</li>
<li>What a mess</li>
<li>Embarrassing</li>
<li>It's a sh*tshow (excuse my French) In no other system in the world are there two parties so directly adjacent on the spectrum of political philosophy who are so adamant about not working with eachother. In Italian politics, you see Neo-Fascists working with Communist-leaning parties. In the US the Right Wing can't get along with the Slightly Less Right Wing. It's sickening.</li>
<li>Indifferent</li>
<li>frustrated</li>
<li>They are insane, bought and paid for by corporate interests, and too far gone to change.</li>
<li>Crazytown</li>
<li>Insane.</li>
<li>Garbage.</li>
<li>Republicans are crazy</li>
<li>Criminals bought out by corporate interests.</li>
<li>Embarrassed.</li>
<li>They suck, but politics suck in general.</li>
<li>The government is a disaster and all of our elected officials should be ashamed of themselves. I will strangle anyone who votes for an incumbent in next year's elections.</li>
<li>Run away</li>
<li>Shit's fucked up, but if everyone who thinks that jumps ship, then nothing will ever change--that's democracy. This is why I am unwilling to give up my US citizenship and voting rights.</li>
<li>I feel that they are selfish and arrogant. That the people in power currently believe that their actions have no consequences and that they are free to act without impunity.</li>
<li>Not great, not as bad as people on reddit, and particularly on r/Iwantout like to act.</li>
<li>I'm Embarrassed to be an American especially overseas. Because of the wars, NSA, lies, etc. I'm glad to see the libertarian movement is slowly gaining speed.</li>
<li>Ugh.</li>
<li>The two party system reigns supreme and isolates all others (by "others" I mean and an increasing number of young people). I'm hoping the downward spiral leads to revolution and/or true change. Maybe then I'll go back.</li>
<li>Same shit, different day</li>
<li>Disgusted. Each day I feel I made the right decision to leave and do not understand what is happening in the US. I feel bad for my family and friends which I left behind and worry how their lives will be impacted.</li>
<li>Disdainful</li>
<li>bad</li>
<li>I actively avoid US politics. I obviously can't help running into news stories about the US, and when I do it makes me never want to return.</li>
<li>Very dissatisfied and jaded. I don't think it's going to improve anytime soon, either.</li>
<li>self-destructive</li>
<li>It's a mess and it's embarrassing.</li>
<li>Train wreak.</li>
<li>Shit. Two-party system that just are one party (at the national level) that push private and corporate interests.</li>
<li>It's embarrassing.</li>
<li>It's soul-crushingly disappointing to see the juvenile tactics pulled by Tea Party Republicans in response to the Affordable Care Act.</li>
<li>it's a mess</li>
<li>It's a right fucking ballsup</li>
<li>embarrassed by them.</li>
<li>Disgusted. It's the only thing keeping me from moving back</li>
<li>I think US politics are going down the drain</li>
<li>Meh</li>
<li>There are problems, but I don't thinkt he country is going to implode or anything like that. I expect it to be more or less the same (for better or worse) when I return.</li>
<li>Bleh. No interest.</li>
<li>Ashamed.</li>
<li>Complete and utter shit. Our country is ran by greedy corporations with no thought to spare for the well being of the People.</li>
<li>Very cynical</li>
<li>Congress needs to be lined up and shot. In the legs, at least.</li>
<li>It's a mess, but so are all these other areas. I think we're making good progress towards a more open society and one that includes those from all races. With the age of the internet, openness is becoming a hot topic in the US. I actually find states like Washington and California to be far more progressive than most of the Euro countries I've visited. Don't even get me started on Asian countries and their conservatism.</li>
<li>suck</li>
<li>The US is a basket case that can't agree on anything, even if it meant its existence depend on it (and it does).</li>
<li>It's embarassing. The system is rigged to allow a choice between two parties who are equally bad for different reasons. People always point to China and India as examples of countries with serious political corruption, and they are, but the US has a significant problem of corruption at the very top. Lobbying is a bad idea, as is concentrating so much power at the federal level. Decentralized power makes it more expensive to fund corruption. also the current nonsense about Stazi era spy techniques and giving military tactics and equipment to Legal Enforcement Officers is disconcerting.</li>
<li>Idiocracy.</li>
<li>Idiocracy.</li>
<li>eeek.</li>
<li>So over it..</li>
<li>Overall, frustrated and exasperated. Almost every step forward (what I consider "forward", at least) seems either matched by a step backward or challenged again by (can't help but say it) Tea Party Republicans.</li>
<li>Both sides suck but I am liberal and I want my vote to count so I vote Democrat.</li>
<li>Not enough time or room to go into this issue.</li>
<li>Disaster and not enough people in that country care to take action</li>
<li>The U.S. Has become a repressive country.</li>
<li>A mess but at the point where changes might happen</li>
<li>It is what it is.</li>
<li>Like an outsider.... It's appalling.</li>
<li>Upset, worried, disappointed</li>
<li>Get rid of all the idiots in the Republican party</li>
<li>The government is not working due to stand offs rather than governing. Obama cannot govern as he would like because of extreme republicans,</li>
<li>Sick</li>
<li>Disgusted</li>
<li>What a mess.</li>
<li>It's a clusterfuck.</li>
<li>At the time of taking this survey, the Congress had just finished waging war against the Affordable Health Care Act, and anything else remotely related to President Obama. The resulting shutdown was disgraceful and irresponsible. Most of the blame rests squarely on the shoulders of the Republican party, whose members will do anything to trip up the Obama administration. I watch from afar and cannot believe the divisiveness and polarization in the US, with most of it spread by a large segment of the population that remains intentionally ignorant of the world at large. I am still very proud to be American, and I would never dream of renouncing my citizenship, but sometimes I scarcely recognize my country. It is very, very saddening at times.</li>
<li>I am appalled by the polarization and lack of civility in US politics.</li>
<li>It's based on the population being mostly uneducated and full of hate.</li>
<li>Not to good!</li>
<li>Broken!</li>
<li>disaster</li>
<li>*fart noises*</li>
<li>Discouraged.</li>
<li>It is a particularly low time in American politics. Americans have become so divided and agressive with those who don't think as they do. It also seems that Congress is not productive, and works harder for American corporations than for the well-being of the average American citizen. It is also time to limit the campaigning period for elections and money spent for such campaigns. In addition, it is time for the FDA to get serious about food inspections and labeling, and for Congress to stop enabling Monsanto. I could go on, but you get the picture.</li>
<li>They're horrible.</li>
<li>clusterf---K</li>
<li>Pathetic.</li>
<li>I'm glad Obama's in the White House. I'm disgusted with the Republicans, and with Wall Street, and big corporations that basically run things and pay their workers pennies. (McDonalds, supermarket chains, etc.)</li>
<li>BS</li>
<li>Embarrassingly disgraceful</li>
<li>Ridiculously partisan and a bit too far to the right.</li>
<li>It sickens me</li>
<li>A discraceful mess.</li>
<li>a complete mess</li>
<li>Disappointed. It has become too polarized between the right and the left.</li>
<li>worried</li>
<li>US politics are dysfunctional and highly corrupt.</li>
<li>right direction</li>
<li>The health care situation in USA is dismal. I had three babies in Canada and the only cost was paying the parking meter overnight. In USA I hear a kid costs thousands of dollars.</li>
<li>Hard to see my home country so bitterly and completely divided.</li>
<li>The US' reputation is awful because of the policies instituted and followed by the past two presidential administrations.</li>
<li>sickening</li>
<li>I have not been following US politics all that closely in these years but I am always happier when there are democrats in the White House. I think that the US has it's problems, but there is hope for the future.</li>
<li>Very depressed about the wrangling and unwillingness to seek solutions in common to the country's serious problems.</li>
<li>Incredibly frustrated</li>
<li>Make guns illegal</li>
<li>It's a huge mess which needs to be cleaned up.</li>
<li>Haters in american Government and racist in American politics.</li>
<li>In a word: disgusted. There's not much more that can even be said.</li>
</ul>
And how they feel about their local politics. I deliberately did not match these with the above answers to avoid providing too much identifying information. However, you'll note that many of the responses strike a more positive tone.<br />
<ul>
<li>Ambivalent</li>
<li>I do not know enough to make an informed statement about this topic.</li>
<li>Dutch politics, and society as a whole, is *far* too racist. It feels like a socially acceptable version of Apartheid.</li>
<li>the adults are running the show and doing the best they can</li>
<li>Corrupt, incompetent thieves.</li>
<li>Looking pretty bad right now as new Prime Minister (Tony Abbott) is confirming the worst of my fears about him.</li>
<li>I am not pleased with the financially conservative bent of the current president, but she's at least a woman.</li>
<li>Not too much better, to be honest. A little too politically correct to manage the country the way it should be. Loving the relative lack of gun violence, though. Good law system there.</li>
<li>Not much better than US situation, however I don't have voting privileges and therefore don't worry too much about it.</li>
<li>I don't really know the Swedish political landscape that well, but I have a generally positive impression from what I do know of it.</li>
<li>This country has issues like everyone else, especially given the current unstable world climate. But I feel this country's government is held more accountable for its actions, and is likely more responsive because of that.</li>
<li>Conflicted.</li>
<li>Politics are influenced far too much by religion and there's also a rather insular view that comes from being economically powerful. I much prefer country #2 to country #3.</li>
<li>bullies</li>
<li>Headed in the same direction in the US.</li>
<li>Not very good; The Netherlands seems to be becoming more like the USA all the time. But it's still a coalition government and parties realize they have to work together to make things work.</li>
<li>Finland is a pretty homogeneous country so there isn't a lot of political drama. There seems to be a good deal of transparency, and the political discourse is mostly civil.</li>
<li>They're part of the reason I want to be in a different section of this country!</li>
<li>Apathetic</li>
<li>Mixed</li>
<li>No real leadership.</li>
<li>Chile and the U.S. are remarkably similar in that there is a two-party control on that nation, and no matter which side you vote for nothing ever really changes for the better for poor or middle class.</li>
<li>Fairly positive (at least, as positive as I feel about any government). The government mostly leaves people alone in their day-to-day lives, and I approve of that. There was a recent election of a new President, and there's some hope that we'll see some much-needed infrastructure projects starting. I'm also slightly positive on a personal level, since they want to improve the IT industry here, which may open up some opportunities for me.</li>
<li>somewhat less crap</li>
<li>Sadly gone way downhill since Mao's death, possibly beyond reform. China is steadily becoming imperialist, but while I don't support its turn down the capitalist road, I would side with China over my home country if it came down to it because the US is the number one force of destruction in the world today. I'm highly critical of Chinese politics, but not quite with the same angry dismissal I have of US politics.</li>
<li>Have no knowledge of it.</li>
<li>Not great, but more organized than the US</li>
<li>Lots of tribalism.</li>
<li>In total disarray.</li>
<li>Disgusted.</li>
<li>Corrupt and out of touch with working people.</li>
<li>Slightly less frustrating</li>
<li>Also meh. It's pretty ridiculous. I do rather enjoy watching the debates in the House of Lords. It amuses me to see a bunch of entitled people argue the fate of common people..</li>
<li>Switzerland is great.</li>
<li>I am not completely sure of all the current details of the Dutch government to be completely honest. I really am not a fan of politics.</li>
<li>They have more than two parties, so that's a start.</li>
<li>Ok, same as in the US</li>
<li>I need to learn more about it. But in general, things seem to work well and to be in the interest of the people.</li>
<li>All British and Scottish parties are retarded</li>
<li>I've only been here a short time, so I don't know too much. It seems....quiet? I suppose. Like things are mostly just running along here unaided. I may be wrong, but that's my current interpretation.</li>
<li>A train wreck.</li>
<li>Retarded.</li>
<li>Pretty shitty people hijacked Thatcher's funeral. I care what she did to Wales, but let her family grieve. Otherwise, Theresa May is a moron.</li>
<li>also ugh.</li>
<li>functional but closed to foreigners</li>
<li>Good question. Corrupt as all hell but everybody's so used to politicians being useless that nobody pays any attention to the government at all. It's mostly people mud-slinging and passing laws without mentioning them.</li>
<li>We're all fucked.</li>
<li>Fully functional.</li>
<li>Harper is just an idiot but not enough of one to mess too much up.</li>
<li>The Czech Republic is very corrupt, also, and I know there are a lot of problems here too.</li>
<li>It's a mess, but at least the average French liberal's political opinions align far better with my own opinions than what the average US democrat stands for. Also, in France it feels like some of those values are better realized here in the political system than all the posturing (and little results) that happen in the US.</li>
<li>Seems like a good system, but it's rather complicated.</li>
<li>Troubled between the royalists and the communists</li>
<li>Don't care.</li>
<li>Would like to get rid of the current regeim in the next election and replace it with a social democrat government (shift to the left).</li>
<li>Less of a mess</li>
<li>Even more embarrassing. Also potentially catastrophic for Kosovo.</li>
<li>I am pretty uninformed.</li>
<li>Indifferent</li>
<li>dissappointed</li>
<li>They are still politics, but there still seems to be accountability to the people, and flexibility for change.</li>
<li>Likely as crazy town but with a distinct kimchi flavor</li>
<li>Some bad points but overall a much better state.</li>
<li>I don't know enough to comment - one perk of living abroad (easier to stay out of political puppet games).</li>
<li>Much to learn, sad rightward shift.</li>
<li>The same, but to a lesser extent. They are held more accountable.</li>
<li>Better than the U.S.</li>
<li>They suck.</li>
<li>It seems to be going ok, they're about as obnoxious as any national government I guess.</li>
<li>Storm in a teacup</li>
<li>I don't like Merkel. I don't like how people like Merkel just because they think she's this nice motherly lady who's some expert leader. She's against extending rights to the LGBTQ community, she was complicit in the NSA's affairs until it affected her personally, she has called multiculturalism in Germany a failure... but she has this cult of personality; people call her "Mutti" (mama). It's really disappointing and I wish people would think a little more critically.</li>
<li>Of course they are selfish, but they are not without knowing that their actions will have consequences for them and for the country that they govern.</li>
<li>Shitty. Here for work, won't stay more than a year or a little bit more.</li>
<li>I don't follow them closely. It's almost hopeles here. Lots of corruption. I'm sure their on the wrong path.</li>
<li>Complicated but makes more sense.</li>
<li>Italy is a non-issue as far as politics to me. I followed it when Beppe Grillo was active, but he was also the same as all the others.</li>
<li>Corruption then, corruption now, corruption continues.</li>
<li>The situation is also having difficulties, but as I do not have the right to vote, I do not focus too much on the politics.</li>
<li>Neutral</li>
<li>most things were better ten years ago, was worse two years ago and will probably be much better ten years from now</li>
<li>It is still very complicated to me, I have only learned what they taught me in class. From what I understand, there are still many problems here and change is one of the things they have the hardest time with. I am sure when I find out more about it and get to know the language better, I will be disappointed, but I don't think I could ever be as disappointed as I am with America.</li>
<li>I admittedly don't know enough as I should, but I don't really find any politicians or governments likable. I'd say that the German government is at least less corrupt than the US.</li>
<li>corrupt</li>
<li>It's pretty bad, but not as bad as the US. I just don't like our current PM, but overall the system seems to work.</li>
<li>Also a train wreak.</li>
<li>Don't know to much, but lots of bickering over petty things.</li>
<li>Also, embarrassing.</li>
<li>I don't feel I know enough about my current country's politics to give an informed response. From what I've heard of Shinzo Abe and the LDP, their return to power is unfortunate. While I'm definitely disillusioned about politics back home, I *do not* feel I'm running away from corruption by coming here. The grass is *never* greener, but it is different. I think I like this variety of different.</li>
<li>also a mess</li>
<li>Meh.</li>
<li>horrified.</li>
<li>5% better than the US. Canadians are way more ignorant of their own politics than the states (if that's believable)</li>
<li>China has a lot of room for improvement, no doubt. But as immigrants to the US believed in the US during the industrial revolution; I believe in China!</li>
<li>Meh</li>
<li>For the most part, I feel positively, but I also don't have an intimate understanding of the politics and understand that there are problems here as well.</li>
<li>Bleh bleh bleh. Keep me out of it.</li>
<li>Completely bewildered.</li>
<li>It's not that best but it's sure as hell the lesser of two evils.</li>
<li>I'm worried about it.</li>
<li>On the verge of the unknown. It's a micro-state that relies heavily upon being a tax haven. They've now promised to release the names of those hiding money in their country, so people are expecting the banks to leave town. After that they'll have some industry, but losing half of your main source of jobs will def. hurt the local economy. Most Luxembourgish citizens work for the government and funds will soon dry up.</li>
<li>Everywhere has their problems.</li>
<li>The ruling party is too entrenched.</li>
<li>Singapore's politics are very orderly. The country is so small the government is able to be very responsive. Corruptions seems quite low, probably in one part because the ruling family has significant financial resources already, and in another part because the island is so small and lacks any natural resources, there's little for large corporations to target. Elections seem to lack significant choice, but I'm actually inclined to agree with the ruling party's assertion that that is due to a lack of enough talent to produce multiple viable parties, and as such anyone with competent political skills tends to just join the ruling party rather than try to rock the boat by founding a new party.</li>
<li>Not for me to judge. I'm a guest.</li>
<li>Not for me to judge. I'm a guest.</li>
<li>even worse</li>
<li>Silly.</li>
<li>I'm only just learning about the most current issues, but many seem to be very similar to the U.S. There's even a new bill here that would pretty dramatically affect collective bargaining and I found that quite interesting after signing petitions and voting in Ohio to prevent its legislative efforts to weaken unions. And the tension between environmental protection efforts and development is quite familiar as well.</li>
<li>Both sides are terrible, imagine one side called The Tea Partiers and the other side called The Useless, ruining the country. Both sides are 20x more corrupt than in the US, which says much.</li>
<li>It appears to be slowly starting to follow in the footsteps of the US/Capitalist model.</li>
<li>Disaster but at least we can get 10% of the population marching on the street when the government starts to get really obnoxious</li>
<li>Dysfunction.</li>
<li>It is time for a shifting back of the current party's run.</li>
<li>haha Czech politics are funny and and their drunk president is always good for a few laughs.</li>
<li>Equally appalling.</li>
<li>The government is living up to the low expectations I had, even beyond.</li>
<li>Don't get me started</li>
<li>The economic crisis is causing some return to racism, extreme conservatism, etc. the governement cannot function well due to world wide economic crisis caused by a few wealthy who have taken over the power all over the world due to deregulation rules. People feel helpless.</li>
<li>Depressed</li>
<li>France is even worse.</li>
<li>It's also a clusterfuck.</li>
<li>I voted for Hollande because I could not abide Sarkozy and his corruption, but I am disappointed by Hollande's lack of backbone.</li>
<li>The political system encourages people to not want to be rich.</li>
<li>Unhappy</li>
<li>disaster</li>
<li>*louder fart noises*</li>
<li>Removed.</li>
<li>While I consider myself to the left in the US, I feel like a mix of right and left in France. Despite my leftist sympathies, for most French socialists, I am not left enough. While I support many of the social and cultural programs in France and am very grateful for its healthcare program, I sometimes feel that leftists in France think that money grows on trees and that the philosophy should always be give, give, give to every cause, while the American practical side of me questions where that money is supposed to come from and how there will be enough to support those programs in the future. I also feel very American when it comes to the French habitual love of strikes. I think such strikes very often shoot their nation in the foot, wasting tons of money and inconveniencing everyone. In my own way, I feel very attached to both France and the US, and am not happy when the well-being of either nation is in jeopardy. I have not lived in Tunisia as long, but I appreciate the country and its people, and wish nothing but the very best for it, too.</li>
<li>Much better than the U.S.</li>
<li>don't like the government, but it's the best one we have</li>
<li>More hopeful.</li>
<li>I'm aligned most with the left (SP), but since I can't vote I'm basically powerless. (I'm only allowed to be in a "registered partnership," which has different rules than if I were married and in a heterosexual relationship.) When I met my partner it would not have been legal for her to stay in the US (I'm a woman), thus the move to Switzerland. that's recently changed, but seemingly only on a case-by-case basis.</li>
<li>no idea</li>
<li>Socialist mindset and of course doesn't work, even in tiny Finland.</li>
<li>I feel it is going downhill fast.</li>
<li>I don't really keep track of it</li>
<li>Status quo.</li>
<li>Horrible.</li>
<li>a complete mess</li>
<li>The Dutch medical and social welfare are moving to the levels of the US.</li>
<li>disgusted</li>
<li>There is plenty of room for improvement, but I believe the system is much more conducive to self correction than the US system. There is however, a bit too much collective government in Canada.</li>
<li>wrong direction</li>
<li>I would never borrow money from China to pay for my house mortgage. I do not understand why USA would borrow trillions of dollars to finance wars.</li>
<li>Feel more positive about its multiparty system and its requirements that government representatives MUST compromise to get anything done.</li>
<li>Simply awful. I do not see things getting better in the US in my lifetime.</li>
<li>sickening</li>
<li>I feel that Italy's politics ruin the country. There seems to be no hope for change here and people seem much more resigned to accept the corruption and political ridiculousness. I don't think there is much hope for the future of Italy politically or economically because things get bogged down in corruption and bureaucracy.</li>
<li>Derisive. The French have their heads in the sand.</li>
<li>Unimpressed, but less affected</li>
<li>They made guns illegal. NHS. Welfare state. These are good things America won't have.</li>
<li>It's a huge mess which needs to be cleaned up.</li>
<li>Curing in some ways but money talks.</li>
<li>Generally, we're happy with Sweden, enjoy the quirks some things can come with, but also really respect the system. Yes, the taxes are astronomical, but there's little question that it gets put to good use.</li>
</ul>
Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-20455317959213002102013-11-25T15:58:00.001+01:002022-06-25T12:07:34.487+02:00Overseas Exile Expat Survey Results — EmotionsToday's summary of expat results revolves around expat's emotional responses to being an expat. In other news, I'm learning more about Excel's pivot tables and am doing a better job labeling them. As usual, click on imagine for a larger picture.<br />
<br />
See also:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="/2013/11/initial-overseas-exile-expat-survey.html" target="_blank">Part 1 Expat Results: Personal</a></li>
<li><a href="/2013/11/overseas-exile-expat-survey-results.html" target="_blank">Part 2 Expat Results: Living Abroad</a></li>
</ul>
Fully three quarters of expats are very or somewhat happy to be an expat. Only 15% of expats are somewhat or very unhappy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiactMiQICcTmom_EKwFjCYZ4KyQOrxYOQQ6pGu6q9ndcfCaHP1B4DNhhHWGOV5oh_J3CN9n89a09DQBY46ap3_R2JcXnmfv3yjHJxuA9w_yD1Uqhm48IEeXvlCchxUvUv90FYwPS0X7z8/s1600/happiness.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiactMiQICcTmom_EKwFjCYZ4KyQOrxYOQQ6pGu6q9ndcfCaHP1B4DNhhHWGOV5oh_J3CN9n89a09DQBY46ap3_R2JcXnmfv3yjHJxuA9w_yD1Uqhm48IEeXvlCchxUvUv90FYwPS0X7z8/s400/happiness.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">234 participants by how happy they feel being an expat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a>Regarding homesickness, only 4% reported feeling homesick "very often", while 58% reported "never" or "seldom". That's a bit of a surprise to me because while I fall in the "seldom" category, I have often heard from expats who claim to be homesick. I suspect what's going on is that those who are homesick are more likely to talk about it, thus biasing my experience (which is why doing survey's helps keep a check on "gut instinct").<br />
<br />
Also, most who said they were "very often" homesick had been outside the US less than two years. However, one person with 15 years outside the US and another with 11 years outside the US responded that they felt homesick very often. Thus, while length of time outside the US clearly reduces homesickness, it's not a guaranteed antidote.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_r8cjToePT1hbHeEGklV_8SN5cj_hoDvrrNSHiqHUIgIm7zH4i7hU8WEiOSYXMPUm2lp0l6LW15qGU78wfoCcsZQ2gS8NM6J-e3z3hRdS3V39Gun0biIiZQup_oQySaF2MuO7D5-KMU/s1600/homesick.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_r8cjToePT1hbHeEGklV_8SN5cj_hoDvrrNSHiqHUIgIm7zH4i7hU8WEiOSYXMPUm2lp0l6LW15qGU78wfoCcsZQ2gS8NM6J-e3z3hRdS3V39Gun0biIiZQup_oQySaF2MuO7D5-KMU/s400/homesick.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">234 participants by how often they feel homesick.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Loneliness was also interesting. Only 8% of people felt "very lonely". Again, this is a common complain of expats, but it's again possible that only those who feel this issue are vocal about it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAiVCtf8auPmW22v9SyvhFcA-KLWXrRr-O0x9tLP2_6B9s8fSjxGH4IwEfhVzYHqh6sp2Ohi9NxO2Om8KEvxuM-G9nMeg7LDGehVnN17jyHXhdnF6KVbn2gaI5V7zyR17Urfxr7SVsS0/s1600/loneliness.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAiVCtf8auPmW22v9SyvhFcA-KLWXrRr-O0x9tLP2_6B9s8fSjxGH4IwEfhVzYHqh6sp2Ohi9NxO2Om8KEvxuM-G9nMeg7LDGehVnN17jyHXhdnF6KVbn2gaI5V7zyR17Urfxr7SVsS0/s400/loneliness.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">233 participants by loneliness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
For "what do you miss most about the US", this was hard because you could select multiple items. After separating them out, we had 481 responses. Family and friends were what people really missed. Only 1% chose "nothing".<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1UqqMsn_IwaKIsQw1xOwLB8xKwGsN3sm7dh_YEnJjP3GLRaVO1fSrc-oTUju0xJfclHNLObtX6eb4fQcJkf2IpOscQQ-VkGm86fvy527Jh-z6YmVY_BmkWYoGwC_eTFFBLHvGEG64U0/s1600/what_do_you_miss.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1UqqMsn_IwaKIsQw1xOwLB8xKwGsN3sm7dh_YEnJjP3GLRaVO1fSrc-oTUju0xJfclHNLObtX6eb4fQcJkf2IpOscQQ-VkGm86fvy527Jh-z6YmVY_BmkWYoGwC_eTFFBLHvGEG64U0/s400/what_do_you_miss.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">481 responses to "what do you miss about the US?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Regarding "would you recommend being an expat to other Americans?", the overwhelming response was "yes", though many answered "it depends". Only 3 out of 234 respondents said "no". Of course, saying "no" would suggest that you, yourself, made a mistake. It's a given that people don't like to admit making mistakes, so this could be biased, even if it's unintentional.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzUp7n1LKRkBVaSgEVBLzAL9JIQzCXagl7wQI-Hr7MqshzyMFJHq1qHYpt-78AgXy8HZKi8waE5dp31CCZWQ9LTCqv31FQ-ib6d9u0i3TqpxQeiNDyVHUdU0ixdsDIZT2NaKMGiOEcFI/s1600/recommend.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzUp7n1LKRkBVaSgEVBLzAL9JIQzCXagl7wQI-Hr7MqshzyMFJHq1qHYpt-78AgXy8HZKi8waE5dp31CCZWQ9LTCqv31FQ-ib6d9u0i3TqpxQeiNDyVHUdU0ixdsDIZT2NaKMGiOEcFI/s400/recommend.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">234 participants by "would you recommend being an expat?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The "how do you feel about your life as an expat" question was a freeform text field and generally answers were positive, though not always. Here's a sampling of answers:<br />
<hr />
<blockquote>
I'm happy here. I don't really think of myself so much as an expat.; I don't seek out other expats. I am integrated into the community and have a good group of friends and have a good life here.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I don't care for the country where I am currently living, but I can always move again when I finish this job. I like having vacation time and working only 40 hours a week; this ensures a high quality of life. I also like knowing my medical needs will be met.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I still consider myself a US citizen and take the time to study issues before voting in elections. I am frequently frustrated by the annoyance of trying to maintain my driver's license (which I need when I visit the US, although not in Europe), which requires me to use my last state of residence and fight about it every time. I'm especially frustrated by the tax situation. I have linguistic and family ties to the US which make me not want to give up my citizenship, but I may have to in order to prepare for my future.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I love it. I have a work life balance that would be very hard to achieve in the US.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
America looks different from outside. Americans should leave so they can see themselves.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I love Finland, but because of the language it's hard to integrate and find a job.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
My circumstances are no where near normal. Every wrong turn that could possibly made has been at this point, which is why things are going poorly. Life here [Spain] isn't terrible, but the bureaucracy is atrocious.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I love the adventure but I am excited to return home.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I left a relatively high-paying IT job in the US, which allowed me to live a pretty nice lifestyle. I haven't been able to get my income back up to the point yet where I can live a similar lifestyle, so that's kind of frustrating. I also need to improve my language skills. I can generally function in society, but am not at the point where I can really talk about deep intellectual issues, or make the kind of friends I had back in the US. I've also gotten tired of most of the other expats I've met. I don't know if it's just the countries I've lived in (Uruguay and Paraguay), but I can't say I've been impressed with most of the other expats I've met. I meet the paranoid delusionals, who move overseas to get away from the "chemtrails and earthquake machines that the global elite are using as part of their massive de-population plan". Or, they're here on a three-year assignment and aren't really looking at the country the same way I do (as a permanent future home). It's definitely not the Josephine Bakers and Ernest Hemingways that I had hoped I'd meet. But overall, I'm a much more relaxed and happier person.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I enjoy it but am grateful for things I once took for granted.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I still love it to pieces, but I recently split with my boyfriend (British). Since all of my family is in the US, and now this, I just feel more lonely than I have in a while. I still have my friends and such here, but it is still hard. But no part of my wants to flee back to the States at all. I want to keep travelling</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
A great adventure in a land that has adopted me. I feel so fortunate for the experience</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I am happier than I've ever been, despite the hardships and stress of establishing yourself in a new country.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I fucking hate Scotland especially Aberdeen</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Mostly good, homesickness goes in waves.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
It's a bit skewed because here in the UK it's not difficult. As an expatriate where I didn't speak the local language - Hungary and Estonia - it fluctuated. Some days were great, other days I felt crippling loneliness. I'm currently very happy. I am in a long-term relationship with the man I want to spend my life with. After our years in Estonia, it is a respite to be back in the UK.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Wish I could afford to go home more often, but I know home will always be there and my time abroad is limited (due to work conditions) so I have to enjoy it now.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
It's just life.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Honestly Canada isn't that much different but due to the healthcare I feel Ihave a better quality of life. I've run into multiple hospital visits that I know would have put me into debt for my whole life that thanks to the healthcare I'm actually doing fine.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I am very happy with it. I'm able to have an interesting job here. In the U.S., I was bored and couldn't find work that challenged me. I have a fantastic community here. I do miss home, but I would most definitely rather be here.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I definitely miss home, and cannot wait to return.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Mostly good but I do miss my family and feel guilty about not being home more often. Feel that I may someday regret being unable to make it home for christmas or a family runion. When I head back to my adopted country I never know when or if I will see my older relatives again. Sad but its life.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I love it here, but I am not sure I would spend my whole life here. I think I will be happy to go home eventually.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Generally happier but I would personally have a higher standard of living in the US.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I do it now for the money mostly. When I left the US in 2011 it was to escape the US and get a better job.
But it's great not being in the US because of its politics.
<br />
I'm in Papua new Guinea now and it's a rough place. But my job is great, Pay is great and I get to leave PNG often. It's a perfect job except for living in Papua New Guinea.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Happy with my decision to leave, but still difficult to be so far from family, especially as they age. I enjoy my life much more in my new country, but face challenges with the language. Furthermore, my career is going well but I would have more opportunities in my home country.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I am happier than I have ever been. America wasn't a bad place to live, but Japan's cultural and moral values fit me better as a person. I also love being able to explore a new culture and learning the language has been a rewarding challenge that I am happy to work hard at every day.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I'm having the time of my life, but it can also be very lonely.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
It is what I want, I feel fulfilled. It can be tough but it is worth it.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
other countries are much less friendly towards immigrants, if not downright hostile and explicitly racist.
<br />
but there is a higher standard of living in Europe, so even on a lower salary, life is in some ways better.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I have a girlfriend who lives overseas, which makes life considerably more difficult. I am working as an ESL teacher straight of out University because I sought the travel and world experience, as well as personal development. My social circle is limited to about 5 other native speakers. I sometimes feel very lonely and depressed. I enjoy teaching my classes and, when I have put a lot of effort into my work, experience the thrill of fulfillment. I like the food and the city where I live. I am a theatre graduate who had planned to move into another field (not knowing which) after graduating, but being abroad in a city with almost no theatre at all, I've begun to realize that the theatre is where I really want to be.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Sometimes, I feel like I am still living in America - just another city in America where nobody speaks English. I can call, text, and Skype all of my friends with ease. At this point, I realize that getting the experience that I'd hoped for is my own choice.</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
My job affords me a lifestyle that would be unavailable to me if I were living in the US due to costs of owning and operating a car, paying rent, paying for overpriced health insurance and whatnot.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Once you give up the novelty of living in a different country one has to start building a life. It's somewhat difficult when you're an expat, because you find yourself only being befriended or befriending other expats. Even with a strong grasp on the local language, you will still never be local and never treated as such.
<br />
I've lived in Europe for quite some time now and consider Germany to be my 2nd home. However, it blows my mind how out of touch people are with nature. I grew up gardening, hunting and camping. Even activities as an adult have me outside quite a bit, but I find that my time in Europe is spent mainly in cities..eating food and drinking. I've yet to meet anyone my age that has done any of those things listed. I definitely have a higher quality of life in the U.S. than I ever did as an expat in Luxembourg or Germany.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
It's mostly good. I have a great support netowrk as I work at a large company that employs people from all over the world. Also I was married to my wife for many years in the US before I left, so her family and I were already quite close. It's not the traditional lonely foreigner situation at all. I miss the freshness of the food in America as Singapore is a tiny island where everything must be imported. Mostly I just miss my friends and family when I think of the US. Everyone speaks english as a first language in Singapore so it's not very isolating. I'm considering moving to China for a more authentically foreign experience.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I want it to continue for as long as possible.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I love meeting new people and getting out and seeing the world. Sometimes I wonder what I am doing with my life but I am only 23 and I really enjoy the choices I have made so far.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
A means to an end..... It has made me appreciate The United States more than I did when I left.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Good for people who are unconventional and don't want a family/house/roots
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I am very content, especially since I have many American friends who are also living in France long-term. I don't consider myself an "expat" since I am well integrated into life in my adopted country.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Exicting, many opportunities to explore, but sad that so many Americans have misconceptions about countries and cultures around the world.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
I'm torn between staying (I love my partner) and going back. I'm not fulfilled at work, and it's a major factor in my unhappiness. (I'm an English teacher at a language school.) It's been difficult for me to decide whether to go back to school, since the main language would be German. (I'm not sure I could succeed, even though my German verbal isn't bad.) I understand the grass is always greener, and somehow I think it would be easier for me to have a job and go to school in the US -- but then I'd be without my partner. ugh.
</blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote>
Big mistake.
</blockquote>
<hr />
Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-84129972704871087182013-11-22T11:56:00.001+01:002022-06-25T12:07:36.375+02:00Overseas Exile Expat Survey Results — Living AbroadThis is the second entry in my Overseas Exile 2013 US Expat Survey results. <a href="/2013/11/initial-overseas-exile-expat-survey.html" target="_blank">Click here for the first entry, covering "Personal Information" about expatriates</a>. Click on any image to see a larger version.<br />
<br />
The second part to the survey was about "life abroad". Slightly more than half of participants felt that the local's had a better quality of life than in the US, with slightly less than a quarter feeling it was about the same and only 20% feeling that locals were worse off than the US.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMzvhnMatxnslUEbQ_e19cOa8BwHDwnRWgSkwbmzwHo4AOzPWv0yWyPMCA6cg9DUTXYsKHPqbo2OM2hmz_jnw6v7EIt44dC2Jk2-orGeDiuQ0u2kOSfGU5ibX2GzofWdh_5exnHFYa2A/s1600/quality_of_life.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMzvhnMatxnslUEbQ_e19cOa8BwHDwnRWgSkwbmzwHo4AOzPWv0yWyPMCA6cg9DUTXYsKHPqbo2OM2hmz_jnw6v7EIt44dC2Jk2-orGeDiuQ0u2kOSfGU5ibX2GzofWdh_5exnHFYa2A/s400/quality_of_life.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">235 participants by local quality of life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a>Most US expats, 59%, felt they had a better quality of life than in the US, with 25% feeling it was the same and only 11% feeling it was worse.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3KhsJMZdOdQFUPEXDMExyv4y7QYuHX9auslIqGUMz5BRx_PGFbBecx7paZsc8UsD9JWKnK70EKWFXTj-v6HXbiaBX7C5pzGW2cTaTpRgX5T7HyUL1a8UEPYLoBPU0ZnFzP9ztW_kqhI/s1600/your_quality_of_life.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3KhsJMZdOdQFUPEXDMExyv4y7QYuHX9auslIqGUMz5BRx_PGFbBecx7paZsc8UsD9JWKnK70EKWFXTj-v6HXbiaBX7C5pzGW2cTaTpRgX5T7HyUL1a8UEPYLoBPU0ZnFzP9ztW_kqhI/s400/your_quality_of_life.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">235 participants by their quality of life</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Their reasons for moving abroad were also very interesting. Because there was an "other" column in which people could supply their own answers, I had to correct many entries to "other", as I'll show below the graph. It's clear that I should have listed "Education" as one of the choices.<br />
<br />
Fully one-third of the people choosing to move abroad did so for adventure. Contrary to what many people back in the US believe, only 12% did so to get away from US politics. This is in line with other surveys showing few people moving away due to politics. As expected, many people (17%) moved abroad for love, while 10% did so to seek work and 8% did so for their current job.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBa2XnsGy3fjRBm4jTSxikcJGjX9WMrXqNk_DjhmmhKuW9_Pc3m39wN6zO8xU-2jo4_wjLgOI9bZyuoi1ihqHQk7kEpzPbpwzeLEQBTfYvJ5zKBOtyGHqDrTYe5mt2dam2qDJ3OCY6mGY/s1600/reasons_for_expatriation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBa2XnsGy3fjRBm4jTSxikcJGjX9WMrXqNk_DjhmmhKuW9_Pc3m39wN6zO8xU-2jo4_wjLgOI9bZyuoi1ihqHQk7kEpzPbpwzeLEQBTfYvJ5zKBOtyGHqDrTYe5mt2dam2qDJ3OCY6mGY/s400/reasons_for_expatriation.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">235 participants by reasons for moving abroad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the "other" responses, I corrected all references to "grad school", "university", "master's degree", and so on, to "Education".<br />
<ul>
<li>14 responses — Education</li>
<li>3 responses — All of the above</li>
<li>2 responses — Health care</li>
<li>2 responses — Never lived in US</li>
<li>1 response — Adventure, then history, now love. I wouldn't be in the UK if not for love.</li>
<li>1 response — Adventure, work, and to avoid paying US taxes (Foreign earned income exclusion)</li>
<li>1 response — Better cycling infrastructure and urban design</li>
<li>1 response — Better life</li>
<li>1 response — Better long-term opportunities</li>
<li>1 response — Escape US lifestyle</li>
<li>1 response — Humanitarian work</li>
<li>1 response — Husband accepted job abroad, I followed.</li>
<li>1 response — I had a good opportunity fall in my lap</li>
<li>1 response — I was born an expat.</li>
<li>1 response — I'm a lifelong expat. First moved to China at age 7. For me living abroad is more comfortable than living in the states.</li>
<li>1 response — Love Europe</li>
<li>1 response — Love and Wanderlust</li>
<li>1 response — Love of France</li>
<li>1 response — My parents moved me when i was 14 and never wanted to go back</li>
<li>1 response — No interest in US</li>
<li>1 response — To continue living abroad in one section of the country until I could hop to the one I wanted to be in</li>
<li>1 response — To make money</li>
<li>1 response — canadian mother moved me to canada</li>
<li>1 response — child dependant</li>
<li>1 response — i was here</li>
<li>1 response — spent most of my life abroad in other countries, came here to study</li>
<li>1 response — why not</li>
<li>1 response — with parents</li>
<li>1 response — work and way of life</li>
</ul>
The "year you left" data surprised me because fully 20% of respondents said they had left the US in 2013. While this <i>does</i> fit the general trendline, it seems a touch suspicious. However, it's entirely possible that more recent expats are more likely to search out expat-related news.<br />
<br />
On a side note, Excel's pivot tables did not like a numeric year as a data label. Hard-core Excel users know what I'm talking about.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxy7yAnz-V69EO9bdl_bcEMpiSXbnHBHKlPr7Nk8c7U6_2yofAyIOto8XZN7z94YkcJW34euqxatlv1tHKYQLWuXlRxkP34I5Iar29ync_u9v93TJQUhgT7im2xPwUt0Mhnxew_-3qd6g/s1600/year_left.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxy7yAnz-V69EO9bdl_bcEMpiSXbnHBHKlPr7Nk8c7U6_2yofAyIOto8XZN7z94YkcJW34euqxatlv1tHKYQLWuXlRxkP34I5Iar29ync_u9v93TJQUhgT7im2xPwUt0Mhnxew_-3qd6g/s400/year_left.png" width="338" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">224 participants by year left</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For whether people planned to return to the US, they were fairly evenly divided between "yes", "no", and undecided. Of those who were decided, they tended to prefer not returning to the US.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZsDhAuBl5ktkuB31tGqvKbqvqduRnPLQ5pNIhkUn1iFqkWAUiygjS62ruLPEWXehf_5HvfS3fk53ukqJApw6VJa9w0cV-7kjSj3kT1gih2jPdxxvBb81FHLk60aCVBx9bgAuVHlstE0/s1600/plan_to_return.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZsDhAuBl5ktkuB31tGqvKbqvqduRnPLQ5pNIhkUn1iFqkWAUiygjS62ruLPEWXehf_5HvfS3fk53ukqJApw6VJa9w0cV-7kjSj3kT1gih2jPdxxvBb81FHLk60aCVBx9bgAuVHlstE0/s400/plan_to_return.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">234 participants by "plan to return to the US"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Generally, the largest group of participants reported that they could speak the local language fluently, with poorly coming in second (Note: I now know why so many people number their answers when creating surveys: it's much easier to make the answers sort properly in Excel).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Stn3FGwcEubbftCCWb61Fw6xiqIG5g3oKEEzC3bcLY2oTMYrvGSsYbUQge0DOsSzEXVE1YEtm9KFL1lQNwNuEip_NnVHEmpSLyddtt780ENXxvisz81EOuWc3-2_Iklu7hhXB6zx4SY/s1600/speak_language.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Stn3FGwcEubbftCCWb61Fw6xiqIG5g3oKEEzC3bcLY2oTMYrvGSsYbUQge0DOsSzEXVE1YEtm9KFL1lQNwNuEip_NnVHEmpSLyddtt780ENXxvisz81EOuWc3-2_Iklu7hhXB6zx4SY/s400/speak_language.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">235 participants on ability to speak local language</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I corrected for those living in countries for which English was not the native language (the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), the largest group reported that they could speak the local language poorly:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaiQ1TmPWckmUOmRdBTandJGWBDGmulDWtnDH7Lpop2PPys8oLwaEIskPno2yu108mfwo4agYYSWGZX4YRv6hYEs-9jx67ZyugR2_6TQdwyPorLfqvn-iVEuKBlK8-suOd5I0RP7tDtw/s1600/speak_language_non_english.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaiQ1TmPWckmUOmRdBTandJGWBDGmulDWtnDH7Lpop2PPys8oLwaEIskPno2yu108mfwo4agYYSWGZX4YRv6hYEs-9jx67ZyugR2_6TQdwyPorLfqvn-iVEuKBlK8-suOd5I0RP7tDtw/s400/speak_language_non_english.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">235 participants on ability to speak the local language<br />
in primarily non-English speaking countries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Of those reported as living outside the US more than 20 years, all spoke the language at a fluent or native level, with the exception of a gentleman living in France for 35 years who reported that he spoke "conversationally". <i>Generally</i> speaking, those living outside the US for more than 10 years speak the local language well, with results dropping off sharply for 10 years or less.<br />
<br />
Regarding the number of countries participants have lived in, the text stated "this includes your home country." I perhaps could have been more clear as 10 people listed 1 country. Only one of those stated they were born on foreign soil, so the other 9 have presumably lived in the US and one other country.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAoCENkWTrtoKgkPXu9db1wS8MkI44U7EyjV8dptBPoWkZxkp3Sh_YIPRB4vKSuLgjJ6HDeH9zsudTzC3ilw3phjo6QtjQrm4N_1QTiSBKLKVaweTGzzr9iawq8eQgyCpFyU5_ADIFZY/s1600/countries_lived_in.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAoCENkWTrtoKgkPXu9db1wS8MkI44U7EyjV8dptBPoWkZxkp3Sh_YIPRB4vKSuLgjJ6HDeH9zsudTzC3ilw3phjo6QtjQrm4N_1QTiSBKLKVaweTGzzr9iawq8eQgyCpFyU5_ADIFZY/s400/countries_lived_in.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">230 participants by countries lived in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The person stating they have lived in 30 countries is allegedly a 30 year-old female, 21 to 25 years of age, born on foreign soil. I actually know someone who was a Foreign Service brat and they lived in many countries by a young age, so I suppose it's not impossible, but it seems odd. However, this person took the time to make longer, reasonable sounding comments to other answers. Take it as you will.<br />
<br />
Next, we had two questions about whether you were likely to take the citizenship of another country and another on whether you were likely to give up your US citizenship.<br />
<br />
For taking another citizenship, people were clearly interested in this, with only 47 out of 232 answering "not at all".<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvC4jpcKu0EHXX7dQEoAkel_KMu6mFbe1nQhQCVXLDl8fC3UqJF6jqUOkqG9SzG8Q1CBvjE37kCpdY_n3zoGGuAuhzTWNiupXyTazvHAUHRYQ6XTiTLCZKMqU0xcCbEAnc9dtcR-Cujs/s1600/take_another_citizenship.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvC4jpcKu0EHXX7dQEoAkel_KMu6mFbe1nQhQCVXLDl8fC3UqJF6jqUOkqG9SzG8Q1CBvjE37kCpdY_n3zoGGuAuhzTWNiupXyTazvHAUHRYQ6XTiTLCZKMqU0xcCbEAnc9dtcR-Cujs/s400/take_another_citizenship.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">232 participants by likelihood of taking another citizenship </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the likelihood of giving up their US citizenship, 111 out of 232, or slightly less than half, answered "not at all".<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMNVhClHymDHblIbNCnGYwk1LBROo7ShG9rZfx-3j_sAkbZPdJBrW_UuwOnmqA278AtUjd8hBVgs-tMD4FEgGasjumWQFXQTN7YVvYCX1UQiVv-BQI8n2QAdZV07RLOFxjN3HH1Huq6I/s1600/give_up_us_citizenship.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMNVhClHymDHblIbNCnGYwk1LBROo7ShG9rZfx-3j_sAkbZPdJBrW_UuwOnmqA278AtUjd8hBVgs-tMD4FEgGasjumWQFXQTN7YVvYCX1UQiVv-BQI8n2QAdZV07RLOFxjN3HH1Huq6I/s400/give_up_us_citizenship.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">232 participants by likelihood of giving up US citizenship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
More than half of Americans answering the "giving up US citizenship" are at least considering this possibility. I find this sad, but in reading their answers, it's clear why they are considering this.<br />
<br />
Though income levels won't be covered until a later post, I did some breakdowns by income levels. As you can see, for those earning $70K US or more, they're not more likely to give up their US citizenship.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-jfc65Z9CmKKv6A0uswAHqSODrbkVN8eyh09BK7kUAY75zAXRwM7kJMN28ZbZIAcLv8ZOy1mxCNewrvqemi04J4nyqpTnLLtnZ_lynuydHYNtaEs-9vAQSlzWz6j8fNHjgKA1oJVFmI/s1600/70_plus_renounce.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-jfc65Z9CmKKv6A0uswAHqSODrbkVN8eyh09BK7kUAY75zAXRwM7kJMN28ZbZIAcLv8ZOy1mxCNewrvqemi04J4nyqpTnLLtnZ_lynuydHYNtaEs-9vAQSlzWz6j8fNHjgKA1oJVFmI/s400/70_plus_renounce.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Individuals earning more than $70K US<br />
by likelihood of giving up their US citizenship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For those earning $90K US or more, we have the same rough proportions. Note that these are the individuals most likely to not just be impacted by US tax laws on expatriates, but also to be double-taxed because they'll start earning more than the FEIE (Foreign Earned Income Exemption).<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22B1NtEuTGGiYE4IOMVNKNA5_IyLRidGsxTFZ2lcYHhijWBfgiCquRtbYjGiEO5JTxt9X77GqGnNnT6efA6oyU8Ksx7lraGcH-KRZQDM6vet6e8q0ewbDW2ZoY3fKrMdGA2IdXDC5GBA/s1600/70_plus_renounce.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22B1NtEuTGGiYE4IOMVNKNA5_IyLRidGsxTFZ2lcYHhijWBfgiCquRtbYjGiEO5JTxt9X77GqGnNnT6efA6oyU8Ksx7lraGcH-KRZQDM6vet6e8q0ewbDW2ZoY3fKrMdGA2IdXDC5GBA/s400/70_plus_renounce.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Individuals earning more than $90K US<br />
by likelihood of giving up their US citizenship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And again, for those earning $100K+ US, the same general proportions.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu16SUrm1QEWiiVP7mRDDV-S9aZaoMp67MzhNupZvPe3I1vOoTRz2lr2DvSILj7DC0wcMB0WWlHcPiSk7pyQtqMx2bqyp0yN2N47ZK8n7aeiMxj8nS-eGVbnjnO-cr91CEGy7HDab2gE/s1600/90_plus_renounce.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiu16SUrm1QEWiiVP7mRDDV-S9aZaoMp67MzhNupZvPe3I1vOoTRz2lr2DvSILj7DC0wcMB0WWlHcPiSk7pyQtqMx2bqyp0yN2N47ZK8n7aeiMxj8nS-eGVbnjnO-cr91CEGy7HDab2gE/s400/90_plus_renounce.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Individuals earning more than $100K US<br />
by likelihood of giving up their US citizenship</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
That's interesting, because if it's representative, it puts the lie to the idea that it's the wealthy planning on casting off their US citizenship. Also, there didn't appear to be a correlation with education level and likelihood of giving up their US citizenship. This really looks like an "across the board" phenomenon.<br />
<br /></div>
And for today, we'll leave off with a smattering of responses from those who might give up their US citizenship and gave a reason why. While I realize that most people are not trained in data analysis, if you read through these carefully, you will probably notice a pattern: US expatriate tax law.<br />
<br />
The vast majority of Americans abroad will not owe US taxes due to the FEIE, tax treaties, housing exemptions, and so on. It's <i>not</i> taxes people are complaining about. It's the complexity of US tax law for expatriates, the time and expense of filing returns on which we owe no money and the severe financial and legal penalties involved in making mistakes on our forms — penalties that people living in the US do not suffer from.<br />
<ol>
<li>A punitive tax system which provides me with much anxiety and no benefit.
</li>
<li>Avoid the stress and pain of dealing with the IRS
</li>
<li>If I did not agree with the long-term direction of the U.S.
Cost of compliance, limited opportunities to save for retirement in the host
country,
</li>
<li>US politics. The corporations have more control over my representatives than
the voters do.
</li>
<li>I want EU citizenship, can't have both. Also, taxes. I'm not about to give the
US a chunk of my income that they don't give me anything in return for. I'll
consider keeping it if I can afford to, though.
US tax liability.
</li>
<li>FBAR/FATCA requirements and penalties which reek of a presumption of guilt
</li>
<li>The increasing burden of tax reporting, which is preventing me from saving for
retirement.
</li>
<li>Frustration/fed up with the nonsense
</li>
<li>Being forced to. I have dual citizenship and this actually reflects my
feeling: connected to both my old and new country.
</li>
<li>The tax situation for expats (complicated filing requirements, draconian
penalties if I make a mistake, possible financial impact on my non-US
husband).
</li>
<li>Health care; safety
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>Having to pay US taxes despite living abroad
</li>
<li>I guess the big thing is that I was brought up with a very patriotic set of
beliefs. My father was a history professor, specializing in the American
Revolution, and worked for the government during the Bicentennial. I was in
the military (never saw any combat), and I believed in "America" (tm). But
over the years, I've seen how the government no longer represents the people.
It does what it wants to them, it unilaterally changes its agreement, and it
ignores its own rules and laws. It's gotten to the point where I almost feel
like a beaten wife. So it's time for me to leave.
</li>
<li>hard to say, tax bullshit, political bullshit, not identifying with the
country
</li>
<li>So that my taxes would be paying for the United States' wars.
</li>
<li>Complexity of taxes once living abroad
</li>
<li>No need, no benefit, FATCA.
</li>
<li>The burdensome tax filing requirements. I don't mind having to file, but I
mind that my tax filings are so much more complicated and prying than the
filings my family in the States need to perform.
</li>
<li>Lack of desire to ever return or escalating political and economic issues in
the US
</li>
<li>Ability to work in the EU. I can currently only work in the UK and the USA.
</li>
<li>In Switzerland, Americans are having their bank accounts taken away due to
fatca. I am hoping my swiss passport will arrive before my banking options are
limited.
</li>
<li>Job, marriage. Really just depends
</li>
<li>Onerous double-tax obligations and filing requirements, including stiff
penalties for making minor, accidental clerical errors with no tangible
benefits or representation to change the laws, and despite being middle-class,
being treated and misrepresented as a fatcat trying to hide assets.
</li>
<li>It's fucking worthless.
</li>
<li>FATCA.
</li>
<li>Taxes, military obligation, politics
</li>
<li>To not have to pay taxes if I'm a permanent resident of another country.
</li>
<li>"Obtaining Taiwanese citizenship.
No real benefits to US citizenship - only real reason to keep is for family
ties (father still lives there)"
</li>
<li>Taxing abroad citizens, what's up with that?
</li>
<li>It no longer was necessary, or it did not provide any marked benefits to my
life over my quality of life under a different citizenship. For example, if I
decide to settle abroad permanently and I still had to pay high US taxes but
received no benefit from it, other than a little less hassle going through
airport security in the US, I would likely renounce my US citizenship. But if
I were working for a US company or my future partner was American and our
maintained American citizenship made life easier, I would keep it.
</li>
<li>Employment
</li>
<li>Taxes and regulations
</li>
<li>Having to pay double taxes or military draft. Otherwise would not give it up
unless by some change in the rules forcing me to.
</li>
<li>Tax and reporting reasons
</li>
<li>To avoid paying US taxes when living abroad
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>Better job opportunities.
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>Better living, work conditions that make me happy
</li>
<li>Tempted to because of tax hassles, but holding on to for now in case I end up
having to move there for a few years for work.
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>N S A
</li>
<li>tax purposes
</li>
<li>Better quality of life, particularly universal healthcare.
</li>
<li>Healthcare
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>Tax implications
</li>
<li>foreign or domestic policy
</li>
<li>Filing taxes and declaration of savings. I also feel no sense of loyalty or
patriotism to the US. Partially because I was born in Australia and partially
because I disagree with certain aspects of the American psyche.
</li>
<li>better quality of life -- health insurance, benefits, marriage, etc.
</li>
<li>The income tax BS.
</li>
<li>Be done with highly complex tax filing obligations.
</li>
<li>The politics and how America is fast becoming a police state.
</li>
<li>If I had to end up paying US taxes even though I'm not living in the US.
</li>
<li>FATCA
</li>
<li>The US scares me.
</li>
<li>The paperwork is really a burden. Also tons of countries like cambodia or
vietnam have a special tax on visiting americans, which is lame. Also I'm
disappointed by being disenfranchised by the voter registration rules
particularly those of california and colorado.
</li>
<li>Do not wish to support war, want to escape the inevitable decline, want to be
free of tedious reporting obligations.
</li>
<li>Becoming the most worldly possible. Also to not be 'american'
</li>
<li>Because it is becoming tougher and tougher being financially involved in the
local economy as an american citizen.
</li>
<li>Easier to stay in EU
</li>
<li>Do not want children to be U.S. citizens.
</li>
<li>I haven't done it, yet, but it's on my mind, and if I do, it's not because of
taxes, but because of banking and investment restrictions placed on me at
home, in France, because I am a US citizen and in the US because I live in
France.
</li>
<li>The right wing crazies trying to run the country and guns
</li>
<li>Unfair double taxation
</li>
<li>Stupid taxation-without-representation system that treats us like plutocrat
money-laundering criminals and gives us anything in return
</li>
<li>If it would really give me much better benefits in the country I'm living in.
Also, that I'm 100% comfortable in that country.
</li>
<li>To escape tax liability.
</li>
<li>Taxes/banking/ability to invest
</li>
<li>taxes
</li>
<li>It was worthless.
</li>
<li>My husband is the primary wage earner in our family and he is German. Germany
would provide me with a better safety net for myself and our children if
something should happen to him.
</li>
<li>Expenses and complications tied to US tax and banking declarations when I
haven't even lived in the US since 1996. Note: I am single, not wealthy and I
own no property, but this obligation is a nightmare for many Americans abroad
who have lived and worked in a variety of countries, changing banks along with
way. Trying to find a qualified accountant (who is knowledgeable about US and
French/international filing) AND who accepts to take an average American as a
client has become a challenge. They are all busy with their much wealthier
clients who need more of their services and thus bring in more money. What's
more, trying to get the information from my banks to declare the highest
balance per year in all my bank accounts for the past five years involves
contacting banks in other countries where I have worked and hope they reply
(several of these accounts were closed years ago, but I still need to declare
them) is a time-consuming hassle. As I no longer have accounts at their bank,
I'm not even sure if they will reply, but I've been told that I cannot simply
declare the highest amount on my monthly bank statement for the year, because
within that month there is movement. Therefore, the banks all have to supply
an official document stating what my balance was. You can imagine that most
foreign banks are not anxious to welcome Americans with that kind of extra
work. I'll stop there, but you get the picture.
</li>
<li>i am Canadian by birth, and American by association through my late father. I
have never really felt American, and now I'm not too happy about what i was
given. Based on the financial burden placed upon my family, i would say that
would be the prime reason.
</li>
<li>Taxes, regulation, gain more freedom
</li>
<li>US tax policy, Disgusted and ashamed by US government and US politics
</li>
<li>Taxes or conscription to a war that I don't agree with.
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>Burdensome financial reporting and double-taxation.
</li>
<li>oppessive undemocratic bullying.
</li>
<li>Taking on Canadian citizenship with intent to relinquish US citizenship
</li>
<li>The expense of filing tax forms to the IRS even though I have owed nothing to
USA for 28 years. Also there are some cases of double taxation even though USA
and Canada have a tax treaty -- they cannot fix all the loopholes. USA should
get rid of citizenship based taxation.
</li>
<li>Better healthcare, safer society, less disastrous sociopolitical policies.
"Depends on where and what I do next.
</li>
<li>Tax policy
</li>
<li>Tax complications, shame.
</li>
<li>Taxes
</li>
<li>Tax crap even though I barely get by on my paycheck, the absurd costs to do my
taxes is unjustifiable and the citizenship status I would receive here is
better that the US.
</li>
</ol>
Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-81913309293612546192013-11-20T16:22:00.001+01:002022-06-25T12:07:37.789+02:00Initial Overseas Exile Expat Survey Results<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTC9OE6Yx6td5OWJepHzqKXUhP56kuHwk6Yvw1A3zBs0ZDzin5n8ajEWHscmELOHcm4fQPeVYbdNt5TyyJm4VHOFM84Qb4ji-6poad2IOFA49jQcwRMpklGsTJWNTeaTYY8SSzafUU6M/s1600/pencil.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTC9OE6Yx6td5OWJepHzqKXUhP56kuHwk6Yvw1A3zBs0ZDzin5n8ajEWHscmELOHcm4fQPeVYbdNt5TyyJm4VHOFM84Qb4ji-6poad2IOFA49jQcwRMpklGsTJWNTeaTYY8SSzafUU6M/s200/pencil.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pencil_icon.png" target="_blank">Image by Mizunoryu</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As of this writing, the <a href="/2013/11/us-expat-survey.html" target="_blank">US Expat Survey</a> has 235 responses. That's after removing obvious "joke" responses and duplicate responses. Duplicates were determined by seeing all 50 questions answered identically, with freeform responses required as those require people to type in an answer and those are unique enough to say "yup, this is a duplicate". The survey's only been running for nine days, but almost all of the responses were in the first three days. I'll leave the survey up, but I don't expect significantly different results.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Internet surveys are notoriously unreliable</li>
<li>Publishing results is more likely to bias subsequent results</li>
<li>Internet surveys are notoriously unreliable</li>
</ul>
In other news, consider this information "fun" rather than useful.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Only the first three questions, gender, age, and current country, were required. If any of the following totals do not add to 235, it's because some people chose not to answer those questions. For all charts below, clicking on the image will open a larger — and thus legible — version of said chart.<br />
<br />
<b>Personal Questions</b><br />
<br />
Of the respondents, 100 were female, 134 male, and one was a <a href="http://queerdictionary.tumblr.com/post/9129074200/non-binary-adj" target="_blank">nonbinary transgender</a> who thanked me for asking (you're welcome, whoever you are). Of these, 209 were born in the US or one of its territories, with 24 born on foreign soil.<br />
<br />
Top five countries represented were France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. This suggests that the survey responses are biased in favor of readers of this blog (no surprise there), so keep this in mind while reading.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRZU7kHF1Zpq9_O0AvO7Lqf1p2dGNqClcWdsOEIWPvi71FgV5wwy7BCgx04UdgyGZQRzOXtAVwX6Ot058IycYB_Z6TZF3hWyPD_Y8XU5bsfU376Yw6jGCTutkGnpItCyAYx0D93YT81c/s1600/current_countries.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRZU7kHF1Zpq9_O0AvO7Lqf1p2dGNqClcWdsOEIWPvi71FgV5wwy7BCgx04UdgyGZQRzOXtAVwX6Ot058IycYB_Z6TZF3hWyPD_Y8XU5bsfU376Yw6jGCTutkGnpItCyAYx0D93YT81c/s400/current_countries.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">235 participants by country</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The participants tended to be on the young side, with approximately half of participants being 30 or under.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dSD2e8gqhyKGJH3X-5RwK6aZhTBjkPxuQulZrc3WH_RDmz_55TO3J2RY3hQa9cAi-z7kNLMtIvBhWVppIkPzLb01ky0ucS62ESZynPkinlhznRF3KbCbA4W6inBO0TI-XDmltRF-Z_Y/s1600/age.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dSD2e8gqhyKGJH3X-5RwK6aZhTBjkPxuQulZrc3WH_RDmz_55TO3J2RY3hQa9cAi-z7kNLMtIvBhWVppIkPzLb01ky0ucS62ESZynPkinlhznRF3KbCbA4W6inBO0TI-XDmltRF-Z_Y/s400/age.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">235 participants by age</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
229 participants answered the question about marital status. Half of the participants were single, with almost half being married. One female participant living in Switzerland stated that she was not permitted to legally marry her partner. I should have added "have a partner", but failed to do. Oops.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IcHFZifx6T2cSjPRpMrQownuOH4LaI3wsEyM-TjA-ZFBv1JDgoN4uwPU78RtqUvPCVQVYdjGY_WQR6m2LTM_l3Br0Q06E1_vzj2w-xak6r8Q6YapINanidj2oRoYRy0xax_7_m3SJpM/s1600/marital_status.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4IcHFZifx6T2cSjPRpMrQownuOH4LaI3wsEyM-TjA-ZFBv1JDgoN4uwPU78RtqUvPCVQVYdjGY_WQR6m2LTM_l3Br0Q06E1_vzj2w-xak6r8Q6YapINanidj2oRoYRy0xax_7_m3SJpM/s400/marital_status.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">229 participants by marital status</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Of those who stated they had a partner, only one third of them had a partner from the US. Otherwise, almost everyone had a partner whose origin was the country they were currently living in.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUCUHtWtdz770oJNjTSGDwy8ynmJ9g3S7O1BE-TGr19_QGEI24NlylR32qPQ-AiBs2tqQX9X-PBb0-vQHAYRq2hrBlzMW-vi_gRRaMcHiabl3z4RBGrr_aZQwNNqB45W1YL8XniMGP24/s1600/partners.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUCUHtWtdz770oJNjTSGDwy8ynmJ9g3S7O1BE-TGr19_QGEI24NlylR32qPQ-AiBs2tqQX9X-PBb0-vQHAYRq2hrBlzMW-vi_gRRaMcHiabl3z4RBGrr_aZQwNNqB45W1YL8XniMGP24/s400/partners.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">152 partners by country</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Almost half the participants had a Bachelor's degree. Fully 75% had a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctorate.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidATpeJw6tM-5PunUbMQkjdiHBkmpM_F1PA2r-vINRAHHvRPepOdxuOVLMpIygxI4piOO_csCAmhZ553NO-R-AmO9pPmua7s1fUftvovfBK_b91bnijxgSWE_SnFR98AzhMXarZj5kBiw/s1600/education.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidATpeJw6tM-5PunUbMQkjdiHBkmpM_F1PA2r-vINRAHHvRPepOdxuOVLMpIygxI4piOO_csCAmhZ553NO-R-AmO9pPmua7s1fUftvovfBK_b91bnijxgSWE_SnFR98AzhMXarZj5kBiw/s400/education.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">232 participants by education level</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sexual orientation was overwhelmingly heterosexual. I did breakdowns by gender, age, and education level, but the distribution below didn't significantly change, so I did not include them here.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX6McZKXZu-TlrcU_GRYlVU1SML5QhmQKwlS1DJwPbATjtCQOV3jJM5GtpxQvhqG3BABKrdK3GF-vdmUFV2Q3i17495S69bVGtHrPGs6bbK5sOAsFq69sxC4_YbY5K8tpK2kt-716AmY/s1600/sexual_orientation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtX6McZKXZu-TlrcU_GRYlVU1SML5QhmQKwlS1DJwPbATjtCQOV3jJM5GtpxQvhqG3BABKrdK3GF-vdmUFV2Q3i17495S69bVGtHrPGs6bbK5sOAsFq69sxC4_YbY5K8tpK2kt-716AmY/s400/sexual_orientation.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">226 participants by sexual orientation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Unsurprisingly, respondents were overwhelmingly white. With the exception of the three "Native Americans" who responded, all non-white ethnicities had much lower expatriation rates compared to their population percentage in the US (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States" target="_blank">as a percentage of the US population</a>).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9lgnhmH8GKcQNUzlIk4ldv2zJ8_Y4jgpzPHK9fJI-5EgeiEyPeVRJWrFsXPN9_bzjUUOHd5PnpWpN8sIrYq3HmuuYELM9w1PmmuVIZfxku1uqZVtC7eD9msdUvFfuopEzBOZ91TOywI/s1600/ethnicity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9lgnhmH8GKcQNUzlIk4ldv2zJ8_Y4jgpzPHK9fJI-5EgeiEyPeVRJWrFsXPN9_bzjUUOHd5PnpWpN8sIrYq3HmuuYELM9w1PmmuVIZfxku1uqZVtC7eD9msdUvFfuopEzBOZ91TOywI/s400/ethnicity.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">227 participants by ethnicity</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For the "state" question, I asked which state the expat felt closest to. Florida, New York, Washington, Texas and Massachusetts were the top five.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnf1-zLkNZf410hZUd5IubYFKbLJlVdSPEoGBnG3SUDD0RrWU3QOGL2jkrgEb4Ev6uSz9LViijTQ59yTxYdigOSW9fbOgBIybTfpne12yY9m9nAbfCaDLmOTNKXyEEtP5E1se5s81Pwo/s1600/home_state.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnf1-zLkNZf410hZUd5IubYFKbLJlVdSPEoGBnG3SUDD0RrWU3QOGL2jkrgEb4Ev6uSz9LViijTQ59yTxYdigOSW9fbOgBIybTfpne12yY9m9nAbfCaDLmOTNKXyEEtP5E1se5s81Pwo/s400/home_state.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">228 participants by state</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
And the last "personal" question was about religion. For the record, these were the options:<br />
<ul>
<li>Agnostic</li>
<li>Atheist</li>
<li>Christian</li>
<li>Hindu</li>
<li>Jewish</li>
<li>Muslim</li>
<li>Other</li>
</ul>
Those options represent the most common religions in the US, arranged in alphabetical order. For the "other" choice, you could fill in your own. And that made this one a mess. We had two Catholics, one Quaker and one Mormon list those specific sects instead of choose "Christian" (note for non-Mormons: you may not like me grouping Mormons with Christianity, but they are an offshoot of the religion).<br />
<br />
We also had "Buddhistically inclined", more than one "atheist Buddhist", an "atheist Christian" and other items that I changed to "other" because it would be hard to categorize them otherwise.<br />
<br />
So after correcting for bad data by shoving a few obvious candidates into "Christian" and all others into "Other", we have the following chart:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNbF9quL3wrswZeKCA_D2MwECaz8Fy9JcflJP0uSH8eFd9AVdl-bJ5-vIdOaxTlODmcT8A6P18lkec5_m5LfEySWVkFKxRoGiSBiTl2iGDEFvDRyPwYjQtbGZLOywJJD3fRskCyjfLHc/s1600/religion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgNbF9quL3wrswZeKCA_D2MwECaz8Fy9JcflJP0uSH8eFd9AVdl-bJ5-vIdOaxTlODmcT8A6P18lkec5_m5LfEySWVkFKxRoGiSBiTl2iGDEFvDRyPwYjQtbGZLOywJJD3fRskCyjfLHc/s400/religion.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">224 participants by religion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As you can see, atheism won hands down, but we probably shouldn't make too much of this. That being said, I do wonder if this observation is accurate? Are atheists more likely to leave the US, or is moving abroad likely change one's views about religion? Or will it simply make more atheists "come out of the closet"? One Pew study suggests that <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/10/09/pew-20-of-americans-are-now-atheist-agnostic-or-unaffiliated-with-a-religion/" target="_blank">20% of Americans are "atheist, agnostic or unaffiliated"</a>, but the above has 55% of US expats as "atheist or agnostic". And if you're wonder about the corrections made to the "other" column, the following were all corrected to "other":<br />
<ul>
<li>6 Agnostic, Atheist</li>
<li>1 Agnostic, Buddhist</li>
<li>4 Agnostic, Christian</li>
<li>1 Apatheist</li>
<li>2 Atheist, Buddhist</li>
<li>1 Atheist, Christian</li>
<li>1 Atheist, Heathen</li>
<li>1 Atheist, Jewish</li>
<li>1 Atheist, Unitarian</li>
<li>1 Buddhism comes closest -- or Unitarian Universalist</li>
<li>2 Buddhist</li>
<li>1 Buddhistly inclined...</li>
<li>1 Budist</li>
<li>1 Humanist</li>
<li>1 Muslim, Deist</li>
<li>1 Unitarian Universalist</li>
<li>1 Zoroastrian</li>
<li>1 athiest with buddhist belief tendencies</li>
<li>1 mine. :)</li>
<li>1 not sure</li>
</ul>
<div>
Make of that what you will.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Future posts will include the sections on Living Abroad, Emotional, Politics, Finances and Taxes, and some selected comments from participants.<br />
<br />
<b>Update</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">:</i> I changed the wording on the "religion" section slightly to avoid concerns that I taking a "dig" at some religions.</div>
Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-81147721911587189232013-11-19T10:58:00.001+01:002022-06-25T12:07:42.012+02:00Buying citizenship in Malta, a gorgeous Mediterranean island countryNow, <a href="http://www.neurope.eu/article/malta-citizenship-bargain-650000-euros" target="_blank">for a mere €650,000 (~$880,000US), you can buy citizenship in Malta</a>. It's a beautiful Mediterranean island now known to many as <a href="http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110518/life-features/the-maltese-in-game-of-thrones.365998" target="_blank">one of the settings of HBO's epic Game of Thrones series</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iXm83EHHBDS2AKE2Ulj5IBWcycSAI4insShdCVoyfORaUx6xSCgVQCWehBAduNBxsCavupg21UqtntrQ7dCKLOLfjqB9nj-7S5Pl-2mkBiqp7r10sDqPRiNUxpLQe2fOjTSs24ohG2k/s1600/Malta-senglea-sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iXm83EHHBDS2AKE2Ulj5IBWcycSAI4insShdCVoyfORaUx6xSCgVQCWehBAduNBxsCavupg21UqtntrQ7dCKLOLfjqB9nj-7S5Pl-2mkBiqp7r10sDqPRiNUxpLQe2fOjTSs24ohG2k/s400/Malta-senglea-sunset.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malta<br />
<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malta-senglea-sunset.jpg" target="_blank">Photo courtesy of Thyes</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a>Originally it was going to be a private sale, with people buying citizenship having their names withheld. After outcry from the opposition party, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/malta-id-buyers-citizenship-outcry-20921831" target="_blank">the government agreed to publish the names of those who buy Maltese citizenship</a>.<br />
<br />
I've written about Malta before because my wife and I investigated moving there. The climate is lovely, most people speak English, and prices are low. That being said, is buying citizenship a realistic option? I don't think so.<br />
<br />
The Nationalist Party has promised, when they return to power, to revoke the the citizenship of anyone buying their way in. The Maltese Labour Party argues that selling citizenship is an excellent way of raising money for the country and attracting "high value" immigrants. While initial estimates suggest that the first year of this program would raise €30 million for the island, it's not clear that this will necessarily work. <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/malta-passes-bill-giving-citizenship-to-foreigners-for-payment-a-933360.html" target="_blank">There is no requirement to be a resident or even invest in the island</a>.<br />
<br />
There's also the question of what citizenship really means. Is the right of citizenship something one should be able to buy, or does culture matter? I plan to apply for French citizenship as soon as I'm eligible. I live in France, my wife is French, our daughter is French-American, I speak French, and US and French cultural values are (on paper) largely similar. But does having that passport make me French?<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=malta&sll=46.162056,-1.176261&sspn=0.136374,0.303154&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Malta&t=h&ll=35.924645,14.39209&spn=6.22617,10.986328&z=6&output=embed" width="500"></iframe><br /><small><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=malta&sll=46.162056,-1.176261&sspn=0.136374,0.303154&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Malta&t=h&ll=35.924645,14.39209&spn=6.22617,10.986328&z=6" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small></center>
<br />
It's also worth noting that the Maltese government is targeting wealthy Russian and Chinese citizens. On one hand, this makes sense because these citizens often find themselves in the crosshairs of their government's ire. However, and not to put to fine a point on it, many other European countries may not be happy with this. You see, Malta is part of the Schengen area, giving its citizens the right to live and work in <a href="http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/" target="_blank">28 different countries</a>. The spectre of the "Russian Oligarch" or Chinese criminals is one that is popular in the news and it's impossible to ignore the potentially racist overtones of some objections, though the Maltese government promises to carefully screen all candidates.<br />
<br />
As for myself, I continue to hold that people should be free to move to countries that they feel might be a better fit for their personal values. However, I realize that this is not going to happen and there are very practical reasons why it can't. I also confess that offering citizenship for the rich is disturbing.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, if you really want to move to Malta, you can put aside those concerns and <a href="/2013/01/moving-to-malta.html" target="_blank">take advantage of several less costly routes</a>. Then if you want Maltese citizenship, you merely need to <a href="http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8702&l=1" target="_blank">wait five years to apply for naturalization</a>. That should give you plenty of time to integrate into the culture.<br />
<br />
How do you feel about citizenship? Should it be for sale?Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-43402278217166506822013-11-15T15:14:00.002+01:002022-06-25T12:07:43.363+02:00An American's Adventures in London<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkoPAEVhVdG_WKjo-SoHxVgLfEsNzppzw6Qd1v4xHBUPqAx6A-PsCB56zsWYtQebDuV-RQzQMRNV7DyWM3RtrUrC-9hLnyIgyX6kYbKQVl-TDUX4ELIdOB6tE27KJelpoDcLRO73J4FE/s1600/Hayes_&_Harlington_stn_building2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkoPAEVhVdG_WKjo-SoHxVgLfEsNzppzw6Qd1v4xHBUPqAx6A-PsCB56zsWYtQebDuV-RQzQMRNV7DyWM3RtrUrC-9hLnyIgyX6kYbKQVl-TDUX4ELIdOB6tE27KJelpoDcLRO73J4FE/s320/Hayes_&_Harlington_stn_building2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unglamorous Hayes and Harlington Train Station<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hayes_%26_Harlington_stn_building2.JPG" target="_blank">Photo by Sunil060902</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>If you're an American living abroad, please complete <a href="/2013/11/us-expat-survey.html" target="_blank">the Overseas Exile expat survey</a>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
It's not always glamorous being an expat. Rather than give you a proper post today, I'm going to take us back in time to March 2007. I was "living" in London (the quotes will become clear in a moment) and wrote a rather odd blog post. Back then, I was blogging to tell friends what I was up to, rather than blogging for a general audience. As such, the tone of my posts was considerably different from the material you get today. Before I share the post, I should explain the circumstances that my readers at the time understood.<br />
<br />
I moved to Nottingham, a small town a couple of hours north of London, in June of 2006. Just over half a year later, the company I was working for announced they were shutting down the Nottingham offices and if we wanted to keep our jobs, we had to move to London. To make a long story very short, the company put all of us up in a hotel for three months — a hotel in Hayes, a suburb of London once described by George Orwell (yes, <i>that</i> Orwell) as "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayes,_Hillingdon#cite_ref-Orwell_3-0" target="_blank">one of the most godforsaken places I have ever struck</a>."<br />
<br />
Case in point: shortly after we were herded into this hotel in the middle of nowhere, someone was murdered in the pub next to the hotel. The pub was packed, but there were no witnesses. Those of us in the hotel started referring to it as "the murder pub." We avoided that pub and either we made the long trek into London via the miserable Hayes and Harlington train station or we sat in the hotel bar, night after night, drinking. Sometimes startled guests would walk into the common area of the hotel to find my colleagues wearing pajamas, watching "footy on the telly" with a lager clenched in one hand and the remote in the other (to prevent people from changing the channel). Living in this hotel is how I came to write the following blog entry entitled "Gustatorial Adumbration and the Sheep of the Universe".<br />
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<a name='more'></a><hr />
<br />
"Where you from, mate?"<br />
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"The U.S."<br />
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"'Ere on holiday?"<br />
<br />
How he missed the first 'h' and caught the second is one of those mysteries of English speech that I still can't figure out. Like cricket, it's something that Americans are Not Meant to Understand.<br />
<br />
"No, I live here in London."<br />
<br />
"What're you doin' in the hotel, then?"<br />
<br />
"I sort of live here. It's a long story."<br />
<br />
And it is a long story. Or a short one. All depends on where you start, really. I've spent several weeks at the Heathrow Comfort Inn Hotel, but I'm basically living in a bar with two or three dozen of my closest coworkers. I can't really count them. Sometimes they're here. Sometimes they leave for the weekend to go home to Nottingham, Beeston, or wherever else they have a real home, traveling to London only to put in their time in a soulless business park. And drink. Lots.<br />
<br />
Earlier I was listening to a woman's conversation in what passes for a restaurant at the Heathrow Comfort Inn Hotel. At £14.99 a plate, I would think they'd be able to hire a competent chef. Instead, they serve tasteless slop, devoid of spices, though if you're lucky, you'll get a tough, chewy papadum with it. A papadum is crisp; it snaps apart. Not these. More than once I've watched people struggle to tear one to pieces before shoving a bit in their mouth, their eyes widening in gustatorial horror. It's symbolic of the entire menu.<br />
<br />
Curiously, my browser says the word "papadum" is misspelled. In searching through their spelling suggestions, starting, perhaps not inappropriately, with the word "escapades", I see the word "adumbrate". What the hell is that? Looking it up I see that it means, amongst other things, "to foreshadow." What a fucking perfect word. I don't have a spell checker built into my browser, I have a coauthor. I will never look at Firefox the same way again (and perhaps will be more careful about what I type to whom).<br />
<br />
Getting back to the woman, she was nattering on about this and about that and her voice had a quality like an itch under the skin, one where you quietly sit there and scratch and scratch and get no relief at all. That's because she had an American accent. Finding American accents irritating is not something I expected upon moving over here, but then I remember I have an American accent, too.<br />
<br />
Sitting in my bar, a few days ago, I was reading a book, turning page after page, desperately trying to figure out how our hero was going to survive my next whiskey, when I realized I couldn't figure out what language the ladies at the table to my left were speaking. Well, one of the ladies, actually. Two of them were speaking English, but the third was chattering away on her cell phone and, jarred away from my book, I wondered what country she was from. I wondered what her childhood was like, how she, too, came to be in this overpriced hotel — whose incredibly friendly staff is its only saving grace — when the awful truth hit me: she was Scottish. My brain switched to the "Scottish" filter and I could slowly make out what she was saying. She was talking about picking up some food from the store, but with a thick, burly accent that would as soon stick a knife in your kidney as say "'ere on holiday?"<br />
<br />
Curiously, I usually don't have too much difficulty understanding the thicker accents. A couple of weeks ago, enjoying a night out at the downstairs bar with an Irishman, a Glaswegian (someone from Glasgow, Scotland), and an English lady, we found ourselves well in our cups, teasing the Englishwoman because I, the American, had no problem following the conversation but she kept asking them to repeat themselves because their accents were too thick.<br />
<br />
Later, the conversation turned, as it naturally does, to quantum physics and cosmology. David, the Irishman, was trying to explain to the English lady something about the "shape of the universe", but we couldn't stop laughing because his Irish accent kept forcing him to say "the sheep of the universe". Eventually, superstring theory became superwool theory and we decided the universe is filled with billions and billions of subatomic sheep. God is my shepherd. The Bible, the definitive text on biology, will, in a pinch, fill in as a physics textbook.<br />
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Last week, about a dozen of us went to see the movie 300 at the IMAX theater in Waterloo. If you've ever been to an IMAX theater, you know these are the largest movie screens in the world and they have to have special film for their projectors. These things are huge. Which is why you might understand why I say that the naked women were not exactly titillating. Nipples the size of my head are not erotic.<br />
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I might add that there's not much point in seeing this movie. It's gay porn without gay sex. And like most modern porn, it's all action, no plot. After reading about the Battle of Thermopylae, upon which the graphic novel was based (which in turn inspired the movie), I was surprised to discover the movie wasn't entirely historically inaccurate. That, or the screenwriter consulted Wikipedia before setting fingers to keyboard.<br />
<br />
The movie, in a nutshell, is 300 very buff men wearing little more than red capes and leather codpieces the size of a small car, spraying gallons of blood everywhere while somehow remaining mysteriously free of it themselves, even their blades. Oh, and a little bit of sex in the beginning just to make sure that guys have everything they want out of a movie. I am dumber for having seen it.<br />
<br />
On the way home, Little Miss Drunk Off Her Ass stumbled onto the Tube and, after being told that she was about to sit on something wet and unidentifiable in one of the seats, asked if she could sit down in the middle of all of us. Though there were still plenty of extra seats on the Tube and inviting yourself to join strangers is simply not done, we said that was fine and proceeded to have very strange conversation with her. She was older, might have looked posh were it not for the blood vessels on her face making it clear how she spent her free time, and, after a bit of conversation about the movie and the buff men, she looked around at all of us and said "I do prefer my men a bit thinner."<br />
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Which is why I don't really feel bad for what I said next.<br />
<br />
"So, what do you do besides drink?"<br />
<br />
I wish, I wish, I wish I could have recorded the look on her face.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-43034921297700112242013-11-13T12:45:00.002+01:002022-06-25T12:07:44.728+02:00Red State France Is Doing Fine, Thank You<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcSwxH9kGUP2N1S1VOadGd7ZMOyPqdII-6WIGonW3-DOKUriS_Rk_Y1f9ok0ZoZk0KZcUrANpTErml48x4ws4tsQLORE5qwGzkAv_0WvSNBoxzqcctEMu152cJR4DLLjdNPfv_AitUus/s1600/france.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcSwxH9kGUP2N1S1VOadGd7ZMOyPqdII-6WIGonW3-DOKUriS_Rk_Y1f9ok0ZoZk0KZcUrANpTErml48x4ws4tsQLORE5qwGzkAv_0WvSNBoxzqcctEMu152cJR4DLLjdNPfv_AitUus/s320/france.png" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:564X573-Carte_France_geo_verte.png" target="_blank">Released under GNU Free Documentation License</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Standard and Poor's has cut France's credit rating, apparently concerned that France can't rescue itself from its current financial troubles. For would-be expats, this is important. When my wife and I were considering options other than Paris, Cyprus was one location that I was looking at because it looked great: it was inexpensive, great weather and part of the EU. And then the financial crisis hit and <a href="/2013/04/the-cyprus-banking-disaster.html" target="_blank">it looked, at one point, like everyone with a bank account in Cyprus was going to have funds stolen by the government</a>. Cyprus would not have been a particularly brilliant move on our part.<br />
<br />
So yes, you want to know if the economy in your target country is stable and many people may be legitimately concerned about France. In fact, I regularly get email from people who are worried about Europe in general. With <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57343397/census-data-half-of-u.s-poor-or-low-income/" target="_blank">half of the US poor or in poverty</a>, it seems strange to think that Europe is worse off, but when S&P and others sound the alarm, people get nervous.<br />
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There's only one problem with Standard and Poor's credit rating cut for France: S&P is full of <i>merde</i>.<br />
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Unfortunately, to understand their error, you need a lot of background.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>You don't need to fear moving to France, though exercising caution wouldn't be a bad idea. In order to understand that, I have to provide some background to help understand Standard and Poor's decision. The French President, François Hollande, is a Socialist. This differentiates him from President Barack Obama, who is <i>not</i> a Socialist, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/09/24/jon-voight-obama-following-fathers-socialist-footsteps/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">despite what certain blowhards claim</a>. In fact, <i>real</i> Socialists over here in Europe laugh themselves silly at Americans who claim that Obama is a Socialist. This is because Socialism – which has as many variations as Capitalism – is basically collective ownership of an economic activity. The collective, in this case, is a community or state.<br />
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<div>
For example, when you buy a home in an exclusive gated community in the United States, you often pay dues to the community and the community often provides private security for residents. Even though the security is "private", it's collectively owned by the local community. That's an example of Socialism. In the wider world, police departments, fire departments, basic education, and many other services are provided for by taxes and run by federal, state, or local governments, thus fitting the textbook definition of socialist. As a somewhat ironic example, the US military is a branch of the government, so the free medical care it provides to its service members is also socialism (there is no requirement that an activity benefit everyone for it to be socialist).</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3P_0m_O7HoLfIh4dDmI3oka8mAi8uLLySyldobwMZjcgIS4B5pgvV74PG_d3EsN_QK_yQlJBrJ50ukBsYp4230b52-HkBNhozyFk7jCgTF-4Qlj0_KyI9NOG3NG0aXkCT5VzkXCIto0Q/s1600/Official_Portrait_of_President_Reagan_1981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3P_0m_O7HoLfIh4dDmI3oka8mAi8uLLySyldobwMZjcgIS4B5pgvV74PG_d3EsN_QK_yQlJBrJ50ukBsYp4230b52-HkBNhozyFk7jCgTF-4Qlj0_KyI9NOG3NG0aXkCT5VzkXCIto0Q/s320/Official_Portrait_of_President_Reagan_1981.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also not a Socialist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Thus, in the US, there are many, many examples of socialism and the US public generally don't mind in the slightest, so long as you don't call it what it is. Ronald Reagan didn't call for privatizing the police. Does that make him a Socialist? George Bush didn't want to privatize police departments. Does that make him a Socialist? Though many Republicans want to privatize Social Security, basic education, and keep health care private, at the end of the day, all but the most extreme Republicans are happy about the collective ownership of many basic services. The silly cries that Obama is a socialist stem from those who prefer a regressive income tax and less regulation — particularly of the banking industry at whose trough they feed.</div>
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<i>And yes, this relates to S&P's downgrading of France's credit rating, but that will have to wait a bit.</i></div>
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<div>
Amongst mature economies, you won't find any "pure" capitalist economies, nor will you find pure socialist ones. There's a socialist spectrum and your country falls somewhere on it. In this case, France happens to be more "left" than the US. Unfortunately, the US Republicans have been arguing for so hard and so long that the Federal Government doesn't work that they now have a perverse incentive: they <i>can't</i> try to made the Federal Government work better because if they succeeded, this would put the lie to the message they've been spreading for years.</div>
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<div>
A case in point is the Affordable Care Act. <i>Every</i> major nation aside from the US has found a solution to providing health care for its citizens, but the Republicans claim, falsely, that the US has the best health care in the world, when even a brief survey of world health care systems reveals this to be untrue. The Republicans make all sorts of wild claims, but at the end of the day, they know that if the US government manages to ensure that all are insured, the Republicans will have trouble explaining why health care for all and the end of medical bankruptcies is a government failure.</div>
<div>
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<div>
But when Republicans claim that the US can't do what every other major nation has done, why do people believe this? <a href="http://sitemaker.umich.edu/norbert.schwarz/files/lewandowsky_et_al_misinformation_pspi_ip.pdf" target="_blank">According to one fascinating study about misinformation</a>:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
[A]nalytic as well as intuitive processing favors the acceptance of messages that are compatible with a recipient’s pre-existing beliefs: there are no elements that contradict other things one knows and the message is easy to process and “feels right”.</blockquote>
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In other words, once you get someone to believe a certain way, the lies you tell that reinforce those beliefs are easy to swallow.</div>
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Today, since much of the Western world is dominated by large industries, such as banking, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, and so on, we have <a href="http://rt.com/usa/congress-freshmen-net-million-229/" target="_blank">rich politicians</a> who <a href="http://www.projectcensored.org/u-s-senator-dianne-feinsteins-husband-selling-post-offices-friends/" target="_blank">further enrich themselves</a> by playing along with industry. In the case of the world financial crisis, while the masses struggle, <a href="http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/the-rich-get-richer-through-the-recovery/" target="_blank">the rich are making a killing</a>, and <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/business/some-super-rich-europe-really-are-getting-richer-6C10483490" target="_blank">it's not just in the US</a>. That leads us to ask: why have we followed years of austerity during the current crisis? Who is it helping?</div>
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<div>
Austerity causes a government to shrink, or at least halt the increase of, its spending. It's an attempt to reduce budget deficits. You can do this with cutting spending, or increasing taxes, or both. However, those on the right strongly object to raising taxes because they're quite happy with the wealth they're accruing, thank you. And hey, raising taxes is <i>Socialist!!!</i></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8Y7YbgjHCfHmzJVsiLzMsDfTC_ekvRGtUTD-3fyFzjWMPzMj6thviTPZV-E5ksVhM4v3UHQ5uI6Szf1430b8bVQ1d82ETFrtTVzMof_xJ6IpDWjjRvx3W6CrI61K4DK4s17s_ugwK6g/s1600/4791385617_f31ab48782_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8Y7YbgjHCfHmzJVsiLzMsDfTC_ekvRGtUTD-3fyFzjWMPzMj6thviTPZV-E5ksVhM4v3UHQ5uI6Szf1430b8bVQ1d82ETFrtTVzMof_xJ6IpDWjjRvx3W6CrI61K4DK4s17s_ugwK6g/s320/4791385617_f31ab48782_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Germany's Secret Weapon<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28958738@N06/4791385617/" target="_blank">Photo courtesy Emilian Robert Vicol</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
We know by now that <a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/jun/06/how-case-austerity-has-crumbled/" target="_blank">the primary economics paper used to support austerity was riddled with mistakes and math errors</a>. We also know that <a href="http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10897" target="_blank">Germany is quite happy with austerity</a>, but they're in a curious situation. They have high productivity and their <a href="http://www.thelocal.de/20130920/52009" target="_blank">relatively low German wages</a> means their goods are very competitive. Normally when a country sees their exports increasing, the value of their currency increases due to higher demand, thus pushing up the prices of their goods and reducing demand. Strong national exports are usually self-limiting. However, Germany has adopted the Euro, meaning that the value of their currency <i>can't</i> increase relative to their major trading partners, thus capping the prices of their exports and keeping their exports strong. Thus, German business is very happy with the current state of affairs, despite the pain it's causing others.</div>
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<div>
France has trouble competing in this arena because <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20130915-low-wages-flip-side-booming-german-economy" target="_blank">French minimum wages is €9.50 an hour, but many Germans are earning less than €6 an hour</a>. Germany is building their economic empire on the backs of cheap labor, while France is insisting upon fairness. However, France isn't cutting her budget, she's raising taxes. Thus, much of the business infatuation with austerity has led many people who should know better to assume that France is doing it wrong.</div>
<div>
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<div>
So what happened when S&P downgraded France's credit rating? <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/opinion/krugman-the-plot-against-france.html?emc=eta1&_r=3&" target="_blank">Nothing much</a>.</div>
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<div>
<a href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fm/2013/02/pdf/fm1302.pdf" target="_blank">The International Monetary Fund seems a lot more worried about Japan, Italy, and the United States than France</a>. In fact, in discussing revenues, they had this to say (emphasis mine):</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In advanced economies, revenues (relative to GDP) have rebounded to near precrisis levels—reflecting frequent recourse to tax measures to narrow fiscal deficits. Indeed, relative to initial plans in 2010, revenue increases have in many countries outpaced expenditure cuts by enough to shift the overall policy mix more toward the tax side (Figure 7). Ex ante, about 30 percent of large adjustment efforts were intended to come from the revenue side; in the event, the increase in revenue was about twice as much as projected, so that ex post, this share has increased to about 40 percent. <b>In some cases (including France, Iceland, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom), tax measures made up for shortfalls or delays in expenditure measures. In only a handful of countries (for example, Japan, Spain, and the United States) have revenues underperformed relative to original plans</b>, and there they were partly offset by a reduction in spending—except in Japan.</blockquote>
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I guess the IMF is a bunch of goddamned socialists too.</div>
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Investors want a return on their money and they're going to be careful where they put their money and they're not too worried about France, even if S&P is sounding the alarm.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/opinion/krugman-the-plot-against-france.html" target="_blank">Paul Krugman, love him or hate him, explains the problem nicely</a> when he points out that S&P is worried about Hollande's refusal to cut the French safety net and they're ignoring the actual numbers. France is struggling like much of the world, but there's not much to suggest that we're going to have an economic collapse any time soon.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That being said, unemployment in France is high and growth is sluggish. Further shocks to the world economy aren't going to help, particularly if they impact the Euro. Many are waiting to see what happens, but <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&sqi=2&ved=0CEgQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F16aaad5e-486f-11e3-8237-00144feabdc0.html&ei=IWCDUo-5I-Ts0gX5m4HoCg&usg=AFQjCNGZbsZGFgL6cvC--oD_0ya_jFud6w&sig2=vfkYDEz76Ojj-AM0n5uuEg&bvm=bv.56343320,d.d2k&cad=rja" target="_blank">as the Financial Times points out</a>:</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In certain respects, France has fought its way quite well through the post-2008 European financial crisis and economic recession. Most of the banking system is stable. The cumulative loss of national economic output is below the eurozone average. Government bond yields are exceptionally low. France boasts world-class companies such as Air Liquide, Danone and L’Oréal that are emerging stronger than ever from the crisis.</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
So for those who think national economies are all about cutting costs, it's not. Reading textbooks is OK, but paying attention to the real world is better. And for would-be expats looking for new horizons, forget about what politicians say and what your preconceived notions are: the world doesn't really pay attention to op-ed columns (even Krugman's). Yes, any place you move to has an inherent risk and I won't pretend that it doesn't, but it's pretty hard to evaluate that risk when politicians and business are more interested in ideology than information.</div>
Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-81392143676884052862013-11-11T13:02:00.000+01:002013-11-11T13:02:42.139+01:00US Expat Survey<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTC9OE6Yx6td5OWJepHzqKXUhP56kuHwk6Yvw1A3zBs0ZDzin5n8ajEWHscmELOHcm4fQPeVYbdNt5TyyJm4VHOFM84Qb4ji-6poad2IOFA49jQcwRMpklGsTJWNTeaTYY8SSzafUU6M/s1600/pencil.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTC9OE6Yx6td5OWJepHzqKXUhP56kuHwk6Yvw1A3zBs0ZDzin5n8ajEWHscmELOHcm4fQPeVYbdNt5TyyJm4VHOFM84Qb4ji-6poad2IOFA49jQcwRMpklGsTJWNTeaTYY8SSzafUU6M/s200/pencil.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pencil_icon.png" target="_blank">Image by Mizunoryu</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you are a US citizen currently living outside of the US, <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Zv2kKxX1mPU8XAYiDEhPh-l_JCgAORCtIjXZ6X6KM3Y/viewform" target="_blank">please complete the 2013 Overseas Exile US expatriate survey</a>. Identifying information is not collected and if any is provided, it will not be made public.<br />
<br />
Please share this survey with any other Americans living abroad, including on forums.<br />
<br />
I will start publishing initial results as they come in. Full results will be published later when it's clear the response rate is dying down. Raw information <i>may</i> be made available, but only after I have removed any potentially identifying information.<br />
<br />
Due to the nature of Internet surveys, the information shouldn't be relied upon. Further, it's a given that many US expatriates living in countries with limited internet access are unlikely to see this, possibly skewing the results.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-52091492291884500392013-11-08T14:23:00.001+01:002022-06-25T12:07:46.101+02:00Future Expats: Emigrating to Mars<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_cuXBUGWM4LtyUcaJBfQ1aOGX_fqa9Ufm7HPxU7enPqtbBhv9BvkqCIGpMIfeEhET85YAMFJ7ieKiEkrl_YvQSbdM5Ut7lechQ9j6RwCQBB2-h_0XfUNlALtuvPIGE8jE8cNQzfjUoA/s1600/mars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_cuXBUGWM4LtyUcaJBfQ1aOGX_fqa9Ufm7HPxU7enPqtbBhv9BvkqCIGpMIfeEhET85YAMFJ7ieKiEkrl_YvQSbdM5Ut7lechQ9j6RwCQBB2-h_0XfUNlALtuvPIGE8jE8cNQzfjUoA/s320/mars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural color image of Sol 52 on Mars<br />
<a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA16204" target="_blank">Photo courtesy of NASA</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Forgive me for today's flight of fancy, but given that I love being an expat and I love science fiction, the two naturally converge from time to time.<br />
<br />
There are currently two different companies who have long-term plans to colonize Mars. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/17/elon-musk-mission-mars-spacex" target="_blank">SpaceX, long-term, envisions a colony of 80,000 people on Mars</a>. <a href="http://www.mars-one.com/en/" target="_blank">Mars One, on the other hand, plans to colonize Mars and use reality TV subscriptions to pay for it</a>. With an increasing number of space-based companies, sooner or later someone is going to try to colonize another celestial body. As it turns out, expatriation to Mars has interesting social and <i>legal </i>consequences.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Mars One even has an official trailer to introduce themselves:
<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jraVEhfFjvY" width="500"></iframe></center>
<br />
And if you want to learn more about Mars, you can explore it with <a href="http://www.google.com/earth/" target="_blank">Google Earth</a>:<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GjcCF6cIlPw" width="500"></iframe></center>
<br />
But what would happen if you moved there? First, let's forget about the perils of the months-long trip in a rocket to Mars as those are already well-known. And I don't think we have any historical guides to draw from: there are no natives to subjugate, nor would emigration be large-scale enough to really have fair parallels. There will be no "open frontiers" for people to settle. You'll be in a tin can along with everyone else. So what's going to happen? Well, we'll consider this in the context of the Mars One approach of sending four people every two years.<br />
<br />
I've previously written about <a href="/2013/03/the-four-stages-of-expat-life.html" target="_blank">the Four Stages of Expat Life</a>:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Honeymoon</li>
<li>Homesickness</li>
<li>Coping</li>
<li>Living</li>
</ol>
<br />
The strategies that I generally recommend for dealing with homesickness and transitioning to stage three aren't viable. You're not going to arrange a Skype call with your best buddy. There is no local culture to immerse yourself in. You won't nip down to the shop and <a href="http://kellys-expat-shopping.nl/winkel/fritos-scoops-1559g/" target="_blank">pay double the price for that bag of Fritos</a>, hoping to relax with "comfort food". Just going out for a stroll can kill you and you're going to spend the rest of your life trying to build a freakin' planet for others to live on. There will be no respite. There will be no turning back. And <a href="http://www.mars-one.com/en/mars-one-news/press-releases/11-news/500-over-200-000-apply-to-first-ever-recruitment-for-mars-settlement" target="_blank">over 200,000 people have applied to emigrate to Mars</a>.<br />
<br />
Of course, while we're considering this, also consider that you're now a vegetarian, if not a vegan. Some people would be very frustrated by this. Utilizing animals for meat/food production is an incredible waste of energy and even though <a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/01/10/good-news-elon-musk-will-let-you-eat-meat-on-mars/" target="_blank">Elon Musk has made it clear that he doesn't care what you eat on Mars</a>, it might not make a lot of economic sense to bring chickens (I would love to see a cow in a space suit). Since there's no native culture on Mars, those who move there will be creating one and I could easily see the entire planet growing up thinking that "meat is something Earthlings eat". And the cultural changes will stick! Sooner or later children will be born there and given that gravity on Earth is three times what they'll be used to, there's a good chance they can never visit. That will create a permanent cultural gap.<br />
<br />
Here's another fun thing to weigh on future colonist minds: can you imagine being one of the first four to land on the planet and two years later, when the second four are launched into space, their rocket blows up and multiple lawsuits shut down the Mars colonization program? The legal mess would be heartbreaking, but it would be nothing compared to those already on Mars, wondering if they'll get more supplies or even colonists. "Forever alone" takes on a whole new meaning.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx2yUVDhW_DyF8Jj0ujK1gbVs9AjVBQwM5siYaVzmI7pkVwv1_AzBGwGrlakZghlMv5VpdID1zFTaWSWvnp7BohmrluwjnBvlSthlBzxknjGxvAznd7iM9HnAkXrpXOjSQJaMRTWhKRI/s1600/mars-one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNx2yUVDhW_DyF8Jj0ujK1gbVs9AjVBQwM5siYaVzmI7pkVwv1_AzBGwGrlakZghlMv5VpdID1zFTaWSWvnp7BohmrluwjnBvlSthlBzxknjGxvAznd7iM9HnAkXrpXOjSQJaMRTWhKRI/s400/mars-one.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The horror awaits ...<br /><a href="http://www.mars-one.com/en/mission/mission-vision" target="_blank">Image courtesy Mars One, used under Fair Use (I hope)</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And here's another fun thought, one that would make a very nifty science fiction movie: you're in the <i>second</i> group of four people heading to Mars and halfway through an eight-month flight when an accident kills one of the four already on Mars. And then another. And then a third. And you have one person left who is, in all likelihood, an insane murderer and he's waiting for you. You have four months to figure out how you're going to survive. Have fun! And there's not a damned thing anyone could legally do about it.<br />
<br />
And presumably some nation is going to want to claim that Mars colony, but the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty" target="_blank">1967 Space Treaty</a>, one which most nations have signed, explicitly forbids any national government from claiming a celestial body, claiming them as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_heritage_of_mankind" target="_blank">common heritage of mankind</a> (an international legal principle, believe it or not). Interestingly, under this treaty, <a href="http://erepository.law.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=shlr&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar_url%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ferepository.law.shu.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1200%2526context%253Dshlr%26sa%3DX%26scisig%3DAAGBfm1JlvQQsfDDRYFxW0xvu6HXalfsJw%26oi%3Dscholarr#search=%22http%3A%2F%2Ferepository.law.shu.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1200%26context%3Dshlr%22" target="_blank">any interplanetary exploration or colonization must be carried out for the benefit of all of humanity</a>. Get enough people on Mars to make it economically self-sustaining and they're going to say "we weren't even born when that treaty was signed". And truth be told, it will be pretty hard to force them to change their minds.<br />
<br />
Another thing which I find particularly curious is the idea of taxes. Under current US law, any US citizen who flies to Mars will have to file a tax return every year. I wonder how that's going to be enforced? I already suspect that well-known US citizens abroad, such as <a href="http://en.mediamass.net/people/boris-johnson/highest-paid.html" target="_blank">Boris Johnson, a British politician with an estimated net worth of $185 million</a> are being quietly ignored by the IRS, thus possibly setting a legal precedent of "let's only pick on the easy targets". US citizens on Mars won't even be able to relinquish their citizenship because, legally, they have to do so at a consulate. A <i>consulate</i> is occupied by a <i>consul</i> and they're a political representative from one state to the territory of another. Under the 1967 treaty, it's unclear to me if the US could even <i>legally </i>set up a consulate on Mars and since the US recognizes <i>jus sanguinus</i>, meaning that all US citizens pass their citizenship to their children, could we wind up with a planet of tax dodgers? I'm looking forward to the first interplanetary tax war.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7BSnIijd8B0TT6KjXlHJ2Sjt5CfeBvxGDQdSIf_9HIjv2ybvFTshWAZsj4YL9uYb9FNfK4KOqfH2zdA7eBJpOoip5RHEOxOpD7RD07wXbk721jM_KNIVWNihhmH8HBa7JYI44Mo9x2M/s1600/iss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI7BSnIijd8B0TT6KjXlHJ2Sjt5CfeBvxGDQdSIf_9HIjv2ybvFTshWAZsj4YL9uYb9FNfK4KOqfH2zdA7eBJpOoip5RHEOxOpD7RD07wXbk721jM_KNIVWNihhmH8HBa7JYI44Mo9x2M/s320/iss.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legally speaking, is this a "celestial body"?<br /><a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap091005.html" target="_blank">Image courtesy NASA</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is, however, one simple way to avoid the legal issues presented by the 1967 space treaty: read the damned thing. <a href="http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/SpaceLaw/gares/html/gares_21_2222.html" target="_blank">That's right, read it</a>. It's very short. I'll wait. Once you read it and think about it for a while, you'll see multiple fatal flaws. For example, the beginning of Article 1 of the treaty reads:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all mankind.</blockquote>
Don't think "rational", think "lawyer". What would a lawyer do? They would ask "what's a celestial body?" and all would come crashing down. The term is never defined and that's fatal in law. Is the ISS a celestial body? If so, all current <a href="http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/" target="_blank">corporate plans to launch space stations</a> are moot and strangely, no nation is arguing to shut down corporation exploitation of space.<br />
<br />
But if that doesn't sound like a compelling argument there's another one. When you read the treaty's enforcement mechanism ... oh, that's right! There isn't one! It's all talk, no action. There is absolutely nothing in that treaty which can compel any nation to obey it. And you can bet your ass that if the US-based SpaceX corporation starts colonizing Mars, the US government is going to involved. Maybe there will be an IRS office on Mars after all?Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-34601884430451710162013-11-06T11:35:00.001+01:002013-11-06T11:54:49.636+01:00Are You Ever Going Home?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LRtitH5noST37jPVYpn3pWnI3fTuaHUEgXuvzzAfnbIv_ktAITPgNI4qAJfj3mvj-ucIZatgJfaWxTJx08E6iPiGmL4kuU6u2gsFv7G_tKDfTPsGswNTwpf7kfD-fMsiDP9RyNLvAjo/s1600/20131101_123246_Rue+des+Cloutiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LRtitH5noST37jPVYpn3pWnI3fTuaHUEgXuvzzAfnbIv_ktAITPgNI4qAJfj3mvj-ucIZatgJfaWxTJx08E6iPiGmL4kuU6u2gsFv7G_tKDfTPsGswNTwpf7kfD-fMsiDP9RyNLvAjo/s320/20131101_123246_Rue+des+Cloutiers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My home is wherever they are.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I'm routinely asked if I'm "ever going home". The presumption that people would know where my home is perplexes me. I've lost count of the number of times I've moved. I do know that by the time I had my first, clear, concrete memories — aside from fleeting will-o-wisps of memories of Japan — I had already lived in five "homes". By the time I had graduated high school in Texas, I had attended six public and one private school. My sister, Gayle, left home when I was 12 or 13, and I lived in the middle of nowhere without so much as a phone, so I lived in isolation for many years, with no long-term friends, knowing only that there's a huge world out there and I wanted to see it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So no, I'm not "going home." I wouldn't even know what that is, aside from my happy life with my wife and daughter. Were I alone and to leave France and had to settle down permanently, I expect I'd go to the UK. I have lots of friends and family there (not to mention work), but in reality, I'd probably keep traveling.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've already lived in Texas, Louisiana, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and now France. But I want to see Malaysia. I want to swim in the Atlantic off the beaches of Montevideo. I want to see if Australian BBQ can hold a candle to what I grew up with in Texas. I want to live in a high-rise in Hong Kong. I want the rain pouring down as I walk along a neon-splashed Tokyo street, carrying bags of groceries. I want to see the look of joy on my daughter's face when she sees the start of the great wildebeest migration at Ngorongoro. I want to have a romantic dinner with my wife in Santiago.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I am home and I always will be, no matter where I am.<br />
<br />
<i>PS: I'm looking for a new contract. If you're looking for a strong Perl developer with extensive database and testing skills, let me know.</i></div>
Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-38559651324457663062013-11-04T09:36:00.003+01:002022-06-25T12:07:47.889+02:00Moving Abroad by Getting Married<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kxZeWYj_4QD-ZAJbF_M1RQVm0AX5FV2NsnIKSBDGVyodAytr-8rV11Vd-ZHAd2xnO5BKEWwkZ6UjiOOmQ9IxIrz5g8oFq50NtaSOGGE07hT7IL9sKQTeeC5NsM7tQfh2YnCw9c1Vlp8/s1600/my_wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kxZeWYj_4QD-ZAJbF_M1RQVm0AX5FV2NsnIKSBDGVyodAytr-8rV11Vd-ZHAd2xnO5BKEWwkZ6UjiOOmQ9IxIrz5g8oFq50NtaSOGGE07hT7IL9sKQTeeC5NsM7tQfh2YnCw9c1Vlp8/s320/my_wedding.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your author and his wife, married at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_bridge" target="_blank">Tower Bridge</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Because I no longer live in the US, I've been called a traitor more than once. This is generally from people who probably give amusing definitions of what a traitor is. Were my French wife to live with me in the US, I wonder if they would call her a traitor too? Probably not. But at the end of the day, if you marry someone from another country, at least one of you is going to wind up living in a different country. Damned traitor.<br />
<br />
In the years of writing this blog, I have never specifically written a post about moving abroad via marriage. Though it may come as a surprise to some, this lack has been deliberate. Not only did I assume that most people knew about this route, but I also didn't feel the need to write on some rather unsavory topics in this area, but I think the time has come to talk about it.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Recently I was contacted by someone living in the US who wanted a better understanding of the job market for IT in Europe. He has read my post about <a href="/2013/11/how-to-get-job-in-sweden.html" target="_blank">how to get a job in Sweden</a> and as it turns out, he and his wife are particularly interested in the possibility of moving there, but they have a child, and a home, and he has a secure job. The concern expressed is that he is worried that such security won't last in the US. It's a common theme that I often hear from people contacting me (though to be fair, I hear this about residents of many countries).<br />
<br />
After sending him a lengthy reply, he dropped a bit of a bombshell statement: his wife has Spanish citizenship, so moving to Spain is always a fallback position.<br />
<br />
What? Hold on there! If your spouse has EU citizenship, things change dramatically! <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=463" target="_blank">If your spouse is an EU citizen, you have the legal right to live and work anywhere in the EU that your spouse lives</a>! Your children also have the right to public education. No work permit is required. No residence permit is required. You only have to go through some <i>pro forma</i> paperwork and bam, you're in! Of course, there is also an assessment of whether or not your marriage is a sham, but assuming it's not (or you're good liars), you're good to go.<br />
<br />
Even if your spouse is not a citizen of another country, they still might be able to <a href="/2013/07/want-to-move-abroad-trace-your-family.html" target="_blank">claim citizenship via ancestry</a>. Getting married doubles your chances of moving abroad!<br />
<br />
Well, sort of. Countries are quite happy to find all sorts of restrictions. For example, if you've met the love of your life and she lives in a small town in Cumbria and you marry her, the British government may very well tell you that you're not allowed to move to the UK. That's because <a href="http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/partners-families/citizens-settled/spouse-cp/can-you-apply/" target="_blank">the UK restricts the marriage visa with financial requirements</a> and <a href="http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/partners-families/citizens-settled/spouse-cp/can-you-apply/financial/" target="_blank">she will have to earn, at minimum, £18,600 to allow you to live with her</a>. There are <a href="http://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Location=Carlisle-England%3A-Cumbria/Salary" target="_blank">many jobs in Cumbria which pay less than this amount</a> (particularly if you live in countryside) and you can survive just fine on that amount. However, even though this restriction violates EU law, many UK politicians are throwing their toys of our the pram once they realize that joining the EU meant cooperating with other countries and thus said politicians are quite happy to ignore EU law. Sadly, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-21877747" target="_blank">real people are getting hurt by the UK marriage visa restrictions</a>.<br />
<br />
If you do find yourself falling in love with someone from another country, though, just remember that if you get married, you probably have the right to live together (though there are often severe restrictions for gay couples), but be careful if you decide to go <i>looking</i> for someone from another country.<br />
<br />
Many years ago when I was still living in the US, I was on a dating Web site when I stumbled across the profile of a British lady who seemed interesting, attractive, and wrote that she desperately loved American men and wanted to settle down with one. I sent her a message. She sent me a reply. "Deposit $50,000 in my account for marriage."<br />
<br />
Sigh. From the opening paragraph of the U.S. State Department's warnings on <a href="http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/financial_scams/financial_scams_4554.html" target="_blank">marriage scams</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
U.S. citizens should be aware of individuals they meet on internet dating websites who feign friendship, profess romantic interest, and/or express marriage intentions over the internet. Scammers commonly claim to be U.S. citizens who are engaged in international business, requiring them to frequently travel overseas. In fact, these individuals are not U.S. citizens. Many scammers also claim some sort of connection to Europe. </blockquote>
This is insanely common. Many people wanting to explore the world fall victim to this, though some voluntarily pay money for sham marriages. I was recently reading an article (which I can't find right now) claiming that after the discovery that 100% of Tunisians marrying Norwegians ended their marriages after the Tunisians got permanent residency in Norway, the marriages dropped to almost zero after Norway made it illegal to pay for marriage. If you do choose to go this route, be careful. It's generally illegal and can easily get you deported and banned from a country.<br />
<br />
That being said, the "mail-order" marriage route is still out there. <a href="http://listverse.com/2010/02/17/top-10-facts-about-mail-order-brides/" target="_blank">Listverse has an interesting summary of some misconceptions</a>, including the interesting tidbit that sometimes the brides are legitimate and want a husband to move to their country. <a href="http://academiccommons.columbia.edu/catalog/ac:155792" target="_blank">Divorce rates for mail-order marriages also tend to be lower than the US average</a>, something that would surprise many.<br />
<br />
And then there is <a href="http://www.blossoms.com/" target="_blank">Cherry Blossoms</a>. Once a print magazine for mail-order brides, it's now a Web site for them. There's considerable controversy around mail-order marriages, but so long as there is mail/internet, the practice will continue.<br />
<br />
Getting married is certainly one way of moving abroad, but there are definitely pitfalls. You'll also have to consider the case of what happens if you separate/divorce too early. You may just get deported, so you had better read up on the law and make sure you understand it. And it's not a step to be taken lightly, so unless you're in dire straits or in love (possibly the same thing), I would not recommend it.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-80217838510270072162013-11-01T11:35:00.002+01:002022-06-25T12:07:48.795+02:00How to get a job in Sweden<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MmCx0ghPA8Sg2Ut295SRC2aoHoQcbQC7ALuYaQEl_O30XYaM2keZoS4i9tO-LT9sfIWh71Lz5S2VaztNHFv78hS4e2XLKubBwQWc2Fo5lN5C7UY1dfh0nGixuLttRIh8Z0gw3kiRewc/s1600/Stortorget.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MmCx0ghPA8Sg2Ut295SRC2aoHoQcbQC7ALuYaQEl_O30XYaM2keZoS4i9tO-LT9sfIWh71Lz5S2VaztNHFv78hS4e2XLKubBwQWc2Fo5lN5C7UY1dfh0nGixuLttRIh8Z0gw3kiRewc/s320/Stortorget.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stortorget" target="_blank">Stotorget</a>, Stockholm, Sweden<br />
<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stortorget.jpg" target="_blank">Photo by Mastad</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Please share this post with any of your friends who would like to find a job in another country.<br />
<br />
Yesterday <a href="/2013/10/this-swedish-jobs-web-site-is-bit.html" target="_blank">I posted about a Swedish job site that was possibly a scam</a>, but I know that many people would <i>love</i> to get a job in Sweden. For some reason, <a href="/2011/08/20-things-to-know-before-moving-to.html" target="_blank">my 20 Things to Know Before Moving to Sweden</a> is incredibly popular (in that it draws a lot of traffic), even though it's merely a link to another Web site, and I often get email from people asking me about Sweden. It's also well known that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2008/nov/16/sweden-tax-burden-welfare" target="_blank">the Swedish people are very happy</a> (as are Scandinavians in general).<br />
<br />
So how would you go about getting a job there? Thanks to changes in the law in 2008, Sweden is actually one of the easiest countries in the world to get a job in if you're a foreigner.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><a href="http://www.government.se/content/1/c6/10/72/00/2a13eb93.pdf" target="_blank">In reading through the Swedish government's description of the law</a> (warning: PDF), I'm pleasantly surprised. It's both pro-business and pro-worker's rights. On the business side, if you have trouble filling your your positions, you're allowed to hire outside of the EU. What's amazing is that almost every other country imposes a "labor test". This test requires that the business prove there are no suitable local candidates available to fill the positions. The labor test has been eliminated for Sweden. When evaluating the position, the government relies on the employer telling them whether or not they need a given position filled.<br />
<br />
While this sounds great, warning bells immediately started going off in my mind. What's to stop business from importing cheap labor undercutting wages? Well, the government claims to check to ensure that this won't happen. Theoretically these safeguards are also in the US, but the US relevant agencies don't have the budget to verify this, so <a href="/2013/04/whos-hiring-h1b-visa-workers-in-usa.html" target="_blank">US companies are using H1B visas as a source of cheap labor</a>. Knowing that the law and reality aren't always the same thing, I was concerned. However, in Sweden, they really do check and make sure this abuse isn't happening. <a href="http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Work/Get-a-permit/" target="_blank">In Sweden.se, the official "Sweden portal", their explanation of getting a work permit has this to say</a> (emphasis mine):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If you have successfully applied for a job and been offered a position in Sweden, <b>your future employer must provide you with a written offer of employment</b>. This written job offer is important to the permit process; without it, you can't apply for your work permit. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The written offer of employment, is an official document, that clearly describes the terms and conditions of your employment such as salary, insurance and length of employment. The offer of employment must be obtained by your potential employer from the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket). <b>The employer then fills it out and sends it to the concerned trade union for approval of the offered conditions</b> and then sends it back to the employer, who sends it on to you. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Please note that the offer of employment must be signed by both employer and the concerned trade union</b> and submitted along with your application for a work/residence permit.</blockquote>
In Sweden, trade unions are important and no, they don't let immigrant labor undercut their salaries. However, <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/sweden-forced-labour-for" target="_blank">labor abuses do occur in Sweden</a> and <a href="http://wes.sagepub.com/content/24/4/761.abstract" target="_blank">some immigrant groups do suffer lower wages than average</a>. So while things are good in Sweden, they are not perfect and you'll still want to be careful.<br />
<br />
<center>
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<br />
That being said, <a href="http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/swedishlabourmigrationreformworkingwellbutneedsmoremonitoringsaysoecd.htm" target="_blank">the OECD has this to say about the new Swedish labor immigration system</a> (but read the entire article):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Swedish government implemented [labor immigration] reform to better meet the needs of employers while ensuring safeguards for the local labour market. This has largely happened, reflecting both the contents of the reform and the co-operation of social partners in compliance mechanisms. </blockquote>
So how do you get a job in Sweden? First, <a href="http://sweden.se/">sweden.se</a> states that <a href="http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Work/Get-a-job/" target="_blank">the job <b>must</b> be listed on the EURES site</a>. You can <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eures/main.jsp?acro=job&lang=en&catId=482&parentCategory=482" target="_blank">search for EURES jobs here</a>. For a random search, "Hotel, catering and personal services staff", I found over 2,000 jobs listed in Sweden. Many of the job descriptions are in Swedish, so I would suspect that not speaking Swedish would be an obstacle, but English is widely spoken in Sweden, particularly in the major cities. Not speaking Swedish will limit your opportunities, but it's not an unsurmountable obstacle.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcnlTd_gLLaT5ounSkLwVG8DVCf8aWiE2pEDvrbe_nOyk83VvQYnjNYxWQ07NpYI8OeQ3OzBW-bjoxRu_QKZOeIKhjj5QqM_U5Oc5ieAF9FDsluejohUKg1DH1O38HmRearajtflNOa8/s1600/goteborg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcnlTd_gLLaT5ounSkLwVG8DVCf8aWiE2pEDvrbe_nOyk83VvQYnjNYxWQ07NpYI8OeQ3OzBW-bjoxRu_QKZOeIKhjj5QqM_U5Oc5ieAF9FDsluejohUKg1DH1O38HmRearajtflNOa8/s400/goteborg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goteborg" target="_blank">Goteborg</a>, Sweden<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tango-/9636792208/in/photostream/" target="_blank">Photo by Tiberio Frascari</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another important thing to consider is that if you're in Sweden and want to apply for a job, you usually have to return to your home country first ... unless you're on their <a href="http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Work/Get-a-job/Labor-shortage-list/" target="_blank">labor shortage list</a>. So what sort of jobs are on that list? There are the usual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine), but also:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Bus drivers</li>
<li>Cooks/chefs</li>
<li>Plumbers</li>
<li>Roofers</li>
<li>Taxi drivers</li>
<li>Truck mechanics</li>
</ul>
<br />
... and many more.<br />
<br />
And does this really work? From the OECD report mentioned earlier:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
While labour migration to Sweden accounts for only a small part of the total, it provides a significant contribution to employment in a few occupations. Taking into account the duration of stay of labour migrants, inflows relative to total employment are significant in these occupations: 2.3% in food processing, 1.7% in housekeeping, and 1.6 % in computing.<br />
<br />
It is now much easier for high-skilled migrants to come to Sweden to work and to stay. So far, especially in IT, most are short-term workers on intra-corporate transfers, but a growing number are remaining. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The reform also led to increased recruitment in lesser-skilled jobs, especially in restaurants, hospitality and cleaning. These labour migrants tend to come to stay, with longer permit durations and higher renewal rates.</blockquote>
So yes, it's working.<br />
<br />
Of course, actually getting a company to say "yes" is a different story, but if they do, the Swedish government won't be standing in your way.<br />
<br />
<b>Update</b>: And I forgot to mention that all <a href="http://www.stockholm.se/ForskolaSkola/Svenskundervisning-for-invandrare-sfi/Swedish-for-immigrants-/" target="_blank">immigrants to Sweden get free language lessons</a>. Also, lots of <a href="http://www.thelocal.se/jobs/" target="_blank">Swedish job postings and information here</a>.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-55382767329233213312013-10-31T14:16:00.002+01:002022-06-25T12:07:50.160+02:00This Swedish Jobs Web Site Is a Bit tvivelaktig (questionable)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgar86jeGnEbqzkA_cFb6TBw-5NxJ1g3CcwffZ66AeeBHVbAZkn7jU1e0i0RdhfsYcgRDRl7DvracZ4Uh9L4KehuE173QFbzdA5lov8ME-Lhyphenhyphen8H4w5rrFz4oMDI20LNB3oYns3_qIFX_8/s1600/guillaume-cailleaux-color.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgar86jeGnEbqzkA_cFb6TBw-5NxJ1g3CcwffZ66AeeBHVbAZkn7jU1e0i0RdhfsYcgRDRl7DvracZ4Uh9L4KehuE173QFbzdA5lov8ME-Lhyphenhyphen8H4w5rrFz4oMDI20LNB3oYns3_qIFX_8/s1600/guillaume-cailleaux-color.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not Simon Nordin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Note</b>: there is <a href="http://www.yelp.com.au/biz/swede-recruit-melbourne" target="_blank">a company in Australia named Swede Recruit</a>. This post is not about that company. If you really want to get <a href="/2013/11/how-to-get-job-in-sweden.html" target="_blank">a job in Sweden, I explain the process here</a>.<br />
<br />
There are many people desperate to find work in other countries. There are, sadly, many others who are all too happy to take advantage of this. You'll find plenty of "we'll get you an overseas job" sites with dodgy credentials and it looks like there might be a new one in Sweden, apparently run by one "Simon Nordin, CEO".<br />
<br />
It seems "Ecothegeek" on Reddit had his CV on <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eures/" target="_blank">Eures</a>, the European job portal, and a company contacted him saying that they'd like to find him a job in Sweden for the low price of €195. <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut/comments/1pi2fa/is_this_legit/" target="_blank">Ecothegeek was a bit concerned and asked about them on Reddit's /r/IWantOut community</a>. Something didn't seem quite right to me, so I started digging.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Called swederecruit dot com (not linking to avoid giving them traffic) and claiming on their Web site to have been doing business since 1998, they registered their domain a few days ago and launched their grammatically-challenged Web site (my favorite is the "Get a Work" link). It's <i>possible</i> that they're simply a brand-new company hoping to make themselves look mature, or maybe they're established international recruiters who inexplicably forgot to get a Web site for 15 years.<br />
<br />
From their About Us page (emphasis mine):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Swede Recruit founded in 1998 and since then has given people and businesses to develop by being a caring, responsive and solution-oriented agencies. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We offer solutions for staffing, recruitment and outplacement. Our clients are among both private and public companies and organizations. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We at Swede Recruit make it as smooth as possible for our graduates to find jobs that suit them perfectly and as easy as possible for a recruiting firm to find the right employees . We believe that everyone is the right person in the right place, anywhere in the world. It’s just about finding the right. Here we come in and help. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>We have put a focus on being a helping hand to job seekers from other countries who are looking for work in Sweden. </b>We provide a large number of apartments for our job seekers to make it easier to make the move to Sweden. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Swede Recruit connects right manpower for the job!</blockquote>
And here's their Apply page (emphasis mine):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Below you can apply for a job, an apartment and a work permit in Sweden that guarantees you an optional work and an optional home. When you apply for this you will receive a letter via email on how to complete your payment. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For us to be able to process your application, <b>you need to pay the administrative fee of 195 euros. The process goes through a work permit, an apartment and a job for you. </b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Within three months, we will introduce alot of job alternatives for you and a nearby apartment. After you have decided which job and which apartment you want as we have suggested to you, you will get your work permit in Sweden.</b> Then you are welcome to your new job and your new apartment. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If it turns out that you are not satisfied with the jobs and / or the apartment that we present to you within three months, we can at your request, keep searching or refund the full payment to you. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For your and our success, we provide only the work that is under swedish and union standard salaries. Swedish average salary is 29,000 SEK (about 3,100 euros).</blockquote>
Wow. That's pretty impressive. €195 (~$270 US) and they'll provide you with alot (sic) of job alternatives and an apartment!<br />
<br />
So why do I think something is odd? Well, I've been researching expat issues for a long time and <a href="http://www.allaroundtheworld.fr/" target="_blank">my wife and I run an international IT recruiting company</a>, so I think I have some experience here. You generally don't just pay some money and get a work permit. <a href="http://www.thelocal.se/20130423/47512" target="_blank">Sweden is still struggling with unemployment</a>, but as it turns out, <a href="http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Work/Get-a-job/" target="_blank">under a 2008 change in their laws, virtually anyone can get a work permit in Sweden if they can convince a company to offer them a job</a>. So maybe this site is legit?<br />
<br />
So I dug into their Web site. First:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.whois.com/whois/swederecruit.com" target="_blank">Their domain was registered on October 28th, 2013</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/swederecruit.com#trafficstats" target="_blank">Alexa has no history for them</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/*/swederecruit.com" target="_blank">The Internet Archive has no history for them</a>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZDclbem3xCyrViUp2mtfC4w5AYGM6KbeGtd9bvEvGhm7NuxHqTQhKc1WGHlsCPKb4w7FHJgND54fnV9p27fgy47HqovqzxTYbA1azZrs46AF6GQMpAHG9erpSNYLodwFW1dblZzv0Ls/s1600/maria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGZDclbem3xCyrViUp2mtfC4w5AYGM6KbeGtd9bvEvGhm7NuxHqTQhKc1WGHlsCPKb4w7FHJgND54fnV9p27fgy47HqovqzxTYbA1azZrs46AF6GQMpAHG9erpSNYLodwFW1dblZzv0Ls/s320/maria.jpg" width="304" /></a>This is not a smoking gun and there could be explanations for why a 15-year company handling international recruitment would not have had a Web presence prior to a few days ago. But let's look further.<br />
<br />
According to their Web site (/maria-moved-from-madrid-to-gothenburg/), Maria Gonzalez is a 34 year old Spanish woman who used their services to find work in Gothenburg, Sweden. They have a short interview with her where she explains how easily Swede Recruit found her a job and an apartment. Maria sounds very happy.<br />
<br />
Except that the image they used is actually that of <a href="http://mizzouweekly.missouri.edu/archive/2010/32-8/personal-outreach-brings-more-minority-faculty-to-mu/index.php" target="_blank">Rebecca Martinez, an assistant professor in Women’s & Gender Studies at the University of Missouri</a>.<br />
<br />
Well, OK. Mistakes happen. Or maybe Maria didn't want her photo taken so they made do with what they could borrow from other Web sites. Or maybe they just lost Maria's photo?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3afCxR0G_8dlXAAZrDgC0JobGVHt5yGvKr2yl0Wg86Ge4MP1JOzMQo6bUylYbTCb6GVPieXtxRdwdgyOChVutvGv1ohdSrVm1DGBzYUDhsxhEZ_FLtfKvnABhNU9ygycA49rPD2ArauA/s1600/raila.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3afCxR0G_8dlXAAZrDgC0JobGVHt5yGvKr2yl0Wg86Ge4MP1JOzMQo6bUylYbTCb6GVPieXtxRdwdgyOChVutvGv1ohdSrVm1DGBzYUDhsxhEZ_FLtfKvnABhNU9ygycA49rPD2ArauA/s320/raila.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
And then there's the happy tale of Raila (/raila-got-a-job-and-housing-in-stockholm-via-swed-recruitment/). He struggled for two years to find a job in his native Kenya, but Swede Recruit found him a lovely job as a café assistant in downtown Stockholm.<br />
<br />
Apparently they lost Raila's photo too, so Swede Recruit repurposed the photo of <a href="http://www.telerama.fr/cinema/en-direct-de-locarno-3-l-afrique-l-age-le-grand-air,85278.php" target="_blank">Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, a film director from Chad</a>.<br />
<br />
Again, no smoking gun here. Maybe they just keep forgetting to take photos of the people they help.<br />
<br />
So are their any <i>real</i> photos of people on their site? Sure! They have a staff page. I took a screenshot in case they accidentally lose these photos too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMoi2pIHkYRoHWHkRBsSg7xAQwQqNKG-GY92sUmmiHnZykZw5YokZYSoolVIsntpFLAsQAr_-yNizXPFEEzK9Izqjpr-N9WEpGwzUAWtFOpaGXz-pDkj1k9EvG6kItaAhL3qxtjXZXms/s1600/swede_recruit_staff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMoi2pIHkYRoHWHkRBsSg7xAQwQqNKG-GY92sUmmiHnZykZw5YokZYSoolVIsntpFLAsQAr_-yNizXPFEEzK9Izqjpr-N9WEpGwzUAWtFOpaGXz-pDkj1k9EvG6kItaAhL3qxtjXZXms/s400/swede_recruit_staff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Those people are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Simon Nordin CEO (A "Simon Nordin" registered the swederecruit dot com domain)</li>
<li>Kevin Söderman</li>
<li>Dennis Nyström</li>
<li>Karin Friman</li>
<li>Gustav Ek</li>
<li>Petra Flykt</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2P3I8kffEaPC4rW4GqVsFUERw_jc81itcGKBxkkDlApgj3ZvxTgDwisxFju9Q0-zAg_jUaoGFsGRn4A1AriLpjz2iJ0UiO_rGTzccq9l3DGjzOkD3To3Epj1Cj1oR9DujHsIjVTx3FDk/s1600/the_real_simon_nordin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2P3I8kffEaPC4rW4GqVsFUERw_jc81itcGKBxkkDlApgj3ZvxTgDwisxFju9Q0-zAg_jUaoGFsGRn4A1AriLpjz2iJ0UiO_rGTzccq9l3DGjzOkD3To3Epj1Cj1oR9DujHsIjVTx3FDk/s1600/the_real_simon_nordin.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real Simon Nordin?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And in the mother of all coincidences, it turns out that Guillaume Cailleux, Chris Carver, Adam Finck, Laura Walker, Zachary Barrows and Liz Allen, <a href="http://invisiblechildren.com/about/our-team/" target="_blank">people who work for the charity invisiblechildren.com</a>, are all dead ringers for them, right down to the clothes! Weird, eh?<br />
<br />
<i>Psssst, Simon: didn't you know how trivial it is to find out if an image on the Web is used on another site?</i><br />
<br />
Oh, and <a href="http://www.bolagsverket.se/en/us/about/e-services/foretagsfakta" target="_blank">Swede Recruit doesn't appear to be registered as a Swedish company</a>. <a href="http://www.scambook.com/report/view/283802/Gustav-Ek-Infoswederecruitcom-Swede-Recruit-Swederecruitcom-Complaint-283802-for-$0.00" target="_blank">Scambook already has an entry for them</a> and the company registry number that people claim Swede Recruit is using is false.<br />
<br />
It appears that <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut/comments/1pi2fa/is_this_legit/cd2upz7" target="_blank">Simon Nordin, the "CEO", or someone using the name "Gustav Ek" (see above), was actively contacting people</a> via <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eures/" target="_blank">Eures, the European Job Mobility portal</a>. In fact, <a href="http://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_swede-recruit-posible-estafa_1947267_s0" target="_blank">it looks like they may have mass mailed people on that Web site</a>, trying to get people to pay €195. However, <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eures/main.jsp?lang=en&acro=news&catId=10617&myCatId=10617&parentId=20&function=newsOnPortal&langChanged=true" target="_blank">Eures is now calling Swede Recruit a fake company</a> and under Swedish law, <a href="http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Work/Get-a-job/" target="_blank">to qualify for a Swedish work permit, the job must be listed on Eures</a>.<br />
<br />
I contacted him under a fake name and said I couldn't apply because I didn't have a "Eures ID" (a "required" field on their "Apply" form). Someone named "Simon Nordin" replied:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Hi,</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">You need to register at our site and pay the administration fee to take part of our services.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">And if you do not have a eures id you can leave it blank</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Best regards</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">Simon Nordin</span></blockquote>
Then when I checked the "Apply" page again, someone had removed the field requiring a Eures ID. I filled in my information and was sent a link to a PDF with Mr. Nordin's IBAN, and BIC/SWIFT information for transferring the money to his account. Strange that a 15-year old company would be using the CEO's personal bank details rather than their own (though I have to say, if this entire thing was set up just to make Mr. Nordin look very stupid, someone's done a brilliant job and I should be apologizing to Mr. Nordin).<br />
<br />
Further digging turned up Mr. Nordin relatively quickly. He's probably a young man around 18 to 20 years old or so, possibly living with his mother. I found plenty of contact information for him and his family and a friend in Sweden offered to contact the boy's family for me, and he did. The boy's aunt and father have allegedly been contacted and from what I understand, the father said they'd get down to the bottom of this and go to the police, if necessary. I've made several attempts through different channels to contact Mr. Nordin to get his side of the story. Neither Mr. Nordin nor his "company" have responded to me. If you complete the "Apply" form, the Web site is still sending out "order confirmations" asking people to send him money.<br />
<br />
I work hard trying to help people legitimately find work in other countries and it saddens me to see something like this. Perhaps Swede Recruit is simply a very unprofessional company that doesn't understand that misrepresenting themselves like this is wrong. I would suggest ignoring them and keep reading this site. I don't charge you a damned thing.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-63709086844718925702013-10-29T10:49:00.001+01:002017-03-13T07:40:11.508+01:00You Can Move to Pitcairn Island<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5zdEcgSv2CSjk_Y3EQnXv22E7i32DO-pSj7ji9ZMHPHe5YOXZj1gN2cMOSKb4nfZ31CNBWWLvbp8enyZFDIjJFQaX_-CM7CCOiXTNJv29Rmwbml1BMga399cEfauJclM1ec_fSlQhlE/s1600/Pitcairn_Anlegestelle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5zdEcgSv2CSjk_Y3EQnXv22E7i32DO-pSj7ji9ZMHPHe5YOXZj1gN2cMOSKb4nfZ31CNBWWLvbp8enyZFDIjJFQaX_-CM7CCOiXTNJv29Rmwbml1BMga399cEfauJclM1ec_fSlQhlE/s320/Pitcairn_Anlegestelle.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitcairn Island Dock<br>
<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pitcairn_Anlegestelle.jpg" target="_blank">Photo by Jens Bludau</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutiny_on_the_Bounty" target="_blank">On April 28, 1789, the crew of the HMS Bounty mutinied</a> for reasons that are debated to this day. Some say it was harsh treatment by Captain Bligh; others claim it was debauched sailors attracted to the sexually liberal lifestyle of Polynesia. Whatever the cause, the mutineers split and some settled in Tahiti, while others settled on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcairn_islands" target="_blank">Pitcairn Island</a>, perhaps the most remote settlement in the world. Today, over two centuries later, the descendants of the original mutineers still live there and they have a problem. With a rapidly declining population, <a href="http://www.immigration.gov.pn/" target="_blank">they want you to move there</a>.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://overseas-exile.blogspot.com/2013/10/you-can-move-to-pitcairn-island.html#more">Read more »</a>Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-61192707560276697752013-10-21T10:49:00.005+02:002022-06-30T18:06:34.122+02:00Do It Yourself Expats<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPIa6IeWgBAg_tCONnvFV7OxbTsetGBMy3u27ieDiQVNWfLsP4hc302NNh24KCQdXYpRLno1kS5v08c8wM3LfJhkE4KnOzg68SIX8AvnJd25pXnu_MY8fQ8kXVFzMKsTnLXrHX0josIs/s1600/20131013_193354_Rue+sur+les+Murs.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPIa6IeWgBAg_tCONnvFV7OxbTsetGBMy3u27ieDiQVNWfLsP4hc302NNh24KCQdXYpRLno1kS5v08c8wM3LfJhkE4KnOzg68SIX8AvnJd25pXnu_MY8fQ8kXVFzMKsTnLXrHX0josIs/s320/20131013_193354_Rue+sur+les+Murs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nighttime shot of one of the towers of<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Rochelle" target="_blank">The <i>vieux port</i> in La Rochelle</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Note: click on the photos to enlarge them. They're photos of the town I live in and are unrelated to the post.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
In a very interesting blog post, <a href="http://levels.io/bootstrapping-startup-thailand/">a man describes how moving to Thailand helped him launch a startup</a>. The short version: by living somewhere that allowed him to keep his monthly expenses down to around $1,000 a month, he was able to have more money to build his business and because he didn't know people there, he was less distracted by his social life.<br />
<br />
Here's the interesting bit: he didn't have a work permit. <a href="http://levels.io/reset-your-life/" target="_blank">He just sold everything he owned and caught a flight</a>. This is what I call a "DIY (Do It Yourself) Expat". We're going to be seeing more and more of them in the future.<br />
<br />
<a name="more"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jpnS-Td6pk_tDna8pzv1u3efxytu4WiaoXcNk-kM6aqc5YfQ4-ZpyqE50BrkNfq7fm1xWI13baeIOiq6iRNNm5Wpf231dwMnJCraw7tvFO06ZME3WsATpyLlixg3zgZ1RKdwDBibxSk/s1600/20130915_164024_Rue+des+2+Moulins.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6jpnS-Td6pk_tDna8pzv1u3efxytu4WiaoXcNk-kM6aqc5YfQ4-ZpyqE50BrkNfq7fm1xWI13baeIOiq6iRNNm5Wpf231dwMnJCraw7tvFO06ZME3WsATpyLlixg3zgZ1RKdwDBibxSk/s320/20130915_164024_Rue+des+2+Moulins.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone in La Rochelle<br />
knows where this house is.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6540030" target="_blank">There's quite a debate about this post on Hacker News</a>, with at least one individual, who claims to be Thai, asserting that a Thai can get by on $500 a month (though not if you choose to live in Bangkok). The trick is one that expats the world over learn: if you live as if you lived in your home country, you can easily pay a small fortune, particularly if the culture is far different from your own. People sometimes are confused by the high rents and low salaries of many cities, such as Hong Kong, but they forget that the locals can survive there, which means there's more going on than one might think.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bVHyH8qeIZEI_LYhN0VV6YZr5LYJVrGhxZHQBxC1n_Da0ZTYlgIUKOC_apcP8F3CP32CDD0-gE2mw0XQP6JIfMdkZAtzOY7B9mVBXZeGvTVpEffck7Tph52C4SPsF8XXWUhqSBx11Qo/s1600/20130927_093716_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-bVHyH8qeIZEI_LYhN0VV6YZr5LYJVrGhxZHQBxC1n_Da0ZTYlgIUKOC_apcP8F3CP32CDD0-gE2mw0XQP6JIfMdkZAtzOY7B9mVBXZeGvTVpEffck7Tph52C4SPsF8XXWUhqSBx11Qo/s320/20130927_093716_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A street near our flat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Since the author of that post arrived on a tourist visa, he couldn't legally stay in Thailand forever, so he had to keep doing what is known as a <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_(document)#Visa_run" target="_blank">visa run</a></i>. This is the practice of a leaving a country for a short time merely so that you can return a get your visa renewed. I actually know of a gentleman who stayed in a Paris for a couple of years doing visa runs, but he found it increasingly difficult and it's not terribly common for Western Europe. It's generally emerging economies that are more tolerant of the practice. Visa runs are fairly common in Southeast Asia and South America.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJT_LMJs0hdTdhxuurM_tOulhz6x1y8-S5MqT1PSeN7hnhGx_67DF-kWMZyfOQyTDzvpzRDtF1ifbFzd2aAn4QosVWgm080a1hRuxvp83TAsWnKBVWU6FcMjWwgSrKIfDBNXGOeXDwu4/s1600/20131013_193015_Rue+Saint-Jean+du+Pe%CC%81rot_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJT_LMJs0hdTdhxuurM_tOulhz6x1y8-S5MqT1PSeN7hnhGx_67DF-kWMZyfOQyTDzvpzRDtF1ifbFzd2aAn4QosVWgm080a1hRuxvp83TAsWnKBVWU6FcMjWwgSrKIfDBNXGOeXDwu4/s320/20131013_193015_Rue+Saint-Jean+du+Pe%CC%81rot_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Rue sur les Murs, La Rochelle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The author already had an online business and that, of course, is the key for making this work. You generally can't just show up in a new country and (legally) work, but there's nothing stopping a tourist from attending their existing business. So you need an online job. Editor? Software developer? Photographer. There are many ways to become location-independent. You just need to make it happen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVwsRjs7yvIyWvSQp8GgyZx-zWXmxlQTFxqS220Tvbu344UeLlMKTXsfNMEpZQwMVva2vDIFYKneqEqcOH6xqtXqRU7UjJDnY52kCi9NJA3eAgGfJrUnC1PdMHc92GYmhc2UbLgMFcmk/s1600/20131017_073603_Rue+du+Minage_LLS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVwsRjs7yvIyWvSQp8GgyZx-zWXmxlQTFxqS220Tvbu344UeLlMKTXsfNMEpZQwMVva2vDIFYKneqEqcOH6xqtXqRU7UjJDnY52kCi9NJA3eAgGfJrUnC1PdMHc92GYmhc2UbLgMFcmk/s320/20131017_073603_Rue+du+Minage_LLS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rue du Minage, La Rochelle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Oh, and you either want to put most of the things you own in storage, leave them with family or friends, or better yet, <a href="http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1812048,00.html" target="_blank">learn to live with just 100 things</a>. That way you'll still be able to carry what you need to survive if you're denied re-entry on a visa run. And you'll want to <a href="/2010/11/why-youll-say-no-to-living-abroad.html" target="_blank">be able to say "yes" to Count von Europe</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-9aNBwtjcq8yOb-CHXIjLKqZDOvtVOdu4o0mQItJhwWBaTqmdkaaUHWuQEM9IC1OnWUe1kQM9Nf5f4mK6oR-KcnVBRnKFpbz_BdzHJDjNclB62dblkXvV8yudaStVFBDpPjACPlcsQY/s1600/20131017_073741_Rue+Pas+du+Minage_LLS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-9aNBwtjcq8yOb-CHXIjLKqZDOvtVOdu4o0mQItJhwWBaTqmdkaaUHWuQEM9IC1OnWUe1kQM9Nf5f4mK6oR-KcnVBRnKFpbz_BdzHJDjNclB62dblkXvV8yudaStVFBDpPjACPlcsQY/s320/20131017_073741_Rue+Pas+du+Minage_LLS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The local market setting up in the morning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The world is getting smaller. Opportunities are opening up everywhere, but rather than wait for that opportunity, why not create it? With the increase in telecommuting and the strength of many emerging economies, I fully expect a long-term downward pressure on wages in OECD nations. More and more companies are discovering that they can hire several remote workers for the cost of a single local worker. Not all positions are amenable to this, but this situation isn't going to go away and nows the time to plan for it.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-11494240236969301942013-10-16T10:37:00.000+02:002013-10-16T10:37:45.628+02:00Doing Business in La Rochelle, France<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD_fOqvV3AYS3QhtNTBRiYtdvVn2XtN_354QCh7yvj54dXXawBkINMCPfDXhInj3gLJekz5ly8sue5dDdkk5Dpoycle1xtc67xgoN3OwZFjkrBtSC5dqYpxAlqwoGPMkO8-cktJGiTqA/s1600/bay_of_biscay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD_fOqvV3AYS3QhtNTBRiYtdvVn2XtN_354QCh7yvj54dXXawBkINMCPfDXhInj3gLJekz5ly8sue5dDdkk5Dpoycle1xtc67xgoN3OwZFjkrBtSC5dqYpxAlqwoGPMkO8-cktJGiTqA/s320/bay_of_biscay.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon on the Bay of Biscay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Click on the photos to see larger versions.</i><br>
<i><br></i>
Life has really taken a strange and interesting turn. If you travel enough and leave yourself open to adventure, sooner or later things will happen. "Luck" usually involves hard work and perseverance, not just stumbling into good fortune.<br>
<br>
Case in point, last Friday my wife and I were sitting in a boat, watching <a href="http://www.sail-world.com/Europe/Semaine-Olympique-Francaise---Olympic-dreams-continue-in-La-Rochelle/115599" target="_blank">the last Olympic sailing trials in La Rochelle</a>. We were surrounded by local business leaders, all of this paid for courtesy of <a href="http://www.agglo-larochelle.fr/" target="_blank">La Rochelle and the local area governments</a>.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://overseas-exile.blogspot.com/2013/10/doing-business-in-la-rochelle-france.html#more">Read more »</a>Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-33009617224804888792013-10-08T11:53:00.004+02:002022-06-25T12:07:55.623+02:00It's a great time to be an expat<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiznaI9Z5inR2ZI8_hxAaZz6TZcBikZQeNIy8dC4HPS4-ihJfk2d0HcmW-JcXFGpI9FuLjpfo58qEtEpcyc_Kaikbzj7mVxrhrXL_SgZd4D6MVjf2U30oHBEL7TLbzzbpZK2t2_RN3L4/s1600/explore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYiznaI9Z5inR2ZI8_hxAaZz6TZcBikZQeNIy8dC4HPS4-ihJfk2d0HcmW-JcXFGpI9FuLjpfo58qEtEpcyc_Kaikbzj7mVxrhrXL_SgZd4D6MVjf2U30oHBEL7TLbzzbpZK2t2_RN3L4/s320/explore.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get out there and explore the damned world already!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/16230215@N08/7038317767/" target="_blank"><i>Photo by Hartwig HKD</i></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Note: Today's post is more of a philosophical ramble of ideas that have been crossing my mind. It probably won't do a damn thing to help you become an expat.</i><br />
<br />
Despite my writing about the doom and gloom that is <a href="/search/label/fatca" target="_blank">the impact of the poorly thought out FATCA law</a>, it's a fascinating time to be an expat, particularly one from the US. While times might seem hard right now, adventures are things that we often don't appreciate <i>while</i> they're happening, but create great stories to share after the pain has faded. And the world is going through a grand adventure right now and I fully believe that whatever emerges isn't going to be what was. The reason for this is simple: the world is finally reacting to a uni-polar world. The following will seem like a strange ramble, unrelated to expats, but bear with me.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In international politics, there is a theory that a <i>bi-polar</i> world, a world with two superpowers balancing each other, is more stable than a multi- or uni-polar world. In a multi-polar world, you have a world with many great powers vying for supremacy, such as <a href="http://www.popularsocialscience.com/2013/02/05/a-unipolar-world-systems-and-wars-in-three-different-military-eras/" target="_blank">the world in the century prior to WWII</a>. Alliances, broken promises, and a constant jousting for position allegedly lead to a fragile, conflict-ridden state of international politics, while a bi-polar world is one where each superpower has states who follow it and the gulf is so wide that states generally do not cross from one side to the other. Thus, the bi-polar world is viewed as stable.<br />
<br />
Well today, we live in the uni-polar world of American hegemony. There is simply no competition. China quietly advances, deliberately limiting their presence on the world stage. The EU has no common foreign policy and their lack of fiscal union has led to the instability of the Euro (and the Eurozone). Russia has tried repeatedly to put themselves back on the world stage, but it's clear they are not the superpower that the USSR was. There was even strange talk about the rise of Brazil, but current Brazilian woes have put an end to that. India? Not likely. Though they're growing fast, they have enough local problems that asserting themselves on the world stage isn't likely any time soon.<br />
<br />
So the US stands as the lone world superpower. In fact, some argue that because there is no serious contender as an alternate superpower, US dominion will continue, but they've overlooked the one nation that has the might to threaten the standing of the US: the US itself. With no significant check on US power, the US is looking inward and not doing a great job working with the rest of the world.<br />
<br />
In <a href="http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people3/Waltz/waltz-con5.html" target="_blank">this 2003 interview with Kenneth Waltz</a>, a professor emeritus of political science at UC Berkely, when asked about the danger of a unipolar world, said (emphasis mine):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The greatest danger was described very well by a French cleric, who died in 1713, who was also a counselor to rulers, who said: I have never known a country disposing of overwhelming power to behave with forbearance and moderation for more than a very short period of time. And we've seen this over and over again. It illustrates nicely how states fail to learn from history, from other countries' experiences. <b>Time and time again, countries that dispose of overwhelming power, as we now do, have abused their power. The key characteristic of a unipolar world is that there are no checks and balances against that power, so it's free to follow its fancy, it's free to act on its whims.</b> Since there are very minor, very weak external constraints, everything depends on the internal politics of the country in question.</blockquote>
Now look at where we've come. By the late 1990s, the US had balanced their budget, was paying down the debt, was widely respected, if not liked, and while the seeds of political contention were strong (who can forget the waste of time that was the Whitewater debacle?), things were generally going well. And then 9/11 happened.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsLvGkBBpCGHEdDpWHyDRwSdjVS2A30jxDuZ1wF8j23SPaljgKCyOEMY90KkSC-93wYTpDzvtUl8QM5Mdl85WCUKkHopg1ne5heY0GC1su5O5lmkyPYdR4ycLNCPmzI1lx0hn6vZJnYQ/s1600/coalition.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsLvGkBBpCGHEdDpWHyDRwSdjVS2A30jxDuZ1wF8j23SPaljgKCyOEMY90KkSC-93wYTpDzvtUl8QM5Mdl85WCUKkHopg1ne5heY0GC1su5O5lmkyPYdR4ycLNCPmzI1lx0hn6vZJnYQ/s320/coalition.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "coalition of the willing"<br />
prior to the last Iraq war.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Though the world was behind the US invasion of Afghanistan, by the time the US was beating the drums of war for Iraq, the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2862343.stm" target="_blank">coalition of the willing</a> was an embarrassing hodgepodge of countries with many US allies missing from said list.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to 2013.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>In a virtually unprecedented move, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23892783" target="_blank">the UK refused to support US military action against another country</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/world/europe/group-nominates-putin-for-nobel-peace-prize.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin, the de fact ruler of Russia, has managed to block US military action against Syria</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.independent.ie/world-news/americas/china-warns-us-on-ending-shutdown-and-paying-its-debts-29641763.html" target="_blank">China is telling the US to get their act together</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/09/24/as-brazil-snubs-the-us-who-loses/the-us-has-more-to-lose-in-the-cancelation-of-the-brazils-state-visit" target="_blank">Brazil has snubbed the US over spying scandals</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24342804" target="_blank">Venezuela is (again) expelling US diplomats</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12979967" target="_blank">Ecuador expelled the US ambassador</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://rt.com/news/morales-obama-humanity-crimes-109/" target="_blank">Bolivia is threatening to sue the US government</a>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
The US is struggling to maintain influence in South America, the threat of a US military assault is becoming less likely and <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/10/08/usa-fiscal-default-idINDEE99700M20131008" target="_blank">the <i>real</i> threat of a US default on its debt is becoming increasingly likely</a>.<br />
<br />
So what does this mean for expats? On a day to day basis, it really doesn't mean much. However, over the long term, I think this is an incredibly fascinating time to explore the world. We don't know what's going to happen, but many agree that the uni-polar model of American hegemony can't last. I don't know if it will end from the US loss of influence of the rise of the influence of rivals (or a combination), but the world is changing radically right now. History is going to look back at this time as a phase change in the world political structure that started with 9/11, though the seeds were planted long before that.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/07/28/a-growing-trend-of-leaving-america" target="_blank">More and more Americans are leaving the US</a>. More <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/janetraedupree/2013/09/25/us-scientists-are-leaving-the-country-and-taking-the-innovation-economy-with-them/" target="_blank"><i>scientists</i> are contemplating leaving the US</a> (and believe me, other countries will happily snap them up). The burgeoning <a href="http://www.itnews.com.au/News/352419,us-cloud-computing-industry-faces-us35-billion-prism-fallout.aspx" target="_blank">cloud computing industry in the US is facing billions of dollars in losses over the PRISM scandal</a> and these repercussions are being felt throughout the IT industry. Most new <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/21/part-time-job-creation_n_3788365.html" target="_blank">US jobs in the "recovery" are part-time jobs</a>, helping to obscure the high unemployment rates. <a href="http://www.morssglobalfinance.com/the-loss-of-american-manufacturing-jobs-what-are-the-facts/" target="_blank">The US manufacturing base is shrinking</a>. And while everyone was paying attention to the Detroit bankruptcy, they were ignoring the fact that <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/18/detroit-isnt-alone-the-u-s-cities-that-have-gone-bankrupt-in-one-map/" target="_blank">cities and municipalities across the US are declaring bankruptcy</a>. Though my fellow Americans may hate me for calling a spade a spade, I cannot help but think that this is just the beginning.<br />
<br />
So get off your butt. Get your <a href="/2010/12/what-if-you-have-no-skills-teaching.html" target="_blank">TEFL</a> certification. <a href="/2010/12/work-permit-2-of-5-preparing-your.html" target="_blank">Prep your CV</a>. Read about <a href="/p/european-blue-cards.html" target="_blank">the European Blue Card</a>. The world is changing and you can either sit at home and read about it, or get on a plane and experience it.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-21632902537589420752013-10-02T10:15:00.001+02:002022-06-25T12:07:56.534+02:00Countries You Can (cheaply) Buy Your Way Into<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8oPTwg72vnP6rpy2Hg_YpsWLzUhWs4-cCSAgQiatSIQFBSzBQ9pjdFAR09Qyr2VwwSPttSHtjt8e1qk2hVQvhug_R4AqWI0FS9P-ktY3862aTFmWIKutVNq2RytIiaD_asSzHn-b_QA/s1600/bangkok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8oPTwg72vnP6rpy2Hg_YpsWLzUhWs4-cCSAgQiatSIQFBSzBQ9pjdFAR09Qyr2VwwSPttSHtjt8e1qk2hVQvhug_R4AqWI0FS9P-ktY3862aTFmWIKutVNq2RytIiaD_asSzHn-b_QA/s320/bangkok.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retire in Bangkok!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebehnken/5059828345/" target="_blank">Photo by Mike Behnken</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A few days ago I posted about <a href="/2013/09/move-abroad-by-working-remotely.html" target="_blank">countries that will let you live there if you show a modest income from abroad</a>. I got curious and asked <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut/comments/1mnax2/which_countries_will_let_you_have_a_residence/" target="_blank">Reddit's /r/IWantOut community for more information</a>. While many of the suggestions were unsourced, some provided references and they're awesome. Got $20,000 US? Are you 35 years old or older? <a href="http://www.pra.gov.ph/main/srrv_program" target="_blank">Retire in the Phillipines via the SRRV program</a>. Hell, my wife and I could cash out <a href="http://www.allaroundtheworld.fr/" target="_blank">our brand-new business</a> and probably survive quite nicely in the Phillipines. (My wife would kill me for suggesting this, though).<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Or maybe Thailand tickles your fancy. <a href="http://www.aboutthailandretirement.com/living-cost-thailand.htm" target="_blank">You can retired there on a roughly $1,500 a month income</a>, though a large enough deposit in a bank around will get around this. <a href="http://www.worldsalaries.org/thailand.shtml" target="_blank">Thai salaries appear to range around 300 to 800 a month</a>, on average, so you could definitely survive on this, but everything I read suggests you'll need a minimum of $1,000 a month or more to get by.<br />
<br />
Is Ecuador more interesting? They have a variety of visas, including <a href="http://www.gringosabroad.com/ecuador-visa-permanent-resident/" target="_blank">a pensioner's visa requiring a minimum income of $800 a month</a>.<br />
<br />
Malaysia's My Second Home program was also mentioned. <a href="/2012/11/moving-to-malaysia.html" target="_blank">I've written about it before</a>. If you have around $150,000 in the bank and can show roughly a $3,000 a month income, you can move there.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKab-7UdLUICCidUmIz8EHxJhyphenhypheny-3Ttj0fYCBff9QE32DD26vFySpQAqSKdDLI7QmmnjszAmZ_N03KmZUWf2zEGOEA9d8DdjgB2qX8jiBEOHhdooOhiXcObuAkVbzzGhrwy4Ga8YFOAIU/s1600/nicaragua_jungle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKab-7UdLUICCidUmIz8EHxJhyphenhypheny-3Ttj0fYCBff9QE32DD26vFySpQAqSKdDLI7QmmnjszAmZ_N03KmZUWf2zEGOEA9d8DdjgB2qX8jiBEOHhdooOhiXcObuAkVbzzGhrwy4Ga8YFOAIU/s320/nicaragua_jungle.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The jungle in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ometepe" target="_blank">Ometepe</a>, Nicaragua<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56001653@N06/8056427807/" target="_blank">Photo by Thomas Frost Jensen</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A mere $600 a month will let you retire in Nicaragua. <a href="http://internationalliving.com/countries/nicaragua/nicaragua-visa-and-residency-information/" target="_blank">The minimum retirement age is 45, but Nicaragua will waive that requirement if you can show a stable income</a>. And assuming that income is from outside of Nicaragua, it's also tax free.<br />
<br />
I also tried to find decent information about African countries, but as usual, it eludes me (other than a $1 million investment visa for South Africa). Still, for those looking for adventure and can figure out a remote income, you have many, many options. Obviously, some will be more "adventurous" than others, such as in <a href="http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=2146" target="_blank">Thailand, a beautiful country that can't quite shake the coup rumors</a>, but if you're willing to accept a little risk, there's a lot of reward, too. I've a great life here in France that I wouldn't trade for anything, but were I single and not a father, I think I'd become a nomad and start exploring these places. It's a big world out there.Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1896864509547462369.post-5572533270469548142013-09-30T09:26:00.004+02:002022-06-25T12:07:57.875+02:00Why did I leave my home country?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bg3B4GloDMlJUJqhRJjqMmiRgrp0cXMiSll1EvSRdPeB7XBsavTc39bDRxFL0RWf0zjfyM67drw1dRB9SlKp3uup3VL54PIDsB1TyY4emrvfJJxksCSJDRoWKP-ejfpolDhgMgtv2S0/s1600/bermuda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3bg3B4GloDMlJUJqhRJjqMmiRgrp0cXMiSll1EvSRdPeB7XBsavTc39bDRxFL0RWf0zjfyM67drw1dRB9SlKp3uup3VL54PIDsB1TyY4emrvfJJxksCSJDRoWKP-ejfpolDhgMgtv2S0/s320/bermuda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your (pudgy) author in Bermuda<br />
(If you think the contrast is bad, you should<br />
have seen it before I started fixing it)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over on the Franco-American flophouse blogs, <a href="http://thefranco-americanflophouse.blogspot.fr/2013/09/why-did-you-leave.html" target="_blank">Victoria Ferauge explores ideas about why some people leave their home country</a>. It's a beautiful read and I highly recommend it, but I must admit that my motivations are different from what is explored there.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>There are both push and pull factors to immigration. Push factors are prevalent and in some cases are as severe as war or famine. For Victoria's case, she refers to "Casting Errors" (what a lovely title) where we're born in a country where we just don't fit. I meet this a <i>lot</i> over here in Europe: many Americans are just tired of what's happening back "home". The poisonous politics, the idiocy over the health care "debate", the Christian Right trying to force their extremist beliefs into law, and so on.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, I meet Europeans who also head abroad due to disenchantment with Europe. There are widespread pockets of racism here. The market simply isn't as free as the US market (both good and bad points there). <a href="http://k/news/uknews/1541699/Britain-tops-European-crime-league.html" target="_blank">In the case of the UK, a high crime rate</a> is causing many Britons to feel disenchanted with Blighty (the problem, though bad, <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/jun/24/blog-posting/social-media-post-says-uk-has-far-higher-violent-c/" target="_blank">is less than it's made out to be</a>).<br />
<br />
While I admit to a certain "fish out of water" feeling in the US, I doubt it's particularly worse than many people feel about their home country. And for every person who's called me a traitor (<a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/TrueReddit/comments/1n7rr5/the_number_of_americans_giving_up_their/ccgf4r2" target="_blank">often incoherently</a>) for living abroad, or who mistakenly think that I hate my country because I'm willing to discuss problems with it, well, that's just foolishness I mostly shrug off.<br />
<br />
There weren't strong push factors for me; it was a single pull factor. The simple truth: I did it for adventure. Sure, <a href="/2013/09/my-global-family.html" target="_blank">I knew I was going to meet many family members I hadn't known about</a>. I knew I wasn't going to have to worry about health care any more. I knew I wouldn't have to deal with rabid Christians assaulting me (three times!) because my beliefs were different. That wasn't the reason I left.<br />
<br />
<a href="/2010/12/road-trip-to-corsica.html" target="_blank">I left for my dream road trip to Corsica</a>. I moved so I could enjoy <a href="http://publius-ovidius.livejournal.com/199552.html" target="_blank">my first flat abroad</a> and experience foreign culture firsthand. <a href="/2012/10/a-slice-of-italy.html" target="_blank">I moved abroad to enjoy the food</a>. I left for adventure. That's all. I've had it in spades and wound up with a lovely wife and daughter to boot.<br />
<br />
Don't give up your dreams.<br />
<br />
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you either want to leave your home country or go to another (push and pull, remember?) Tell us why!Ovidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13509899287185278251noreply@blogger.com0