Would you REALLY move to another country, like Germany?

[DFW]

I've seen several threads about this. It's not a move to make lightly.

It may seem nice here (Germany) on visits where all expenses are paid, but most
people here don't have it so easy. The bureaucracy is numbing (my wife is a
German social worker who tears her hair out at the uncaring inefficient "Ämter").
The wages are only OK if you earn a bundle, as taxes are immense. The schools
are stacked full of teachers whoh are overworked uncaring un-fire-able civil
servants, and the universities suck. My two kids, who are German nationals and
grew up here in Germany, couldn't wait to get to the USA and go to college there.

Also, life may seem slower here, but it isn't. The cafés are full because unemployment
is so high. Those Germans we know who are working have punishing schedules, just as
I do.

By the way, the weather sucks.

Remember: if you are paid in Euros, you live in Euros. You only get the currency
advantage if you are paid in Euros and live in a dollar-denominated country. Prices
are sky-high here, anyway.

Tobacco and alcohol are readily available and kids take up both at an early age
here. Only recently are European countries starting on protection for non-smokers,
and at that, it is hardly enforced, if at all.

Gas costs about $8 a gallon here, and taxes on your car are huge, as are insurance
payments (the way they drive here, no wonder).

Still interested?

OK, if you're still here, then here's the good news. Free (or nearly so) education,
and health care are certainly bonuses.

The tightly-knit communities, as long as you are not a hermit, really do make living
here easier. In our neighborhood, the neighbors introduce themselves when they move in,
and we have a tight circle of nearby friends who all have the keys to each other's houses
to help out with stuff when people are sick, or if people are away.

Distances are smaller--it's no big deal to run over to another country for the weekend.

Religious fanaticism is practically gone from the governments, and only immigrant Muslims
make any noise, and even they are minor annoyances compared to the Bible-thumping in the USA.

Going out to a café or spontaneous getting together at someone's place just for coffee and
cake really are a tradition here. Maybe because Europe is so compact, people are less reluctant
to get together often, I don't know. Back home, I never found a "happy hour" to be very happy.

Etc. etc. In other words, there is always a yin and yang. The good and the bad. If you come
over here permanently, be prepared for the good and the bad, as everywhere. It's up to each
individual to decide if you can handle the complete change of life such a move entails. It
took me about five years, and I already spoke the language and am married to a German national.

You can do it, but make sure you REALLY want it. Moving to Europe is not summer vacation. Of
course, if another Republican gets the White House, it will probably be more like seeking
political asylum.

[trashcanistanista]

1. Absolutely.

If they would have me.

[DFW]

16. Hey, if they didn't toss me out, they'll take anybody!

[Eurobabe]

2. Wow, you must live in a really shitty part of Deutschland

I live in Bavaria, and life couldn't be more enjoyable. :shrug:

On edit: Living here is what you make of it. My first go-round in 2001 was awful. But that was because I did not attempt to learn the language (ither than ordering food and buying groceries) or integrate into the culture. This time I have taken 25 hours of German a week, gotten back into skiing and met a bunch of cool people.

[southern_belle]

3. In a minute!

:woohoo:

[kywildcat]

4. In a heartbeat! n/t

[speedbird]

5. prices for food are?

rice
sugar
cooking oil
wheat flour
.....................
are prices marked?,
or do you haggle
with the persons behind the counter

[DFW]

7. I'll ask my wife about that and get back to you

No haggling in Germany, but in the Balkans, it's more prevalent.

[DFW]

15. I asked, and she didn't know either!

We'll check out some of our packages, convert into US$
and get back to you on that one.

[DFW]

6. Actually, except for the local economy, my part of Deutschland is not at all shitty

It is a pleasant small town near Düsseldorf, although the weather really does suck,
in contrast to Bayern. Even so, life here really does move at a hectic pace, as much
so for all of my German friends that work as for me. It's expensive as all hell, in
part because the Japanese have moved into the Düsseldorf area big time, and driven
property prices through the stratosphere. In the Saturday real estate selection, you
see dozens of ads saying "Japanese conglomerate seeks houses and big apartments for
its executives. Price no object." We have no skiing nearby, and the Rheinland gets little
snow anyway.

But the big picture is the same all over. Like living anywhere, it's not the same as a
vacation. Europeans who visit America find Cape Cod, the Grand Canyon, Central Park and
Fisherman's Wharf to be charming, but if you live in the USA, there's more to deal with.
Europe is no different, that's all I'm saying. I've been based out of here for over two
decades now. I'm quite comfortable here, and I would follow my wife to the ends of the
earth anyway, work be damned, if she were to ask me to. She wants to live at home (Germany),
and as station chief for Europe, it turns out to be geographically convenient for me, too.
A no-brainer, but that has to be the exception rather than the rule.

I'm just saying that visiting a country not speaking the language, and living there,
being required to speak the language, and put up with the day-to-day hassles that they
never tell you about in the tourist literature, are two entirely different things. I
wouldn't make such a move without knowing that it's ABSOLUTELY what I want to do.

Having said that, if it IS absolutely what you want to do, well, start your language
lessons and make sure your passpport is up to date.

[Karenina]

44. I've found that the Americans who are happy here

and survive the 7 and 13 year itch are those who are able to internalize a double identity. It has MUCH to do with wanting to communicate, understand and an intimate acceptance of another mentality. It's also about "core values." I always read the "move abroad" threads with much amusement as most Amis are so very ill-equipped to adapt due to "exceptionalism."

[Eurobabe]

52. You have my sympathies

No wonder you feel depressed. But the weather isn't always peachy in Bayern. Watch, we'll have a sunny winter and rainy shitty summer. Just no rhyme or reason to it.

[mvccd1000]

8. I thought about buying property in Thailand.

But realistically, I would miss the US too much.

Maybe if Hillary gets elected, I'll look into moving more seriously. :)

[DFW]

13. You handled 8 years of Bush but can't handle Hillary?

All polemics aside, I think even a Hillary presidency would
be a breath of very fresh air after what we have suffered through
these past 8 years. The rest of the world sure thinks so, too.
They are so sick of Republican administrations, they make us
seem positively tolerant of them by comparison. The thought of
McCain nominating SCOTUS justices like Roberts and Alito makes
me positively sick, and I know neither Hillary nor Obama would
do anything of the sort.

I suspect I would miss the States, too, if I didn't have the chance
to get back there a few times a year, and I ALWAYS take vacations
there in my favorite secluded part of New England.

[mvccd1000]

19. Although my home remains in the states, I haven't lived there in nearly 4 years.

But so far, I'm holding up fine, just like I did under GHWB and Clinton, and just like I probably will under whichever weaselly politician slides in there this time around.

Thailand is a beautiful country, though, with great prices, friendly people, and an interesting culture.

LOVE the food, too. :)

[DFW]

83. Thailand's food is one of the most seductive cuisines on this planet

I can fully appreciate that!

[Quantess]

33. If Hillary gets elected? WTF?

Seriously, WTF.
You'd prefer John McCain?

[mvccd1000]

35. Kidding.... :)

ALL of them make me gag. Don't know what I'm going to do....

[Quantess]

37. If McCain gets elected,

I would like to move to another country. Hillary Clinton wouldn't be quite enough to drive me out of the country.

[and-justice-for-all]

9. Ja, Ich libe Bades Republik Deutschland!!!

I can deal with die Deutch bummers, better then I can an Amerikastan facism. I have a Deutch Freund who is teaching in Wessen, he spent almost 10 years here in the states attending university (IU).

[melody]

10. Thanks for bringing some reality to the sometimes mindless Euroworship here

The left assumes that everything USA = evil, everything EU = good. The reality, as always, is somewhere
in between.

I have to say the idea of having nearby friends with keys to everyone's houses puts me off right there but
then I'm a hermit. lol

[DFW]

14. Re: the keys to your house: believe me, it depends on your friends!

We have some very close, very special friends here.

It is definitely NOT standard practice!! LOL

[Gman]

11. If I were to go anywhere

it would be to Mexico. Maybe Monterrey.

[Norrin Radd]

12. My great-grandfather moved here from Deutschland for the opportunities.

He got drafted for WWI and WWII. That must've been weird for him to visit his previous home to go fight, twice. Kind of would defeat his purpose to move back.

[Zywiec]

24. What part of Germany did your great-grandfather fight in during WWI ? n/t

[Icyclemort]

38. most likely : none

as the war was fought on French grounds until the very end...

[Zywiec]

50. Umm, that's why I was asking him. n/t

[Joe Chi Minh]

41. Did you know that the cause of WWI was our British imperialism? Our

leaders were upset that the Germans were entering a favoured-nation, economic agreement with the Russians, and our great leaders took a dim view of it? "Dim" in every way, I might add.

[Orsino]

17. My choice is Canada, but yes, I hope to move. n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

18. They wouldn't take me...

so I guess I'll just stay here and fight for my country. :)

[DavidDvorkin]

20. I moved here from another country

There's an adjustment period, but people have been doing that adjusting for thousands of years.

[area51]

21. Yes, if I could get a job.

I doubt this country will ever become civilized and transition to single-payer healthcare; I'd love to live in a country where citizens have a right to life.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. I could live in Japan--I have done it already

Yes, the bureaucracy can be maddening, the rigidity can sometimes drive you nuts, and the pop culture can be dumber than ours, but even a big city like Tokyo is really a series of villages. (Actually, they WERE villages until the city absorbed them.) If you live like a local, speak the language, and are friendly, you become part of the village.

After thirty years of traveling back and forth, sometimes for stays of one or two months, and one year as a resident, I know where all the warts are, but I still love being there.

Unfortunately, I am now at an age where it would be hard to get a resident's visa.

[bigbrother05]

23. Was over there for five years Heidelberg

And loved it, came back to early, you forgot to mention the STAIRS, and the PARKING.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

25. If I had the money I would move to Australia immediately. AMF USA.

[JVS]

26. It's not like they're inviting people to move in either.

If you want to move to Germany (or another European country) be prepared to be given a lot of shit and possibly denied the chance to live there permanently.

[Arugula Latte]

27. My "dream escape" country is Italy.

So much for crappy weather ... I'm sure it has difficulties, but so what? You're freakin' living in ITALY... :loveya:

[Heidi]

28. Yes. I've done it, but but it's much easier if one is aware of and prepared for the challenges

and, as you have pointed out, there are _many_. I am extremely fortunate in that I arrived in Europe with extremely marketable skills, a tidy "nest egg" and a genuine interest in learning from and appreciating my host culture(s). One of the biggest mistakes many Americans make upon arriving here is treating the host culture as "foreign." I understood from the beginning that _I'm_ the foreigner, dependent -- for all practical purposes -- upon the tolerance and goodwill of my host culture. That's a vulnerable place to be, but it doesn't have to last forever. I love to learn; that's probably what saved my butt during my first couple of years here.

[Eurobabe]

53. Plus you have a cool EuroHubby

like I do. :)

:loveya:

[Heidi]

54. Indeed.

Mornin', sunshine. :loveya:

[Angela Shelley]

55. Hi Heidi, please remember that this is DU

and you are not allowed to be so nice to people

(except for innocent posters like 48percenter). O8)

[Heidi]

56. Sorry, I have no real choice but to be nice.

My dark side is beige. :rofl: :spray:

[Angela Shelley]

57. What´s that blue stuff you´ve been drinking?

Did you get that across the border?

Now that I know how "tame" you are, I´ll make sure and treat you like royalty.

[Heidi]

58. You must have me confused with someone who's drinkin'

blue stuff. :rofl: I'm drinkin' white tea.

Don't you dare treat me like royalty (for more than a week or so). :P

[Angela Shelley]

59. Well, I thought that you might be related to

48percenter, and since she rocks and rules this part of the planet, you would get the same treatment.

BTW, enjoy your white tea (whatever that is).

[Heidi]

60. I adore her as well.

Here's a primer on white tea. It doesn't seem to have as much caffeine as black tea, but it doesn't taste as gross as green tea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_tea#Potential_health_benefits

[Angela Shelley]

62. Thanks for the link,

but it sounds like rocket science to me ...

We´ll chat again soon, have a nice day!

[Heidi]

63. Thank you! I'm busy trying to save Justin and recruit his RepublicanDad!!!

:rofl: :spray:

[Angela Shelley]

64. May the force be with you (he´s sooooooo funny)

and there you go again, drinking blue liquids.

[Heidi]

65. If he doesn't cut it out, I'm gonna be SPEWING blue liquids.

[Angela Shelley]

67. You really should see a doctor about that gash on your face,

and a visit to the dentist might be interesting too.

[Heidi]

68. Hahahahahahahahaha!

:spank:

[DFW]

81. LOL!!!!

I'm beginning to get that knocked into me daily!

[Eurobabe]

69. Hey babe!

I've been rippin up the slopes! My wonderful EH (henceforth Eurohubby) bought me a new ski package, my boots were too tight and I hurt my toe a little last weekend. The K2s I was drooling over just happened to be on sale and he said why not? It's LOVE I tell ya! :loveya:

Do you have good skiing near you? So far I've only ventured to Austria, but I am completely hooked. Want to go to Italy on of these weekends. Life really sucks over here. :rofl:

[Angela Shelley]

70. I am so glad that you´re back, there was a brutal battle

between Heidi and RepublicanDad, did you happen to see it?

BTW, she likes you.

[Eurobabe]

73. nein, Wo, online?

DU oder?

[Angela Shelley]

75. Yes, right here in front of our eyes!

Look in the GDP for RepublicanDad in the thread title (about an hour ago).

[Eurobabe]

76. LOL

I just saw it, locked.

GO HEIDI! (But I think it was someone spoofing, that couldn't have been real)

[Angela Shelley]

77. No, it wasn´t real, but it was REAL FUN for the moment!

Let me know when you have found a new thread to hijack. :evilgrin:

[Eurobabe]

79. you are getting good at this

smilies and everything. :headbang:

[Heidi]

90. SKIER, I hate you forevah!

I'm a snowboarder. When I was managing the paper in Vail, I fell in with the hippie-dippy, reggae-listenin', dope-smokin' snowboarder crowd after being :gagged: by the pretentious "aprés ski" crowd. :rofl: :spray:

[Angela Shelley]

91. Hey 48percenter, remember when I told you that Heidi liked you?

well, I have to inform you that the good old days are over.

Be careful, she drinks strange things (not just the blue laughing juice in the post), and she doesn´t have any health insurance to pay for dental work and wound treatment.

:beer:

[Solon]

29. How long has it been since you lived in the U.S.?

Your first paragraph easily applies to the US as well, the difference is that US kids can't afford our colleges, the decent ones, that is.

High unemployment/underemployment is a problem here, and so are crushing schedules.

The weather sucks in most places here too.

Yeah well, things are getting expensive here too, across the board.

I don't see this one as that much of a negative, its highly subjective, besides, it seems Americans, especially when it comes to alcohol, are especially anal about it. I surely hope Europeans aren't adopting American practices about alcohol there!

Yeah, gas and cars are expensive there, but at least they have public transportation over there, so the cars are OPTIONAL! Here, in most places in the country, cars are a requirement, and, unless you are paying for a junker, prohibitively expensive for most working class people.

Not only am I interested, I don't see the point you are trying to make, I'm sure many nations in Europe has problems, the difference is that they also have pluses. Here in the States, we have many of the same negatives, except for the higher taxes, and few of the pluses.

[Icyclemort]

39. deleted by author

sorry, replied to wrong post

[Selatius]

30. I already know a friend who wishes to apply for German citizenship through his German heritage.

They readily give citizenship if you can prove heritage.

[Iktomiwicasa]

31. This is my ancestral home

and the bones of 1000 generations of my people are here. I couldn't leave.

[DFW]

85. I sympathize, and envy you

As one of mongrel Eastern European background, totally lost to me,
as my ancestors came over between 1840 and 1880, I have no real traditions
to fall back on. It liberates me from being tied down somewhere, but also
makes me in another sense rootless. My ancestors were, in part, failed
Mississippi River Delta gamblers who fled east to escape gambling debts.
The family obviously made some progress since then, as my South Carolina-
born grandfather worked his was through Harvard as a janitor, and ended
up as deputy mayor of New York City and then a justice on the New York State
Supreme Court. But my parents were back in the South by the time I was born,
and I'm still trying to figure out if I'm Virginian or Texan. I've been a Texan
for longer, and so call myself that, but my roots are not in the land. On the
other hand, I don't really feel any ties with Białystok, either. For those such
as I, home is where you make it, as ties to a distant past are not something
I have been blessed with. My wife has an easier time of it. She has a book telling
where every member of her family has been since the year 1473.

[mnhtnbb]

32. We are putting things in place to retire to Panama

We bought property in 2005 in Bocas del Toro with an American developer. Unfortunately, the project has been dead in the water since last January with a workers' strike and financial problems of the developers.
There is a clause in our contract which specifies return of our construction deposit if the house is not finished by June 08 (3 years from contract signing). We may have to sue to get our money back.

In the meantime, we have obtained permanent resident visas and opened Panamanian bank accounts.
We are going to Panama in March to look at other property to replace our original investment.

We are leaning heavily towards retiring permanently to Panama. We had hoped to have everything in place to make that possible by late 2008; it now looks like it may be 2009-10, unless we just leave and rent a place while building a home there.

Having our house in Chapel Hill, NC burn down last summer has made the transition just that much more difficult. We're still fighting the insurance company over replacement value of our house; we won't know until we settle whether we have to sell our lot here to pay off the mortgage, or whether all proceeds from sale of the lot will be ours.

Panama has excellent benefits for retirees--unlike Canada and New Zealand which don't want people of retirement age.

Europe is too expensive.

[Doctor_J]

34. In a heartbeat

I could live with the smaller digs and one small car and public transportation. The US's lower taxes are eaten up by road tolls, health insurance, high internet fees, and the like.

[Fire Walk With Me]

36. I'd move in a heartbeat, but have no money with which to do so.

[Icyclemort]

40. regarding schools and universities

My own impression is that they are - on average - at least equal to US schools and colleges/universities.
Maybe even better on the university front.

Of course none reach the standards of US prep. private schools and the Ivy League (and similar) colleges/universities, but even the not so good German universities tend to be decent and the worst schools bearable.

bottomline:
if you seek the best > US
if you seek the worst > US
if you seek the decent average > Germany

[DFW]

42. You might have something there

Although I know some schoolteachers here (Germany) that think they
have a hopeless task with classes of 90% kids of foreigners, some
of whom know no German and have little interest in learning it (usually
East Europeans--the kids from Turkey tend to learn German faster, as they
have more established communities to help them assimilate).

But I know from my two daugters, who went to a supposedly top high school
("Gymnasium") in Düsseldorf, and were so intimidated by their instructors
(or--worse--ignored) that they opted for school in the USA as soon as they
could. My elder one never had such a good time (or ood grades) in high school
as she did when she did her semester "abroad" in a Dallas public high school.

My younger one got fair grades in the German "Gymnasium" but then graduated
cum laude from GWU in Washington, D.C. in political science/public policy and
just made the dean's list for being in the top 9% of her class in her first
semester of Law School in the New York area. She has also been selected for
a summer internship with the UN war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone this
summer--as a FIRST YEAR law student. I don't know any of her German friends
who are doing anything like this, and many of them are every bit as bright
as she is (and that is plenty bright).

There were a lot of good and interesting reply posts I want to get to, but
it ia 1 AM here and I have to be up at 5:15 for work (it's Sunday, I know,
there is no rest for the weary).

[Hardrada]

43. I could see living in Berlin

but wouldn't want to move permanently. Great transportation and museums etc.

[Aptastik]

45. My grandparents moved from Germany to America to escape

fascist persecution. It would be ironic if I were to move back for the same reason. But more realistically, I'd move to Israel, since I also have citizenship there. But even more realistically, I'd move to South America and live like a king with the money I've saved up.

I actually just remembered, my grandmother was telling me last week that if a Republican won the white house, they were going to move to Canada. They have a little cabin in Nova Scotia that's "away from it all."

[AnotherGreenWorld]

46. Yes, desperately I want to: I hate this shitty country.

[goodgd_yall]

47. Germany was never on my radar.

I'd consider Canada and maybe Spain, or even Mexico (for retirement if I really needed help making ends meet.)

[DFW]

80. I lived in Barcelona for a while.

That was truly one of the most liveable cities I ever experienced.

[kineneb]

48. don't see why not

I have been speaking German since high school, and have a degree minor in it. The last time I was there (2002), it took me about a day to make the mental shift back into German. I love the sense of history and appreciation for the arts there (music history is my field).

bureaucracy/traffic/pace of life/funky schools: I live in California, and used to live in the SF Bay Area. 'Nuf said.

weather: ok, yes I am spoiled by California summers, but Germany doesn't get the "monsoons" we get in the winter. Crummy weather would probably be better for my northern European pigmentation than the factor 50 sunscreen I need here.

Yet another American with German ancestry. My great-grandparents spoke German at home until WWI. Trust me, it takes more than several generations to wipe out the cultural baggage, at least in my family.

[blues90]

49. I thought about moving out of the US for a long time

But I was born here and am 59 so I only know this country . Now that this country has changed so much it is like living in a strange land .

I don't have any way now of ever leaving here without winning the lottery and gaining some courage .

[UncleSepp]

51. To Germany only, yes

I felt more at home and comfortable there than I do here most of the time. If an opportunity opened to transfer and still stay in my current job with my current company, I'd do it without hesitation. Of course, I've been saying I'd like to go live there for a long time, and the current state of the government hasn't got anything to do with that.

[screembloodymurder]

61. I'd leave, but I would not go to Germany.

How about Argentina?

[Angela Shelley]

66. Why not Germany with Oktoberfest and Lebkuchen?

[DFW]

82. Lebkuchen is definitely one of the perks!

[high density]

71. I've been kicking the idea around, but no, I probably will never do it

Because like you said, there's good and bad everywhere, and I don't think the good/bad ratio of the USA is all that much different than other western countries. The idea of learning a new language and culture are extremely scary ideas to me, and I think learning the language would be an absolute imperative. While I do have a decent savings, I don't think its enough to undertake a move like this especially with the current weakness of the dollar. By the time I do have the money where I'd be comfortable doing it, I'd probably be too old for a country to consider letting me in. It also seems like it would be very difficult to find employment before you head over. I haven't had any luck finding employment in a state that's two hours away, let alone trying to job hunt on a different continent.

[paparush]

72. Belize. I'd move to Belize. If McCain wins and we have to reinstate the draft..we're gone.

We spent a month in Belize back in 2004. If need be, we could disappear into Guatemala.

My son will be 13 in May.

I'm NOT turning him over to this band of criminals.

No fucking way.

And I don't care about C.O. status or joining a Quaker meeting (which we used to attend). They simply do not have the right to take him. He might be assigned to work in a bakery, or be a computer operator, but I'm not letting them have him. Knowing this group of Neocon ass clowns, all C.O.'s will be imprisoned.

[RadiationTherapy]

74. "...starting on protection for non-smokers," snort! baaahahahaha!

sorry. "protection for non-smokers" is one of the funniest things I have ever read.

bwahahahahaha!! My smoking brother is coming to GET YOU! boogabooga!

[demgurl]

78. I would in a heartbeat if my husband would.

He is very attached to his family here but I have said time and again how I want to move. You used Germany as an example but you do not see the benefits of so many other countries. I am from Canada and would gladly move back there in a heartbeat. Taxes may be high but I love the weather up there - can not imagine actually getting snow again during winter, my boys would love it.

If I were moving overseas then it would be a choice between England and Ireland. Ireland because that is where my husband's family is originally from and England because I always wanted to live there. The province, where I grew up, was basically made up of English and Irish settlers and so I have had a strong connection to those places as well.

If it were not for my husband I would have moved a couple of years ago. I am waiting for him to get sick and tired of this government BS and give me the go ahead to leave this place. This was once a strong beautiful country where I longed to move and settle down but not any more. That country is gone.

[bean fidhleir]

84. Besser soll'n wir uns're VSA umbau'n. Sonst wird niewo sicher auf aller Welt. (kT)

[DFW]

86. Ganz schön anspruchsvoll, aber auch ganz schön notwendig!

[cedric]

87. It's a good thing that petrol prices are high

as otherwise us Europeans would be pumping as much CO2 into the atmosphere as you Americans.

Ever heard of climate change!!!

[DFW]

89. Climate change? No, what is it?

J/K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DFW]

88. Thanks to all who posted/will post on this, and here's why

As a sort-of expat who has little contact with Americans except when back home,
or on the phone with the States, I am always interested in hearing other people's
views and/or situations on a subject that is (DUH) very close to "home," no pun intended.
There were a great variety here, and I didn't reply to all that I should have, or wanted
to (only so many hours in a day).

Everybody who is in the slightest bit interested will have a different take on the
subject, as the views of all who have been abroad/live abroad/want to live abroad/
have never been out of the country will all differ wildly. Your situation back home
matters, too. I know some people back home who live in luxury gated communities,
and consider it a paradise. I consider such communities to be more like a country-club
jail, but that's just me. I have seen similar communities in Ecuador, but not here
in western Europe (I have seen some in Russia-спасибо вам, господин президент).

One thing I noticed--just about all of the responses have been engaged and civil. That's
not such a bad indication for me that we haven't completely degenerated into verbal
barbarism, although I haven't looked and any Barack vs. Hillary threads today to remind
me of the opposite!

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

92. If I don't get my Medicaid reinstated by the State of Illinois and hopefully

SS disability, my husband and I will move back to our house in Northern Ireland.

Since 2000 I have had a triple coronary by-pass, an arterial fem-pop by-pass on my left leg and last September I had another fem-pop by-pass on my right leg. I had CHF in October of 2007 and a TIA in November 2007.

With that chorus of "pre-existing conditions", diabetes, coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, congestive heart failure and trans-ischemic attack (small stroke) is there an insurance company in the US that would even cover me??? I sincerely doubt it.

At least in Northern Ireland I would be entitled to health care, even though it might not be the greatest, something's better than nothing.

In fact I have to go back into the hospital this Friday because one of the grafts from the surgery in September is starting to narrow and the surgeon wants to "fix it" before it completely closes.

My husband and I will try and hold on here, but if I don't get some kind of health coverage, we're gone.