Country
Summaries
My
Summary of
the Pros
and Cons of the Countries I’ve Visited
Intro: As part of an interview
for a student’s school
report, I gave a summary of the pros and cons of each country
I’ve visited. I
post it here as a reference to anyone
interested, to serve as a guide in helping one decide which country is
best to
visit.
America
– It’s where I grew up, and in a nutshell
I’d say it’s good
for careers and if you like to work to death.
But a nightmarish hell
for dating and social life, as
well as mental health, among the worst if not the worst. Very
cliquish and
non-inclusive (unless you go to a church).
Hard to meet people too, as strangers rarely
ever talk to each other unless introduced by mutual friends or for
business-related purposes. Plenty
of
political and religious freedom, but the lifestyle is based on
conformity to
the rat race and excess consumption. (See Propaganda
vs. real life
in America )
Also, the people there tend to act too arrogant and bravado
for my taste. Comparatively
speaking, it
is friendlier and more sociable in the Southern part of the country,
and the
folks who live inland are nicer and more down-to-earth in comparison to
the folks
on the coast who are snotty, stuck up, and live in a fake artificial
world. Very beautiful
and well-maintained National Park system though, plenty of diverse
recreational
areas for the outdoor adventurer.
Great place for business
and making money, but not for
fun or for living life to the fullest.
Canada
– Similar to the US in some ways, but different in others. The people share the
same values of independence, individualism and autonomy as the US
does. But Canadians
tend to be more educated and
informed about the rest of the world than Americans are, and are more
health
conscious too. Hence,
the people there
are far thinner than Americans. Like
the
British, they are very polite and low key, but reserved and distant.
(But
without the British sarcastic dry humor of course)
To me, they seem too distant and ghost-like
for my taste, almost as if they were in a different dimension. Thus, I don’t
resonate with them much, and in
fact, they don’t even seem “there” to me.
They aren’t wild, festive or passionate the way
that the countries I
like are. But if
you love quiet, peace,
and seclusion, it is a nice place for that.
People
there tend to be low
key, mild mannered, and have good tempers.
They don’t get angry or lose their cool quickly
the way Americans
do. Nor are they as
hateful of others
whom they are against.
The
country has plenty of
fresh beautiful nature and national parks, a paradise for the outdoor
adventurer. But the
weather is mostly
cold the majority of the year, too cold for my taste.
The country prides itself on PEACE, as it
does not like to get involved in foreign disputes, wars, and
control/conquest
like American does. Instead,
it likes to
remain neutral and live in peace.
And
thus, I am neutral about Canada
too, as I don’t love or hate it.
It’s
just “there”. Lol
The
women are beautiful,
many tall and thin white beauties.
But
they are very cliquish and distant.
Easy
to engage in polite conversation with, but hard to get dates with or
involved
with. When asked
out, they tend to
immediately say they have a boyfriend/husband or that they are too busy
to
date.
Taiwan
– Where I was born and my ethnic descent.
Great food, superb family values and strict
morals/ethics. But
lacking in culture or intellectualism.
Little appreciation for
art and creativity, but extreme
focus on practicalities such as work, money, and academic achievements. Very one dimensional
mentality (see www.happierabroad.com/Asian_Mentality.htm)
where every action
is divided into only two categories – work/study and play.
Like America,
they have the belief that
the purpose of life is work – hence a workaholic is seen as
the ideal
citizen. Women
there are strongly
conservative and prudish, afraid even to shake hands, or even to have
their
picture taken. They
aren’t easy to meet,
and like Americans, don’t talk to strangers unless introduced
by mutual
friends. But they
are very monogamous
and loyal though, so once you get a partner there, he/she is pretty
much
yours. Most people
there marry their
first or second boyfriend/girlfriend.
However, a lot of white males there have boasted good
success with women
there, as well as sexual conquests.
But
not all of them, as some report the same as me.
Lately, the women there have become more independent and
Westernized
with the increasing affluence of the country, and not as modest,
loving, or
dependent as they were traditionally.
Japan
– Very clean and modernized, but as we all know, very
expensive
as well. Its
capital of Tokyo
is considered the
most expensive city in the world.
Like Germany
and America,
things are very orderly
there. And safe as
well.
Like
Taiwan,
people are very strict,
serious, and orderly, but humble and modest.
Very little tolerance for differences,
and
strict adherence to uniformity is expected.
And like Taiwan,
too workaholic and studyaholic
for me. People are
also very cliquish, and don’t talk
to strangers. When
I was there back in
1990, no one there even looked at me and I felt like I didn’t
exist.
Women
there are very
beautiful, educated, and have light pale skin.
Some consider Japanese women to be the most beautiful
among Asian
women. The women
traditionally make very
loyal, pleasing and subservient wives, but of course, with
Westernization they
are changing a bit. As
for dating, you
won’t do well there unless you are White or Japanese, as they
see other Asian
races as being inferior to them. Generally racist and xenophobic.
Russia
– Very large, the biggest country in the world. Composed of many different subethnicities, provinces, and
dialects. I spent a
year there, so I could say a lot about it.
However, Russia
is considered a paradoxical mystery that not even its own historians
understand
it. The country and
its people seem to
revel in chaos. Thus
no formula or
pattern can be relied upon there.
The
people are very
sociable and love meeting new people.
Very festive too.
Beautiful women are approachable and love meeting
foreigners and making
conversation. But
the people have a
highly pessimistic mentality and culture, and like to refer to
themselves as
“happy pessimists”.
Also, many there are
angry and resentful, especially the elderly, which can be seen on their
faces. And there is
a cold harshness
inherent in the Russian character, personality, and emotion. Those who need romance,
tenderness, and
sensitivity will find Russian relationships cold and lacking.
Russian
women are tall
and beautiful, and considered among the most attractive in the world. But with the introduction
of capitalism,
they’ve become super greedy and without ethics or conscience. Though they are sociable,
they are not very
physically warm, and
they BS a lot and are very
changeable too. They
are very educated,
speak several languages, and dress well.
Prices
are generally
cheap there, but some things are overpriced, such as clothes,
electronics,
going bowling, etc.
Beautiful
architecture in
its churches and downtown areas, especially in Moscow
and St.
Petersburg. But residential areas
tend to be ugly and look run-down.
Most
buildings look like they are from the 50’s and
60’s. (which
they are)
The
food is also not good
and often tasteless to Western taste buds (though of course, Russian
people
love their food, as all nationals do), and there is very little variety
in the
cuisine. Even
expensive restaurants
serve very mediocre food by Western or Asian standards. They simply
aren’t
skilled at using spices and flavors.
Or
perhaps their taste buds are just different than ours.
Weather
is cold and snowy
most of the year, except in the southern parts of the country which can
be warm
and humid.
Overall,
a fun and
interesting country with lots of culture. But deeply corrupted,
greed has run rampant
since the fall of communism. Racism
and
xenophobia are on the rise there, as well as skinhead groups. Some fear the country may
be headed toward
fascism too. So the
nation is turning
into a dangerous and unstable place, which it always has been in most
of its
history.
If
you must go there, I
suggest going to the Eastern half of the country, as it’s
safer and less
racist.
Ukraine
– I only spent two weeks there.
Very similar to Russians except they are more
reserved, especially on the Western side of the country, I hear, which
is where
the “pure”Ukrainians.
Latvia
– One of the Baltic states. A small country located
right next to Russia,
it is more modernized in comparison.
The
people are pleasant, cheerful, modest, low key, easy going, and dress
well. The people
are sociable and not
stuck up or snobby. And
unlike Russians,
they do not have a look of resentment or anger on their faces.
Lots
of European style
architecture and buildings, especially in its capital of Riga.
Nice vibrant color. Good
quality
food. A cute
cheerful vibe permeates Latvia,
making it seem like a town out of a fairy tale or Disney movie. Same
with the language and
people too.
Prices
are affordable,
not as cheap as Russia,
but
not as expensive as Western Europe or America.
Women
are sociable,
friendly and like meeting new people.
But they are a bit reserved and not easy to get close to. Also, they tend to treat
foreigners as
novelty items rather than humans to get close and intimate with. Cultivating relationships
there takes time.
Overall
a very pleasant
and positive experience,
and a good middle ground
between Russia
and
modernized Western Europe.
Estonia
– Another Baltic state. Tiny
country north
of Latvia. Similar to Latvia
except its people are
Finnish, so they are more reserved and private.
Prices are kind of expensive though, almost as high as in
the US. It’s Old
Town in Tallinn
is very attractive and breathtaking,
cute and colorful.
Women
are nice and
polite, but reserved and not “easy”.
They dress well too.
But they are
not stuck up, snobby, or anti-social.
Lithuania
– The third Baltic state. Small
country
south of Latvia. My
favorite of the Baltics.
Similar to Latvia,
but I find its people to be the friendliest, most cheerful and pleasant. I liked its vibe the best
too. Prices are
very cheap, and food is so tasty.
(Note:
The three Baltic states above
have a
strange rivalry among each other, and may say biased things about each
other,
which you should ignore, because all of them are pleasant places)
Poland
– The last country in Europe
that I visited. Nice culture, lots of history (especially with its
demolition
in WWII), historical sites, and museums.
People are on the reserved side and not as easy to meet. They are the snobbiest in
the country’s
capital of Warsaw,
but get friendlier and more
festive as you go south toward the country’s cultural capital
of Krakow. Lots
of green pastures, beautiful European architecture, and magnificient holy cathedrals. The culture is based on
Catholic values, so
Americans tend to fit in well.
The
women tend to be
skinny and attractive, but do not have the high fashion sense as in Russia
or the Baltics.
They are nice but reserved and a bit hard to get to know. However, they tend to
prefer white males for
romance, so a colored man will have trouble getting real dates there,
though he
will have no trouble befriending women or socializing with them.
Overall,
a great cultural
experience.
Mexico
– I was only there for one day and night in one of its worst
areas, the border town of Tijuana. A seedy tourist town where
anything goes, it
attracts the worst of Mexicans - the greedy, hustling, scammers,
whores,
criminals, etc. And
even many normal
Mexicans are afraid to go there.
However,
I can say that I’ve
experienced its reputation of being very open, wild, festive, and
inclusive. And
that’s normal for Spanish
mixed descendents.
Philippines
– My favorite country for meeting women so far, and where I
am now. As I
mentioned earlier, it’s
women tend to treat you the best.
They are tender, romantic, sweet, dependent,
and have a way of making you feel like a real man. (not
to be sexist, but perhaps they play their female evolutionary roles
best?) And they are
easygoing, pleasant, cheerful, playful,
positive, and easy to get along with.
But they tend to not be well educated, and not
intellectual, so you
won’t get much stimulating or intellectual conversation with
them.
Filipinas
tend to be very
skinny (though that’s changing with the rise of fast food and
donut franchises
everywhere, as well as ignorance about nutrition).
And they come in a variety of colors, ranging
from very dark, to light olive complexion, to light pale skin similar
to
Orientals. So they
come in a nice
variety of colors and shades.
For
more details, see my
ecstatic updated entitled “From pessimist in the US
to optimist in the Philippines
– Why I like Filipinas Best” at http://www.happierabroad.com/ebook/Page94.htm
Cost
of living is very
cheap. And your
dollars here are
multiplied 4 or 5 times in purchasing power.
Single attractive women are available everywhere, and are
very
approachable and easy to meet. They
appreciate nice guys and treat them the way they deserve to be treated,
thus a
nice guy will get complete justice here.
The
country has a simple
culture which is nowhere as rich, elaborate, or colorful as Europe’s. There are some Spanish
architecture and
European style towns here (e.g. Vegan) as well as artsy cities (Baguio). But to many,
that’s ok, because the caliber
of women sure make up for it.
Warm
weather year round,
and with over 7000 islands, offers countless white sand beaches for
your
recreation pleasure. Thus,
it’s a hot
spot for American retirees.
Like
many third world
countries though, there are a lot of scammers, beggars, cheaters,
hustlers, and
opportunists, but they are located mostly in Manila
and Angeles
City.
But most people are kind, warm, and hospitable. They are not strict, but
are very lax.
Food
isn’t that great
compared to other Asian countries, unless you are a Filipino. The cuisine lacks variety,
skill, taste,
sophistication. People
are not very
nutrition-conscious.
It
is also the least
racist of the Asian countries, and most nonjudgmental.
People don’t complain or criticize, and mixed
kids are not discriminated against.
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