Happier Abroad: It CAN BE DONE!

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The_Adventurer
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Happier Abroad: It CAN BE DONE!

Post by The_Adventurer »

I have heard it said that I have been driven away from these boards. While it is true that I spend a lot less time here, it is not because of the racists, or conspiracy stuff or any of the other negatives that have plagued this place in recent months, or years. It is because I am spending more time actually being happier abroad, and that seems to be the last thing this board is about.

I don't need to spend hours reading about everything that is wrong with American women. I don't see them anymore. I don't need to waste hours reading about the plagues of the western world. I've been out here 4 years and I m not going back. While it would be nice were there a place where people actually talked about being happier abroad, or told people how to do it, that is not this board. It doesn't exist.

It can be done. I have done it and continue to do it, and am finding better ways to do it all the time. The question is, how far are you willing to go? How adventurous are you? Many people complain incessantly about the Philippines and all that is wrong with, without realize their own flawed attempt to transport their decadent western lifestyle to a place where such does not exist. They soon find that life can be more expensive, yet lower quality, than what they had back home, and only the supposed girls can be a benefit. Even those, though, turn out to be scammers, gold diggers or worse. The truth is, they were unprepared or didn't even try.

The idea that one could live in a place on $200 a month sounds outrageous, right? I have done it! One might assume that this means living in a squatter area, a shanty town, or a shack with no walls. Trust me, that life would be even cheaper. Ways to make this kind of inexpensive living possible require time, effort and thought. Of course I didn't drop into the Philippines and find this lifestyle. I was spending well over $1000a month and thought i paradise because, coming from LA, I could live my whole life for the cost of rent alone back home.

If you truly want to live there and make the most of that life, one of the great benefits is time. I used tha time to buy REAL FOOD on the open markets and cook at home everyday, or my gf cooked for me. You can eat for a few pesos per day and all the complaints of how bad Philippines food is go out the window if you are doing it yourself. The quality of fresh produce in the open markets is great there! No overly sprayed, genetically engineered, pesticide ridden, carbon copy, perfect clone foods on the shelves there. You have the greatest luxury that you likely never had back home, TIME. You could use it to make your life cheaper and much much better.

It can be even cheaper in other locations. The Philippines is not the cheapest place in the world. I have fund places in smaller 3rd or 4th tier cities in other destinations where you can get a 2LDK for $50 per month. Yes that is fifty, not five hundred. You can go the street markets where the fruits and vegetables and meat are brought in fresh daily. Buy some rice and do you own cooking. You should have time, right? You can control your life, work for NO MAN, and be free in the world. You can have a decent girl. They do exist. You can find this in ANY Asian country, even Japan (except it is still somewhat expensive). Some just take more work than others.

I had intended to write more, and have more to say, but my happier abroad experience is calling to me now. (in fact she is keeping me from concentrating on writing this, if you know what I mean) I am making yet another great change this month. I am trying something new, and expanding my experience. I have the time and freedom to do so. I will make my life cheaper, yet even higher in quality. It is all a matter of how far you are willing to go and how adventurous you are.

What are you prepared to "sacrifice" to find true happiness?
“Booty is so strong that there are dudes willing to blow themselves up for the highly unlikely possibility of booty in another dimension." -- Joe Rogan
OutWest
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Re: Happier Abroad: It CAN BE DONE!

Post by OutWest »

The_Adventurer wrote:I have heard it said that I have been driven away from these boards. While it is true that I spend a lot less time here, it is not because of the racists, or conspiracy stuff or any of the other negatives that have plagued this place in recent months, or years. It is because I am spending more time actually being happier abroad, and that seems to be the last thing this board is about.

I don't need to spend hours reading about everything that is wrong with American women. I don't see them anymore. I don't need to waste hours reading about the plagues of the western world. I've been out here 4 years and I m not going back. While it would be nice were there a place where people actually talked about being happier abroad, or told people how to do it, that is not this board. It doesn't exist.

It can be done. I have done it and continue to do it, and am finding better ways to do it all the time. The question is, how far are you willing to go? How adventurous are you? Many people complain incessantly about the Philippines and all that is wrong with, without realize their own flawed attempt to transport their decadent western lifestyle to a place where such does not exist. They soon find that life can be more expensive, yet lower quality, than what they had back home, and only the supposed girls can be a benefit. Even those, though, turn out to be scammers, gold diggers or worse. The truth is, they were unprepared or didn't even try.

The idea that one could live in a place on $200 a month sounds outrageous, right? I have done it! One might assume that this means living in a squatter area, a shanty town, or a shack with no walls. Trust me, that life would be even cheaper. Ways to make this kind of inexpensive living possible require time, effort and thought. Of course I didn't drop into the Philippines and find this lifestyle. I was spending well over $1000a month and thought i paradise because, coming from LA, I could live my whole life for the cost of rent alone back home.

If you truly want to live there and make the most of that life, one of the great benefits is time. I used tha time to buy REAL FOOD on the open markets and cook at home everyday, or my gf cooked for me. You can eat for a few pesos per day and all the complaints of how bad Philippines food is go out the window if you are doing it yourself. The quality of fresh produce in the open markets is great there! No overly sprayed, genetically engineered, pesticide ridden, carbon copy, perfect clone foods on the shelves there. You have the greatest luxury that you likely never had back home, TIME. You could use it to make your life cheaper and much much better.

It can be even cheaper in other locations. The Philippines is not the cheapest place in the world. I have fund places in smaller 3rd or 4th tier cities in other destinations where you can get a 2LDK for $50 per month. Yes that is fifty, not five hundred. You can go the street markets where the fruits and vegetables and meat are brought in fresh daily. Buy some rice and do you own cooking. You should have time, right? You can control your life, work for NO MAN, and be free in the world. You can have a decent girl. They do exist. You can find this in ANY Asian country, even Japan (except it is still somewhat expensive). Some just take more work than others.

I had intended to write more, and have more to say, but my happier abroad experience is calling to me now. (in fact she is keeping me from concentrating on writing this, if you know what I mean) I am making yet another great change this month. I am trying something new, and expanding my experience. I have the time and freedom to do so. I will make my life cheaper, yet even higher in quality. It is all a matter of how far you are willing to go and how adventurous you are.

What are you prepared to "sacrifice" to find true happiness?
Very well, you are one of the few who actually engages reality- I did not notice what city you are in.
And food in the Philippines? Why is the tone of so many posts about bad food here so wimpy sounding?
As you point out, all kinds of ingredients can be had cheaply.
The OutWest Cafe is some of the best food to be found ANYWHERE...and the chef has some nice benefits as well...LOL

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Everdred
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Re: Happier Abroad: It CAN BE DONE!

Post by Everdred »

The_Adventurer wrote:I have heard it said that I have been driven away from these boards. While it is true that I spend a lot less time here, it is not because of the racists, or conspiracy stuff or any of the other negatives that have plagued this place in recent months, or years. It is because I am spending more time actually being happier abroad, and that seems to be the last thing this board is about.

I don't need to spend hours reading about everything that is wrong with American women. I don't see them anymore. I don't need to waste hours reading about the plagues of the western world. I've been out here 4 years and I m not going back. While it would be nice were there a place where people actually talked about being happier abroad, or told people how to do it, that is not this board. It doesn't exist.
I totally agree with you in these two paragraphs. If only this forum could be more about being happier abroad, it would be so much more fun, useful, and interesting to read. There's way too much demonizing of Western women and culture going on around here. Even though I do agree with a lot of what's being said, I don't like that it attracts so much extremism and hatemongering.

There's also way too much focus on the women aspect of living abroad. I wish there would be more focus on expat life, and just make the women part a side note. There's so much more to living abroad than just the local women.

Regardless of my comments above, there is some very valuable and golden information on this forum - you just have to weed out a lot of the crap to get to it.
Bane
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Re: Happier Abroad: It CAN BE DONE!

Post by Bane »

Everdred wrote:
The_Adventurer wrote:I have heard it said that I have been driven away from these boards. While it is true that I spend a lot less time here, it is not because of the racists, or conspiracy stuff or any of the other negatives that have plagued this place in recent months, or years. It is because I am spending more time actually being happier abroad, and that seems to be the last thing this board is about.

I don't need to spend hours reading about everything that is wrong with American women. I don't see them anymore. I don't need to waste hours reading about the plagues of the western world. I've been out here 4 years and I m not going back. While it would be nice were there a place where people actually talked about being happier abroad, or told people how to do it, that is not this board. It doesn't exist.
I totally agree with you in these two paragraphs. If only this forum could be more about being happier abroad, it would be so much more fun, useful, and interesting to read. There's way too much demonizing of Western women and culture going on around here. Even though I do agree with a lot of what's being said, I don't like that it attracts so much extremism and hatemongering.





There's also way too much focus on the women aspect of living abroad. I wish there would be more focus on expat life, and just make the women part a side note. There's so much more to living abroad than just the local women.

Regardless of my comments above, there is some very valuable and golden information on this forum - you just have to weed out a lot of the crap to get to it.




I agree with this post, especially about taking some of the focus off women. When I traveled to China and Japan in the last decade, the biggest reason I left was to experience and live in other cultures, not just to experience the local women. True, I do not like Western Women, and getting away from them was a big plus. But quite honestly, the whole culture is messed up, and so I wanted to experience something more refined and well, sane. Getting to experience new ways of looking at the world, learning new languages, tasting authentic foreign food, and getting to immerse yourself in cultures that are millennia older than yours is just as rewarding and interesting as sleeping with a local. My 2c anyway.
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aozora13
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Post by aozora13 »

The Adventurer, you are correct. I tried Europe and was almost able to stay but I messed up on an interview. I was living in Vienna in Europe but although it is lonely for foreigners (typical for foreigners in the city). However, you can meet the other foreigners that are there and you can enjoy meeting interesting people.

I am always trying to find a way to go back abroad since I think that I have had some interesting experiences compared to back in the US. I guess women are one motivation but really the culture. The US is so decadent that I see everyday when walking to work and taking public transportation.

I want to know if there are other options as I have tried applying online through job boards and avoiding Teaching English in other countries. I actually want to make decent money in the country I want to move too. I know China is still doing okay and I hope that I am able to move to another country. I like going knowing about other cultures and I hope that Happier Abroad can help its members with possibilities to work in other countries doing professions that they like to do or do a business that they like to do.

I was able to get work briefly in Europe because of a problem for 18-30 year olds who are in university or young professionals who want to gain a different work/culture experience. I am thinking about what I should do in order to go back to living abroad. I have been thinking about going to school but currently because I had to help out my parents, I have to wait until the end of this year to get my loan to them back. However, I am earning decent money so I am adding to that as well. Currently, I am not sure if I can immigrate easily. As my only decisions are:

Teach English
Study Abroad for a master degree 1 or 2 years
Hired to work in the middle east in IT
Start a business in the country(?)

Other than that, there are not to many options. If other members can give me a good idea of suggestions then I think this forum can help people in school, recently working or having more experience to try to find a good path they should follow too.
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Post by Bane »

aozora13 wrote:The Adventurer, you are correct. I tried Europe and was almost able to stay but I messed up on an interview. I was living in Vienna in Europe but although it is lonely for foreigners (typical for foreigners in the city). However, you can meet the other foreigners that are there and you can enjoy meeting interesting people.

I am always trying to find a way to go back abroad since I think that I have had some interesting experiences compared to back in the US. I guess women are one motivation but really the culture. The US is so decadent that I see everyday when walking to work and taking public transportation.

I want to know if there are other options as I have tried applying online through job boards and avoiding Teaching English in other countries. I actually want to make decent money in the country I want to move too. I know China is still doing okay and I hope that I am able to move to another country. I like going knowing about other cultures and I hope that Happier Abroad can help its members with possibilities to work in other countries doing professions that they like to do or do a business that they like to do.

I was able to get work briefly in Europe because of a problem for 18-30 year olds who are in university or young professionals who want to gain a different work/culture experience. I am thinking about what I should do in order to go back to living abroad. I have been thinking about going to school but currently because I had to help out my parents, I have to wait until the end of this year to get my loan to them back. However, I am earning decent money so I am adding to that as well. Currently, I am not sure if I can immigrate easily. As my only decisions are:

Teach English
Study Abroad for a master degree 1 or 2 years
Hired to work in the middle east in IT
Start a business in the country(?)

Other than that, there are not to many options. If other members can give me a good idea of suggestions then I think this forum can help people in school, recently working or having more experience to try to find a good path they should follow too.
If your writing skills are above average, you could try writing for travel magazines. When I was in China, I started writing for Chinese travel magazines in English. It pays relatively well, at least by Chinese standards.
"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." -Oscar Wilde

"Invincibility is in oneself, vulnerability is in the opponent" -Sun Tzu
PeterAndrewNolan
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Re: Happier Abroad: It CAN BE DONE!

Post by PeterAndrewNolan »

The_Adventurer wrote:While it would be nice were there a place where people actually talked about being happier abroad, or told people how to do it, that is not this board. It doesn't exist.
Actually..it DOES exist and it is right here...it is only that men will not listen. They are too busy being right.

I live in no particular place though I spend a lot of time in eastern europe. I have worked all over the world with the exception of south america. I am very much happier abroad. I run my own software company. www.instantbi.com. I am also the founder of http://www.youtube.com/user/MensBusinessAsoc/featured I have written two books on how to be free as a man....I offered to free men for FREE and got almost no takers.

I now charge EUR500 for a stawman recapture. I can organise swiss bank accounts...and I have spent three years trying to get the world passport working and I have asked more than 10,000 men to help me with that....ONE is trying...

So although you claim men want a place where men talking about BEING happier abroad and how to do it....NO MEN ACTUALLY WANT THAT!! And they certainly do not want to help CREATE a cheap way to do it so I am going to offer the cheapest ways to relocate etc via the MBA.

When we are successful with the world passport I am going to jack the price of NEW passports up sky high for MBA members...those who got in early will get the WP pretty much for free.....those who get in later will pay the price of the risk men like me took.

So No adventurer...I do not agree men would like to talk about what you claim they would like to talk about....because they will not do it when offered...they just call men like me a "nutter" and keep moaning...

Men in the west are such pussies...they LOVE their slavery.
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Post by manly5000 »

Excellent, EXCELLENT thread and post, Adventurer. Your words encompass the spirit of what this is all supposed to be about -- one huge, mind-blowing great adventure.

It's all about getting creative. The world is YOUR oyster. You make out of it what YOU want as long as you put your creativity into making things work on the cheap.

I will never understand the concept of how it costs expats so much more to live in a country where the locals make pennies on the dollar and still manage to scrape by. If the average Pinoy only makes a hundred or two a month in US dollars why would an expat have to spend 1-2 grand? Just like you said, bringing the western lifestyle to the new country.

Personally, I LOVE to cook and look forward to living like a local, except maybe with a little more advantage if I so choose.

To me, BECOMING a local is what this greatest of adventures is all about. Immersing yourself into a new culture and leaving the old one behind has to be one of the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences one could have in life.

I have to say, BEST thread on this forum in a long time!
PeterAndrewNolan
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Post by PeterAndrewNolan »

aozora13 wrote: I want to know if there are other options as I have tried applying online through job boards and avoiding Teaching English in other countries.
gee..wouldnt it be a useful thing to have a global network of men who run their own companies who can hire men to come work for them and the whole thing is based on affidavits so that both parties know that they can trust each other because there is a remedy at law.......but no...no men want to have something useful like THAT...they would prefer to just suck it and see on job boards where you are taking all your own risk...

And men wonder why I call them stupid! LOL!!
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Post by Winston »

Bravo Terrence.

How did you end up in the Philippines? And why? I thought you were in China?

However, what you ask for is an oxymoron. If everyone on this board was busy being Happier Abroad, then this board would have no activity. lol

Many members here only post periodically anyway.

There is already a great deal of content here with 9000 threads. Even if everyone here went abroad, at least this board can always serve as an info resource for newbies. We got to leave that for them at least.

Besides that, it serves as a venting ground as well, even for me. lol

What part of the Philippines are you in? How are you able to survive on $200 a month? Not even Larry Elterman could find a deal like that. lol
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manly5000
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Post by manly5000 »

Winston wrote:How are you able to survive on $200 a month?
How are local Filipinos able to survive on that or less? Answer that and you'll begin to have some idea. Hell, in the USA you can survive on 20 bucks or less per week in food and still eat good if you know what you're doing.

Add some creativity and you can likely live better than they do on that money.
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Post by xiongmao »

Hi aozora13,

I'm looking to go abroad soon. If you've got some savings then why not study in a Chinese university? I'm actively looking into this. I'm choosing Guangzhou because I know people there and my on/off gf is there.

Most Uni's offer a short or long term Chinese language programme. They're usually around 20 hours a week tuition, which gives plenty of time to hang out in bars/date women/hustle.

There are about 5 Chinese universities in Gz alone. Your biggest expenses would be tuition fees (around $2500 a year) and a room (from practically nothing if you share a dorm up to $500 a month for a big room or own apartment). Eat on campus for around $3 a day (yes that's right, it's subsidised). You'd need to factor in a flight home and maybe private medical insurance if you want it, but as a student the Uni will give you medical cover for around $100 a year.

I think I can live in Gz for around $1000 - 1600 a month. My costs are higher than others because I've included keeping my UK apartment and business going.

Also Gz *is* expensive - my second choice would be Chengdu.

It's possible to earn money teaching English in China as well. Given my academic background I'm sure I can pick up some private tuition gigs, or maybe even do a little teaching on campus.

Well that's my plan anyway. The biggest problem I face is that it's hard to change your life. I mean, really hard. That's why Winston is stuck in Taiwan, and not in China or somewhere.

Also I'm not sure which university to apply to. Hmm, this is also a tough one.
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aozora13
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Post by aozora13 »

xiongmao wrote:Hi aozora13,

I'm looking to go abroad soon. If you've got some savings then why not study in a Chinese university? I'm actively looking into this. I'm choosing Guangzhou because I know people there and my on/off gf is there.

Most Uni's offer a short or long term Chinese language programme. They're usually around 20 hours a week tuition, which gives plenty of time to hang out in bars/date women/hustle.

There are about 5 Chinese universities in Gz alone. Your biggest expenses would be tuition fees (around $2500 a year) and a room (from practically nothing if you share a dorm up to $500 a month for a big room or own apartment). Eat on campus for around $3 a day (yes that's right, it's subsidised). You'd need to factor in a flight home and maybe private medical insurance if you want it, but as a student the Uni will give you medical cover for around $100 a year.

I think I can live in Gz for around $1000 - 1600 a month. My costs are higher than others because I've included keeping my UK apartment and business going.

Also Gz *is* expensive - my second choice would be Chengdu.

It's possible to earn money teaching English in China as well. Given my academic background I'm sure I can pick up some private tuition gigs, or maybe even do a little teaching on campus.

Well that's my plan anyway. The biggest problem I face is that it's hard to change your life. I mean, really hard. That's why Winston is stuck in Taiwan, and not in China or somewhere.

Also I'm not sure which university to apply to. Hmm, this is also a tough one.

Xiongmao,

Thanks for the information. I was thinking about possibly going back to school probably in 2014 on account of needing to raise more money. Technically I can definitely pay for the university plus other expenses you mentioned. I think for me, the biggest issue is that I want to actually have more of a cushion since I would be mainly in school studying (hopefully IT or Chinese immersion). Flight costs are high and I think that beyond that finding a decent health care provider who actually can help you get decent care in China is not easy to find. Possibly if the issue comes up I can ask members who are living in China at the moment for some advice.

I have heard from a girl who is from Romania that she was learning Chinese for several months and then decided to teach English to young children (although her English at times is not the best; she is better than Chinese around her and most children are not learning anything advanced).

I believe if people know you are from the UK/US/AU/NZ/CA you can probably get work on the side with English conversation earning extra or to improve your Chinese. I like technology and thinking possibly if I take the plunge again to work again around 2014, I can probably see if there is still a IT market in China for small businesses import/export or catering to a small English expat business community who needs IT help.

I agree with The Adventurer that Happier Abroad should have a good advice section for options people can do so they can get an idea what they should do.

I am not sure about Winston. I guess he has his own website and ebooks, plus personals page. His website does get him money but it seems that it could be financial or other personal reasons for his continued stay in Taiwan.
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Post by fuzzy_corleone »

I have fund places in smaller 3rd or 4th tier cities in other destinations where you can get a 2LDK for $50 per month.
I would like more information on this.
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Post by ethan_sg »

I believe he's referring to his past in the Philippines and that he's still in China now.

Are you in Shanghai Terrence? Is it getting a bit commercial over there? Any plans to live in other parts of China, or some might say, 'to live in the real China'?



Winston wrote:Bravo Terrence.

How did you end up in the Philippines? And why? I thought you were in China?

However, what you ask for is an oxymoron. If everyone on this board was busy being Happier Abroad, then this board would have no activity. lol

Many members here only post periodically anyway.

There is already a great deal of content here with 9000 threads. Even if everyone here went abroad, at least this board can always serve as an info resource for newbies. We got to leave that for them at least.

Besides that, it serves as a venting ground as well, even for me. lol

What part of the Philippines are you in? How are you able to survive on $200 a month? Not even Larry Elterman could find a deal like that. lol
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