This is me. Where do I go?

Rudderless · Post by **Rudderless** » November 17th, 2010, 1:29 pm

So I have been doing lots of research about moving abroad and have a couple questions.

First a bit about me. I am 35. I am white, male, and skinny. I'm successful, easy going, but am disillusioned with the american materialism / 'keeping up with the Jones' life style. I am ready for an adventure and am tired of the day to day grind that is work, drink, sleep. I have the $ saved to live my very high standard of living here in the states for 2 years or more. I have no problems with finding girls here in the states however, I am interested in dating a non-american. I don't immediately intend on working. I may volunteer though just to give back and have something to do.

1) What country would you suggest?

Requirements for me are:
They are fans of / friendly to foreigners
They speak enough for me to get by there / date
I won't freeze my balls off in the winter
Cheap Cost Of Living as I would rather not spend more than 30k in a year
It should be a safe place for an American
There must be a nightlife
Also of note: I am a very social person and would be miserable without being able to find a group of friends.

2) How much would you expect to spend per year.

3) How much more would you budget for (Per week) if you want to go out 6 nights per week.

4) Would moving there by your self make you reconsider the suggested location?

Thanks for all your help!

Repatriate · Post by **Repatriate** » November 17th, 2010, 1:33 pm

Short answer: Anywhere in eastern europe. It easily fulfills all your criteria except the weather part but it's not that bad because the infrastructure is still better than most of the poor asian nations.

pete98146 · Post by **pete98146** » November 17th, 2010, 2:58 pm

If you enjoy Asian women, I would recommend visiting Cebu Philippines. My wife lived there for 4 years prior to coming to the States. I remember once taking her to an italian restaurant and there was a table of a dozen young girls who where taking a class from the italian restaurant owner on how to meet men. It was the funniest thing that I've ever seen.

So yes, envision a sea of beautiful young ladies who cannot find a good man and you have the recipe for a very very good time.

ladislav · Post by **ladislav** » November 17th, 2010, 6:10 pm

Second that= the Philippines meets your expectations on all counts. I tried living there on 2k-3K a month and you live like a king. All the needs listed will be met there. And yes, it means going out 6 nights a week. Actually in the Philippines you do not 'go out'- you 'stay' out most of the time unless you want to work at home all day.

Cebu
Angeles City
Manila

In this order.

How much do you need to live on?

Well, if you want to be frugal, it is manageable on $500 a month, if you want to be a high roller- it is $3000 a month. I would say that for an upper middle class life some $1500-2300 a month would be super!

Now as far as friends go, most of your friends will be your girlfriends.

gsjackson · Post by **gsjackson** » November 17th, 2010, 6:14 pm

Buenos Aires and Panama city fit most of your criteria, especially the non-stop nightlife at a reasonable cost. As for safety, I'm a little concerned about the kidnapping problem, which seems to be all over Latin America these days. Got to be careful what cab you get into, and such.

A place that fits all your criteria, and has some of the world's most beautiful women, but is a bit more expensive than Latin America, is Croatia. Don't know if I'd characterize the nightlife as non-stop, though it definitely is in the summer at the ccoastal resort cities. Almost everybody there speaks some English. Bulgaria is also a good eastern Europe choice, if you want to escape the really severe winter weather, and hold the cost of living down. I'd imagine also that Odessa, on the Black Sea, has a much warmer climate than Kiev and other parts of Ukraine. It has a very high octane nightlife. The dollar goes pretty far in Ukraine right now also. I'm guessing, though, that you'll find a bit less English spoken in Ukraine, but for a combination of beautiful owmen and low cost of living, it's hard to beat.

zzzz · Post by **zzzz** » November 17th, 2010, 7:32 pm

As far as English speaking countries go Philippines, Caribbean Islands, Ghana, Kenya, and India might all be possibilities to research. I'll be in Angeles by late Jan and am staying at least a few months. Do you think you'd be comfortable in Eastern Europe, Russia, Latin American or South America with much less English speakers?

To be honest I'm a bit confused by your post because you say you are tired of materialism and the working grind but you don't have to be materialistic or work in America if you have a bunch of money saved up. You make it sound like everything else is fine here except that. There are lots of non-Americans to date in the States too. What exactly do you mean by adventure? Just lots of travel? Are you interested in having a lot of different women or just living somewhere new?

aozora13 · Post by **aozora13** » November 17th, 2010, 8:09 pm

Actually, I am wondering where can you date non-Americans? Most women who come to the US gets feminized and then it is pretty much over.

Rudderless · Post by **Rudderless** » November 18th, 2010, 5:27 am

To be honest I'm a bit confused by your post because you say you are tired of materialism and the working grind but you don't have to be materialistic or work in America if you have a bunch of money saved up. You make it sound like everything else is fine here except that. There are lots of non-Americans to date in the States too. What exactly do you mean by adventure? Just lots of travel? Are you interested in having a lot of different women or just living somewhere new?

It isn't about not working. I'm not looking to sit and do nothing, I'd go crazy. It is about seeing /experiencing something new and in a real non-vacation way. Everything is fine here and I agree, you don't have to be materialistic just because your in the states. However, your surrounded with people who are. I'm ready for an adventure in the sense that I want to live something new and foreign to me. I want to date also... not in the sleep with as many women as possible way, but in a plenty of options way. However, the ability to do 1 would probably allow the ability to do the other I am guessing. I'll just need to be my own governor.

The thing is, I am currently in a position where I can do this and I'm pretty sure I will regret it if I don't. 9 years ago couple of my buddies picked up and moved to HK. I was about 3 months behind them but then met a girl. I eventually married her so it was a good choice for me. Things eventually fell apart and I am once again in the position to go. This time I think I will. The lease is up in March.

As for non-Americans to date... Not here in Raleigh there isn't. I mean sure, there are a few but the ratio is 1000, maybe 5000:1. I'm talking about women who aren't americanized... Not of a different ethnicticity.

Rudderless · Post by **Rudderless** » November 18th, 2010, 5:31 am

ladislav wrote:Now as far as friends go, most of your friends will be your girlfriends.

As in "Don't count on befriending the local guys in-order to have a group of friends?"

Please elaborate.

Thanks!

Jackal · Post by **Jackal** » November 18th, 2010, 6:04 am

Rudderless wrote: I won't freeze my balls off in the winter

What's your threshold for "freezing your balls off"? 30 degrees Fahrenheit? 20? 10?

In Hungary, it rarely gets much below 20 in the winter, but if you're from the South, it may still be too cold for your taste. However, Transylvania in Romania gets damn cold because of its elevation. So you should consider elevation and not just latitude when looking for a temperate place to live.

ladislav · Post by **ladislav** » November 18th, 2010, 1:00 pm

Rudderless wrote:
ladislav wrote:Now as far as friends go, most of your friends will be your girlfriends.
As in "Don't count on befriending the local guys in-order to have a group of friends?"

Please elaborate.

Thanks!

Well, most guys there will be poorer than you, so you can befriend them, sure, but they will often ( not always- I got treated several times) expect you to pay for the meals. Not all though, but in most cases. There are always very large groups of guys hanging out, drinking, socializing and many will expect you to join in and some will offer food. No problem socializing with them and they are VERY friendly, but most are experiencing financial difficulties and have families to support and all.
So, rubbing shoulders with and getting to know, chatting with guys and just hanging out with large groups of guys, having discussions etc. can be a daily thing if you want. But becoming real friends is hard because of financial inequalities. Many can't afford to buy what you can afford to buy or to do or to know things that you do and know. So many would feel ashamed and not know how to react and act and also, some will try and borrow money and then they are not able to pay it back.
As far as middle class guys - these are usually hanging out at private parties and/or working at large companies. You can make friends with those but there are few of them. In the US, most people are middle class, in the Philippines, it is very small and they are very busy and are hard to find if you are not working. And many are also mistrustful.

I mean opportunities to make friends with guys are there but, you know, you need to go and see for yourself how the whole place agrees with you and you will understand how the social dynamics work. In my case, somehow social forces just naturally made me gravitate towards hanging out with girlfriends and their female friends. It's just more natural.

djfourmoney · Post by **djfourmoney** » November 20th, 2010, 1:07 am

I would second Croatia and Bulgaria as well. Little mentioned countries in the grand scheme of things. Not sure what the reason is behind Croatia being left off the list maybe because they are an EU country but Bulgaria is often said to be dangerous to non-tourist. Not that stories of getting mugged or robbed would stop me from visiting anyplace I believe that is a factor why others don't mention it.

Argentina is off the general radar as well but has become a bit of a low key monger destination because the Argentinian Peso is very weak to the US dollar. This makes renting apartments extremely affordable and dating affordable as well, pro's or non-pro's both are affordable there.

Brazil is hard to beat however, very hard. If you want more of a vacation, Brazil or Colombia would be excellent choices. Colombia is very affordable as well, Brazil less so, but still cheaper than hanging out in Western Europe. If you stay out of there during Carnival then its still affordable. Carnival as I have always said, if you can go to Carnival, its something you HAVE TO DO, unless you don't like crowds.

Jackal · Post by **Jackal** » November 20th, 2010, 1:48 am

djfourmoney wrote:I would second Croatia and Bulgaria as well. Little mentioned countries in the grand scheme of things. Not sure what the reason is behind Croatia being left off the list maybe because they are an EU country but Bulgaria is often said to be dangerous to non-tourist. Not that stories of getting mugged or robbed would stop me from visiting anyplace I believe that is a factor why others don't mention it.

You've got it backwards: Bulgaria is an EU country, but Croatia is not.

Perhaps Bulgaria might be dangerous in some parts, but I think Romania is worse.

I think Americans get scared when they hear the words "part of the former Yugoslavia" because of the war there in the 90s. However, some of those countries have very beautiful parts. From the videos, the Croatian coastline looks quite similar to Greece's. It's someplace I'd definitely like go, as is Bulgaria.

The_Adventurer · Post by **The_Adventurer** » November 20th, 2010, 2:46 am

I use to work in a film company that had our studios in Bulgaria. (We mainly did the CG monsters in LA) The staff got sent over there regularly and some lived there full time. I never got a chance to go myself, but I never heard any bad stories. (Except one guy who ran up an extreme bill in a bar)

Most said you could have a harem fairly quickly there if you wanted. My bosses were older dudes and they seemed to always have nice young girlfriends or wives. I think Bulgaria should not be overlooked if you want white women.

djfourmoney · Post by **djfourmoney** » November 20th, 2010, 2:54 pm

Jackal wrote:
djfourmoney wrote:I would second Croatia and Bulgaria as well. Little mentioned countries in the grand scheme of things. Not sure what the reason is behind Croatia being left off the list maybe because they are an EU country but Bulgaria is often said to be dangerous to non-tourist. Not that stories of getting mugged or robbed would stop me from visiting anyplace I believe that is a factor why others don't mention it.
You've got it backwards: Bulgaria is an EU country, but Croatia is not.

Perhaps Bulgaria might be dangerous in some parts, but I think Romania is worse.

I think Americans get scared when they hear the words "part of the former Yugoslavia" because of the war there in the 90s. However, some of those countries have very beautiful parts. From the videos, the Croatian coastline looks quite similar to Greece's. It's someplace I'd definitely like go, as is Bulgaria.

I get my countries mixed up, sorry.

I've seen a couple of shows about Croatia, I believe on Travel Channel. The coast looks great and I remember somebody mentioning taking their boat from the eastern US to Croatia and dock it there for awhile, I think it was on ISG.

I don't think Americans get scared by Former anything, they get scared about countries that aren't normally in the news and about countries that don't have great wealth. Rick Steves has always mentioned most Americas looking to travel want 4-5 star accommodations, so this is why people that travel (the non-backpacker set) don't mention these places.

Both countries don't have the Marriage Agency infrastructure that the rest of FSU has either.

This is me. Where do I go?

This is me. Where do I go?

Re: This is me. Where do I go?