Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
Hi hypermak:
Ok i understand your bottom line now. But you still forget a few things and you made a few obvious errors.
The things I forgot and my "obvious errors" are, simply, my opinions about the state of Europe right now. I am not even mentioning Covid, since the socio-economic crisis started way before that.
Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
1. I told you my friend Robert teaches English in Prague and has a wife and two kids. His life may not be paradise but he reports that he is happier there than in America and would not want to go back to the US. So you see, some people like Robert do feel happier settling in Europe. Every place is not the same. Why dont you acknowledge that Robert is living proof that one can be happier in Europe even if one is working there and making an average salary?
I don't know your friend Robert but I know hundreds of people who settled in different European cities, from Barcelona to Instanbul. They are fine and they have been living there for years, some of them for 2 decades. Again, apart from maybe 2 or 3 who are business owners, all of them enjoy living standards that are more or less on those of middle class, average locals. I am not in touch with all of them but the few I hear from do say that they're OK and plan to remain there, if anything because of their kids' school.
What are you trying to say, here? That they must be all happier where they are, compared if they had been in the US? OK, sure. Most of my friends are not American, though, and "being happier" is probably quite low in the list of reasons why they ended up there.
Just like me in the UK and Malta, all of them had to go through a few challenges to settle in their new host cities, start a family, etc. I personally love Prague, as a city and a people, and had an opportunity to work there 3 years ago. I gave up and eventually went to Malta because I love warm Mediterranean weather. Also, central Prague isn't that cheap, the districts around the Vitava are maybe 10% cheaper than Vienna or Amsterdam, no more.
Finally, the question you need to ask yourself is: what kind of lifestyle do you expect, once in Europe? I assume you're not looking to marry and have a couple of kids like your friend Robert. The answers to that question determine a lot of how you will feel in your European city of choice.
Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
2. It is not true that if u have money you can have a good time everywhere you go. I have money in Taiwan but theres no way for me to have a good time here. The locals dont like me and dont wanna hang out. Not even the locals from Couchsurfing. I could be a billionaire yet no one would know because everyone treats me like i dont exist. In hong kong everyone ignores me too. So even if i could party all day id still have no fun there. If you wanna contest this then come here and show me how i can have a good time here. I dare you. Even if i could beam you over you couldn't do it.
In Bellingham WA i didnt have to work either. But i didnt have a good time most of the time, only occasionally. Nowhere near the good time i had in Russia. No comparison. The difference was much bigger than you can imagine. I swear.
So no all locations are definitely NOT the same. Why you say that? You should know better. You should be smarter than that. Now you are painting the whole world with a broad brush.
Having money doesn't guarantee you will have a good time, but having a 9-5 job with a daily commute, bills to pay and chores to do certainly doesn't help you live the kind of fun, carefree lifestyle (I think) you are looking for.
You keep misunderstanding me and I am honestly getting tired. Let's please make this my last exchange on this topic and whatever we don't agree on, let's agree to disagree.
Fine, you were ignored and mistreated in Taiwan, Hong Kong but Russia, for some reason, was or will be a totally different experience. Your Russian diaries speak of quite a lot of scamming and abuse, too. For each Russian girl you had some intimacy with there were 4 or 5 who only wanted you for a free dinner, a coat or a new pair of shoes. If these are the bulk of your experiences in Europe, are you sure you are not bringing up just the positives and forgetting about the negatives?
But, for the sake of argument, let's say that on a second visit to Europe, maybe central and eastern Europe, not necessarily Russia again, things will be completely different.
Then, what are you waiting for? As both @Contrarian Expatriate and I told you a few posts ago, wait for the next flight to Brussels, Prague or Kiev and go! I am sure you'll have better social experiences than where you are now.
Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
3. Why do u say u need 3000 or 4000 dollars to live in Europe? You must have high standards or you suck in budgeting. I lived on very little in Poland. I got free accomodations from hospitality club and couchsurfing. I didnt have to spend very much. The hosts there are more open than in america.
Even if i had to work in Europe i could live there on 1500 easily. Especially in Prague or Poland. You act like London represents all of Europe. Robert doesnt make 3000 or 4000 and doesnt need to. Yet he raises two kids in Europe by teaching English only. How do you explain that?
I don't know how much you make or you can spend every month. I assumed you had savings or passive incomes around that amount. What is it? $2,000? $1,500? $1,500 (USD) is a good amount to live comfortably, as a single man, in central and eastern Europe. It's acceptable maybe in Portugal or Spain but definitely not in a large city in Italy, France, Germany, or the Scandinavian countries. I wasn't even beginning to mention London.
You keep bringing up this one Robert guy who lives in Prague. I have no idea what he makes, what he manages to save, if he has extra income elsewhere. Probably neither do you. He probably has a wife who works and has his kids in the public school system. What's so extraordinary about it? What do you expect me to say?
Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
4. I never said all Europeans were deep philosophers. I said the ones i talked to everywhere, on plane flights, in the USA, in Russia, in Europe, etc were a lot more authentic and mature and down to earth. Yes they do act more like old souls compared to the average American. Thats my honest experience. How can you say its wrong? You werent with me.
And only a fool would deny a mans personal direct experiences.
And even if i did say that most or all Europeans i met were deep philosophers, why do you disbelieve that? I wouldn't say something thats not true. Everyone knows that. How can you argue with a mans personal experiences, especially if you werent there? Isn't that crazy, like yick who thinks he knows my soul better than i do? Lol.
Well, that's what I am saying, too. You can meet mature and down to earth people from anywhere on Earth, anywhere on Earth. If you took a plane to Singapore or Dubai and started a conversation with the Asian-looking man or woman sitting next to you, if they are in the mood to talk they would probably come across as well educated, polite and interested in a good conversation.
I am not sure why you want to single out Europeans as generally more "authentic and mature and down to earth". I actually found a lot of Filipinos being exactly that, despite your experience being quite different. Even my friend Matteo from Taipei, the co-owner of a large F&H franchise, would welcome me open arms if I told him I am flying to him, and find time for at least a couple of good nights chatting away with me. He spent a couple of years in Italy, sure, but this guy is as Taiwanese as the people who were ignoring you.
That's my
direct experience, too, but I am sure it won't change your opinion of Taiwan, or the Philippines. So wouldn't be easier to conclude that decent people and s*it people can be found anywhere you go?
Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
Why can't you just assume that the universe gave me those experiences for a reason? I mean if the universe only allowed me to meet Europeans who were all deep philosophers then that's my path and that happened for a reason. Thats what a reasonable man would conclude. Why do u act like i am making it up? I would never do that. I am reporting my experiences honestly. Everyone knows that i tell it like it is. Just because you dont meet deep Europeans doesn't mean i dont. Did it ever occur to you that maybe the universe wants to give me a better impression of Europeans because it wants me to go there or inspire me to start happier abroad? A wise man would consider that. Why dont you? Because you arent wise? Lol
After all there are Europeans who claim that Americans are friendlier to them than other Europeans are. So the universe seems to give each of us different experiences. The universe seems to give the traveler the "grass is greener on the other side" type of experience for some reason. Maybe its part of the murphys law force. Ive noticed this pattern. For example Irish people dont think Ireland is friendly but when they go to America they think people are friendlier than in Ireland. Its a weird phenomenon.
I personally don't believe in "the universe" giving experiences as part of a grand plan. I would rather call it chance, luck, "fate" maybe. I don't know 100% of your story but can imagine you went to Russia 15+ years ago because you were curious about the world, discovering new cultures and people. Why would you credit the universe when it was 100% totally your choice? Likewise, if you feel like you can't leave Taiwan and move to Europe as soon as possible, you shouldn't blame external forces but just yourself. You went to Russia out of your own resolve, and you're not going back there because of your lack of resolve.
Believe what you want, I have a simpler explanation that doesn't have to involve the universe, demons and external forces.
Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
5. Neither i nor CE believe in the "fake it til you make it" attitude nor are we overly positive and optimistic about anything. Come on. You are thinking of Tony Robbins. Not us. Me and CE are nothing like that. We are realists too. Lots of our posts are cynical about a lot of things. We definitely arent fake positive. So if we are skeptical about everything and say something positive about something, such as Europe, then that speaks volumes and you can bet your bottom that what we praised is definitely gonna be good.
I am not putting you and
@Contrarian Expatriate in the same plate. Your stories about your journeys and experiences are infinitely more genuine and relatable than the boastful BS he lays, all the time.
Leaving CE aside, if you had such genuinely positive experiences from Russia, Lithuania and the other eastern bloc countries you visited, why didn't you move there years and years ago? Why are you still asking for everybody's opinions on this and cherry-picking only the most upbeat, optimistic opinions (even when they are hardly credible)? If you are already convinced that Taiwan and the Philippines are hell and Prague and Odessa are heaven, you don't really need any more validation, do you?
Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
Just like if a cynic trashes every film he reviews and one day writes a raving praise for a new film he saw, you can bet your bottom it must be good. Same principle. So you seem to have us backward or mixed up or misinformed. Im sure CE would agree that we are not fake positive at all.
I didn't understand the comparison, sorry. I am trying to be objective about all of my experiences. Every place has its ups and downs. I am not the one laying unconditional praise on an entire continent without having ever lived there as a resident.
Winston wrote: ↑July 26th, 2020, 2:50 am
Btw dont use Covid19 as an excuse for your downplaying of Europe. Even before covid19 started you already had the same attitude about Europe. Keep in mind too that most people arent involved in politics. We are only interested in day to day interactions with locals.
See my comment above.