Moving To Europe 101

[MissVelvetDress_75]

The men over there are beyond charming.

indeed they are.

 

[Merc]

I think that you will have to think about the 'cultural adjustment' factor.

I moved to another country, only 1½ hours flight away from home, for 6 months.

This may not seem so relevant for you, since you're considering moving to another continent, but...

1½ hours or 8,9,10 or however many hours it takes to fly from your home to Ireland - home is suddenly very far away, and you really don't know how much you'll miss until you have actually left. And its all the little things you'll miss - things that you never thought of before, because they've just always been there...

Plus - You will not see your friends and family for a very long time, and may even loose some of your friends because of that - of course you will make new friends in Ireland, but can they replace childhood friends you've had for 10-20 years?

Have you only been to Ireland once? It may be a bit 'risky' (in lack of a better word) to base your "love" for a country on a week-long vacation, but thats just my oppinion...

I'm not trying to talk you out of moving to Ireland - please don't think that! I'm just trying to get you to consider the downsides there will be, when moving to another country...

Maybe you could get an internship at an Irish company or something? Try to live there for 6 months or a year or something - just for a start...

 

[starsgoblue]

Can't really stand my family with the exception of my mum, and she's kinda keen to relocate since she's been there multiple times. And my only true friend I haven't seen in bout two years anyways since she lives in another state. Don't really have anything tying me here.

Can't do the study abroad option for the last bit of my studies, of course there's a whole long complicated thing behind all that.

But you do bring up valid points, Merc. I'm planning on going back for another trip in October & if I was ever going to move it wouldn't be for at least another two years, not to mention the impossibility of getting a work permit or anything like that.

 

[Merc]

It's good to hear you done some thinking about this too!

But you do bring up valid points, Merc. I'm planning on going back for another trip in October & if I was ever going to move it wouldn't be for at least another two years, not to mention the impossibility of getting a work permit or anything like that.

Well, I'm dreaming about a Dublin vacation in the fall too (would be a nice way to spend my first paycheck!) - drinks at The Octagon?

Yeah, I know about the work permit thing, and I'm sorry for you! But, its like that all over Europe, not just Ireland - so hard to get everywhere here for immigrants...

 

[starsgoblue]

The Octagon Being there was so dreamy! We should try to synchronize trips!

 

[TripThruUreWires]

i think the best tip anyone here can give you is this:
watch out for whenhiphophitthenudiebars!
seriously, word has it that he's from *gasp* europe

 

[hiphop]

good advice. good.

 

[mattgerth]

From my experiences living overseas in the military:
Look for jobs on usajobs.com for civilian government jobs overseas. This will give you a good salary and cost of living adjustments for the country you live in as well as medical and dental benefits at US military hospitals. Plus you will get 30 days vacation every year which is great for Eurorailing europe. You will also be be working in an area that will likely have a lot of Americans that can help you out and in most cases the local population will also speak English to accommodate us Yanks.

 

[hiphop]

May I add that Vienna has a particularly international community? We have 40,000 Expatriates living here. Joejoe, a buddy DJ who´s from NY and hosts a radio show, is happy because there´s zilch criminality compared to his home... I think he´s been staying here for about six, seven years. I´m not a big fan of my city, but he thinks its great, culture and all ok.. maybe.

 

[U2Girl1978]

Oooh Rebekah that would be awesome if you did that!

My boyfriend's stepdad has family over there.

 

[prisz25]

starsgoblue I'm thinking about doing that as well when I finish school.... It seems like it is going to be tough but "have heart will travel"!!!!

 

[starsgoblue]

 

[Liesje]

Stars, I have no advice but I admire you for looking into it. It can't hurt to try, right?

I've been contemplating going back to East Africa, but it's so hard to think about, I literally choke up. I loved it there, but it's SO different. I feel like if I do go back, it would be best to go right away after school, but I can't figure out how to do it b/c it's hard to find a program that will work. I'm interested in development work, but not missions or Peace Corp so we'll see.

 

[meegannie]

1½ hours or 8,9,10 or however many hours it takes to fly from your home to Ireland - home is suddenly very far away, and you really don't know how much you'll miss until you have actually left. And its all the little things you'll miss - things that you never thought of before, because they've just always been there...

I didn't have anything tying me to where I was in the US when I moved here. I'm not very close to any of my family and all of my friends lived too far away for me to ever see. Like you (and many other expats and potential expats), I never felt like I fit in the US. In college, I had a lot of international friends, and they were always shocked to find out I was American (people I'd known for months thought I was from the UK or Canada). I never felt at home in the US, but I've lived in the UK now for three years and as much as I loved it when I visited, it's not home either. I don't think I'll ever go more than a couple of days (if that) without being reminded of how foreign I am, whether it's because I don't understand something about the tax system or because I don't know where to go to buy transparent packing tape. Even when I apply for citizenship in a couple of years, I'll still be American. I'll still have an American accent, and I'll still know who Mr. Rogers is and be able to hum the final Jeopardy tune.

I've never lived in Ireland, but I can tell you that everything I hated about the US I didn't escape by moving away. Some of the negatives may exist to a lesser extent, but in a way, I think it's the things like corporate dominance, neo-conservativism, the entertainment-focused media, etc. that create such vibrant, passionate subcultures in the US. It seems much harder to find people passionate about politics, underground art, diy ethics, and inclusive feminisms here than it is in the US. I had a very good job in the US, but I've found really hard here to find a job that's even halfway decent, and I'm still way overeducated and overqualified what I'm doing and I make much less than I made in the US (even with the exchange rate!). I miss things I didn't even particularly like when I lived in America, from grape and cinnamon flavoured stuff to prescription medicines that aren't available here. I won't even go into all the paperwork I've filed and money I've spent so far and have still to spend on visas and adjustments of status.

I'm not trying to discourage you, and I do love living in England in a lot of ways, but the reality of living here is much different to a visit or even a year here as a student (and you stop noticing the accents very quickly).

 

[starsgoblue]

Thanks meeganie. I realize actually living somewhere is much different than just being there as a visitor/tourist. What ultimatley influenced your decision to move there permanently?