I’m about to embark on my own journey as an expat. I’ll be living in Paris with my EU husband.
I speak good French and having lived in France twice before for 9-mo stints each, I am familiar enough with French culture to empathize with the negative and positive critiques that people share on this subreddit. In other words, I know what to expect.
Nonetheless I am still nervous about the move; fitting in, finding a community, finding my tribe. I’m nervous about feeling like I’ve made a colossal mistake to sell everything and move here.
The truth is is that reading this subreddit does not make me féel very optimistic. I read posts lamenting the move abroad, the regrets you have, the challenge adapting, and none of which are unwarranted! I get it Expat life is difficult!
……But my question is…is there anyone here who is happy with their decision to have moved abroad?
No matter what your criticisms of the US may be, it’s indisputable that there are a lot of places in the world that are objectively far worse.
That said, “If someone is unhappy in the US, they should just leave” is a bad attitude to have IMHO. If someone is unhappy in the US, they should figure out why they’re unhappy and advocate for positive change. Don’t run away from the problem, be part of the solution. “Take it or leave it” is not what a democracy is supposed to be about.
Disagree… if you’re unhappy with where you are in the US, its a big enough place that you can find like minded individuals and communities instead of bitching in reddit. You can move to Portland, SF, DC, or on the otherside, Texas or Florida. Or, like you said, advocate for change in their immediate area. But there are so many people here unwilling to take charge of their own lives and do something about it. And predisposed to complain about “America”, never mind that it’s 330 million, incredibly diverse people.