For those who’ve lived in both Europe and the USA, I would like to hear your take. What do you love about each place, and what drawbacks have you noticed? Whether it’s the Old World charm of Europe or the dynamic lifestyle in the USA, spill the beans. In the end, what was the game-changer that made you pick one over the other and if you could share the decision-making behind your preferred choice.
I currently live back in the US. I love Europe for the architecture, good public services, food and culture, but somehow I always feel stifled there. I am just more free to be myself in the US. You can be anybody you want to be and nobody really cares. One small example is bumper stickers. They might not say it, but Europeans think you’re weird if you have them, and while they are less common than they used to be, they’re kind of unremarkable in the States. I don’t even have bumper stickers but I like the fact that I could have them if I were so inclined and nobody would bat an eyelash. I move frequently so even in the US, I’m not a local, but as others have said, you are never truly accepted in Europe unless you are a native. Americans are just more accepting of people’s differences. Although political polarization is definitely becoming the exception to that tolerance.