I’m generally very happy with my decision. I’ve had a lot of great experiences. I think a lot of the difficulties I complain about here are the same ones I could have if I still lived in the US – for example difficulties with friends, difficulties with coworkers, annoyance with my job. I think I’ve had much better job opportunities where I live now, I get more respect from local people than I would back home, and worries about gun violence or street harassment are almost nonexistent here.

Then there are the missionaries. They’ll be vaguely pleasant to your face and accept gifts and invitations from you. Will they give you a gift or invite you someplace? Once they find out you are not the same kind of Christian they are and have no intention of converting, no. I suspect you could be drowning and they wouldn’t even throw you a life preserver. That’s my experience, anyway.

I’m not going to be sh*tty so someone just because they have different beliefs than I do. It would be nice if they could return the favor.

I’m (second-generation) American. I have this coworker from Texas. His voice is so loud when he teaches that I can hear him all down the hallway. I’m like, “Dude, the whole world doesn’t need to hear what you’re saying.”