tangomonster
Full time employment: Posting here.
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2006
- Messages
- 757
The post about Panama reminded me of a conversation I had recently during a group dinner. A woman about 55 or so just got back from checking out Ecuador as a place to retire to (after she read a book about the 10 cheapest places in the world to retire). She spent four weeks there and loved it. She made it sound idyllic---slow pace of life, no crime, good climate, friendly people, lots of fresh produce, walking to places, just sitting around and chitchatting with people. She even claimed that (Ecuadorian) government pensions and health insurance would be available to her immediately upon moving.
Sounds great----but I had to ask her what she would miss about not living in the US. Her reply: "NOTHING!" Another woman chimed in with the same sentiments, citing politics, people obsessed with technology, high cost of living in the US and so on. This seemed kind of harsh to me. I understand that not everyone can bloom where they are planted, I'm not saying the US is the only place a person should retire to. But---to say there is absolutely nothing that would be missed about the US? I even miss stuff about New Joisey since moving down South!
Still, I couldn't quite articulate what I would miss about the US. The ideals that the country was founded on? Being able to speak English? The natural beauty that is found everywhere in the US? So that's where I am hoping some of you can chime in. Are things really that bad here that there is nothing that would be missed if moving away from the US? And are things really that perfect in other countries?
Sounds great----but I had to ask her what she would miss about not living in the US. Her reply: "NOTHING!" Another woman chimed in with the same sentiments, citing politics, people obsessed with technology, high cost of living in the US and so on. This seemed kind of harsh to me. I understand that not everyone can bloom where they are planted, I'm not saying the US is the only place a person should retire to. But---to say there is absolutely nothing that would be missed about the US? I even miss stuff about New Joisey since moving down South!
Still, I couldn't quite articulate what I would miss about the US. The ideals that the country was founded on? Being able to speak English? The natural beauty that is found everywhere in the US? So that's where I am hoping some of you can chime in. Are things really that bad here that there is nothing that would be missed if moving away from the US? And are things really that perfect in other countries?