Should I drop everything and leave?

[Rapmastac1]

I've always wanted to sell everything I have and move to another country and see what life has to offer. But it comes down to being able to support myself.

I would also love to live out in the wilderness one on one with nature, of course with a few modern advantages.

Those now are just day-dreams, one day I would like to step close to one of them.

 

[roadbloc]

Do it. Don't even think twice about it.

+1. If you have no ties, go for it.

 

[Mousse]

+1. If you have no ties, go for it.

Spoken like a married man. I've entertained thoughts of selling everything and moving to a mountain top to live like Grizzly Adams. I'm well suited to the solitary life. I could finally grow that beard I've been wanting too.

But obligations to the wife and kids keep me in the rat race.

 

[Jaro65]

I completely understand that it would be incredibly difficult and I'm up for it.

Really? That hard? The challenge is to successfully rebuild your social network. The US is the fourth country I've lived in and it is not easy to "pack up and go," but at the same time it is also incredibly exciting to go and explore new cultures and environments. We, as individuals, are in part defined by our environment and our interactions with other individuals. To introduce a change into all of that is, I believe, a truly great learning experience.

 

[lighthouse_man]

What about volunteering to some aid organisation and helping people in the world for a year? That'd sure give you some direction about choices and life than to live on the coast of some village spending money.

 

[designgeek]

I've thought a little more about it and I think what I may do is go on vacation somewhere distant (and foreign) sometime within the next year and live life there for a few weeks and see if I would want to come back for a few years. I will not do the same tourist crap that I did last time. I totally missed out on how people live their daily lives, instead I spent all my time following the rest of the tour group around...

 

[ravenvii]

What about the Peace Corps?

I've thought about going once.

 

[pb1300]

I picked up and left for Greece, from Florida, in June of 08, and I am really happy I did. I was happy there, but I just needed a change. The difference between me and you though is that I have places to stay here, and lots of family here, whereas you have neither, I assume? If you have no plan, then I think its a bad idea to just up and leave, but if you have a past similar to mine, then you need to give it serious thought. In the end, through all the "advice" you received from friends, family, and this great board , you need to decide for yourself what is best for you.

 

[puma1552]

1) to those complaining about the american work culture, you should really step back and realize how gravy it is--especially compared to the whole of a place like japan--where 70-80 hour workweeks are the norm, for pittance pay (mechanical engineers start at about $28k us) because everyone in japan must start at the very bottom and put endless facetime in devotion to "the company". i know hs teachers who havent had a day off in three months and use maybe 3 days of vacation per year, no joke. many companies require you to live in crappy company dorms for several years subject to their rules, and companies can dictate the method by which you travel to and from work because they pay your transportation insurance. japanese companies dictate a lot of things in your life. japan is a truly work centered culture, so stop being whiny americans--your system is gravy compared to other parts of the world. the longer i live abroad the more i realize how whiny and entitled other americans feel

2) op--if you want to go just go--taking a vacation is going to be too different from living--you say you eont do touristy crap, but you also wont be working in their work culture, paying taxes, or dealing with cultural stuff everyday so you still wont get much a feel for it even if you think you will

my advice, as someone living in a rural coastal fishing town in butt**** nowhere, japan, completely isolated and a one hour drive in any direction from any other foreigner, is do it, but go to a city not the ass end of nowhere.

also youd best look into whether or not you caan even just go somewhere--if you were to show up at immigration in japan without a proper visa they will put you on a plane right back home. most countries will probably do thesame, especially as america doesnt have working holiday visas--most countries are going to want you on some type of work visa when you enter meaning you have to line up a job beforehand...dont count on coming in on a tourist visa and getting hired--most companies have no incentive to bother with the hassle of switching your visa for you when there are any number of others already in posession of the proper visa

do it, but make sure you can enter the country before you pack your stuff

 

[niuniu]

1) to those complaining about the american work culture, you should really step back and realize how gravy it is--especially compared to the whole of a place like japan--where 70-80 hour workweeks are the norm,

Second that - a friend of ours went back to Shanghai last last year and is doing 8 to 8 seven days a week as an auditor. That's the norm like puma says, and if you complain, there's 100,000 graduates waiting in line to take your spot for an ironically coveted financial city job. She's making the equivalent of around 500GBP a month. If she was doing that job in the UK with the same hours, she'd be making 4 to 6k a month. It's peachy in the West.

That said, there's more to life than being unhappy at work, even if you're working just 30hours a week for good pay - if you're unhappy you should look elsewhere. The biggest misfortune of a man is his failure to find his metier - some French guy said that.

 

[designgeek]

*snip*

plz rage somewhere else...

I understand that we don't work as much as everyone else, that is why I'm not going to Japan, I'm headed away from the middle toward the other end of the spectrum. Also, I know a vacation is different from actually working there, still though, making a visit is much better than just jumping in.

If you cared to read the rest of the posts you would know that we've been over the amount of details that would need to be ironed out, even skimming the bolded text reveals that I'm not just leaving tomorrow and hoping everything will go perfectly.

As for the Peace Corps, they mostly function in aid related cases and I would prefer a developed country in Wester Europe.

Thanks for the advice so far, I'm really actually thinking about it and the details now.

 

[instaxgirl]

I moved away for a little while, to study abroad. For various reasons I moved back (well, practically ran back, having never felt so patriotic for the UK in my life)

The problem, obviously, is that I gave up everything to go away and I came back and have had to start from scratch, with no fixed plans or goals etc since the big dream fell apart.

It's odd because over there I did have a life - friends, university, accommodation - and when I came back I'd sort of walked away from everything here. I'll have been back for 4 months when I start my permanent full time job in a few weeks and I probably won't have my own flat sorted out for another 2/3 months. About all I had here was friends to welcome me back. It's a flip side of the coin that I didn't think about when I gave up my lease and my job and ended my relationship to go away.

 

[H00513R]

My wife and I get that wanderlust from time to time. If you can find work and a place to live there, then why not? Just take care of your business here. Good luck!

 

[puma1552]

rage somewhere else? who said i was raging? were you whining about american work culture? i dont recall you were

but hey what do i know? i went off and did exactly what you asked if anyone had done, in a small coastal nowhere to boot, and you dont want to hear good advice and the truth based on experience?

whatever dude, suit yourself and good luck struggling in rural italy or wherever else

 

[barkomatic]

. . . What I may be looking at here is a fork in the road, on the right is a college education, a stable lifestyle, 2.5 kids. etc... On the left is a possible disaster, an extremely difficult adjustment, probably a good story, and the chance at something radically different than what anything anyone I know has ever done.

I can't say for sure whether you should go or shouldn't but I did want to point out what I believe is a flaw in your thinking when you consider your future. The "right" turn includes a college education, stable life and 2.5 kids and the "left" is the move to Italy. There's more than two choices here.

You could go to college *and* study abroad in Italy.

You could go to college, stay in the U.S. and not have children at all--or much later in life.

You could go to Itay, meet a nice Italian woman (or man for that matter) and spend your life there.

Skip college and do something else.

etc etc.

Also, I think you've got the right attitude in terms of *not* considering too many details. The reason people talk themselves out of things is because they sit down, try to plan and get overwhelmed.

 

[leekohler]

Also, I think you've got the right attitude in terms of *not* considering too many details. The reason people talk themselves out of things is because they sit down, try to plan and get overwhelmed.

Exactly- don't over think or over plan. Just go. You'll be scared out of your mind, but that's part of the adventure and it motivates you to make the best of the situation.

One thing you should never do is listen to people who tell you that you can't do it. Those people will be exactly where they are now in 20 years- bored and full of regret. Don't be one of them.

I remember when I first got here, parked my car and stepped out onto the street. My first thought was, "WTF did I just do?", followed by "F*** it, I'm here and I'm NOT going back." Then I got to work figuring it out.

 

[designgeek]

*snip*

Sorry, I thought you were complaining about something. As for your advice, I've thought about moving to a city but I'm not sure I would be ready for a foreign city quite yet. I could move to an american city no sweat but I'd prefer something a little more manageable until I can break down the language and cultural barriers.

Exactly- don't over think or over plan. Just go. You'll be scared out of your mind, but that's part of the adventure and it motivates you to make the best of the situation.

One thing you should never do is listen to people who tell you that you can't do it. Those people will be exactly where they are now in 20 years- bored and full of regret. Don't be one of them.

I remember when I first got here, parked my car and stepped out onto the street. My first thought was, "WTF did I just do?", followed by "F*** it, I'm here and I'm NOT going back." Then I got to work figuring it out.

I like this story! When I moved out of my parent's house to where I am now I thought I had planned extremely well, unfortunately for me I had moved to a college town with a saturated job market and it took me a month to find a job. It hasn't been easy but I sure am glad that I didn't stay in eastern Idaho. That place sucks.

 

[puma1552]

Sorry, I thought you were complaining about something. As for your advice, I've thought about moving to a city but I'm not sure I would be ready for a foreign city quite yet. I could move to an american city no sweat but I'd prefer something a little more manageable until I can break down the language and cultural barriers.

It's all good. FWIW though, you'll have much bigger language and cultural barriers outside the city, in a rural area.

 

[Fran-tastic]

I've done it.

I moved to London 3 years ago from a small italian town near Milan.

Well, wherever you may go definitely you will enocounter difficulties.
Language in first place, job in a close second.
Finding a flat and getting used to another life style are minor issues.

I moved when I had nothing to lose and that makes things easier.
Anyway my first 3 months in London were not so good, I had some troubles, but weren't a nightmare either. Anyway I thought to go back home until I found myself a good job that helped me out economically.

Now I'm back to college and I'll start uni next year.

Either is going to be good or bad is still an experience people should do.