Countries

I live in the United States and always have. It's not a perfect place, not by far. Some parts are worse than others, but where I live seems nice, but then again, I haven't lived anywhere else (except for D.C. but I lived there when I was one and only for a year).

If I could move to a different country I would choose Norway. I love the cold and the snow and social health care. Also Norway consistently ranks as the happiest country so they must be doing something right.

 

I live in the UK, there are some aspects of it which I really like such as the beauty of the Country and its history... But I have to say, now that the Conservatives are in power I dislike what the UK is turning into under their governing.
I'm tired of seeing them discriminate against the poor, the sick, the unemployed & the young. Cutting back valuable services such as the NHS and the Army and then complaining about the rising unemployment when they're the cause of it.

If I could move anywhere I'd also pick Norway, I really like their Prime minister and I would just love to live in one of those tiny villages and watch the Northern Lights every night! :icon_bigg

 

In live in the UK and love some of its history and its countryside/landscape. I have a lot of dislike for the government, especially the rich loving Tories. Politically this country needs a massive shake up.

I would love to move and it would be between Noway (bit of trend going on here), Sweden or Switzerland.

 

1. Born and raised in the USA. It's okay, I suppose. Fortunate enough to have lived in predominantely liberal, tolerant areas (especially here in Oregon. Gender protection laws are state wide) so I've never had first hand experience with oppression or intolerance. People are fine enough. But politics? Load of wet cats in a bag. Lots of institutionalized racism and sexism, xenophobia, class warfare, etc. Weather? Hit and miss.

2. Wouldn't mind moving to Canada. More liberal, better health care, etc. I honestly am at the point where I feel I need to get as far apart from my immediate family as possible until they come around, however rational that feeling is.

 

I live in Canada and I love my country. I hate that we have a conservative majority government, but given that Harper stated hockey is too violent, I doubt he will get re-elected :lol:

I have never traveled outside Canada and the U.S. So it's hard to say. I suppose Denmark because that country is more liberal and progressive than mine.

 

I live in the U.S. I guess it could be a lot worse.

If I could move anywhere, it would be somewhere in Scandinavia or New Zealand. I would bring my family, but only because they support me financially. I would also pay for everyone who was ever my friend to come too, because I am not ready to leave them right now.

 

I'm from New Zealand and living in Switzerland.

I miss the open minded way of life New Zealanders have. The way how every problem has a solution. "She'll be right mate" I miss the smell of real fresh air. I miss being able to walk for miles down a beach and being the only person there. I miss the strong feeling of being connected with nature.

I don't like the infrastructure in place. It is a little disorganised. That doesn't pose a problem other than it is annoying. I don't like that simple things such as phone, power, water is so expensive when it doesn't need to be. NZ is a small country and therefore these companies have a monopoly and little competition to drive prices down.

I love the structure Switzerland has. It is extremely organised.
I dislike the rules. There are so many rules and there are no ways around them. No exceptions, no matter how wrong or old fashioned they might be. I dislike the secret jealousy people have here and the fact that your position at work equals power.

I am living here because at the moment I have little choice. I would gladly move back to New Zealand in the blink of an eye. I could write for hours but I shalln't This doesn't cover all my points or what is in my mind, but it shall suffice.

 

I'm going to finish my life right here in this tiny cow town USA
I can't think of anywhere else in the whole world

 

I live in the United States in the state of California. I love living here, however the U.S is split in two due to political stances, most of the Midwest and the South being Republican, and the Western states and the Northeast being Democratic. Plus, separation of church and state isn't so much here ("In God We Trust" is added on our currency). The US is the only industrialized countries with these problems, the ONLY ONE.

I would much rather live in Vancouver, Canada in British Columbia. Vancouver is like the Los Angeles up North. I feel that Canada is socially, politically, and technologically ahead of the U.S. Gun crime is very low, gay marriage is legal nationwide (well it is legal in Cali but that's a different story), universal health care, higher minimum wage, and separation of church and state is more prominent (there's pictures of scientific breakthroughs on the hundred Canadian dollar bill).

 

I was born and live in Australia. My father's Finnish, and I love Finland a great deal. My family has a rural cottage there and I am probably going to inherit an apartment in Oulu. I might end up with a home in Switzerland, too, if I inherit my aunt's home there.

Australia is a great country in a lot of ways, but I find it annoying how Australians are a) generally misogynistic, and b) never take anything seriously. We're also a nation of complaining how hard we have it when we're going great. Finland's wonderful in many ways, but it's there's always something not quite right, and I haven't been to Switzerland yet.

Australia is a lot more open and equal, but I come from a good family in Finland, and have good stock by Swiss standards, so I'm accepted in Finland and would probably enjoy Switzerland. In Finland and Switzerland, being academic and being from a civil service family isn't seen as being a waste of other people's money, unlike here, thanks to Australia's "tall poppy syndrome."

 

Born in the US and mostly raised there, except for a five-year period in Germany. I don't particularly like my home country. Oddly I feel some allegiance to my home state, Colorado, but it's not enough to make me want to move back. In general I feel that the US is far too conservative. The not-quite-as-horrible-but-still-not-good health care system has me especially worried because it has a direct impact on my life. I dread to think what would happen if my mental illness worsens and I can't work.

Given the choice I would move to either Germany or somewhere in Scandinavia. All of those countries have good social safety nets and health care systems. They do have problems with racism and xenophobia (the latter is the reason why my mom and I didn't stay in Germany); however, I think if I moved to a large city with a significant immigrant population things would be fine.

 

Beautifully written. The world has another smile today thanks.

 

I live in Australia, I guess I'm indifferent, considering I've never lived anywhere else. Too many bigoted idiots though, but it's probably the same as any other western country. I don't think I'll move anywhere else though - it's not like my life's in danger.

 

I'm an American and I've never been patriotic. I've always felt that people who are proud of their country no matter what it does or who it bombs/invades is a fool, no matter where you're from.

As for moving, I think that if we were married, and Brendan wanted to move back to Canada, I would at least seriously consider it. If it was of my own volition, I don't think I would move somewhere that didn't speak English primarily, because I'm monolingual, and I do speak some Spanish, but it's getting rusty. Then again, if I moved to say, England or Australia, I'd stick out like a sore thumb with my American accent.

That being said, I have a professor who makes fun of his British roots. (In British accent), "Sometimes when I go to the shop I ask my wife to get me a shopping trolley. Apparently in America, it's called a cart."

"My mom will ask me in January, 'Oh, how's the weather?' and I'll say, 'Well, it's 23 degrees out today.' She says, 'Wow! I didn't know it got that warm in Michigan!' She doesn't realize it's Farenheit, but if my mom can understand Celsius, then so can you."

 

At least the ACT is a liberal place, unless you live on the outskirts or the outer suburbs.

 

I was born and raised in the USA (TX), then moved to Australia about ten years ago.

It's an odd situation. On the one hand, I don't really feel "American" anymore. The place that I remember is not the place it is today. People have changed, the culture has moved on, and I've missed it all. On the other hand, I'll never be a "real" Aussie, either. My accent is a dead giveaway. I still get questions from strangers like: "Are you here on holidays?"

Both places have their good and bad points. Universal health care and strict gun restrictions are a huge plus for Australia. Little things, like yellow "L" plates for learner drivers, so everyone knows you're just learning - that's a really good idea, wish we had that back when I was in TX. OTOH, the sub-par infrastructure is annoying. We pay way more than we should have to for goods and services; Internet and mobile phone speeds and service at least 5-10 yrs behind the rest of the world. Seriously.

On a personal level, I've found it really difficult to make friends here in Australia, but I don't know if that's to do with Australian culture as a whole or just the people where I live. Or me. There's definitely more of a -separation- between men and women, in term of traditional roles and behaviour. I wouldn't say there is more/less racism, but it's more overt (don't get me started on the "F- Off We're Full" bumper stickers). OTOH, Texas had a lot of overt "rah rah 'Murrika" stuff, even when I still lived there - more jingoism than patriotism.

Anyway, I kinda like where I live now, but if I had to live somewhere else, I wouldn't mind giving NZ a go. :icon_wink

 

I'm Singapore.

The main problem I have with Singapore is its homophobia. For instance, gay sex is still banned. However, I get the feeling that the government is actually more liberal than it lets on, but is held back by the severe conservatism of the population. The ban has not been enforced in recent years. Also, nearly everyone I've come out to has been supportive. Even my parents eventually managed to accept it (I think?)

At the same time, I'm proud of my country because it's managed to lift itself from the Third World to the First in the space of 40 years. Essentially, I can trust my country's government to run the country well, without any of the shenanigans that go on in, for instance the US.

That said, due to the severe conservatism (Mitt Romney taught me the phrase) previously mentioned, I plan to move abroad in future. Originally, I planned to move to the US, but I wouldn't want to live in a place with such a dysfunctional government. So I'm considering Canada or New Zealand.

 

I'm in the US. My world experience is limited to traveling up our own east coast, and education/media set in other places. :/

With that said, I'm glad I was born here. I love my country and feel it has made me who I am. It is, like any human, driven by ideals and deeply flawed in reality. We've got problems like nobody's business. But at it's core, it is a beautiful place (not as beautiful as other places unfortunately lol) with a lot to contribute to humanity.

Even if money were no object and I bought a new jet for every trip to the grocery store, I'd likely keep my permanent residence here. Maybe not precisely where I am now in Florida's suburban sprawl, but I couldn't just pick up and leave. Even if my only surviving reason is that I'd be too culture shocked. I'm out of touch and awkward enough with other people here, let alone somewhere totally different! lol

Yep, that's about 95% of what's wrong here. The best government is that which governs least. Our system was set up to do just that, and then the people in power decided, "Hey! Let's get more power! It'll help us get better!" Well, in the long run, it didn't.