Living as an ex-pat, the downsides

[Fishtigua]

XJSJohn said:

Plus i need to spend some more time looking after my hole in the water, its been neglected for the past few years and will need a few dollars torn up and thrown into it !! (it may even be a UNESCO protected coral reef by now!!)

You know there is always help at hand for a bit of Kings Cup action.

To other readers, this is not like 2 Cups in any way.

[XJSJohn]

Fishtigua said:

XJSJohn said:

Plus i need to spend some more time looking after my hole in the water, its been neglected for the past few years and will need a few dollars torn up and thrown into it !! (it may even be a UNESCO protected coral reef by now!!)

You know there is always help at hand for a bit of Kings Cup action.

I will drop you a line once i know whats happening ....

Fishtigua said:

To other readers, this is not like 2 Cups in any way.

Mind you there is always Patong ..........

[jdw100]

I'm moving to Bali at the end of this year.

Spent about three months living there when I took a four month sabbatical at start of 2014.

A friend of mine had moved there - although she has subsequently has moved back to France - and suggested I come to stay.

I met a lady there and we spent most of that three months together and then met up a few times last year and this in Istanbul, Bali and the UK.

Interestingly part of my move is to get away from the same old same old......walked the same route to work for quite a few years etc. But it really hit me one evening on the South Bank - most of my friends are in good jobs, in their late 30's through to 50's but many are single (male and female) and we go out a lot. Booze, coke.... trips to Ibiza, fancy bars, out after work, weekends away....it's all good but do I want to still be doing this in two, five, ten years time? I just thought- no it's time to move on.

This is my chance, this girl is lovely, has a great job and a nice house, I've met quite a few people there that I think could become friends. Kids is part of the deal but at 47 this is probably my last chance for that as well.

Job lined up - nope but I'll pick up some work (probably in Europe) on a remote/freelance basis. Instead of having to bill £500k to make my salary I will only need to invoice £60k to have a good lifestyle.

Weather, beaches, sea..... Friends and family are already lined up to visit, as you might expect!

fk it - why not?!?!

[XJSJohn]

jdw100 said:

I'm moving to Bali at the end of this year.

Blah Blah Blah

fk it - why not?!?!

A mate of mine moved there about 5 years ago from Singapore (brit expat) with his family, they live full time there kids go to international school, much better quality of life and significantly cheaper.

He still maintains his job as Legal Council, and and flies in and out of Singapore / Hong Kong as required or spends 1 week a month at his desk for face time.

Don't just tie yourself to UK jobs, plenty of other roles that could be accessible to you within the region based on your plan, and much shorter flying commutes

[jdw100]

XJSJohn said:

A mate of mine moved there about 5 years ago from Singapore (brit expat) with his family, they live full time there kids go to international school, much better quality of life and significantly cheaper.

He still maintains his job as Legal Council, and and flies in and out of Singapore / Hong Kong as required or spends 1 week a month at his desk for face time.

Don't just tie yourself to UK jobs, plenty of other roles that could be accessible to you within the region based on your plan, and much shorter flying commutes

Hi, thanks for that. I am quite interested in exploring more local roles - especially as Indo is trying to change: open up more for international business, reduce corruption etc.

I figure I can earn what I need through assignments in Europe/aus/ to start with and only have to work 4 months of the year.

I could possibly transfer out with my company but that will mean pressure to develop new business straight away. I'm going to have a few months off first!

Parents are clearly a bit worried but having met my new lady understand and are more comfortable now...but not entirely happy to see me leave the country.

I figure...what's the worse that can happen...I have to come back in a few years..I'd rather give it a go than not.

[Adenauer]

Tempest_5 said:

When I was out in Germany one thing I did miss occasionally was some of the English food. Morale improved when I found a supply of "Tulip" bacon. My first bacon butty was cooked in Germany the morning after a heavy night and was a special moment.

Not as special as a colleague who had reputedly lost his luggage at Frankfurt airport whilst trying to bring back some steaks from the UK. Legend had it the Polizei rang him up a few days later asked if he could nip up the Autobahn to Frankfurt and explain why his suitcase was bleeding over their desk.

Bacon sandwich with proper back bacon

I once returned from a business trip with a leg of Lamb in my suitcase that started to defrost in the car, walking through Heathrow with my suitcase dripping blood was, odd.

Got through though

Edited by Adenauer on Friday 14th August 10:38

[jdw100]

Adenauer said:

Bacon sandwich with proper back bacon

I once returned from a business trip with a leg of Lamb in my suitcase that started to defrost in the car, walking through Heathrow with my suitcase dripping blood was, odd.

Got through though

Edited by Adenauer on Friday 14th August 10:38

Did they stop you at all?

I walked through customs at Heathrow a few months back and some chap was at one of the tables unpacking a huge amount of meat from his suitcase under the watchful eye of two Customs officers. Looked like whole legs of dome animal, burnt black.

[Fishtigua]

As a schoolboy I used to have to smuggle porkpies out to Antigua. There was a rule against bringing in cooked meats without a permit. When stopped by Customs, I lied my ass off and said it was a special Christmas fruit pie. I also had a new Capri drivers door with me, that interested them more.

[Adenauer]

jdw100 said:

Adenauer said:

Bacon sandwich with proper back bacon

I once returned from a business trip with a leg of Lamb in my suitcase that started to defrost in the car, walking through Heathrow with my suitcase dripping blood was, odd.

Got through though

Edited by Adenauer on Friday 14th August 10:38

Did they stop you at all?

I walked through customs at Heathrow a few months back and some chap was at one of the tables unpacking a huge amount of meat from his suitcase under the watchful eye of two Customs officers. Looked like whole legs of dome animal, burnt black.

Nope, not at all, this was about 20 years ago mind.

They also didn't stop my Dad a number of years previously after he had visited the Marie Stopes Clinic to get a Vasectomy. On hindsight walking through Heathrow to catch his return flight a few hours after the op wearing a pair of beige Chinos wasn't his wisest move ever.

[jdw100]

Adenauer said:

Nope, not at all, this was about 20 years ago mind.

They also didn't stop my Dad a number of years previously after he had visited the Marie Stopes Clinic to get a Vasectomy. On hindsight walking through Heathrow to catch his return flight a few hours after the op wearing a pair of beige Chinos wasn't his wisest move ever.

Ha ha ha! Puts me in mind of my dad setting light to his own jacket at Frankfurt airport years ago. Armed Police watched as he stamped on it to put out flames from the match box that had set his pocket on fire....

[Bionic Billy Nav]

Adenauer said:

Nope, not at all, this was about 20 years ago mind.

They also didn't stop my Dad a number of years previously after he had visited the Marie Stopes Clinic to get a Vasectomy. On hindsight walking through Heathrow to catch his return flight a few hours after the op wearing a pair of beige Chinos wasn't his wisest move ever.

Hi Adenauer you probably won't remember me I sent you a message about two years ago asking you about living near the Nurburgring etc I said in the email that agi was moving over in 2015 which I have now done, I purchased a Haus in Kelberg in April and moved over three weeks ago it has been great so far living so close to the Nurburgring although Germany and the Eifel has so much more to offer I don't see myself ever moving back to the UK even though I know it's early days, If you are ever about would be great to meet up Billy..

[scherzkeks]

NAS said:

You see it here in Frankfurt as well. Many just prefer to stay in the bubble and never really adjust to the local culture or try to learn German.

(whereas I am marrying a local next week and will probably stay the rest of my life, which is the other extreme...)

A common statement, but not really true in my experience. Been in DE for 10 years and most expats I know can speak the language to some degree, and I've met a number of them through my German circle of friends.

[Eric Mc]

Do Brits integrate better in Germany than (say) Spain?

Is British culture more compatible with German culture?

[krallicious]

British and German culture is very similar IMO.

I have been here for over 5 years and have been an expat since 2008. Integration is very easy if you learn the language and I have a good circle of friends. I have very little to do with any expats, apart from when watching the Six Nations and meeting some PHers.

Everything seems to work here and I am only a short flight from visiting family and friends or I can hop in the car and enjoy Europe. I have no plans to return to the UK permenently as I feel totally at home here but England will always be 'home' if that makes sense.

[scherzkeks]

krallicious said:

British and German culture is very similar IMO.

I have been here for over 5 years and have been an expat since 2008. Integration is very easy if you learn the language and I have a good circle of friends. I have very little to do with any expats, apart from when watching the Six Nations and meeting some PHers.

Everything seems to work here and I am only a short flight from visiting family and friends or I can hop in the car and enjoy Europe. I have no plans to return to the UK permenently as I feel totally at home here but England will always be 'home' if that makes sense.

I think that is generally true, though the social norms are a quite different in some regards and take some getting used to. The language is also quite a challenge (if you want to use grammar properly).

I love it here but still feel like a foreigner sometimes, and nearly all my friends are German.

[Adenauer]

Bionic Billy Nav said:

Hi Adenauer you probably won't remember me I sent you a message about two years ago asking you about living near the Nurburgring etc I said in the email that agi was moving over in 2015 which I have now done, I purchased a Haus in Kelberg in April and moved over three weeks ago it has been great so far living so close to the Nurburgring although Germany and the Eifel has so much more to offer I don't see myself ever moving back to the UK even though I know it's early days, If you are ever about would be great to meet up Billy..

Just seen this, Billy.

More than happy to meet up for a few beers and a chinwag, you can find me in the Comfy Corner (Gemütliche Ecke) opposite Möbel Bell in Adenau nearly every Friday evening from around 5pm until I have to leave because I've mentioned the war again.

Congratulations on completing the move.

[King Herald]

XJSJohn said:

Mind you there is always Patong ..........

Patong, or Patpong? Patong is a long way from Bangers, but the 'scenery' is much the same in both locales.


So I, ahem, heard somewhere.......

[King Herald]

XJSJohn said:

Mind you there is always Patong ..........

Patong, or Patpong? Patong is a long way from Bangers, but the 'scenery' is much the same in both locales.


So I, ahem, heard somewhere.......

[XJSJohn]

King Herald said:

XJSJohn said:

Mind you there is always Patong ..........

Patong, or Patpong? Patong is a long way from Bangers, but the 'scenery' is much the same in both locales.


So I, ahem, heard somewhere.......

in that instance i did mean Patong, as there was a veiled Phuket reference ....

but yes, i have heard that the local culture is very similar in Patpong also



allegedly

[Bionic Billy Nav]

[quote=Adenauer]

Just seen this, Billy.

More than happy to meet up for a few beers and a chinwag, you can find me in the Comfy Corner (Gemütliche Ecke) opposite Möbel Bell in Adenau nearly every Friday evening from around 5pm until I have to leave because I've mentioned the war again.

Congratulations on completing the move.

Thank you Adenauer, I've just read this is on Saturday I will pop down next Friday for sure Funnily enough not only have I had a meal in Comfy Corner I've been in Möbel Bell looking for furniture!..