Ivan I am intrigued. You say you speak the four languages of Switzerland.
I have never met anybody outside the region who speaks Romanisch. How did you learn that?
Where did you come from Ivan. Your name sounds Montenegrin.
Switzerland is super, but takes money to access.
To be an entrepreneur you need a Swiss partner.
It came down to a choice between France and Kenya. We really wanted to retire to Kenya after spending five+ glorious years there. But when it came down to it, it just wasn't a practical proposition, mostly on medical grounds. As it turned out it was a wise if difficult decision. France was a natural choice as my wife is French and we live within sight of the Mont Aigoual, where she was born, and 45 minutes drive from where we first met in 1962. I've lived and/or worked on four continents (still haven't made it to Oz and NZ) and I've lost count of the number of countries I've been to, sometimes for years, sometimes just for a week or so on assignment as a news agency journalist. We have hardly ever lived in the UK since I first left in 1962 and there's no way we'd go back, at least to England. Still have family and friends there but it's just too crowded and I no longer understand the mentality or the culture. I'm a stranger in my own country. In any case I couldn't even afford to buy a garden shed to live in given the inflated house prices in the UK. I suppose that if push came to shove and we had to move then Belgium would be a possibility. Vastly under-rated country. We spent the last five years before I retired there and loved every minute. OK, the bureaucracy is even more trying than here but, living in Brussels, you can do a day trip to Germany, The Netherlands, France and at a pinch the UK with the Eurostar. Hard to beat. As Brian says, an independent Scotland would be attractive, even better, an independent Wales!
Switzerland is too expensive, OH is Swiss (Ticino, Italian speaking) and would find no kind of job that would match what she can do or her qualifications. It is not all as clean and sterile as people imagine, scratch hard and below the surface there is the same dirt as everywhere else, there is real hatred between some German speakers and the rest and catholic-protestant tensions are quite real. However, racism is the worst, the attitude toward developing nation migrants is appalling. My OH hates it.
England is far too expensive to buy in (or even rent) but I must admit I was based in one village in the east for just over 30 years plus another three years in a village before that and the university undergraduate years in Cambridge. That village was a large part of my life. From when I was seven until I left home I lived in a nice part of SW London, just over 10 years in fact, although where we lived was not at all nice. Therefore I have particular places in mind where I would live through family connection (my sister only now) or familiarity. I have many more relatives in Scotland though. Independence would simply be because I favour it and would be glad to have a share of it.
We spent five years in Wales, there is really nice. I have visited Ireland, it is diverse. Whilst my sister lived in the SW I was in Cork and Cobh fairly often, Dublin is great as cities go.
I chose a career that involved a lot of travelling, I had just over seven years at the beginning of my life in Germany and then spent about 1/3 of each year based there for 18 years. My surviving son and his children are Germans. I speak, in fact often also think, their language perfectly and can use different dialects even. Nonetheless I would not wish to live there again. The past cannot be relived. However the result is that whilst I have my Scots roots I have spent so much of my life 'adrift' that I simply tend to get on with life wherever I am and no longer have a real sense of needing a particular place. It is people I identify with and here we have friends who make me feel as though I belong, the majority of them French at that and mostly quite local. That is for me what 'home' is, therefore where I am happy to live.
Greetings Ivan and fellow members,
I am particularly enjoying this thread as a Franco/American who is part Italian (fluent in English, French and Italian) and has travelled extensively, although not yet to the Orient. I am one who has chosen to return permanently to the southwest of France after having lived and worked in the US for over 50 years. Despite all that time, I could never truly consider myself an American; perhaps part of it would be the fact that my airline career propulsed me primarily all over Europe and my vacationing was focused in Biarritz where I owned property. One might say Iām a bit like Chopin; although living in France, his heart never left Poland and in fact was laid to rest in that land. For some of us it is that intense. France is wealthy with quality of life in every sense and also, I have come to welcome some of its bureaucratic difficulties as a protective barrier which will insure that only the truly committed will remain and succeed within the hexagon. Thank you Ivan for the opportunity to join in. Very best to you and all.
... and crocodiles and big fat hippos (the State) who gobble up everything and anything, especially if you're in business here :-O
oh, forgot, it's a sh1t place to run a business but fortunately it's not a bad place for cycling!
France is a garden of eden..... complete with serpents
We have owned a house in Mauritius for 11 years and spent 2/3 months here annually. I now hate it and we're trying to sell. We have family here but I'd rather just come to a hotel Too much bureaucracy and crap.
If I had my time again I'd consider Madeira or The Azores . Still, I've not much to grumble about in France.
Italy (degree in French and Italian so either would have been possible but masters in French weighted the balance) Heart said Italy, head said France. Over 10 years on and I'm stuck here for the rest of my days...! :-O
Hi Carol, agree with the saying that our heart mirrors much of our experience and perception.
The philosophy you describe of total absorption is been a bit of a recipe for my last 15-20 years of life.
Pop in a place and when the wind blows strong enough sail to newer lands or shores!
So people and impressions become more and more intense.
There was a poem an italian writer about traveling that describes this well:
Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends.
You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things: air, sleep, dreams, sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.ā
The nice part of living bits here and there is that you can carry each places you have been on your road, all impressions become more intense.
I'm surprise that France has been the worst , i can't think it must be the people more 'the system' itself?
Thanks, its my pleasure if the posts have been a source of enjoyment !
Ivan - A very interesting post.
I've lived in France, Spain, Scotland (half Scottish), Italy and of course England ( I'm very inexperienced compared to other commenters on this post). I have found positives from all of them, and can honestly say that I have loved my life in each and every one of these countries.
My point being that 'home is where the heart is'.
Wherever you choose to lay your hat - enjoy it for where and what it is. Absorb the life and the culture, and 'then' decide whether to stay or go.
Good luck to you - I've enjoyed your posts on here. :)
p.s. - France is by far the worst place I've lived :(
Hi Catharine,
I agree its one of this discussion that could spark a nice glimpse into 'international living' ...
We're all , as expats, seeking for some new experiences, whether its here in France or elsewhere...
its a small little world.
(totally understand your feeling of 'itchy feet' or travel bug:)
Last day i was talking with a friend about Switzerland, we both concurred that it has some 'sterile' feeling, bit like Singapore perhaps all is clean and well organized. Jokingly we called it a "Trumanshow-Country". I have not lived in Switzerland long enough to cast my judgment however pondering to relocate.
Interesting the countries you spent living Brian, Besides Kenya and China I have been or touched base in this places and love them all for their uniqueness. NewZealand reminds me a bit of the Netherlands, indeed it was discovered by the Dutch (Neuseeland)...
2 questions: Why would you move to the Scottish terroir only and in case of a independence vote?
What would you NOT choose Switzerland and England?
Actually 3 questioins: thoughts about a) Ireland and b) Wales? Consider that I have never lived, only traveled to UK and my understanding of anglophone world is very limited to outside view.
I love France, my wife is french so that helps me navigate, I admit that I would have to face more barriers wouldn't it be that she takes care of many bureaucratic steps in a very accurate way.
What an interesting discussion! I must admit I quite often get 'itchy feet'......
I have lived in England, Germany, Wales, Portugal, Peru, Norway and France. I have spent long periods in Switzerland, China, Kenya, Viet Nam, Brazil and the Netherlands. All in all I have been in nearly 40 countries professionally, plus a couple for holidays. The two places we would not choose to live in are England and Switzerland but under circumstances would go to the latter and if Scotland gained independence, the weather not withstanding, we would seriously consider there. We are happy enough with France, in our ideal world we would have chosen Portugal. As my 'outsiders' I would choose Brazil, Cuba, Viet Nam or Uruguay. If I was forced to live anywhere in the Caribbean I would not complain.
I have lived in Switzerland a total of 6 years on 2 occasions, 1 year in Zurich and 5 years in Canton Bern.
Superficially it's clean, the countryside is chocolate box-like. If money is no object and you don't have anything to do with the rest of the population, beyond what is required for normal living, you can live well.
During both periods of residence, I didn't feel welcome by the Swiss, just tolerated.
I already have the right to live in Australia, which is great place to live in except for climate and cost of living. The negatives apply to the mainland. Tasmania, where I lived for 6 months, is cooler and housing much less expensive than the mainland and so is on my radar.
I have an experience of living in Andalucia, Spain. It was a marvellous time - I studied, communicated with Erasmus community, went to parties, went to different towns of Andalucia. Products there are very cheap, and the weather in autumn and winter is amazing
Yes to California! But I'd opt for the Bay Area of San Francisco, with easy access to the Marin Headlands and the coast further north. Such a shame I don't have the visa any more...
Helen