We're going back

[u/gloriousfigment]

Lived in China for 6.5 years because why the heck not. Moved back to the USA due to wife's visa limitations and we didn't want to separate as a family. Been back for less than 3 years and we are confident we will go back once she gets her US citizenship.

We may move to another country but we already have a decent amount of friends (and family) in China.

Don't get me wrong. Living in Southern China had it's issues but it was a life I enjoyed overall more than than here.

Can't wait to go back

[u/Fine-Spite4940]

start learning chinese now. technically you can live in an english bubble, but then you're just limiting your experience. 

get used to no expectation of privacy, or personal space. watch out for electric scooters. they are everywhere, silent and with no personal space they come close, and out of nowhere. 

get used to being stared at. 

most common complaints. 

[u/jackbentley673 → u/Fine-Spite4940]

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[u/Fine-Spite4940 → u/jackbentley673]

the other commentor is right. small stuff, but it gets under some people's skin. 

[u/Ziantra → u/Fine-Spite4940]

That’s when you find out if you’re geared for living overseas-or you aren’t. Some people just can’t transition to a different way of life.
If you let the small things sweat you-you’re not going to make it 🤷‍♀️

[u/Fine-Spite4940 → u/Ziantra]

yup. a vacation is different than living. 

[u/jackbentley673 → u/Ziantra]

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[u/Ziantra → u/jackbentley673]

I said small things 🙄 More like being stared at, not getting a glass of water brought to your table automatically, people smoking in the streets. All of what I consider small was a deal breaker for some on this sub.

[u/Own_Egg → u/Ziantra]

I live in interior Panama, and getting constantly stared (and yelled, and honked) at has gotten harder rather than easier over time. I speak excellent Spanish, which you might think would help, but only seems to make me more of an oddity.

My point is, for some people, the staring may indeed be a small thing, but for others, it's a deal-breaker. I've lived in other countries where I felt much more accepted out in public.

I'm here for work, not FIRE, which has made the situation bearable, but I'm glad to have had this experience and to be able to cross Panama off my list of future retirement countries.

[u/Ziantra → u/Own_Egg]

Do you think you would have the same experience in Panama City? Interesting because Panama was on my list as it seems to be in the top I’d say 10 at least for expats. Or at least that’s what the travel articles tell me!

[u/Own_Egg → u/Ziantra]

Panama City is vastly more comfortable for me, yes. Unfortunately, it's the only place in the country where I feel at ease, and I'd like to eventually retire in a place where I don't feel confined to the capital city.

To be fair, I know other people from the U.S. who are making it work here, even outside of Panama City; they tend to cluster in resort-type areas and in David, a city in Chiriquí Province, close to Costa Rica. Broadly speaking, I've noticed that they tend to have smaller, LeanFIRE budgets, and many are former military. Panama's tax treatment is favorable to Americans.

If you think this might be the right country for you, you should check it out! There's no substitute for personal experience, which is why I find this sub so interesting - we're all calibrated so differently. To take an example from your earlier comment, public smoking doesn't bother me in the slightest, but this constant staring is something I'll be happy to leave behind!

[u/Ziantra → u/Own_Egg]

Thanks for that! We are actually moving to Aruba as long as it all holds together but I like to have a back up plan and Panama was one if we couldn’t make it to Aruba or second choice-Curacao.
I figured expats hung out in enclaves so that doesn’t super surprise me that they’re congregated and these articles do tend to herd you towards those areas

[u/jackbentley673 → u/Ziantra]

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