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I have been here in Bonn specifically for a year (came from Iran), and I have made a few good friends so far. However, the problem is that I still don't feel at home here. I'm trying to improve my social skills every day, but at the end of the day, I still feel like a foreigner and most of my friends are internationals and not Germans. I'm frustrated at this point and not sure what to do. my overall plan so far is to change my city to Berlin after my studies, but not sure whether this problem will stick to me. how can I overcome it? is it the city? the culture? the country? or is it only me?

PS: I thought before that it was because my German is not that good (although Germans speak perfect English) but I talked to some people who have a very high German language level and still have the same problem

Me and my girlfriend are planning on emigrating from Ireland to elsewhere in Europe but comparing countries is very difficult online so we are looking for some perspective.

We are emigrating because Ireland's cost of living is insane, we will probably be living with our parents or with housemates till we are in our 30's at this stage, slight exaggeration, and the weather is very unfortunate for our outdoor interests, we are very limited by time, and often when we do have free time the weather is unfavourable. We are foreigners to Ireland as well.

France is on the list as it appears to have a rich culture, great quality of life, the housing crisis appears to be global but some have suggested it's not as bad as Ireland, and ofcourse, weather seems to be much more seasonal. There's a lot of discourse on how unfriendly French people are, but I've engaged in discourse with a few French people and haven't had anything negative to say about our interactions. We are not moving to Paris, clarifying that as I've read many people post about their experiences specific to moving to Paris.

That said, it is very difficult to compare Pros and Cons based entirely on online "guides" that often conflict with eachother without actually experiencing the country. Some claiming France to be incredibly dangerous, others claiming only certain parts of France are dangerous, and other claiming that it's mostly pickpocketing and scams. As mentioned previously, there's a huge conversation on how French people are unfriendly and rude but I haven't experienced that personally.

We are not planning on emigrating any time soon, 2 years minimum. We'd like to visit first, and ofcourse prepare ourselves with things such as the native language whether it's France or elsewhere.

We'd appreciate to gain some perspective from people who live in France or have visited frequently.

Hello guys, i am an expat that lives in Macedonia who is working in IT business and i recently got sick on a level that i probably need to go to an hospital.
Something like that never happened before so i never needed an insurance but this time i think i need it for sure.
My question is which company is best out there for getting it and is it gonna cover 100% of the expenses in the hospital including the diagnosis, treatment etc.

Hi everyone! I have a question for fellow foreign language learners: do you feel like you are less judgemental when speaking a foreign language, because you don't pick up on certain cues such as accent/dialect/words that might signal belonging to a certain subculture or ideology? Or are you more judgemental? At what point in your language journey did you feel this changed? Do you think it is a good or a bad thing? Would love to hear your input!

A bit more about me and how I started thinking about this topic myself: I'm Dutch but I've lived in France on and off for 3,5 years now. My French is fluent, my work is in French, etc. but I still don't feel like I fully "know" people when they speak French. We're having drinks, having a nice time, but then the thought pops up: would I even like these people if we were speaking Dutch? I feel like we often talk about the other side (I can't fully be myself in this language > I'm less funny/intelligent in this language), but would like to hear more about the perception side of things. 

What insurance companies are you all using for medical care in the country you’re living in? Pros? Cons?

Hey everyone! I’d appreciate some advice on traveling with my cat, who originally came from Serbia. Here’s the full story:

Background:

• My cat arrived from Serbia to France last year. At that time, everything was up to date: he had his Serbian pet passport, was microchipped, received his rabies vaccination, and passed a rabies titer test—all in line with EU requirements for non-EU animals.
• After moving to France, I didn’t get around to renewing his rabies booster on time. As a result, when I eventually went to the vet, I was told we’d have to start the rabies vaccination process from scratch (a new primary vaccine, rather than a simple booster).
• On October 2nd, he received this new primary rabies vaccine in France, and I plan to travel to Poland on November 2nd—exactly 30 days after this vaccination.
• I’m currently based in France, and the original Serbian passport still contains all his initial vaccinations and rabies titer test records, but now his updated rabies shot isn’t linked to any EU documentation.
• He's also registered to ICAD

Now, I’d like to travel to Poland with him, and I’m unsure about the following:

Questions:

1. Is the Serbian pet passport enough for travel within the EU, or do I need an EU pet passport?
2. Can a French vet transfer his Serbian vaccination and titer test records to an EU pet passport, even if the rabies booster wasn’t done on time?
3. Should I carry both his Serbian and EU passports if I get him an EU one, or would just the EU passport be acceptable at the airport?
4. Was I supposed to redo the rabies titer test after the primary vaccine restart? Since his initial titer test was done in Serbia, I’m not sure if the new vaccination would require another test for EU travel.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

I'm 28, divorced twice, no kids, no family. I have a successful career as a engineer. but I don't feel free. I want true freedom. I'm not happy. I want to get out of this 9 to 5 life. I get $4,000 (infinflation adjusted) a month for the rest of my life from a pension. should I move to el pablado in medellin and live like a king for a few years? any suggestions? I'm open to anything. I was also thinking poland or Eastern Europe. idk what I'm doing. please HELP!

About to have our 2 year anniversary of being back "home" in NZ after 7 years in the UK. I still feel as homesick for London as I did the first day. I am trying to be patient but feel so disconnected and discouraged.

Both being kiwis we always assumed we'd be back eventually but now I'm thinking we should have been more considered in that decision.

Cost of living is so high and even with a modest home and well-paying jobs our mortgage is so crippling we can't seem to get ahead let alone sensibly spend on anything like a holiday. Travel is off the table which is a huge adjustment after living so close to Europe and traveling every other month (outside of Covid). We are really stuck in the grind.

Jobs are so-so for both of us - fine, but nothing special. In the UK there were tons more exciting opportunities.

We're not super "nature" people so we don't feel a need to be near a beach or to be able to camp or tramp. Auckland feels like just another city, but one without a lot of stuff going on. London felt like an adventure every day, just living there - I adored it.

The main reason we moved back was for family but we hardly see the extended family beyond my parents. My sister and her family live 45 minutes away - same city, but it is not a small feat to get together especially as we both have young kids.

Moving back to the UK, while of course technically an option, feels so high stakes with 2 young kids who are now settled here and feeling like it would destroy my parents who waited for so long for us to come home with their grand babies. Moving to another NZ city or to Aus would feel like we completely defeated the purpose of coming back at all.

Have we just come back at a bad time for the country, as many people tell us, and would it be just as bad wherever we were?

Feeling so stuck and helpless, and hoping someone here can offer some words of wisdom 🙏

US expat / Living in France

I mailed in my absentee ballot request and didn’t put my permanent address abroad in the temporary address section (confusing language). I got an email asking me to correct it and send it back. I called the office to make sure I could send the corrected request in via email and was told I could. I still have not received my absentee ballot via email. I have since bought a ticket to be home next week to visit family. Can I just go vote in person even if I normally live abroad? I think I have done this once in the past and it was fine. My voter registration should be up to date. My parents live in Georgia so I really want to help make it blue!!

Purchasing a home in Spain British and Spanish couple

Hey everyone, myself (British) and my partner (Spanish) both live and work abroad in Australia. We plan to move to Spain in the upcoming years and intend to purchase a property before (if possible) or when we move.

My partner is a Spanish citizen, I am a post-brexit British citizen, what are the tax implications or purchase implications for us?

Is it going to be possible to get a bank loan from a Spanish bank prior to moving (on our Australian salary)?

If yes how difficult is that process?

Can we both be on the same loan (as one non resident and one resident)?

Is it worth while for my partner to be the named/main person on the loan/property?

What is the best/most sensible cause of action for getting a loan/property with regards to our different citizenships?

Any advice is welcomed. Many thanks!

For anyone thats moved to Perth, from North America, how has life been? What have you liked/disliked?

I (F23) moved to New Zealand a year and a few months ago on a working holiday visa from the US. I was able to extend my visa here, but I am looking for a new adventure. My partner (Kiwi) and I want to move abroad in May of 2025. We are considering Australia, Canada, and the UK. From what I’ve found so far, it will be fairly easy (as far as immigration goes) for him to get a visa in these countries as they have working holiday schemes for NZ passports. However, for both Canada and the UK, it seems as though I will have to have a job offer on more of a skilled worker visa. I am just coming here to ask about other peoples experience emigrating from the US to these countries, what visas they’ve gone on, or if they have any tips about anything I might have missed in my search so far! Thanks! Happy to provide more info.

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on how to readjust or change my mindset after moving to the UK from US last week.

I moved primarily for my long distance relationship, but we broke up right before my move and it was too late to cancel the job relocation process. I stayed with my company, but changed positions. The first few days I was excited, and then it hit me that I made a mistake.. my new job is really bad— no communication from management, no assignments I just have to sit in the office until really late, because US hours without a job to do (I talked to the new manager but he isn’t concerned, he is based in US). I’m getting more interest from my old team, and unfortunately I can switch back :(

All I see are groups of friends enjoying pubs and things to do, while I’m here alone. I tried using a dating app, and let’s just say I won’t be successful here- while back home I could at least talk to people, here it’s all rejection.

Can someone please share their experiences, does it get better? How can I reframe this experience to make the most of it? I know it’s only been a week, but such a bad start so far. I have to stay for a full year, otherwise I’ll have to repay relocation costs to my company sigh.

So I have a degree in medical biochemistry from Faculty of pharmacy in Belgrade Serbia. We want to move to Salzburg and I don't know if they acknowledge my degree. The problem is that at the pharmaceutical faculties in EU (except Slovenia) you don't have medical biochemistry. You need to finish Faculty of medicine and that something like residency in medical biochemistry. I'm not sure. In Serbia I can work in laboratory in hospitals, private laboratories and basically any pharmaceutical companies. If anyone can help me with anything please feel free to contact me. Thank you

What spousal relocation support services are reasonably expected when relocating overseas for a job with your current employer? What are examples of spousal support that can be negotiated?

Not sure if this is the best subreddit for this. Please let me know. I feel privileged to have this dilemma but don’t want to mess up and make the wrong decision

I (30yrs) am a SINK focused on investing to be work-optional/retired in 12-15 years. In the meantime, getting green card and citizenship to remain in the US permanently

I recently got a job offer to relocate to the Netherlands on a permanent contract. From my research, I should be able to maintain my quality of life even with the lower salary

This is not a complete list of pros/cons of Netherlands. Let me know what you think

Pros: less divisive political climate. Easier/cheaper to travel in the EU. More certain and faster path to citizenship. Better work life balance and vacation hours

Cons: weather( I’m originally from warm climate and scared of seasonal depression), family and timezone (will be far from family in US and a parent is getting treatment for chronic illness here), language barrier, may need to push back retirement goal due to lower salary and high taxes.

Edit: thanks to all for sharing. There’s been a lot of responses so wouldn’t be able to reply to each anymore but I appreciate any insight - good or bad. Please feel free to add any more comments as it may help others too

I have lived in a few countries, but the last move just felt wrong from day one. I would love to hear your story!

Hi all,

First, I'm posting for a friend of mine bc she doesn't use reddit and she asked for my help.

She's an acupuncturist with an LAc license from California. I'm not sure if this will matter for country regulations

She's looking to leave the US to somewhere warm and she might want to continue practicing acupuncture.

Two separate questions:

Suggestions of lcol areas in warm/tropical places close to the US (central / south America) but might also be interested in India since she's spent some time there?

Suggestions of healing clinics/center, or areas/cities/towns where she might be able to start up a practice (areas with people open to acupuncture), in warm/tropical places close to the US (central / south America)?

Any advice would be helpful!

Thank you!

Hi,

Im trying to move for a short period of time (3 months) from Denmark to Spain, keeping my full-time job I have with a Danish firm and work remotely.

Has anybody done something similar and what would be the implications for CPR, Skat and the state in general?

if I move out of my apartment, do I need an address and CPR for these 3 months anyway? Do I need to declare to Skat that I am not in Denmark for these 3 months? Do I need to tell my bank? Do I need to pay double tax? I have a regular full time contract in Denmark and will not change it during this period.

Any ideas what to do during the holidays? I’m in the Philippines rn, i only have one expat friend here for school that I’m not sure what she’s doing but she also has family here and the other people I’m friends with are either going home or are from here and probably going home too lol.

I’m not super homesick since I haven’t really celebrated since I was like 13/14 and haven’t been home for holidays since i was 18 but it would be nice to have people to hang out with during that time. Tempted to take the time to visit another country in Asia but it would probably just be the same sitch since people would be celebrating there and things might start to close as well.

What do y’all do during holidays?

Edit: that friend is heading back too 😭🔫 l

I’ve been living in England by myself from the age of 16 (I’m 25 now) and I’ve started thinking about going back to Italy when I’m a bit older and I can afford to live there comfortably. I was just wondering about other Italian people’s experience living here. Do you like it? Do you also want to go back home? I’m a weird situation because I’m half English and I never fit in well in Italy but now that I’m older, I don’t really care about that and the nature and food back home is so important to me that one day I hope I can permanently be reunited with it. Living in England has been really good so far but there is definitely a lot of important stuff missing, everyone knows it’s quite gloomy here and very work/money obsessed. I’d love to hear other Italian people’s perspectives, the Italian friends I’ve got here definitely miss home a lot and want to eventually go back like I do.

Hi there ! I have a complex situation that would appreciate your help. So I'm moving to Berlin soon (currently living in the UK), but I have a cat. Due to my lease contract limitation and visa limitation I need to return to my home country (neither UK nor Europe) before moving to Berlin (and I cannot enter Europe at the moment). so currently the plan is : I will ask a friend living in Italy to take care of my cat during the interim (he will come to the UK to get my cat to take back to his place in Italy), then I'll go back to my home country, and come back to Europe, when I find a place in Berlin, I can go and get my cat (which might take about one month and a half). That means I cannot follow the EU rules of travelling with pets (As a rule, pets must travel with their owners; however, you may give written permission to another person to accompany your pet for you. AND You must however be reunited your pet within 5 days of its relocation.) I wonder if anyone had previous experience in this regard or have any knowledge on this about what I could do, thank you so much !

I (27f) moved to a new country 6 months ago after travelling the world for 3 years. It is only now that I have started to settle into this new country that I am absolutely longing to be back in my home country. It is more beneficial financially to stay where I am, and my partner is from here, but I miss my family, the scenery and culture of home. I always thought I would eventually move back. Can you get over this? How do you get past wanting to be home??

Me and my partner are from Eastern Europe and 8 years ago we moved to a country in N-W Europe. It was a big decision for me to move, even though I wanted to experience a different country (I always had the drive to go out), culture, but the job I found here initially didn't make me happy. However, after a lot of effort I managed to adapt, earn decent money, I got to the point where I love where I am now, I feel much better here (mentally). I feel I belong to this culture and I found my peace here. Of course I get homesick after every visit to my family. I miss my family and I have always had a great relationship with them. Even though it's only a 3 hour flight plus other 3 hours by train or car, I could only manage to see them a few times a year. They managed to visit us a few times too. I think it's quite decent, but since I have my son I regret that he doesn't get to spend more time with his grandparents. I tried to convince my parents and grandma to move here, my grandma is in her 90s and obviously doesn't want :)) I wanted to support them financially, but they just don't want to depend on me. They don't have many friends anyway, but they're so attached to the mess in that country, that living in a civilized place is scaring them:)) initially, they liked the idea. When I got serious about it, they just rejected any further discussion. If I tell them that my son would have a better future here, it's silence. They hope I go back there.

On the other hand, I don't feel the need to get more involved here like to buy a house or settle for good. I don't know, I feel I'm stuck in a state where I don't belong to any of the places. I love it here but I'm obviously an alien and I have my fears about settling for good, plus the fact that I don't know how I will manage my family when they will get older. I don't want to abandon them. I know that we're going to be more stuck and with less options as we grow older. Sometimes I regret that I even moved. I had the chance of living in a good place, but any decision I take would break my heart.

I have huge fears about going back. Unstable politics and economy, corruption, issues in healthcare, basically I'm still young, and I fear getting old in that country or raising my child there. Of course I would keep my connections here so I would be able to go back anytime but I know that as we age, we get more stuck and with less options.

I kinda enjoy the current status but I know sooner or later I need to make a decision because we have a small child and by the time he's in school age, it will be harder to move.

Now, my partner. He was very enthusiastic in the beginning but in the end he didn't have much luck with work and ended up changing many jobs, went through a lot of stress, he's doing good now, but desperately wants to move back. He somehow switches from wanting to settle here and wanting to just leave everything and go back. He's in the mood of going back now.

I know I should think about everyone and always put family first, and of course I will always do. But it will be very difficult for me.

Sorry if I seem a bit incoherent, I'm on the phone. Wondering if others have similar issues or if anyone sees a better option.

My husband died in February quite unexpectedly while we were on vacation. It was a very painful and sudden death and the last hour of his life is haunting me. The doctor who was treating never called an ambulance has now been charged with negligent homicide by the police.

I’m still kicking myself for believing the doctor when he said he called the ambulance. I could’ve picked up the phone and tried to call the ambulance myself. I know my husband wouldn’t blame me, but I can’t help thinking that I should’ve done more.

I had a lot of cognitive problems for many months after he died, fortunately, those issues have gotten better, but unfortunately what I’m really struggling with now is flashbacks to the last hour of his life.

I know I should find a psychologist. A psychologist friend of mine from Canada told me that it’s important after trauma to see a trauma specialist because trauma, unlike grief, tends to get worse with time. But I live in Berlin and I’ve been looking for months and I can’t find one. I’ve talked to my regular doctor. I’ve written to over 70 psychologists in Germany. I even have doctors in my immediate family and they all tell me that there is a severe shortage of therapists here in Berlin. Unfortunately, for me, my German isn’t really strong enough to be able to talk about the things I need to discuss with the therapist in German. That limits my options even more.

I’m really at a loss a to what to do . I have good days or good hours and then terrible, miserable ones. I know I need to see someone but I’m at a loss to what to do. I get so distracted sometimes with the voices and flashbacks in my head. I’m afraid I’m going to walk into traffic or in front of a tram one of these days.

Before anyone mentions the most typical services in Germany, please be aware that I have already tried almost all of them. The Krisendienst will not see me, and they’re really not the right solution. I need trauma counseling and they don’t offer that. The service where they pair you with recent psychology graduates is also not appropriate for my particular situation, North American therapists, are prohibited by US and Canadian regulations from treating overseas residents. I’ve already spoken to five UK based therapists on BetterHelp. Most of their therapists are also recent graduates, who are mostly looking for hours, and they don’t really have the specialty that I need.

I’m out of options. I don’t know what to do. Some days are fine, but honestly, some days are absolute hell, and unfortunately for me, it’s getting worse.

I'm looking for good websites or apps that will help us through the planning and execution of our emigration. For background, we're planning to relocate from Canada to Europe in the next couple years. My husband and child have Irish citizenship by descent so we're hoping emigrating to the EU will be relatively painless. We may start out living in Ireland but my husband and I have our sights set on Lisbon once our daughter goes off to post-secondary. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Visiting family and friends I haven't seen in nearly a decade now. -really have outgrown family and friends -nothing really has changed.. all seems the same yet everything has changed -seeing random realitives i only saw a handful of times growing up is weird and feels like seeming familiar yet unfamiliar strangers -visting grandparents and talk is all about end of life dying etc

Ugh

I'm a 32 year old US passport holder looking to retire in China in January. I'm not a Chinese citizen despite being born there and speaking the language. Once I arrive in China I will need to apply for a residence permit and pass a health screening exam to stay there. There are many things that can go wrong during the process. If I'm not allowed to stay in China then is it easy to move to Thailand or the Philippines from China. Can I get a Thailand or Philippines visa in China? I don't meet the age requirement for Thailand's or Philippines retirement visa. I'm asking this as a contingency plan, or plan B in case things don't work out in China. I don't want to come back to the US so can the visa paperwork be done in China?

I am an immigrant in the UK, I have been living here for almost 3 years following the graduate visa route. My postgraduate visa expires in about 6 months, but even though I know there is still some time, I am already starting to think about going back to my home country since the search for a job that would sponsor a potential work visa has been exhausting and has taken a toll on my mental health. But I don't see many people on the internet talking about going back home/to their home country after years of living abroad, and I would really, really like to hear more stories and maybe some advice. if you have been through a similar situation, could you help me by telling me a little bit about your experience? I am already going very depressed with the possibility of having to go back home, but I also don't want to stay in the UK sacrificing my career or applying for visas that won't meet my goals.

Been here for years and it has been Too Long. Due to getting ourselves the best shot with visa points for the planned next country me and my partner need to stay here for another year. This year was supposed to be the last one.

I cannot bear it. The misery, the gloomy weather, the culture, the way people are disengaged from everything I value and obsessed with empty consumptionism and drinking, how shit food the is and housing and public services and infrastructure. And how smug and superior and disinterested in other societies people remain 😅

I keep telling myself it’s only a year, but in reality it’s stretching the 10+ years further, a yet another delay and a line in the sand pushed forward. So hard to feel relief/hope at the thought it will finally happen. Plus focus on saving up means no trips abroad to get relief in the meantime. Trips within country are stupid expensive.

The only relief we sort of like our jobs. Social life has been like pulling teeth, culture is sad on your own all the time but 30+ new friends is an extreme sport apparently. Cannot get a pet (renting).

What do? How do you do your best to pull through the last stretch when it was supposed to be over already? We’re meeting with an immigration lwyer to set up a proper plan, maybe that will help. But please share any practical pearls of wisdom if you ever were in my position.

edit; this has turned into a detective post for some, does it matter where i am/going. 😅 it’s about making it through.