Nice and very helpful. Considering the way things are going in the US, I'm thinking of moving to a different country.
I lived in Graz, Austria for 6 weeks, studying opera. I remember sitting in the bank, seeing a guy with his boxer (dog) at the teller window, and thinking there's a dog in the bank. Then, I remembered leashed dogs are allowed everywhere in Austria, at least Graz. They did have to muzzle the dogs on the streetcars.
I lived in Germany for 7 years in my 20s. It became home in such a way that when I came back to the U.S. to visit family I would 1) get homesick for Germany and 2) experience culture shock when I came back once every year or so. It's been a long time since then but I still miss the lifestyle. Every time, I go back to visit Europe, I wonder when I will move back.
Decisions have consequences. No matter what you do, what you decide, or where you go, you will miss something or someone. Whoever told you that you can have it all was lying. I miss Europe, but when I was there I missed my family and friends. There's no perfect place or solution. Make the best decision you can, live with the consequences, and don't look back. Enjoy what's in front of you, because you can "what if" yourself to death.
Reading this ended up being a rather painful reminder of the extreme precariousness of my own situation. Oddly, as a veteran, health care is the least of my worries. Less oddly, as a veteran, I'm in a group that has a statistically higher percentage of its members on the homeless rolls than many other groups -- a problem that Europe is much better at addressing than the US.
Stacey, you hit on all the same things I would have.
One clarification:
It is theoretically possible for Americans to get a Work Visa (and people with Student Visas can work up to 20 hours/week).
Howeever, the key word is "theoretically."
Work Visas are limited by an annual quota called the decreto flussi. Ten years ago, Italy used to issue hundreds of thousands of work visas. That era is long gone. Now its in the tens of thousands. And the vast lion's share of those are reserved for seasonal work in agriculture, construction, and lodging services. And most of those are set aside for people from two dozen countries with special agreements.the U.S. is not one.
Once you deduct out all the set-asides, the remaining number is in the single digot thousands. For Self-Employment visas, the number is 500. Yep, only 500. Globally.
Applicants from all 160 non-EU countries compete for these small numbers.
Not impossible to get a Work Visa, but highly improbable.
One good thing. After living here for 5 years, we are eligible to receive our Permanent Residency Permesso (Permesso di Soggiorno Illimitata). That allows us to work.
My wife just got a teaching offer at a local university. And I can do consulting if I wish.
Nice and very helpful. Considering the way things are going in the US, I'm thinking of moving to a different country.
I lived in Graz, Austria for 6 weeks, studying opera. I remember sitting in the bank, seeing a guy with his boxer (dog) at the teller window, and thinking there's a dog in the bank. Then, I remembered leashed dogs are allowed everywhere in Austria, at least Graz. They did have to muzzle the dogs on the streetcars.
I lived in Germany for 7 years in my 20s. It became home in such a way that when I came back to the U.S. to visit family I would 1) get homesick for Germany and 2) experience culture shock when I came back once every year or so. It's been a long time since then but I still miss the lifestyle. Every time, I go back to visit Europe, I wonder when I will move back.
Decisions have consequences. No matter what you do, what you decide, or where you go, you will miss something or someone. Whoever told you that you can have it all was lying. I miss Europe, but when I was there I missed my family and friends. There's no perfect place or solution. Make the best decision you can, live with the consequences, and don't look back. Enjoy what's in front of you, because you can "what if" yourself to death.
Reading this ended up being a rather painful reminder of the extreme precariousness of my own situation. Oddly, as a veteran, health care is the least of my worries. Less oddly, as a veteran, I'm in a group that has a statistically higher percentage of its members on the homeless rolls than many other groups -- a problem that Europe is much better at addressing than the US.
Stacey, you hit on all the same things I would have.
One clarification:
It is theoretically possible for Americans to get a Work Visa (and people with Student Visas can work up to 20 hours/week).
Howeever, the key word is "theoretically."
Work Visas are limited by an annual quota called the decreto flussi. Ten years ago, Italy used to issue hundreds of thousands of work visas. That era is long gone. Now its in the tens of thousands. And the vast lion's share of those are reserved for seasonal work in agriculture, construction, and lodging services. And most of those are set aside for people from two dozen countries with special agreements.the U.S. is not one.
Once you deduct out all the set-asides, the remaining number is in the single digot thousands. For Self-Employment visas, the number is 500. Yep, only 500. Globally.
Applicants from all 160 non-EU countries compete for these small numbers.
Not impossible to get a Work Visa, but highly improbable.
One good thing. After living here for 5 years, we are eligible to receive our Permanent Residency Permesso (Permesso di Soggiorno Illimitata). That allows us to work.
My wife just got a teaching offer at a local university. And I can do consulting if I wish.
Just love this one! You weave a great yarn on the subject with facts, humor and lots of charm!