Question for the Europeans: why choose the US over Europe?

[gregcrs2 1,778]

Let's face reality...the whole world's a mess!

[TabeaK 517]

Let's face reality...the whole world's a mess!

Yep, much more concise than the point I was trying to make.

[millefleur 5,047]

Let's face reality...the whole world's a mess!

Seriously! I apologize as an American that we have only Hillary and Trump to choose from this election...please don't blame us, really, I barely know anyone who would've picked either of them! Politics are weird.

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

Seriously! I apologize as an American that we have only Hillary and Trump to choose from this election...please don't blame us, really, I barely know anyone who would've picked either of them! Politics are weird.

Ummm Johnson? Stein? Want the political system to change, then vote for people who want to do something different.

[millefleur 5,047]

Ummm Johnson? Stein? Want the political system to change, then vote for people who want to do something different.

Yes, yes.....I've been thinking about it seriously. I'm a big believer in third parties. But I'm voting in Florida and I feel like there's A LOT more pressure on me because of the whole "swing state" thing...my dad (also in Florida) is equally torn up about it. Sorry for getting off topic, guys.

[Scandi 4,173]

I'd much rather stay in Sweden because of the health care system and other benefits you get from paying high taxes. It just makes me feel safer, and we could even afford to have children in Sweden. In the US.. not so much..

But I don't have a fulltime, stable job in Sweden. I have an old, small apartment and a crappy car.

He on the other hand has a house, his own company, two dogs and a family situation that makes it harder for him to move than it is for me. He'd also have a hard time to find a job in Sweden since he doesn't speak the language, another reason for me to move instead of him.

So basically, I'll sacrifice my security here to move to the US to be with him because I'm still the one who has less to lose by moving. Oh the things you do for love..

[Unidentified 2,930]

I'd much rather stay in Sweden because of the health care system and other benefits you get from paying high taxes. It just makes me feel safer, and we could even afford to have children in Sweden. In the US.. not so much..

But I don't have a fulltime, stable job in Sweden. I have an old, small apartment and a crappy car.

He on the other hand has a house, his own company, two dogs and a family situation that makes it harder for him to move than it is for me. He'd also have a hard time to find a job in Sweden since he doesn't speak the language, another reason for me to move instead of him.

So basically, I'll sacrifice my security here to move to the US to be with him because I'm still the one who has less to lose by moving. Oh the things you do for love..

That was my situation to until I realized the healthcare seems to be pretty decent once you find a good insurance and in a lot of ways it's actually better than in Sweden. In Sweden you get healthcare for "free" but the quality sucks.

The whole affording kids thing does not look promising.... We need to get far away from DC if we are ever going to afford having kids and still have the lifestyle we want.

So yeah, we do a lot of sacrificing to be with our loved ones

[TabeaK 517]

I'd much rather stay in Sweden because of the health care system and other benefits you get from paying high taxes. It just makes me feel safer, and we could even afford to have children in Sweden. In the US.. not so much..

But I don't have a fulltime, stable job in Sweden. I have an old, small apartment and a crappy car.

He on the other hand has a house, his own company, two dogs and a family situation that makes it harder for him to move than it is for me. He'd also have a hard time to find a job in Sweden since he doesn't speak the language, another reason for me to move instead of him.

So basically, I'll sacrifice my security here to move to the US to be with him because I'm still the one who has less to lose by moving. Oh the things you do for love..

This...a million times.

[millefleur 5,047]

I'd much rather stay in Sweden because of the health care system and other benefits you get from paying high taxes. It just makes me feel safer, and we could even afford to have children in Sweden. In the US.. not so much..

But I don't have a fulltime, stable job in Sweden. I have an old, small apartment and a crappy car.

He on the other hand has a house, his own company, two dogs and a family situation that makes it harder for him to move than it is for me. He'd also have a hard time to find a job in Sweden since he doesn't speak the language, another reason for me to move instead of him.

So basically, I'll sacrifice my security here to move to the US to be with him because I'm still the one who has less to lose by moving. Oh the things you do for love..

Hm, your situation in the US sounds not too bad! Having kids in the US is doable. Or at least I'm hoping it is because that's my plan, heh...don't make me feel discouraged here. I'm sure there are some benefits in Sweden for having kids that don't exist in the US, but people do find ways to make it work.

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

The whole affording kids thing does not look promising.... We need to get far away from DC if we are ever going to afford having kids and still have the lifestyle we want.

This is definitely location based. We can easily afford our two plus the hopefully more to come on our meager income. Now that we've got all the baby gear and the cloth diapers, a third child would cost us basically nothing and increase our tax deductions.

Edited September 18, 2016 by N-o-l-a

[yuna628 9,689]

Like JFH, living together in the UK has proved to be a challenge we simply are not able to overcome because of immigration rules purposefully put into place to be restrictive. We would, I think personally be a lot happier in the UK, and I will always consider it my second home, even if it should not welcome me and my husband no longer. It was a difficult choice for my husband, and at the same time, he tells me it was a necessary choice for love.

The UK has many aspects to love and many aspects to loathe.. each providing their own challenges and difficulties.

He has been coming to the US for years now, so he is well acclimated to our culture and how things operate. It always throws him how friendly people are, and usually it will just be the little things he will consider oddities now. After leaving the UK, there are more and more things about his country that disturbs him... and he and I both recognize that there is a movement spreading through Europe that is destructive to the soul of it's society. We are not immune to it in America either, though I believe in time the youth and younger adults will be pushing us into a more inclusive and honest direction. Those in Europe always ask me fearfully about what is going on in America... sometimes I do wonder if they haven't realized that the same thing is also going on in their own back yards. He worries for those he has left behind, but is pushing forward with American life.

We currently live in not the best of an area culturally, nor a place we really consider home (we are both city folk and this is very hardcore country). We plan to move eventually to a location better suited. Living in America gives him opportunities he would be unable to pursue in his own country and experiences he would never have had. Life will not be exactly better here in some regards, but we don't believe it will be worse, and there are many aspects that will be improvements.

Edited September 18, 2016 by yuna628

[Unidentified 2,930]

This is definitely location based. We can easily afford our two plus the hopefully more to come on our meager income. Now that we've got all the baby gear and the cloth diapers, a third child would cost us basically nothing and increase our tax deductions.

Yes that is absolutely true. And living near DC is just not going to work out for us even though my husband has a pretty well paying job. So we are trying to find him another job somewhere cheaper.

We could afford having a child right now, but then we'd have to say bye bye to certain things. One thing I am not ready to give up is the ability to go back to Sweden at least once a year to see my mother who is not exactly getting younger and she refuses to come visit me

[millefleur 5,047]

That was my situation to until I realized the healthcare seems to be pretty decent once you find a good insurance and in a lot of ways it's actually better than in Sweden. In Sweden you get healthcare for "free" but the quality sucks.

The whole affording kids thing does not look promising.... We need to get far away from DC if we are ever going to afford having kids and still have the lifestyle we want.

So yeah, we do a lot of sacrificing to be with our loved ones

Having kids in a big city in the US....yeah, probably not the easiest unless you're rolling in the dough. I get that. But I think in other areas it's still doable.... (I HOPE.)

I think having reliable family members around (regardless of what country) really adds to that, so for some people that might be a deciding factor.

[Unidentified 2,930]

Having kids in a big city in the US....yeah, probably not the easiest unless you're rolling in the dough. I get that. But I think in other areas it's still doable.... (I HOPE.)

I think having reliable family members around (regardless of what country) really adds to that, so for some people that might be a deciding factor.

Yes it depends on where you live. And we live outside DC and we have no family around. Mine is in Sweden and his is spread around the US in Maine, California, Texas and Florida So yeah, we're trying to move.

[millefleur 5,047]

Yes it depends on where you live. And we live outside DC and we have no family around. Mine is in Sweden and his is spread around the US in Maine, California, Texas and Florida So yeah, we're trying to move.

My family has been spread around the US (and the WORLD) for ages and that's actually one of the reasons why my sister and I are moving back: my brother passed away two years ago and both my sister and I decided that we all want to live near each other again, so our plan is to be in the same city with our mom.

We're all going to end up in the Pacific-Northwest, which is where my mom is now. Sure, it has some negative factors too (rainy, expensive, even farther far from Europe/Russia-and thus far from in-laws) but for us we all just want to be together again. You have to pick somewhere and take the good with the bad and be happy to have each other. That's what matters to us now.

Good luck finding a place to move to! Sounds like you have a lot of options.