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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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 Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:25 am Post subject: Giving up on life in the west and moving to Asia |
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New year, new me: �I'm giving up my nine to five and moving to Thailand�
�I remember the actual moment,� says Elly. �We were standing in our kitchen. We had never discussed the idea of moving abroad, but my dad, who lives in Thailand, came to visit. Suddenly it was in our heads. I had also lived in Thailand when I was a teenager. There is nowhere like it, life is much simpler there. Within half an hour we thought 'Let's just do it,' 'We're going to do it'.�
�The plan is to go for six months initially and then see what happens. We'll probably stay there for longer, maybe go to other places in South East Asia, maybe somewhere else in the world, we really don't know. Is this it? I am hoping it is. You never know, but there is no plan whatsoever to come back.�
�We both felt that there is more to life than sitting at a desk for forty years. We reached a point where we had to do something about it. January 2012 was just time.�
http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/i-m-giving-up-my-nine-to-five-and-moving-to-thailand.html |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:45 am Post subject: |
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| They'll have a great few months or years and then realize people around the world are jerks just like back home. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 7:21 am Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| They'll have a great few months or years and then realize people around the world are jerks just like back home. |
Sure thats part of what will happen Steel. The other part could be that they will discover a heck of a lot about themselves!
The other thing is, life in the West is NOT limited to WORKING AT A DESK until you get old...much like life abroad its about choices you make.
Now ESCAPING to Asia hoping it will fix all your worries and erase your life frustrations is an express train ticket to a massive crash! The only constant you take with you when you move is you. That may sound silly but its true. Just because you move abroad, it does not mean your life outlook will be better unless you work to change yourself and break out of your patterns.
Heck a chronic complainer will not stop complaining just because he moves abroad! |
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detonate
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 8:18 am Post subject: |
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Everyone should live abroad for a year or two if they are able. Would give people who haven't even gotten their passport a much better perspective on life.  |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| They'll have a great few months or years and then realize people around the world are jerks just like back home. |
There are no jerks in Thailand. 
Although they are a lot more chill than the average Korean. And I wasn't constantly bumped in Thailand though Bangkok was just as crowded as Seoul in some areas. Although we did get scammed there so I'll take the shoulder bumps and pushing anytime over that. It's amazing how you forget that most of the rest of the world knows how (or prefers) to avoid bumping each other. You can just walk down a street and think 'Ah, this is so easy. People are watching where they are going. Amazing.' Actually I did get bumped once (while standing still even) but it was by a group of Koreans.
I bet Thailand gets a lot of people coming and wanting to stay forever. It is beautiful but it's about to get played out and over saturated with tourists and expats pretty soon.
Funny how Korea rarely gets this kind of reaction. Instead it's more "Hmm, free airfare and apartment? Not my first choice but I guess I can try a year. Jeju-what?"
Sorry for the rants but I'm suddenly missing Thailand right now. |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:08 am Post subject: |
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| PatrickGHBusan wrote: |
| life in the West is NOT limited to WORKING AT A DESK until you get old... |
Rationalising your humdrum predictable existence there I see Homer?. 
Meanwhile the real adventurers among us still live with the daily delights and inter-cultural intrigues that comes from living in an exciting foreign land.
| Quote: |
| Now ESCAPING to Asia hoping it will fix all your worries and erase your life frustrations is an express train ticket to a massive crash! |
A change is as good as a rest so they say. Some people find themselves in a mess, stagnant lives paying off the mortgage or whatever, trapped in the bosses career plan.
For them, abruptly stepping up and out of that situation, into a whole new reality, brings them back to life. It does, in a sense, solve many problems.
| Detonate wrote: |
| Everyone should live abroad for a year or two if they are able. Would give people who haven't even gotten their passport a much better perspective on life. |
absolutely right.
Living abroad for a time should be a right of passage nowadays. But its surprising how many people are just too scared. A lot of people never truly live nor do they expand their awareness and perception of life. I only have to look at some of my facebook friends who are still living in the same places I left them 20 years ago. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:53 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Rationalising your humdrum predictable existence there I see Homer?.
Meanwhile the real adventurers among us still live with the daily delights and inter-cultural intrigues that comes from living in an exciting foreign land. |
Not rationalizing anything but thanks for taking a shot at me as usual....
My job is not boring nor is is predictable and my life outside of work sure is not predictable. Still, you will continue assuming it is so whats the point backpacker?
By the way genius, I lived a few countries, including Korea for 11 years and traveled to many so your little skit on you being an adventurer is hilarious.
Now looking at your posting history one can see numerous bitter rants on Korea. Since you are MR ADVENTURE why not leave the shores of the peninsula behind and go experience exciting inter-cultural experiences in another foreign country? Heck, from your posts, you clearly find Korean culture to be near worthless so odds are you have NO inter-cultural interactions with Korean culture beyond "enduring it".
| Quote: |
A change is as good as a rest so they say. Some people find themselves in a mess, stagnant lives paying off the mortgage or whatever, trapped in the bosses career plan.
For them, abruptly stepping up and out of that situation, into a whole new reality, brings them back to life. It does, in a sense, solve many problems. |
Change is good but change is not the same as escaping to solve problems! Seriously now, living abroad will solve none of your personnal issues, thats up to you to do so. Living abroad can provide a great change of pace and open up a lot of interesting career and life paths. I agree with you there. It sure did for me when I landed in Korea in 1997. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:55 am Post subject: |
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| detonate wrote: |
| Everyone should live abroad for a year or two if they are able. Would give people who haven't even gotten their passport a much better perspective on life. |
It can do wonders for a person's world view and it does provide an interesting perspective on life. So sure, it would be great if everyone could live abroad for a while. Then again, when you do live abroad for a few years you meet so many people who should have never left their home countries! |
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Kwangjuchicken
Joined: 01 Sep 2003
Location: I was abducted by aliens on my way to Korea and forced to be an EFL teacher on this crazy planet.
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| Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:53 pm Post subject: Re: Giving up on life in the west and moving to Asia |
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| Julius wrote: |
New year, new me: �I'm giving up my nine to five and moving to Thailand�
�I remember the actual moment,� says Elly. �We were standing in our kitchen. We had never discussed the idea of moving abroad, but my dad, who lives in Thailand, came to visit. Suddenly it was in our heads. I had also lived in Thailand when I was a teenager. There is nowhere like it, life is much simpler there. Within half an hour we thought 'Let's just do it,' 'We're going to do it'.�
�The plan is to go for six months initially and then see what happens. We'll probably stay there for longer, maybe go to other places in South East Asia, maybe somewhere else in the world, we really don't know. Is this it? I am hoping it is. You never know, but there is no plan whatsoever to come back.�
�We both felt that there is more to life than sitting at a desk for forty years. We reached a point where we had to do something about it. January 2012 was just time.�
http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/i-m-giving-up-my-nine-to-five-and-moving-to-thailand.html |
But what if during those 40 years at a desk in your native country you spend every free second reading and writing posts at Dave's Cafe????? |
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happiness
Joined: 04 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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well, i grad'd uni and worked for a year or so in an unfulfilling job...this was about 95 or so. I had worked with Koreans forever and I always ate the food with them. I grew up with Asian food and neighbors so it was good for me, felt confortable. I got asked to come to Korea, way before it was even a place to go, and it was next to Japan, so I came. Now, 15+ years since my first visit here, and Im still here. I also stayed in Japan for a few years, which I loved, but I knew Korea was a place for me.
I still think theres alot to do here.
I love that massive crash everyone talks of. Im almost 40 and I still havent crashed! Or maybe I have. Thing is, I dont care. I live the life I want, I can be good to my folks, thanks to the internet, I have the things from the US I want. Korea is ok, if youre smart about it (anywhere can be said of that.).
IT takes a certain kind of person to go overseas. It takes an even DIFFERENT kind of person to live at it for a long time.
but fail? I dont think that exists. Crash? IMO if I die, thats a crash. Everything else is possiblilty.
Even if youre older, you can make alot of great chances for yourself. If youre smart about it.
This is part of globalization. no? |
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Skipperoo
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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Young couple goes backpacking.
STOP THE PRESS |
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