I'm just wondering if anyone has made a permenant move like this, and if so where to? What were the hardest adjustments? What are the best things and the worst, i'm just trying to get an overall idea of what kind of change this is? Do you have kids? How did it affect them?

Even if you've had long term stays in USA and another country, maybe you could contribute to my questions?

Thanks so much!!

Well, I have lived on three different continents.
I actually moved from South America, to Europe and then to the US.
Currently contemplating moving back to Europe.

The biggest thing to consider is the language. Do you know it?? will you be able to learn it?? It all depends on where you would be moving to. Learning Spanish or German is a lot easier than learning Mandarin on Japanese.

I was a child when I made all of those move, I was 10 when we finally moved to the US.
I think its great for a child. Really widens their perspective as a human being and also about how people might be different but still the same.

Of course the economy and finding a job should be at the top of the list of considerations.

Are you contemplating making the move??

How much of a change it will be really depends on where you are moving to.
Moving from the US to England of course would be a lot easier then moving say south Africa or Russia.

Yes I guess I should Have said that.

Looking at UK, Ireland, Australia, ...we only know english, so we would have to go where we could still communicate LOL. I never thoiught I would want to leave this country, it's just something we are looking at as an option, and figured I could get more personel feelings from people here.
Thanks again

Teri -

Do you plan on caking there, too? You have to remember that American-style cakes are not the norm in any of those countries. Nor are ingredient measurements. For instance, I believe that tablespoon and cup measures in Australia is of more volume than those here in the USA.

And then you have heat/humidity factors to deal with. What works here might not work there.

And forget cake mixes - they all but do not exist there.

As for me, if I had the money, I would go in a heartbeat, especially to Europe. I am trained in 5 foreign languages, so communicating would not be a problem. Between the history, the architecture, and the museums, I would be in my own version of heaven. I'd even give up caking - I'd rather take a puddle-jumper flight to other parts of the continent, and see what I've never seen before. I would sit in a Paris cafe, drinking French-roast coffee and eat pastries until I burst.

Theresa

Caking is only a funtime for me. Since I broke my neck almost 2 yrs ago I don't get to do much though. So it's not a major factor. If I do want to do it I would be willing to relearn everything though. Not too worried about mixes, I like them, but I also love cooking from scratch. As it is I only bake for friends, family and when our church asks.
I could sure live at a cafe eating pastries too
The UK is looking most appealing. I have a 10,12, and almost 17 yr old, so i'm also wondering what things are like for kids.

Hi Teri,
Gosh, where do I start? I moved from the US to the UK six years ago and I'm still here. I married an American working here who has no real intention of returning to the states. (He as a very permanent attitude, whereas I would like to return to the states at some point.) I have a step-son, and we have two children from our marriage... all of them born in the UK.

There are so many things to consider. In reality I think you need to seriously look at the employment opportunities in the countries that you are considering and at the immigration rules and quotas of those countries. (You will find that being employed by a US company, posted in a foreign country involves a LOT less red tape.) You also need to get a good feel for the economics and cost of living in a country so that you can determine what salary you require. (I know more than one person who underestimated the UK cost of living and accepted salaries that didn't go nearly as far as they expected.)

Regarding the countries that you mentioned, don't underestimate the cultural differences. When I moved here I thought it would be relatively easy because we speak the same language. Was I wrong! Subtle nuances of the language have caught me more than once, but what is harder is that my UK counterparts don't share the same frames of reference. We grew up with different influences, our educational systems are slightly different, and our social mannerisms are just different enough that I am aware of it.

Regarding your children, assuming that they don't have any particular special needs, I think you might be surprised at how well they adjust. But if you have specialized educational or medical needs be very careful. Many Americans have a higher expectation of specialized services than may be available. (I speak from experience at having one child with special ed needs and another who had special medical needs early in life. Both would have been easier to obtain in the US.)

It's been challenging, but worth it. There is so much to think about. Please don't hesitate to PM me with questions, or if you would just like to know more about our experiences.

Ann

We lived in Belgium for 3 years. You don't know what you've got till its gone is all I can say.
There is no such thing as running to the 24 hour Wal Mart to pick up some qtips,wind shiled washer fulid and diapers at 2am in Europe they don't have all the convenience we are used to here.
That's what I missed the most.

It took us bit to get used the food as there ways of eating are different from ours.
We were there with the Army so we still had access to American food.
Our kids were 3 and 1 when we moved there they went to school with Belgium teachers so they learned French which was pretty cool.

remember flying over to see family will not be cheap so the trips to grandmas on Thanksgiving will not be as easy as they are now. We didn't see family for 3 years until we came home.

Also we had only each other over there me and hubby, we grew closer but it was also hard when you needed a shoulder to lean on I couldn't just drive to my BFF's to vent.
Its a hard decision to make good luck!

i live in the uk. i like it, id rather live here than the us, but i would like to move to canada for a bit! went and worked there for 5 months, which isnt the same as moving forever, but still. i loved it, it was worth the sacrifices.
i went on my own, so i didnt have the immediate family to worry about, but it would have been tough leaving the rest of my family for a lot longer. so that definatly needs weighing up, but theres a lot of ways to keep in touch, and if you are in/ near a major city, hopefully cheap flights too.
i think the thing is everything is different in little ways. like food is still the same (depends which country you are in tho), but you dont know what the good brands are.
things for kids are pretty good id say, but you do need good parents too, in some bits of the uk (i guess like the us too though), its easier to get in trouble than other parts, sex education is still pretty woeful here, so you need to be doing a good job, as im sure u are already! the bright side is that although we think uni is very expensive, compared to the states, its a bargin!
xx