3 ms·

Same. It's shifted from an escapist fantasy about getting away from it all to a more literal definition of "escapist fantasy". if it weren't for family & friend

by jghn 1y ago

Same. It's shifted from an escapist fantasy about getting away from it all to a more literal definition of "escapist fantasy". if it weren't for family & friend ties binding us to our geographical area it'd already be a lot more serious. We're not *that* far from a low end FIRE situation, so a move to a more LCOL country could make a ton of sense and escape ... all of this.

Forgeties79 1y ago
I get a lot of grief for it from a few people but the simple fact is it’s gone from an unthinkable possibility to something I would consider a single-digit- percentage possibility. At that point it feels like something I need to at least be moderately prepared for. Especially as someone in the gulf south. It just doesn’t feel very safe down here anymore. Watching ICE roll through in full equipment on armored vehicles during Mardi Gras this year was a serious wake up call. That’s not the kind of show of force you do for shits and giggles. That’s textbook “send them a message.”
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
sippeangelo 1y ago
From an EU perspective I would have been out of there in February. But what is it they say, again? "Grass is always browner on the other side"? It also helps being part of a minority that the sitting regime wants to exterminate to the very definition of the word.
- Forgeties79 1y ago
  It’s not as simple as hopping on a train and leaving. No one in my immediate family has citizenship in another country or some other easy path I can take advantage of. Most countries require you to live months out of the year in that country for years and/or overcome some other major hurdle. Canada filters based on your education, profession, criminal record, etc. and IIRC it takes upwards of 5 years to get citizenship. It’s not like I can just fill out an application, pay a small amount of money, and be done with it. That’s not even considering if you have kids. Whole different ball game. I know you probably know all of this, yet your response is vastly oversimplifying the issue. You would’ve just quit your job, packed up your family and belongings, sold your house if you own one, uprooted your kid(s) if you’re a parent, said goodbye to any friends/family here, and left weeks into the administration for a country you aren’t a citizen of? Just like that? If it was just moving to another state, even though that is also not without its challenges, I could see an argument for that. That’s probably more akin to what it’s like moving around Western Europe/the EU. But permanently leaving the US is no small matter.
  - jghn 1y ago
    Exactly this. I mean, I know I qualify for the golden visa or equivalent in a number of countries in which I'd like to live. But that's *very* different from it making sense for me to turn on a dime and move there. And that's before I consider things like moving away from elderly family, leaving friends, and more. But I've shifted from "it sounds nice to have an expat retirement in one of these places 10-15 years from now" to "I should start looking into what this would look like as the chance I'd want or need to do this sooner is no longer 0%". And that's a huge indictment on the state of affairs here in my mind.
    - Forgeties79 1y ago
      You get it lol. I just want to be in a position where if I need to start making hard decisions I not only can but can quickly.

by jghn 1y ago

Forgeties79 1y ago

I get a lot of grief for it from a few people but the simple fact is it’s gone from an unthinkable possibility to something I would consider a single-digit- percentage possibility. At that point it feels like something I need to at least be moderately prepared for. Especially as someone in the gulf south. It just doesn’t feel very safe down here anymore. Watching ICE roll through in full equipment on armored vehicles during Mardi Gras this year was a serious wake up call. That’s not the kind of show of force you do for shits and giggles. That’s textbook “send them a message.”

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

sippeangelo 1y ago

From an EU perspective I would have been out of there in February. But what is it they say, again? "Grass is always browner on the other side"? It also helps being part of a minority that the sitting regime wants to exterminate to the very definition of the word.

Forgeties79 1y ago
It’s not as simple as hopping on a train and leaving. No one in my immediate family has citizenship in another country or some other easy path I can take advantage of. Most countries require you to live months out of the year in that country for years and/or overcome some other major hurdle. Canada filters based on your education, profession, criminal record, etc. and IIRC it takes upwards of 5 years to get citizenship. It’s not like I can just fill out an application, pay a small amount of money, and be done with it. That’s not even considering if you have kids. Whole different ball game. I know you probably know all of this, yet your response is vastly oversimplifying the issue. You would’ve just quit your job, packed up your family and belongings, sold your house if you own one, uprooted your kid(s) if you’re a parent, said goodbye to any friends/family here, and left weeks into the administration for a country you aren’t a citizen of? Just like that? If it was just moving to another state, even though that is also not without its challenges, I could see an argument for that. That’s probably more akin to what it’s like moving around Western Europe/the EU. But permanently leaving the US is no small matter.
- jghn 1y ago
  Exactly this. I mean, I know I qualify for the golden visa or equivalent in a number of countries in which I'd like to live. But that's *very* different from it making sense for me to turn on a dime and move there. And that's before I consider things like moving away from elderly family, leaving friends, and more. But I've shifted from "it sounds nice to have an expat retirement in one of these places 10-15 years from now" to "I should start looking into what this would look like as the chance I'd want or need to do this sooner is no longer 0%". And that's a huge indictment on the state of affairs here in my mind.
  - Forgeties79 1y ago
    You get it lol. I just want to be in a position where if I need to start making hard decisions I not only can but can quickly.