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Living Abroad {Part 2} : Pros and Cons

As part of continuing my “Living Abroad” series, I thought I would share some of the pros and cons of living abroad. I am sure many of our families and friends back home just wonders or assumes of an amazing life we both are having here in the States. Well, sometimes is great. Other times, not so much.

Pros

  • Freedom of speech. Where I hail from, this is a huge plus point.
  • Introduction to new cultures and way of life. Western vs Asian.
  • Varied climates and topography. Since landing in US, we’ve experienced full blown four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter.
  • Foods, glorious foods!
  • Opportunity to visit cities around the country. Mini vacation’s of sorts πŸ˜‰
  • I love New York City (and Florida, of course!).
  • Making new friends!
  • Factory outlets, whats not to love? πŸ˜€
  • Great examples of infrastructures.
  • NASA!

Of course there’s plenty of perk than what’s listed above such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios etc but I wanted to list things that have some commonalities else where. Now, onto the difficult part:

Cons

  • Missing our families, friends and life back home *cries*. Sigh, to the sacrifices we had to make.
  • Language or slang barrier. This is painful, especially when our names are wrongly pronounced. Vice-versa.
  • Reestablishing new friendships and trust. This one is huge and worries me from time to time.
  • Expensive healthcare. Exorbitant. I was once hospitalized for one day and received a huge medical bill. Shocker.
  • Public educations needs overhaul.
  • Crime rate and nature of crimes, so grime, that I can’t bring myself to discuss it over here.
  • Freedom of firearm. Not that we mind, but there’s more firearm than the population itself. Kinda scary.
  • Economicalcrisis. China and India’s economy is thriving. Makes us ponder more about our future.
  • Immigration inflexibility – spouse often has no right to work.
  • Extreme weather conditions such as hurricane seasons etc.

Are you an expat? What are your “pros and cons” observations?

{ 17 comments }

1 Liana Jacinta April 13, 2011 at 12:18 AM

babe!! Come back then! πŸ˜›

2 Kiran April 13, 2011 at 12:46 PM

Liana,
Babe, I want too πŸ™‚

3 Holli April 13, 2011 at 10:49 AM

I find it very interesting to hear what others love and don’t love about America. I find that I have to agree with you on all of it πŸ™‚
Holli recently posted..Ft Worth

4 Kiran April 13, 2011 at 12:46 PM

Holli,
That is why I love USA for – freedom of speech πŸ˜€

5 Vyankatesh April 15, 2011 at 11:41 AM

A good compilation!!
Vyankatesh recently posted..A Tale Of Two Tigress

6 Kiran April 19, 2011 at 4:45 PM

Vyankatesh,
Welcome to Chatterbox, and thank you for your comment πŸ™‚

7 Angry Ganu April 16, 2011 at 4:18 AM

Nice comparison of the pros and cons of living in the US.
What about cleanliness, inflation, corruption, technology, jobs, entertainment?
Maybe you could compare that too.
Angry Ganu recently posted..MNS β€œPisses” Bhaiyya Pani Puri Chaat Vendors

8 Kiran April 19, 2011 at 4:54 PM

Angry Ganu,
Thank you. Allow me to address your points one at a time:
1- Cleanliness & Entertainment isn’t a huge priority that I would prefer to include in my comparison or decision making. It varies depending on where you want to live, abroad.

I would tackle the topic on inflation, corruption, technology, jobs etc in another series. Thank you so much for your input πŸ™‚

9 Rohit Sane April 16, 2011 at 10:55 AM

Staying abroad is tough but has its own advantages.. how to make trustworthy friends, expensive lifestyle, etc.. these points make me worry.. I plan to come there for my Masters.. πŸ˜›
Rohit Sane recently posted..Slingbox helps you watch TV channels on your Mobile Phones or Computer from anywhere in the world for free!

10 Kiran April 19, 2011 at 5:00 PM

Rohit,
If you are planning to come over here for Masters and return to India immediately without any US working experience, then I would suggest you seek out admission for top UK universities. I am not discouraging you, but having studied in the US and not taking advantage of the working experience thereafter might be something for you to think about. Living abroad might be risky, but if you’ve done your homework, I think it’s a great place to be πŸ™‚

11 Ameena April 16, 2011 at 5:11 PM

I have so many friends who could relate to this! So many of them live abroad here in the USA and miss their family and friends back home so much. I can’t imagine how difficult life must be in a new place!!

Factory outlets definitely lessen the blow though, I’m sure.

12 Kiran April 19, 2011 at 5:07 PM

Ameena,
So true. I hope the lil’ one is finally enjoying the vacation. And of course, mama and dad as well πŸ™‚

13 Destination Infinity April 17, 2011 at 11:59 PM

I have always thought that living abroad was almost the same as living in ones own country. There are glaring advantages and glaring disadvantages as well. Some of them are not evident immediately. My philosophy is not to worry where we live, but worry about what we do, where ever we live.

Destination Infinity

14 Kiran April 19, 2011 at 5:10 PM

DI,
I’ve always thought the same, until I lived abroad. There can be stark differences, but adjustment makes everything easier. I like how you’ve worded your philosophy. Brilliantly πŸ™‚

15 Nishana October 17, 2011 at 12:12 PM

Well said. I can totally relate to it. Living abroad always bring in some loneliness too. Especially when we are down or when we need some moral and mental support from our closest family members- which is not available any more.. The greatest thing I miss in US is my social life in India…but of course I love the freedom that the country offers.
Everything has some pros and cons- we will always have to compromise on something or other in life…:)
Nishana recently posted..2 year- What am I upto?

16 Kiran October 24, 2011 at 5:03 PM

Nishana,
Thanks for your reflections – there’s always pros and cons everywhere. Adaptability and learning some survival tools are key. My MBA and blogging definitely helped me with the loneliness part πŸ™‚

17 Shankar June 4, 2016 at 1:50 PM

Welcome to the US.
Been a long time resident here.
Originally from Kuala Lumpur.
I like your food blog.