How Much, if at All, Would I Fit into Your Country/State?

[Secret Chief]

Your English is way too good for to fit into England

Yeah he'd stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[ChristineM]

I'd hope so! French seems slightly harder than Spanish but easier than German. The fast pace of speech is the main thing I struggle with.

The pace isn't so quick but the way they speak, separating every syllable makes it sound fast. It's something i soon got used to.

How so?

In the bigger cities it's reckoned that 9 out of 10 Algerians, Moroccans, Sudanese etc have experienced prejudices.

Is it expensive relative to the average salary?

Our top up insurance is €2400 pa for a couple, (there are much cheaper plans).
With an average salary in France of €40k pa, it's not expensive.

 

[Secret Chief]

There are RFers from various countries and states, so I'm curious what the answers to this question will be.

I realize that such things can only ever be guessed to a limited extent from online interactions, but based on my posts, conversations, things I have shared, etc., here, how much, if at all, do you think I would fit into your country or state if I moved there tomorrow? Would you see me having difficulty integrating, for example, or would I do so quickly? Or something else?

(I included "state" in the question to account for the vast differences between some states in the US.)

You'd be fine in the UK. Why wouldn't you be? It's a tolerant society and there's a (wilfully underfunded) universal healthcare system. The public health system is free (paid in the main through taxes). Now how communist is that?! The climate is temperate. There's more varied countryside than a small island has a right to have. Food choices are eclectic everywhere. You can choose between living amongst northern scum (such as me and @ChristineM ) or soft southern ********. If you start packing now you'll (hopefully) be just in time for the start of a Labour government. More communism! Huzzah!
PS Don't move to Glasgow - you'll never understand a word.

 

[ChristineM]

It's a tolerant society

I've been spit on and jostled for walking with a black guy and my children have faced no end of racism. It's one of the many reasons we left.

PS Don't move to Glasgow - you'll never understand a word.

Or Liverpool, i come from around 30 miles from there and cannot understand a word od Scouse.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Your English is way too good for to fit into England

You'd be fine in the UK. Why wouldn't you be? It's a tolerant society and there's a (wilfully underfunded) universal healthcare system. The public health system is free (paid in the main through taxes). Now how communist is that?! The climate is temperate. There's more varied countryside than a small island has a right to have. Food choices are eclectic everywhere. You can choose between living amongst northern scum (such as me and @ChristineM ) or soft southern ********. If you start packing now you'll (hopefully) be just in time for the start of a Labour government. More communism! Huzzah!
PS Don't move to Glasgow - you'll never understand a word.

I know a few people from here who live in the UK. They all like it a lot there overall despite some issues here and there (e.g., occasional racism), and the diversity of immigrant communities makes it easier for them to fit in. Plus a lot of the heritage, historical sites, and medieval architecture are fascinating!

... and of course, we share our tea addiction with the British, which is the most important fact, after all.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I've been spit on and jostled for walking with a black guy and my children have faced no end of racism. It's one of the many reasons we left.

That's disgusting. I'm sorry you went through it. Where was it, if you don't mind my asking? Would you say that you could have faced fewer such incidents in other parts of the country, for example?

 

[Secret Chief]

I've been spit on and jostled for walking with a black guy and my children have faced no end of racism. It's one of the many reasons we left.

Crumbs that's bad.
As to Liverpool, I've been told I sound half Scouse and half Brummie. A sort of thick crimmo.

 

[Soandso]

Washington is a mixed bag. There are a ton of opportunities here for people to thrive. We are very accepting here with communities for everyone of every political bent, and there's lots to do - especially if you're an outdoorsy kind of person (we have several national parks here). It's beautiful here, and the countryside is extremely diverse ranging from rain forests to high mountains to torn up canyons and long stretches of desert. The state has almost everything a person could need and people don't need to go far to see new things

The downsides? I love the Puget Sound, but we have something here called "The Seattle Freeze." People here tend to be very isolated and we aren't very warm. It's something similar to what you might experience in, say, Norway. If you come from a place where people are warm and outgoing, it might get lonely for you here if you aren't outgoing yourself. You gotta work for your friendships. East of the mountains is a bit different, and people are a little more warm out there - but only a little

Cost of living and taxes are also high. We have good public services when compared to other states, but those things cost money. That said, our wages also tend to be far higher statewide. In larger cities the disparity between rich and poor is pretty stark. Homelessness is a big problem in Seattle and Tacoma

We are isolated from the rest of the country - especially if you live west of the cascades. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy not getting wrapped up in the drama that the rest of the country gets involved with, but isolation can grant a skewed view of what America even is. I recommend travel out of state from time to time to prevent this from happening too much

Inclimate weather. West of the cascades, it gets rainy. We can have months of rainy days straight. Thankfully the rain is not often more than a drizzle, but it can get depressing for folks that need the sun. On the bright side, our temps tend to be very stable and the place doesn't often get too hot or too cold. East of the mountains gets plenty of sun, but it also gets plenty of snow. Hotter summers, but much colder winters

I'm sure there are more negatives I could think of, but those are just the ones off the top of my head that I can think of. I could see you fitting in almost anywhere in the USA just fine, regardless, but the question I think is whether or not which state would be to your liking

 

[Secret Chief]

we share our tea addiction with the British, which is the most important fact, after all.

I don't drink tea, hence I am shunned by polite society.

 

[LuisDantas]

I honestly don't know how people ever fit in Brazil, Brazilians included.

Trying to be objective here, language and earning a living are probably the main considerations to have.

Very few Brazilians speak a second language with any proficiency. Even English is comparatively rare here, and Spanish even more so.

Brazilians will naturally bond to the people they interact with most often, but there is what appears to be an unusually strong level of monetary interest operating here in these communities. Life quality and opportunities change so drammatically with even modest variations of wealth that we have hardly any taboos about leaving our lives behind in order to start anew elsewhere with a higher salary. It is probably seem as a virtue even.

While there is a lot of regional variation, Brazilians will generally keep rather loose social ties and attempt to avoid difficult subject matters instead of finding consensus or resolution. If your Portuguese isn't fluent, you will probably be perceived as an outsider and treated as well as your apparent wealth level advises people to.

Generally speaking, I would not recommend Brazil. It is a place of good weather and wide natural resources, but culturally, politically and economically challenging, even taxing. It is probably no coincidence that neither me nor several of my closest friends wanted to have children.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Washington would not be a problem. Further north than Iowa but about 30 degrees Fahrenheit warmer on average in the winter. And for the same reason far cooler in the summer. The Pacific keeps western Washington a bit on the cool side during the summer months. We are very diverse. In fact I was extremely surprised when George Bush started his war on Iraq. We must have a lot of refugees from Iraq here because that war was extremely popular with them when it started. I am thirty miles north of Seattle and there was a long stream, hundreds of cars, of Iraqis honking their horns and celebrating the invasion when it first started. A business that I had was on the route and I was stunned by the numbers. I do not know how long they kept that attitude. But they were not fans of Saddam.

You might have to get used to Fahrenheit over Celsius, but that is rather easy. Here is a simple scale comparing three different methods of measuring temperature. For people Fahrenheit appears to be the most useful:

0.............................................................................................. 100


.........................................Fahrenheit

Very Cold ................................................................................................................................. Very Hot


..................................................................Celsius

Cold .......................................................................................................................................... Dead


.................................................................... Kelvin

Dead............................................................................................................................................ Dead

 

[ChristineM]

That's disgusting. I'm sorry you went through it. Where was it, if you don't mind my asking? Would you say that you could have faced fewer such incidents in other parts of the country, for example?

Lancaster i was spit on and verbally abused, Windermere shoulderd (ouch), in and around Preston and Leyland the children had several incidents.

I'm not sure about anywhere else, i don't see that it would be that different.

We left well before the brexit vote i understand racism has got worse since the vote.

 

[Soandso]

Washington would not be a problem. Further north than Iowa but about 30 degrees Fahrenheit warmer on average in the winter. And for the same reason far cooler in the summer. The Pacific keeps western Washington a bit on the cool side during the summer months. We are very diverse. In fact I was extremely surprised when George Bush started his war on Iraq. We must have a lot of refugees from Iraq here because that war was extremely popular with them when it started. I am thirty miles north of Seattle and there was a long stream, hundreds of cars, of Iraqis honking their horns and celebrating the invasion when it first started. A business that I had was on the route and I was stunned by the numbers. I do not know how long they kept that attitude. But they were not fans of Saddam.

You might have to get used to Fahrenheit over Celsius, but that is rather easy. Here is a simple scale comparing three different methods of measuring temperature. For people Fahrenheit appears to be the most useful:

0.............................................................................................. 100


Fahrenheit

Very Cold .............................................................................................................................. Very Hot

Celsius

Cold .......................................................................................................................................... Dead


Kelvin

Dead Dead

High five

 

[Eddi]

occasional racism

When I was 17 I had an afro

(I am now 40 and mostly bald)

I was once walking through a rather inbred and primative town at night

A mob of drunken scumbags thought I was black and became increasingly aggressive

One of them (I think the leader) then shouted out "leave him alone, he's white!"

And they shut up, left me alone, and walked away

If I was black it is possible they'd have killed me

 

[Revoltingest]

Washington would not be a problem. Further north than Iowa but about 30 degrees Fahrenheit warmer on average in the winter. And for the same reason far cooler in the summer. The Pacific keeps western Washington a bit on the cool side during the summer months. We are very diverse. In fact I was extremely surprised when George Bush started his war on Iraq. We must have a lot of refugees from Iraq here because that war was extremely popular with them when it started. I am thirty miles north of Seattle and there was a long stream, hundreds of cars, of Iraqis honking their horns and celebrating the invasion when it first started. A business that I had was on the route and I was stunned by the numbers. I do not know how long they kept that attitude. But they were not fans of Saddam.

You might have to get used to Fahrenheit over Celsius, but that is rather easy. Here is a simple scale comparing three different methods of measuring temperature. For people Fahrenheit appears to be the most useful:

0.............................................................................................. 100


.........................................Fahrenheit

Very Cold ................................................................................................................................. Very Hot


..................................................................Celsius

Cold .......................................................................................................................................... Dead


.................................................................... Kelvin

Dead............................................................................................................................................ Dead

That's nuthin!
MI has lifetime trailer license plates.
No yearly fees....ever.

 

[Subduction Zone]

High five

I had to edit my chart so that it had the same appearance when you responded to me. Spaces tend to disappear if you put in what the site thinks is "too many". White characters are fine.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Washington is a mixed bag. There are a ton of opportunities here for people to thrive. We are very accepting here with communities for everyone of every political bent, and there's lots to do - especially if you're an outdoorsy kind of person (we have several national parks here). It's beautiful here, and the countryside is extremely diverse ranging from rain forests to high mountains to torn up canyons and long stretches of desert. The state has almost everything a person could need and people don't need to go far to see new things

The downsides? I love the Puget Sound, but we have something here called "The Seattle Freeze." People here tend to be very isolated and we aren't very warm. It's something similar to what you might experience in, say, Norway. If you come from a place where people are warm and outgoing, it might get lonely for you here if you aren't outgoing yourself. You gotta work for your friendships. East of the mountains is a bit different, and people are a little more warm out there - but only a little

Cost of living and taxes are also high. We have good public services when compared to other states, but those things cost money. That said, our wages also tend to be far higher statewide. In larger cities the disparity between rich and poor is pretty stark. Homelessness is a big problem in Seattle and Tacoma

We are isolated from the rest of the country - especially if you live west of the cascades. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy not getting wrapped up in the drama that the rest of the country gets involved with, but isolation can grant a skewed view of what America even is. I recommend travel out of state from time to time to prevent this from happening too much

Inclimate weather. West of the cascades, it gets rainy. We can have months of rainy days straight. Thankfully the rain is not often more than a drizzle, but it can get depressing for folks that need the sun. On the bright side, our temps tend to be very stable and the place doesn't often get too hot or too cold. East of the mountains gets plenty of sun, but it also gets plenty of snow. Hotter summers, but much colder winters

I'm sure there are more negatives I could think of, but those are just the ones off the top of my head that I can think of. I could see you fitting in almost anywhere in the USA just fine, regardless, but the question I think is whether or not which state would be to your liking

Washington would not be a problem. Further north than Iowa but about 30 degrees Fahrenheit warmer on average in the winter. And for the same reason far cooler in the summer. The Pacific keeps western Washington a bit on the cool side during the summer months. We are very diverse. In fact I was extremely surprised when George Bush started his war on Iraq. We must have a lot of refugees from Iraq here because that war was extremely popular with them when it started. I am thirty miles north of Seattle and there was a long stream, hundreds of cars, of Iraqis honking their horns and celebrating the invasion when it first started. A business that I had was on the route and I was stunned by the numbers. I do not know how long they kept that attitude. But they were not fans of Saddam.

You might have to get used to Fahrenheit over Celsius, but that is rather easy. Here is a simple scale comparing three different methods of measuring temperature. For people Fahrenheit appears to be the most useful:

0 100


Fahrenheit

Very Cold Very Hot

Celsius

Cold Dead


Kelvin

Dead Dead

Washington sounds like a place to at least visit. I didn't know about the frequent rain or the homelessness problem. (I know that homelessness is an issue in New York and San Francisco, for example, but I didn't know about Washington.)

The introversion could definitely be a dealbreaker for me, despite the huge positives (per @Soandso's post). My country is hyper-extroverted, and I'm highly extroverted myself. I don't like it when the extroversion reaches the point of intrusion (e.g., unsolicited comments about one's appearance or personal decisions), mind you, but I don't think I'd be in good spirits if I had to live somewhere highly introverted or isolated.

Fahrenheit is okay! I find it easy to keep in mind that 100°F won't boil me.

 

[Stevicus]

There are RFers from various countries and states, so I'm curious what the answers to this question will be.

I realize that such things can only ever be guessed to a limited extent from online interactions, but based on my posts, conversations, things I have shared, etc., here, how much, if at all, do you think I would fit into your country or state if I moved there tomorrow? Would you see me having difficulty integrating, for example, or would I do so quickly? Or something else?

(I included "state" in the question to account for the vast differences between some states in the US.)

Southern Arizona isn't too bad, although the state government can be kind of hit and miss. However, we have a fairly diverse population, and people from all over the world have settled and fit in here. It's more blue collar - kind of low brow and unsophisticated, and what's more, I recall reading a while back that we were the fifth poorest city in America, a dubious distinction. We're a transient and border city, so a lot of stuff comes through here. Gun laws are pretty lax, and a lot of people carry.

 

[Soandso]

Washington sounds like a place to at least visit. I didn't know about the frequent rain or the homelessness problem. (I know that homelessness is an issue in New York and San Francisco, for example, but I didn't know about Washington.)

The introversion could definitely be a dealbreaker for me, despite the huge positives (per @Soandso's post). My country is hyper-extroverted, and I'm highly extroverted myself. I don't like it when the extroversion reaches the point of intrusion (e.g., unsolicited comments about one's appearance or personal decisions), mind you, but I don't think I'd be in good spirits if I had to live somewhere highly introverted or isolated.

Fahrenheit is okay! I find it easy to keep in mind that 100°F won't boil me.

The homeless problem is a serious issue that we are failing to deal with properly. It's embarrassing and shameful, imo

All that said, Seattle and Tacoma are not Washington, but cities within Washington. Other larger cities in Washington have this problem as well to a much lesser degree, but the rest of the state is usually fine in this regard. I wouldn't say it's a Washington problem more than it's big city problem

As for the extroversion thing... Ehhh, yah that might be a deal breaker. I'd recommend a southern state if you're looking for warmth and extroversion from the population. "Southern Hospitality" is not just a myth, and Southern folks are just a pleasure to be around

Judging by your posts, you tend to be more left leaning. The south does tend to lean more red, but almost all cities in the USA tend to lean blue, so you might feel more comfortable living in a city for that reason. Also, cities tend to be more diverse, and that's always a great thing IMO

Something to be aware of if you did move to the USA - our politics are stupid. Like... Really, really stupid. It's best taken with a grain of salt. Local politics are the only real politics that matter here, imo, though they can be tarnished with the same stupidity depending on where you live. Thankfully in my state the stupidity is not nearly as bad as I've seen in other states

 

[Revoltingest]

Southern Arizona isn't too bad, although the state government can be kind of hit and miss. However, we have a fairly diverse population, and people from all over the world have settled and fit in here. It's more blue collar - kind of low brow and unsophisticated, and what's more, I recall reading a while back that we were the fifth poorest city in America, a dubious distinction. We're a transient and border city, so a lot of stuff comes through here. Gun laws are pretty lax, and a lot of people carry.

Arizona also has a more violent police
force than most other states.