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Ask HN: Who has moved from the U.S. to Europe?

181 points feraligators | 2 comments | 25 Jan 22 15:44 UTC | HN request time: 0.42s | source

I've long considered leaving this country for a multitude of reasons.

I'd be curious to hear some first hand experiences of those who've made the move to Europe and what you think of the process and considerations one should make.

A few questions to start the conversation:

- Where do you live?

- What's the biggest sacrifice you had to make (i.e. pay, housing, friends, etc.)

- What have you gained?

1. yosito ◴[25 Jan 22 16:15 UTC] No.30073571[source]▶
Me! I grew up in Ohio and live in Hungary. The biggest sacrifice has been a native English speaking community around me. Virtually everyone I know in Hungary speaks fluent English, and I learned Hungarian, but there's still a big gap when it comes to the ability to feel intimately understood and connected with my peers. But I've gained a language, an amazing and very livable captial city (great public transport, amazing coffee shops, coworking spaces, parks, hiking, boating and museums), an extremely affordable lifestyle (since I still have a US-based income), an EU passport, and countless other things. For me, one of the nicest things currently is that there's a lot more trust in society and muted culture wars. People in public are more peaceful and reasonable, and there's very little fear of getting cancelled over political disagreements. Not saying it's perfect, and there are still political dramas going on, it just doesn't infect daily life as much.
replies(1): >>30074578 #
2. vmception ◴[25 Jan 22 17:18 UTC] No.30074578[source]▶
One thing I love about being in other countries is the combination of appreciating political stances I would never adopt at home, such as Hungary’s land immigration policies, or having complete apathy to the politics as the history and incentive to bother disappears.