Minerva909
Introduction
I am a serial expat: I love travel and "living the world". That's why I have worked on longer or shorter assignments in circa 50 countries on 4 continents, though mainly in Europe and the Americas. I am now retired with a part time "encore career" of working - internationally - of course - with nonprofit organizations. In 2012 I returned to Europe for good, thinking of, perhaps, spending summer half of the year in Sweden, where I am a citizen, and a winter half somewhere in the Mediterranean, where it is relatively warm and sunny, but in a country which has a favorable tax agreement with USA and an adequate health care.
I joined expat.com on 19 September 2007.
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Minerva909posted on the thread I am totally confused and I need help on this one
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Minerva909posted on the thread I am totally confused and I need help on this one
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Minerva909posted on the thread Domestic services: availability and cost
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Minerva909created the thread Domestic services: availability and cost forum on the Malta forum
Expat experience
I moved to USA in 1982 and reside here permanently, even though I often live and work abroad (in a total of about 50 countries on 5 continents, but mostly in Europe and the Americas
It is big, comfortable (if you have money), lots of choices and opportunities.
It's miserly towards the poor exploiting them blatantly, lately also increasingly miserly towards middle class, equally blatantly benefiting the rich. Huge - and mostly unjustifiable - income and wealth disparities, excessive conservatism, excessive religiosity, persistent remnants of racism now expressing themselves in a growing anti-immigrant attitudes.
I worked there with three different non profit organisations in different parts of Puerto Rico - two on the west coast in Aguada and Mayaguez and one high in the mountains in easter Puerto Rico in Patillas district
Climate, beaches, the jungle, fruit, San Juan's old town with its graceful Spanish architecture
Roo much garbage on the streets, too many stray animals that nobody seems to care about, nonchalant driving (and I am trying to be nice here), extensive bureaucracy, surprising? lack of fresh vegetables.
I was living a life of leisure contemplating early retirement, roaming the coast of Spain with forages to Portugal and Morocco
An absolutely delightful Spanish white village, almost 3000 years old with largely undestructed charm, 25% of populations being expats from other european countries, so that everyday I could speak several different languages when socializing and having fun - quite a refreshing change from unilinguall USA.
Buildings without heating and AC - though in fact they needed both. Spanish TV using only Spanish language. Absurd levels of bureaucracy.
I worked in the European HQ of a German-US-Japanese high tech company
Munich and Bavaria is an area full of cultural and natural treasures.
Stores closed on Sunday. When I went to downtown Munich to a museum or to any event, I could not do any shopping at the same time :-(((
I have moved to Sweden from - then communist - Poland, got married and lived there for 8 years until I emigrated to USA. But I lived in Sweden again in the early-mid 90s (in Ystad, Skaane) and in mid 2000s (in Simrishamn, also in Skaane). Sweden is my country of citizenship and I visit often
Egalitarian, democratic, the beauty of the North.
I was born and raised in Poland
it was communist at the time: oppressive regime that wouldn't let you go wnywhere, poverty, gray dullness
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