What's the feeling about living in different countries/cultures?

Gisellees. A good way of answering your own question is to check the websites of those EB members who have websites - including me. Usually - though not always - you will read enough about their positive and negative experiences in the countries they have visited and/or lived in, to satisfy your curiosity. Once you've done that, you can ask them individually what they might have missed. I have lived in the places whose flags appear at the foot of my postings, and have blogged about selected experiences in most of them - as well as about some of the 60 or so others I have visited.

Some of the experiences were and are more interesting than others, but you don't have to linger on the boring ones!

The foolish see a new culture as a problem.
I see a new culture as an education.

Spot on there Fred...  

My education began way back. Have learnt and am still being educated even when I return to those countries I have previously worked in.
Any new culture that was problematic soon lost that problem when I became better educated.
50+years of wandering have given me a great insight and education in the countries I have traveled through and worked in.

Now in my third year in Ecuador, I appreciate the tolerance of the people and how they are curious about an Expat but not in-your-face about what more and more paranoid U.S. persons have come to consider infractions.

In my final years in the U.S., there were multiple incidents where I pulled over to rest or meditate on a residential street, only to be disturbed by police who had been called in because my car was unfamiliar in the neighborhood.  In one instance in Denver, a cop handcuffed me and then dragged me from the driver seat to the back of my car when I had trouble remembering in which compartment I had put my drivers license.

Another time in another state, police harassed me due to a morbidly obese resident's false complaint that I had "cut across" neighborhood lawns.

I have encountered none of such porquería in Ecuador's capital.

cccmedia in Quito, Ecuador

Expat.com has many forums for many parts of the world.  Today, for the first time, I visited the Muscat Forum.

Here are the top 10 surprising or new things I learned from the Muscat Forum....

10. Muscat is the capital of Oman (and a port city on the Gulf of Oman).

9. The summertime is super hot there.  Further research at Wikipedia revealed that the average daily temperature during July is 104.7 degrees F. or 40.4 degrees C.  No, that's not the record high, it's the average high.

8. There has been a lot of confusion among Expats in Oman as to whether they can switch jobs during the first two years without special government permission.

7.  An Expat named Heather married her husband earlier than planned so they would be permitted to live together in the Muslim country.

6.  An Expat head of household must earn 600 Omani Riyal (OMR) per month to qualify for a family visa.  One OMR = $2.60US.

5.  An Expat optometrist was offered a job in Muscat working at a hospital and a retail outlet, for 400 OMR per month.  That's not enough for the family visa, but on the bright side, he would qualify for a free return trip home after his two-year contract is successfully completed.

4. The government and the law did not offer much if any help to someone who transferred 15,000 OMR to the bank account of a telephone scammer.

3. You can furnish a home in Muscat for 1,200-1,500 OMR.

2. According to the Expat.com Expert in Oman, "Women are worshipped."

And the #1 thing I learned from visiting the Muscat Forum....

1.  People in Oman have been subsisting for centuries on the two indigenous foods -- dates and fish.

cccmedia in Ecuador

Hi cccmedia,

Interesting list ... however, I missed adding one more delish to the list of home-grown delicacies ... Camel Meat and Camel Milk !

Are you sure that combination is kosher, Sumitran?

cccmedia wrote:

Are you sure that combination is kosher, Sumitran?

In Oman, I seriously don't see them caring.
I wonder what camel meat tastes like - I'd sort of expect it's something like horse.

Fred wrote:

I wonder what camel meat tastes like - I'd sort of expect it's something like horse.

Yes, cooked by a committee!

I have eaten both camel and horse meat. Dried with herbs and spices and done same as SA biltong. Tasty. Have had smoked horse meat as well.
Both edible.

This may be Expat.com's most international thread yet -- guys from Oman, Indonesia, Laos, Ecuador and the Cayman Islands discussing the preparation and edibility of camel meat.

cccmedia in Ecuador

cccmedia wrote:

This may be Expat.com's most international thread yet -- guys from Oman, Indonesia, Laos, Ecuador and the Cayman Islands discussing the preparation and edibility of camel meat.

Actually I can't swear I've ever eaten Camel meat; my authority was not a reliable one. The most revolting item of animal food ever put before me was a sheep's eye. Dead, of course, but it still looked alive! Fortunately, our Iranian host had lived in the West and told me I wasn't  obliged to eat it. I settled for the meaty bit around the eye, and that was nice.

This was fifty years ago when my now-wife and I hitched around the Middle East, living cheap. Rough times!

Sumitran wrote:

Hi cccmedia,

Interesting list ... however, I missed adding one more delish to the list of home-grown delicacies ... Camel Meat and Camel Milk !

Prepared like mansef,  you mean???

cccmedia wrote:

Are you sure that combination is kosher, Sumitran?

Hi cccmedia,

Did you say the 'k' word here ?!?

OMG .... it's forbidden to even mention anything Jewish in this part of the world, doncha know ?!?

Well, like all other slaughtered meat, camel meat too must be 'halal' - which means all blood has to be completely and totally drained before the meat is deemed fit for consumption.

Primadonna wrote:

Sumitran wrote:

Hi cccmedia,

Interesting list ... however, I missed adding one more delish to the list of home-grown delicacies ... Camel Meat and Camel Milk !

Prepared like mansef,  you mean???

Hi Primadonna,

Actually No.

'Mansaf' is predominantly a Jordanian creation.

In the days of yore, Bedouins and other ancient Omanis used to slow-cook meat (usually boil the meat in water, with limited spices, since only that was available) over wood overnight.

By morning even the toughest of meat would become a pulp, thus making it easier to be gulped down with a mug of camel milk !

Fred wrote:

cccmedia wrote:

Are you sure that combination is kosher, Sumitran?

In Oman, I seriously don't see them caring.
I wonder what camel meat tastes like - I'd sort of expect it's something like horse.

Hi Fred,

I have tried camel meat. It is fibrous and rather salty.

While cooking one must remember not to add the same amount as salt as one would in case of mutton or chicken.

I guess given only the sporadic and intermittent intake of water, the camel flesh contains a lot of 'urea' (salt) deposits, making even the cooked meat taste quite salty.

In Oman Dive Centre, for the more adventurous, they serve their signature camel meat burger !

Sumitran wrote:

Primadonna wrote:

Sumitran wrote:

Hi cccmedia,

Interesting list ... however, I missed adding one more delish to the list of home-grown delicacies ... Camel Meat and Camel Milk !

Prepared like mansef,  you mean???

Hi Primadonna,

Actually No.

'Mansaf' is predominantly a Jordanian creation.

In the days of yore, Bedouins and other ancient Omanis used to slow-cook meat (usually boil the meat in water, with limited spices, since only that was available) over wood overnight.

By morning even the toughest of meat would become a pulp, thus making it easier to be gulped down with a mug of camel milk !

Thanks for the explanation, I know that mansef is a typical Jordanian dish but like any other Arabic dish, its find his way to many other Arabic countries. So that why I asked. After reading your post, I googled on some recipes with camel meat and wow... from burger to more delicate dishes.

Sumitran wrote:

Did you say the 'k' word here ?!?

OMG .... it's forbidden to even mention anything Jewish in this part of the world, doncha know ?!?

Well, excuuuuuse me! 

But that sounds just a bit intolerant by the Omanians.

Lucky for yours truly, the rules of speech on this forum are subject to the laws of some entity in the Mascarene Islands...
      ...not the censors of Oman.

Anyway, Sumitran, thanks for the heads-up.

Though I was a Jewish kid from New York, I'll make sure not to use the K-word next time I'm ordering a camel-meat dinner in metropolitan Muscat.

cccmedia in Quito, Ecuador

Lucky for yours truly, the rules of speech on this forum are subject to the laws of some entity in the Mascarene Islands...
      ...not the censors of Oman.

Local politics can influence local behaviour and attitudes.
Much as I prefer to be inclusive to all, local politics can be a problem to the forum if some views are expressed in some country's forums.
We might well consider that to be wrong but the fact remains, the forum could get blocked in some places if unwanted political positions are put forward.

Well-expressed and important point, Fred.

Good thing I posted the K-word here at the sophisticated, tolerant Expat Café ... and not in one of my recent posts on the Muscat forum.

cccmedia in Ecuador

cccmedia wrote:

Expat.com has many forums for many parts of the world....

2. According to the Expat.com Expert in Oman, "Women are worshipped."

And the #1 thing I learned from visiting the Muscat Forum....

1.  People in Oman have been subsisting for centuries on the two indigenous foods -- dates and fish.

We got some positive feedback on our Muscat, Oman, foray despite the flap over the K-word.

So this week we visited the Uruguay forum, and now report on....

    The Top Ten Things We Found on the Uruguay Forum

10. Canadian Expat Janway was asked to show couple-income of at least $1,500 per month to qualify for residency and told that pension income was preferred for this purpose.

9.  Janway says the couple spend 2K US per month even though they own their own home in Uruguay.

8.  Nobody posted in response to the Cuisine thread in its first week and nobody had responded to the Healthcare thread after over a month. 

7.  Safety has been excellent in the beach resort of Punta del Este, according to poster Cyberhugme, except for some break-ins at summer homes in outlying areas during the off-season.

6.  Poster Focusproperties says certain drug-trafficked areas of Punta del Este need to be avoided as there have been drug-related killings in such places.  He says a German Expat was killed in a hit set up by the Expat's sister.

5.  A woman sought an English-speaking psychologist in 2012 after two Spanish-speaking ones didn't work out.  By the time psychologist Janine responded on the thread three years later offering her services, the patient was long gone from Expat.com posting.

4. Janway reported that rents in Uruguay were 141.5 percent higher than in Nicaragua.

3.  It's easier to make friends in Colonia del Sacramento and Punta del Este than in Uruguay's largest city and capital, Montevideo, according to someone posting under the name Puntadelesteexpats.

2.  Janway says it would be crazy to move to Uruguay and not join a healthcare mutualista for $70-100 per month.

And the #1 thing I learned from visiting the Uruguay forum....

Focusproperties' photo shows he is a 'dead ringer' for the brilliant North American character actor Joe Pantoliano.  Focus deadpanned that he's thinking of going back into acting.

cccmedia in Quito, Ecuador

I can't believe you used the K word - it just isn't kosher to use it.
You should be ashamed of yourself.

I'm unsure the use of 'kosher' is any sort of real problem; it's hardly a political statement.
It is in common use in many countries, but not used as its true meaning.
However, the actions of one country are commonly unpopular in other places, so it could upset some.

Politics - of, for, or relating to citizens

Whatever happened to that? - it's always about the politicians, their ambitions, greed and how much TV airtime they can get, but never about the people they're supposed to be there to help.

Doesn't matter which side you prefer, it's always the politicians that cause the problems.
I see it this way - sod the lot of them to Hades and like people for who they are, not what they are.

Having reported on this thread about my July visits to the Oman and Uruguay forums, this week I took a virtual trip to Europe seeking insights from Expats experiencing the Swiss lifestyles.

    Top Ten Things I Learned From My First Visit to the Switzerland Forum

10.  Filipina poster Wildfire, reporting on the Things To Do In Berne on the Weekend, recommended visiting the Munster Cathedral in that city... and said you can get a panoramic view in Gurten by taking a cable-car ride up to the viewing tower.

9.  Canadian Mona Joanna in Geneva opined that while the Swiss health system is expensive, it is "the best in the world, bar none."

8.  On a safety thread, new member Greyhoundlove said she lived 65 years in the U.S. and was never robbed, but has already had two "steals" since moving to Canton Zurich.  The consensus is that Switzerland is one of the safest countries if you don't slip while on a mountain hike, but things are changing.

7.  Morze recommends a dance class or a language class to make new friends, and "talk to your neighbors"... Filipinos meet other Filipinos at the Chinese restaurant Smiling Fish in Winterthur's Migro Mall. 

6.  El_Jost reports that on trains in the Zurich area, there are now seating areas for women-only so they don't have to be exposed close-up to "strange men."

5.  El_Jost's favorite Swiss food is Rosti (umlaut over the 'o'), a potatoes-in-butter side dish often eaten with calf's liver bits.  If you're ordering in a restaurant in Metzerlin, you could ask for Kabsleberli mit Rosti.

4.  Menorca in Basel suggests buying a half-fare public transport card allowing one to travel at half-price for a year all over Switzerland.

3.  Twan tells us that non-EU citizens are required to obtain a work permit for Swiss employment.  He says there are strict quotas on the issuance of permits and the employer must demonstrate that no qualified Swiss national or EU citizen could be found for a job being given to a non-EU citizen.

2.  Buses and trains are running on time, and saying you arrived late because of a train delay is not a good excuse for showing up tardy at a job interview.

And the #1 thing I learned from my first visit to the Switzerland forum....

1.  Denhi, from Mexico, loves cheese and dishes with cheese ... now lives in Gruyere, the famous Swiss cheese-making town ... but works as a hotel manager, not in a cheese factory.

cccmedia in Ecuador