Why did you move to live in Amsterdam?

John,
I moved from Southern California to Amsterdam because I fell in love with the city and its lifestyle. I hated the materialism and superficiality of Newport Beach. I hated that I had to drive everywhere. I hated that it was always sunny, and I could never see the glorious rhythm of nature. I hated the hypocrisy of hiding my weed. I hated the pressure to be skinny, the fast pace and all that time wasted stuck in gridlock on SoCal freeways.

I had plenty of opportunity in the US and I made the most of it, as an employed writer. Now I'm financially independent, don't rely on the Dutch government for a dime (much less managing my life), and do nothing but contribute to the Netherlands' economy. I have no doubt the taxes I pay support many people on the dole (is that YOU?), who can get away with living off the government for life.

Still, I love Amsterdam with a passion and I work tirelessly (even though I'm theoretically retired) to promote it through my blog (www.uncloggedblog.com), as AFAR.com's Local Expert/Amsterdam (http://www.afar.com/travelers/melissa-adams/), and by hosting hordes of couchsurfers, mostly poor, young students who can't afford's A'dam's pricey hostels, from around the world (https://www.couchsurfing.com/people/wordgeisha). I'd never give up my American passport, but plan to live happily ever after in the Jordaan home I purchased in 2010. Good luck to you!

wordgeisha

I understand all your feelings in USA and I also understand why you feel the way you feel in Amsterdam, believe or not I understand more then all your writings, I understand, that is why I live in peace with huge of energy in me and one of the happiest individual in this world because I understand, and I can see the differences in almost everything because I understand, I can analyze the thoughts and actions of many many people around the world not only because I understand but I have been and experienced almost 70% whole world and I speak 9 languages not necessarily 100% perfect but at least 60 to 70% a couple of those 9 languages which is less important to know, how write and read a language for 100%.

I have and still am paying my taxes for almost more then 30 years in those country, this is not a country you can compare with USA, believe that. many people with less integrity, less hustle , less loyalty and less respect from inside, where they look like an angel from outside, (Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up). not everybody see that all of-course, except, people with self-confidence, experienced, independently, loyal, honest, just, non-materialistic, humanly, happy and self-confident, independently from any materialistic influence, and not being afraid to speak the truth and not playing around and showing innocent and being hypocritical, etc.

People who likes the easy life, because they are not able to manage their desires in their life, by their own, they are happy to join the hypocrites, and do the same as such, just being able to live with ease, in the hands of devils servants, and be taken care, so they can survive blindly, and they think, they have at last a happy life, which they have no other choice then to obey, otherwise their life will be in their own hands which they will not be able to manage without the care of the devils servants. I do not belong to that division, because I understand.

Do you think that farmers helping the cows to survive and have a happy life and that the cows should or must feel grateful and be thanking to the farmers? by saying, thanks to the farmers we are still alive, happy and having comfortable life, because of the people who are paying money to the farmer for enjoying the product that the cows are producing? like many people saying, we are paying money plus taxes so the farmer can take care of the cows with our taxes? are you one of them? well if you are, then you are making a huge mistake my sister in humanity, cows and other pads can take care of themselves without the help of the people who mostly are hypocrites by using the pads and cows, not to forget the humans being used as well the same way as those innocent cows and pads, for their own profit and making millions of euros and still they are not satisfied, they want more and more until even the last minutes of their lives before they die with worries and sorrows. This kind of people are the hypocrites, good actors, by showing how good they are by helping the poor and sick people who are not happy with their own lives, no matter where they come from, and many people blindly deceived, not only deceived, but also, they defending the evil-minded hypocrites, because they have been taken care of those hypocrites.

Nothing personal here, if you feel bad about my opinion, then I apologize to you. I am talking here about the ideology lifestyle, which is too far from the humanity. Human being are living not to earn and eat, but earn and eat to live!!!

I wish you good luck and a happy and healthy life in the rest of your life, I really do
.
I always believed and I still believe and I always say: Live rich (not in materialistic meaning) and die poor peacefully and not other way around or otherwise. Be grateful for who you are and value it, without the influence of position, people around you and all other materialistic crap.

What is the value of your own life if your Happiness and your Loyalty and Hustle and Respect is in the hands of others who exchanging your values with piece of bread or a little money for your survival, and using your values for themselves and extending their materialistic values for themselves, and when they can not use you anymore then you will understand what I mean. Thank you for your time, of course you are free to understand the way you choose it, it's okay to me.

Keep always Smiling and Keep always Gold.