Immigrants of P&B

[Theroadlesstravelled]

Scrubbing toilets in Asia can’t be fun.

I’d imagine people would have a lot of skitters.

[Torpar]

22 minutes ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

Scrubbing toilets in Asia can’t be fun.

I’d imagine people would have a lot of skitters.

I'd imagine people that actually live there's stomachs are used to the food and water that gives tourists the skitters 

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

In China, even some of the trains have squat toilets, meaning any bump in the line can result in shite down the wall. Must be an absolute nightmare to clean if you don't have a hose handy.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Barry Ferguson's Hat

[Duszek]

5 hours ago, DiegoDiego said:

5 hours ago, welshbairn said:

You must be doing a shed load of overtime to save ten thousand plus on a cleaner's wage.

I am doing 56 hours this week but my outgoings are pretty low and my investments have done well.

Fair play. Good on you.

[BFTD]

6 hours ago, welshbairn said:

You must be doing a shed load of overtime to save ten thousand plus on a cleaner's wage.

If you're smart, hard working, and thrifty, it's amazing what you can do on a low wage and enormous trust fund.

[Tight minge]

2 hours ago, Barry Ferguson's Hat said:

In China, even some of the trains have squat toilets, meaning any bump in the line can result in shite down the wall. Must be an absolute nightmare to clean if you don't have a hose handy.

Theres always a hose or a bucket available as its the preferred ‘cleaning’ method. Whether there is water or not is another thing.

Always best to avoid toilets around public transport in China. Train stations are bad, but service stations used by the long distance buses in rural areas are a biohazard. 

[senorsoupe]

On 05/08/2021 at 14:52, welshbairn said:

Governments can change along with the rules, look south of the border, along with Rob Ford and his brothers. Does it cost a fortune?

This is a ringing endorsement to get your Citizenship.  My brother in law is English and had been putting it off for a while. He nearly got caught up in some rule changes about 6 or 7 years ago (which would have made it much more difficult for him to get citizenship) so he had to act fast to finish the process

[Hedgecutter]

9 hours ago, Tight John McVeigh is a tit said:

Theres always a hose or a bucket available as its the preferred ‘cleaning’ method. Whether there is water or not is another thing.

Always best to avoid toilets around public transport in China. Train stations are bad, but service stations used by the long distance buses in rural areas are a biohazard. 

I had an issue with a Chinese guy in a previous job.  We invited him over to Scotland to train him up so he could be a 'product champion' back home, and this was his first time outside of China.  After a few days, the main thoroughfare office corridor began to have a mystery whaft of shite about it, until we sussed out that he'd been putting his used toilet paper in the bin rather than flushing it down the toilet (which blocks the pipes in China).

[DiegoDiego]

Didn't have that problem in Ghana. The toilet of my most frequented pub was a crack in the pavement where you did your business directly into the sewer.

[Torpar]

15 hours ago, senorsoupe said:

This is a ringing endorsement to get your Citizenship.  My brother in law is English and had been putting it off for a while. He nearly got caught up in some rule changes about 6 or 7 years ago (which would have made it much more difficult for him to get citizenship) so he had to act fast to finish the process

Was he a a permanent resident? I always thought there are thousands of PRs so there wouldn't be any sudden changes, especially with the Liberal government in power, couldn't see NDP doing anything either, though if the man with the less sounding Tory name ever looks like getting into power I may panic a bit!   

Edited August 11, 2021 by Torpar

[senorsoupe]

8 hours ago, Torpar said:

Was he a a permanent resident? I always thought there are thousands of PRs so there wouldn't be any sudden changes, especially with the Liberal government in power, couldn't see NDP doing anything either, though if the man with the less sounding Tory name ever looks like getting into power I may panic a bit!   

He was a permanent resident, and it was during the final year of the last Tory government that they changed the rules.  If you are eligible then why not become one of us? 

[JamieThomas]

Moved here in 2017. Basically the same reasons as the ugly irritating c*** in Love Actually, except I'm fatter and less ginger.

[RossBFaeDundee]

Great thread, certainly provides a spark of inspiration.

Came within a sniff of spending a year abroad at university in Montana, but my uni ended their overseas relationship with that particular school and I ended up never going anywhere (which in a way I am thankful for, since COVID would've just been hitting by the time I would've finished there, and f**k being a stranded student). Now I've graduated and got to that aimless stage, thoughts of taking a wee risk and moving away for a bit sound appealling about now.

Would love to spend at least a small amount of time abroad, particularly in North America as I have a keen interest in much of the culture over there, particularly sports admittedly, but there's plenty of factors which make me not want to live there. I have numerous online friends over in the States as well, so I'd likely end up near them to have a bit of familiarity around. The biggest buffer in making a potential move away in the coming years is my family, whom I'm fortunate enough to be very close with, and a couple of them have disabilities which would make me moving difficult for both them and myself.

I at least have time on my side, and some of the stories that indicate there's no real time limit on when you can realise that ambition really do bring that feeling of whimsy back.

Edited August 12, 2021 by RossBFaeDundee

[hk blues]

4 hours ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

I at least have time on my side, and some of the stories that indicate there's no real time limit on when you can realise that ambition really do bring that feeling of whimsy back.

I first moved abroad when I was 40.  I would say that the older you are the more difficult it becomes in terms of finding suitable work if you aren't being transferred with your job.  I was an HR Manager in the UK (Manchester) and thought (wrongly) I'd be able to pick it up again in Hong Kong.  Teaching English was just about the only option so that's what I did.  Luckily, the then-wife had a good job and package (easy) so we were able to get by comfortably enough until I got into the swing of things.  I ended up earning a bit more than I was as an HR Manager in the UK and have been able to continue teaching here in the Philippines.  

So, it's never too late but age does become a limiting factor at some point I'd say.

[Tight minge]

21 minutes ago, hk blues said:

I first moved abroad when I was 40.  I would say that the older you are the more difficult it becomes in terms of finding suitable work if you aren't being transferred with your job.  I was an HR Manager in the UK (Manchester) and thought (wrongly) I'd be able to pick it up again in Hong Kong.  Teaching English was just about the only option so that's what I did.  Luckily, the then-wife had a good job and package (easy) so we were able to get by comfortably enough until I got into the swing of things.  I ended up earning a bit more than I was as an HR Manager in the UK and have been able to continue teaching here in the Philippines.  

So, it's never too late but age does become a limiting factor at some point I'd say.

Would agree on age for sure. Age, location and whether you are on an expat deal or independant.

I moved away at first at 34 on an expat deal. An absolute breeze.

After the first year, I have been independant (finding/creating my own jobs, visa applications and moves, etc).

It has resulted in a very mixed, but rewarding experience. 

The lack of a safety net if independant is important to consider. Unless you pack up and go home, there is no signing on if you lose your job/visa status and foreigners are always the first to go during lean times and it is not as easy to find jobs as it would be back home.

When my career has not been able to sustain me, I have taught and written for papers and publications to get by. 

I must admit the risk in it all is part of the experience, but as you get older it clearly gets more difficult.

Long and short, you will, as 99% of the people who ‘dream’ of living abroad, will find an excuse not to. 

If it is truly your dream/desire, just go for it. 

 

If you become a serial ‘expat’ who knows where you will end up.

 

[hk blues]

1 minute ago, Tight John McVeigh is a tit said:

Would agree on age for sure. Age, location and whether you are on an expat deal or independant.

I moved away at first at 34 on an expat deal. An absolute breeze.

After the first year, I have been independant (finding/creating my own jobs, visa applications and moves, etc).

It has resulted in a very mixed, but rewarding experience. 

The lack of a safety net if independant is important to consider. Unless you pack up and go home, there is no signing on if you lose your job/visa status and foreigners are always the first to go during lean times and it is not as easy to find jobs as it would be back home.

When my career has not been able to sustain me, I have taught and written for papers and publications to get by. 

I must admit the risk in it all is part of the experience, but as you get older it clearly gets more difficult.

Long and short, you will, as 99% of the people who ‘dream’ of living abroad, will find an excuse not to. 

If it is truly your dream/desire, just go for it. 

 

If you become a serial ‘expat’ who knows where you will end up.

 

Yep...when we went to Hong Kong If my 1st wife hadn't had a stable income we'd probably not have been able to survive long enough to make a good fist of it.  Obviously it depends on location and individual needs/wants, but anyone going it alone abroad either needs to have a few quid in savings to supplement their likely meagre income in the early days or a willingness to slum it.  

I've watched a fair few TV programmes about this topic, and almost all are split into 2 groups - those being transferred by their company with a package or couples/singles looking for an experience.  Families making the move are few and far between for a reason.  As you can imagine, in Hong Kong we came across a fair few serial 'expats' but they were almost all single guys in their late 40s/50s who were in and out of China.

[Turkmenbashi]

At the minute I don't really count as I am currently in Glasgow, but hopefully by the end of the year if all goes to plan I will be back in Belgium.

Basically went on Erasmus to Sweden when I was 19 and had a great time. I was quite actually at how few people did Erasmus as I was very keen to do it.

Then just before Brexit I was hoping to go abroad again, was mostly hoping to go to Scandinavia or Germany. Ended up in Gent in Belgium by random chance I found job basically taking over to get training there for a year before returning to work in an office in Glasgow.

Gent was decent enough but was quite happy to return to Glasgow as I felt I done it. Then just after lockdown 1 was finished and I was due to leave Belgium about 1-2 months later, I was on tinder hoping for one final shag. I was successful, but in the end she is now my girlfriend and I am planning on returning because of that.

Positives: Good beer, fries and cycling and better weather. Beautiful city as well

Negatives: Racism (and I am in probably the most liberal city in Belgium), bureaucracy, expensive

What I miss about Scotland is just going to the pub with mates, although that seems to be getting less and less often these days

[Michael W]

It's quite striking the amount of times racism had been mentioned in this thread as a negative feature of countries, especially in developed ones. 

Is it noticeably worse than it is in the UK/Scotland in isolation, or is it more open/overt racism? Genuinely curious. 

[hk blues]

9 minutes ago, Michael W said:

It's quite striking the amount of times racism had been mentioned in this thread as a negative feature of countries, especially in developed ones. 

Is it noticeably worse than it is in the UK/Scotland in isolation, or is it more open/overt racism? Genuinely curious. 

There's plenty of racism in Asia against Western folk but it's more out of ignorance than malice.  Typical in the Philippines is that all us white guys are both American and called Joe.  And we're all rich.  Can't say I've ever experienced "negative" racism here.  That said, I do hear and see racist behaviour of the unsavoury type towards other Asians, especially Chinese and Indian to a lesser extent. 

Political Correctness hasn't caught on in Asia as yet as far as I can see. 

[Turkmenbashi]

23 minutes ago, Michael W said:

It's quite striking the amount of times racism had been mentioned in this thread as a negative feature of countries, especially in developed ones. 

Is it noticeably worse than it is in the UK/Scotland in isolation, or is it more open/overt racism? Genuinely curious. 

A lot of little comments about Moroccans/Turks which I can't say I hear equivalent in Glasgow about any minority, as regularly or openly. I also didn't experience the same in Sweden: From what I gather from speaking to people is the nation is still a  bit traumatised from the terrorist attacks a few years back. And my girlfriend mentions that she used to experience regularly creepy behaviour from Arab guys when just walking down the street, which she even admits has made her a bit racist towards them. 
It is also noticeable from electoral results with Vlaams Balang doing very well here, and it was noticeable in lockdown where in my mostly white neighbourhood there was parties but no enforcement, whereas my friend who lives in more mixed neighbourhood mentioned the police were constantly punishing people for breaches.

Also people get very sensitive when you criticise Zwarte Piet.

Edited August 12, 2021 by Turkmenbashi