taabarang wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2019 10:29 am I always liked this, by Henry Scott Holland:

Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was. I am I, and you are you, and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by the old familiar name. Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was. There is absolute and unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!"

Well that might appeal to you and others, but doesn't apply to me. I want to be remembered as General Patton was remembered by those who served with him. " He could be a sonavabitch, but he was our sonavabitch.

xandreu wrote: ↑Sat Aug 24, 2019 1:44 am I've met two or three expats recently that have fallen on hard times and tell me they'd rather commit suicide than return to their home countries. And they told me with such passion, I kinda believe them.

Firstly, I'd suggest that Cambodia is not the be all and end all of everything. They might think that life is getting them down, but it's perfectly possible that it's just Cambodia itself that's the problem, and perhaps they just need to take a break from it. Cambodia is NOT a normal country. You just have to go to Vietnam, Thailand or Malaysia to remind yourself how abnormal Cambodia is.

And following on from that, there are many countries, be it South America, Europe, Russia, other Asian countries that you can find work in. A chore? Or an adventure?

As native English speaking westerners, the world is our absolute oyster and we tend to forget that sometimes. We can go to any country we wish and teach English on a private basis (even on a tourist visa ... who's to know?) or we can teach English online. We are so blessed that our opportunities are literally endless.

Don't confuse being tired of Cambodia with being tired of life. Many of us have endured Cambodia for more than a few years. Some have decided that Cambodia is as good as it gets and have happily settled here. Others have been here for many years but don't trust their Khmer partner enough to involve them in their secret stash they keep in their European or US accounts, and the rest have fully immersed themselves into he wife / girlfriend/ family thing, in the belief that that's how things are done out here.

The fact is, it's all up to you. And if none of it appeals to you, book a cheap AirAsia flight somewhere else.

Cambodia is a small SE Asian country. It suits some. It doesn't suit others. If it doesn't suit you, try somewhere else.

But it certainly aint worth your life.

Robins wrote: ↑Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:35 pm One advantage of living in Cambodia or Thailand is that you can buy antidepressants over the counter. Do a lot of research on Google then try something. Good luck to anyone with depression, I saw too many suicides as a cop for 22 years. Even had clients with hopeless cases kill themselves as an attorney.

fazur wrote: ↑Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:10 pm

taabarang wrote:"Doesn’t Social Security give survivor benefits to the spouse after the primary dies?"

Under certain provisions none of which apply to my situation.

SternAAlbifrons wrote: ↑Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:18 pm

Robins wrote: ↑Wed Apr 01, 2020 2:35 pm One advantage of living in Cambodia or Thailand is that you can buy antidepressants over the counter. Do a lot of research on Google then try something. Good luck to anyone with depression, I saw too many suicides as a cop for 22 years. Even had clients with hopeless cases kill themselves as an attorney.

I fully respect the reasons for your concern Robins.
I am not advocating against anti-depressants, but just expressing a word of caution.

Nearly all my life my Drs have had the same syndrome -every 5,6,7 years they say
- Stern (or whatever my name is) we have this new class of anti-anxiety/anti-depressives. They're Fab!
NO! thanks. (me)
- 5 years later.. Stern, you were right, we are not allowed to use those drugs anymore. But we have this new class...
NO!
- 6 years later ... Stern, you were right, we are not allowed...

I see my old friends who took the Drs recommendations for the past many years - and i am sure as hell glad my lifelong ups and downs have at least not lead me to near zombieland as the Drs drugs have done to them.

BUT - short term use of exactly the right drugs have, i believe, helped a lot of people.
Just be very very cautious, indeed very very wary.

PS, I always say to the Docs - "I just try to eat well, exercise hard and regularly, and get heaps of sunshine"
They always say - "Oh yeah, that is for sure the best thing for most people".
But not one Dr has ever introduced that idea to me without me first bringing it up.