How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

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Bubble T
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by Bubble T »

SlowJoe wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 6:45 pm I hate to say this again, but I still haven't seen a response to my biggest concern about the West and moving back. The rapidly rising cost of living.

People keep saying it's great and that the kids like it and all, but what about costs? Even Bubble T admits to making 6 figures and can't save any money...that doesn't seem like a very good life to me.

Even if I were a 1 millionaire, I would not be able to buy a house at all in my hometown. As a millionaire I would need a mortgage. If I moved to the sticks (like 300 km away from the city centre), I could buy a house and have just a little UNDER half my money left over if I bought a pile of crap. If I wanted a car, furnishings, etc, I would have very little left and nothing to do.

If you're educated and working a high level job, you MIGHT make $200k if you're very very lucky. After taxes your take home (in my country) would be less than $100k not including expenses.

If you're like me and you have lots of experience but little "education", you MIGHT make $100k at a job. That's nowhere near enough to do anything with. Forget owning a home, forget buying a car outright, forget all of that, you're in debt.

And if you buy a cheap car, it doesn't matter because mechanic and parts costs are through the roof. A junkyard engine that used to cost $300 are nearly $5k now.

There's no option to have a Daelim, Tuk Tuk, or something affordable, because even crap cars are expensive now.

I'm genuinely curious if I'm missing something here, because it seems like everything that gets brought up about what is "good" about the west is not sustainable in the least bit, and while you may not think Cambodia is the best country in a lot of respects, it's at least livable and survivable for most classes of people.

Money talks, and to me it's screaming a pretty clear picture of where I'd rather be right now.
I didn't say I'm saving no money, I said I'm saving far less than I thought I'd be able to (and part of that is because we've chosen to live in a nice house with big gardens in a nice village). I'd also note that I only have high school level education. Unless you're a doctor, lawyer or accountant you'll find most places don't care what level of education you have as long as you can prove that you have the ability to do the job.

It's certainly true that I'd be able to save a lot more if I was in Cambodia, but there no amount of money could buy my family the quality of life we enjoy here.
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by SlowJoe »

Bubble T wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:56 pm I didn't say I'm saving no money, I said I'm saving far less than I thought I'd be able to (and part of that is because we've chosen to live in a nice house with big gardens in a nice village). I'd also note that I only have high school level education. Unless you're a doctor, lawyer or accountant you'll find most places don't care what level of education you have as long as you can prove that you have the ability to do the job.

It's certainly true that I'd be able to save a lot more if I was in Cambodia, but there no amount of money could buy my family the quality of life we enjoy here.
My mistake on the misquote, although part of that was also you talking about not being able to get a licence for 10 months, as well as a few other things that just make things seem very stifling about life over there. It seems far more suffocating vs. here in all honesty, in practice.

I hope not to come across as snarky or embittered, I'm still just not seeing what is so great about what you say in your posts about being back home, and then factoring in inflation rapidly taking off and it doesn't seem all that rosy a picture at all.

Forgive me (as someone who raised a child in Cambodia, as someone who also left "home" at age 18 and lived most of my adult life in Cambodia), forgive me if I don't see it, and if it's working for you and you're happy then that's great though, I hope that comes across.

I may be totally stupid and missing something, I'm just trying to understand because I myself am wondering if I should or shouldn't go "home" and start a new life as well. :)
Last edited by SlowJoe on Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by phuketrichard »

Brody wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 3:21 am @JBTrain I'd enjoy reading your take.
he is to busy :-)
and both of them are doing fine

slowjoe;
.
... I'm just trying to understand because I myself am wondering if I should or shouldn't go "home" and start a new life as well.
I left home later than most of you all, BUT i have spent 43 years ( lots more than half my life) outside the states
and for most of that time, Thailand was ( and will soon be again) my home

If u spent so much time in Cambodia but still consider another country your home, maybe u just should go back.
and where do u see urslef in 10, 20 years if u remain in Cambodia?

as Dorothy said "there's no place like home"
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by Kammekor »

SlowJoe wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:44 pm
Bubble T wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:56 pm I didn't say I'm saving no money, I said I'm saving far less than I thought I'd be able to (and part of that is because we've chosen to live in a nice house with big gardens in a nice village). I'd also note that I only have high school level education. Unless you're a doctor, lawyer or accountant you'll find most places don't care what level of education you have as long as you can prove that you have the ability to do the job.

It's certainly true that I'd be able to save a lot more if I was in Cambodia, but there no amount of money could buy my family the quality of life we enjoy here.
My mistake on the misquote, although part of that was also you talking about not being able to get a licence for 10 months, as well as a few other things that just make things seem very stifling about life over there. It seems far more suffocating vs. here in all honesty, in practice.

I hope not to come across as snarky or embittered, I'm still just not seeing what is so great about what you say in your posts about being back home, and then factoring in inflation rapidly taking off and it doesn't seem all that rosy a picture at all.

Forgive me (as someone who raised a child in Cambodia, as someone who also left "home" at age 18 and lived most of my adult life in Cambodia), forgive me if I don't see it, and if it's working for you and you're happy then that's great though, I hope that comes across.

I may be totally stupid and missing something, I'm just trying to understand because I myself am wondering if I should or shouldn't go "home" and start a new life as well. :)
At first sight, raising a kid in Europe beats raising a kid in Cambodia I guess.
And if you look again, it still beats it.

Raising a kid in Cambodia while offering the same level of education is a challenge, I can tell from experience.

But... There's a but. Since my kid was born 10 years ago I decided I would make an annual decision - stay or leave, depending on my kid's development. Even though there have been hard times, we stayed, and when I compare the skills of my kid to my own skills when I was 10 years old my kid wins, without a doubt.
I spoke only one language, managed one script, my kid does three languages / two scripts.
I only knew one world, my kid has a much broader knowledge / awareness about the world. And I could go on....
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by Felgerkarb »

SlowJoe wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 6:45 pm I hate to say this again, but I still haven't seen a response to my biggest concern about the West and moving back. The rapidly rising cost of living.

People keep saying it's great and that the kids like it and all, but what about costs? Even Bubble T admits to making 6 figures and can't save any money...that doesn't seem like a very good life to me.

Even if I were a 1 millionaire, I would not be able to buy a house at all in my hometown. As a millionaire I would need a mortgage. If I moved to the sticks (like 300 km away from the city centre), I could buy a house and have just a little UNDER half my money left over if I bought a pile of crap. If I wanted a car, furnishings, etc, I would have very little left and nothing to do.

If you're educated and working a high level job, you MIGHT make $200k if you're very very lucky. After taxes your take home (in my country) would be less than $100k not including expenses.

If you're like me and you have lots of experience but little "education", you MIGHT make $100k at a job. That's nowhere near enough to do anything with. Forget owning a home, forget buying a car outright, forget all of that, you're in debt.

And if you buy a cheap car, it doesn't matter because mechanic and parts costs are through the roof. A junkyard engine that used to cost $300 are nearly $5k now.

There's no option to have a Daelim, Tuk Tuk, or something affordable, because even crap cars are expensive now.

I'm genuinely curious if I'm missing something here, because it seems like everything that gets brought up about what is "good" about the west is not sustainable in the least bit, and while you may not think Cambodia is the best country in a lot of respects, it's at least livable and survivable for most classes of people.

Money talks, and to me it's screaming a pretty clear picture of where I'd rather be right now.
We are not rich by any means, but we are comfortable. Prices in the USA are spiking, but many things worldwide are. Since I lived overseas, I never broke myself with a giant debt hole. All I have is a mortgage and should have that paid off by the time Pubert finishes high school. Like Bubble T, I cannot save as much as I would like to, but I still put money away monthly. I could not afford to live in the state where I grew up, but I knew that 20 years ago, so I moved my home of record to another state to prepare for a just in case scenario...which paid off in spades. I planned since Pubert was born to move here IF the need presented itself. As his father, it is my duty to ensure the best for him, I planned accordingly. I saved for five years to get set up here and hit the ground running. I admit, I got VERY lucky with my house and area. If I came now, I could not afford to get in here, prices went up too much. But I did my homework as I saved and saw the trend, so I moved in the middle of the pandemic to get in before I got shut out.
===============
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by cptrelentless »

Great
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by phuketrichard »

Kammekor wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 9:37 pm
SlowJoe wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:44 pm
Bubble T wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:56 pm I didn't say I'm saving no money, I said I'm saving far less than I thought I'd be able to (and part of that is because we've chosen to live in a nice house with big gardens in a nice village). I'd also note that I only have high school level education. Unless you're a doctor, lawyer or accountant you'll find most places don't care what level of education you have as long as you can prove that you have the ability to do the job.

It's certainly true that I'd be able to save a lot more if I was in Cambodia, but there no amount of money could buy my family the quality of life we enjoy here.
My mistake on the misquote, although part of that was also you talking about not being able to get a licence for 10 months, as well as a few other things that just make things seem very stifling about life over there. It seems far more suffocating vs. here in all honesty, in practice.

I hope not to come across as snarky or embittered, I'm still just not seeing what is so great about what you say in your posts about being back home, and then factoring in inflation rapidly taking off and it doesn't seem all that rosy a picture at all.

Forgive me (as someone who raised a child in Cambodia, as someone who also left "home" at age 18 and lived most of my adult life in Cambodia), forgive me if I don't see it, and if it's working for you and you're happy then that's great though, I hope that comes across.

I may be totally stupid and missing something, I'm just trying to understand because I myself am wondering if I should or shouldn't go "home" and start a new life as well. :)
At first sight, raising a kid in Europe beats raising a kid in Cambodia I guess.
And if you look again, it still beats it.

Raising a kid in Cambodia while offering the same level of education is a challenge
, I can tell from experience.

But... There's a but. Since my kid was born 10 years ago I decided I would make an annual decision - stay or leave, depending on my kid's development. Even though there have been hard times, we stayed, and when I compare the skills of my kid to my own skills when I was 10 years old my kid wins, without a doubt.
I spoke only one language, managed one script, my kid does three languages / two scripts.
I only knew one world, my kid has a much broader knowledge / awareness about the world. And I could go on....
If ur referring to a standard Cambodian ( or thai) school I agree, is ur child in the international system?

BUT not so if your kid went thru an international school: Her education was much better than the Ca public school one she would have gotten.
She got on the deans list her 1st year in university and told me the kids are so far behind, all they wanted to do was talk, eat and have fun, No school sense at all

As yours, she spoke, English, thai and Chinese ( wrote thai and english) and we travelled to many places around the world ( the states, Europe, all of se asia). Plus her fellow students were from all over as well

The ONLY negative is since she was 'luk krueng' half thai, she was not 100% accepted with the pure thai or pure farangs which created a sort of Caste system in the school, but more than 60% of the school was made of of kids like her, she had Thai friends not in her school and most of her friends in school were 50/50
IF i couldn't have afforded the international school for sure would have gone back to the states.
Last edited by phuketrichard on Thu Sep 08, 2022 7:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by GMJS-CEO »

SlowJoe wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 6:45 pm I hate to say this again, but I still haven't seen a response to my biggest concern about the West and moving back. The rapidly rising cost of living.

People keep saying it's great and that the kids like it and all, but what about costs? Even Bubble T admits to making 6 figures and can't save any money...that doesn't seem like a very good life to me.

Even if I were a 1 millionaire, I would not be able to buy a house at all in my hometown. As a millionaire I would need a mortgage. If I moved to the sticks (like 300 km away from the city centre), I could buy a house and have just a little UNDER half my money left over if I bought a pile of crap. If I wanted a car, furnishings, etc, I would have very little left and nothing to do.

If you're educated and working a high level job, you MIGHT make $200k if you're very very lucky. After taxes your take home (in my country) would be less than $100k not including expenses.

If you're like me and you have lots of experience but little "education", you MIGHT make $100k at a job. That's nowhere near enough to do anything with. Forget owning a home, forget buying a car outright, forget all of that, you're in debt.

And if you buy a cheap car, it doesn't matter because mechanic and parts costs are through the roof. A junkyard engine that used to cost $300 are nearly $5k now.

There's no option to have a Daelim, Tuk Tuk, or something affordable, because even crap cars are expensive now.

I'm genuinely curious if I'm missing something here, because it seems like everything that gets brought up about what is "good" about the west is not sustainable in the least bit, and while you may not think Cambodia is the best country in a lot of respects, it's at least livable and survivable for most classes of people.

Money talks, and to me it's screaming a pretty clear picture of where I'd rather be right now.
Something seems off, not sure where you are living if you can’t get a house as a millionaire. I live in what I consider a good area and the neighboring towns are nice as well (top school districts and low crime). I’m not a millionaire and don’t need to be to live here. Maybe pick another town besides the one with all the multimillionaires?
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by Kammekor »

phuketrichard wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 7:06 am
Kammekor wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 9:37 pm
SlowJoe wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:44 pm
Bubble T wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:56 pm I didn't say I'm saving no money, I said I'm saving far less than I thought I'd be able to (and part of that is because we've chosen to live in a nice house with big gardens in a nice village). I'd also note that I only have high school level education. Unless you're a doctor, lawyer or accountant you'll find most places don't care what level of education you have as long as you can prove that you have the ability to do the job.

It's certainly true that I'd be able to save a lot more if I was in Cambodia, but there no amount of money could buy my family the quality of life we enjoy here.
My mistake on the misquote, although part of that was also you talking about not being able to get a licence for 10 months, as well as a few other things that just make things seem very stifling about life over there. It seems far more suffocating vs. here in all honesty, in practice.

I hope not to come across as snarky or embittered, I'm still just not seeing what is so great about what you say in your posts about being back home, and then factoring in inflation rapidly taking off and it doesn't seem all that rosy a picture at all.

Forgive me (as someone who raised a child in Cambodia, as someone who also left "home" at age 18 and lived most of my adult life in Cambodia), forgive me if I don't see it, and if it's working for you and you're happy then that's great though, I hope that comes across.

I may be totally stupid and missing something, I'm just trying to understand because I myself am wondering if I should or shouldn't go "home" and start a new life as well. :)
At first sight, raising a kid in Europe beats raising a kid in Cambodia I guess.
And if you look again, it still beats it.

Raising a kid in Cambodia while offering the same level of education is a challenge
, I can tell from experience.

But... There's a but. Since my kid was born 10 years ago I decided I would make an annual decision - stay or leave, depending on my kid's development. Even though there have been hard times, we stayed, and when I compare the skills of my kid to my own skills when I was 10 years old my kid wins, without a doubt.
I spoke only one language, managed one script, my kid does three languages / two scripts.
I only knew one world, my kid has a much broader knowledge / awareness about the world. And I could go on....
If ur referring to a standard Cambodian ( or thai) school I agree, is ur child in the international system?
My kid is in one of the 'international' schools in Ban Lung, but being the only 'foreigner' in that school it's hard to call it an international school Then there's an hour of private lessons and an hour of home schooling every day.

Anyway, comparing the kid's skills to my own when I was the same age I probably was better in Dutch, but I have to admit that's about it. All the other subjects I have to admit my defeat.
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Re: How is it for YOU returning to live in the west after several years abroad?

Post by SlowJoe »

GMJS-CEO wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 7:11 am
Something seems off, not sure where you are living if you can’t get a house as a millionaire. I live in what I consider a good area and the neighboring towns are nice as well (top school districts and low crime). I’m not a millionaire and don’t need to be to live here. Maybe pick another town besides the one with all the multimillionaires?
I'm from East Canada.

The house I was in as a child was around $360k. Now it's $3.2 million, same exact house and it's not even a posh neighbourhood either. West Canada is even worse.

2 bd. condos are DOUBLE that now (some in the $800-900k range).

If I move to the total ghetto I can find a pile for around half a million plus, but that's going to be a neighbourhood with transients lurking on street corners and bus stops.

If I go even all the way to the north (say the Yukon near Alaska where there's no people), houses are still $700k plus and rising.

I honestly have no idea where I'd even attempt to be able to live if I had to go back now, you simply can't afford anything these days.

Even if I had all my money saved up from Cambodia over the years, I'd not be able to buy a house back "home". It's simply not possible.
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