Moving from US to Europe (back home)

[donpedro]

Does anybody have experience with this ?

[Tommyknocker]

I moved to Italy from Arizona five years ago. What do you want to know?

[donpedro]

I am planing to take 20ft container with car, boxes and very little of furniture. I am worry that there will be some trouble with company that will ship it. What should I be aware of generaly ?

Also I was just wondering what kind of good or bad experience people have with these kind of things.

[Tommyknocker]

The only thing I can think of right now, is to take the license plates off your car and put them in the trunk before shipping it. Learn the new language while you have the chance. Make a good list of the valuables you are shipping, and ship as few of them as possible. Don't ship any of your CDs, mail them ahead of you. That's all you can think of now. I will post more if I think of any.

On the other hand, prepare for the time of your life. I really like living here in Europe, the travel, the people, the culture, almost everything.

[donpedro]

I am returning home so language should be fine

Couple of questions ?

- why should I take off license plates ?
- are you usualy able drive for short period with US license plates ?
- what is the reason behind not including CDs ?

Thank you for your time and help.

[Tommyknocker]

Well, if you leave the license on the outside of your car, they may be stolen. Same as CDs. You can drive for a short period on US plates, but I cannot remember the duration, as many Americans do it when they first arrive.

[SatStorm]

Italy eh? South or North? (big difference...)

Anyway, general : Forget "big". What I mean? US people has anything "big": Big houses, big cars, big salaries, etc. In Europe we have smaller houses, smaller cars, smaller salaries, etc. Why? Because we don't have the space.
Forget american footbal, baseball and Box. Soon, you gonna learn anything about soccer, 'cause if you don't, you gonna be a lebbeled minority...
Forget the well known "Service". You are very spoiled in US about "service". I mean, in the USA you can get a spindle of 100 bulk CDs, and if the bottom one turn coaster, you can get get it back for a replace.
Prepare to learn the history of the world in a totally different way. Things that you have for granted in USA, are unknown here and vice versa. An american in Europe after a while feels that it was isolated in USA about certain things, because some others, decide for him - without him, about his "protection". And I have to say, that americans are very well protected in USA from the bad cruel world.
You Americans are innocent compared us Europeans. Expecially Italians, Greeks and Spanish.
Many Italians are very religious.
Italian women are among the most beautiful women in earth: They always try to look the best possible. Fat people in early ages is a rare occasion on mediterenean countries.
Italians change names to anything: For example, Donald Duck is Paperino and Michey Mouse is called Topolino.
All the television transmissions are translated to italian. You won't find english speaking programs in the public stations. In the matter of fact, free english speaking TV in Europe is rare..
For Italians, Italy is the center of the world. Same story for us Greeks (Hellas is the center of the universe) and Spanish (Spain is God'special nation).
Forget a "9 to 5" live approach.
Mediterenians stay weak untill midnight at least! Sleeping at 23.00 is a joke....

And plenty others I don't have time to post.

[Tommyknocker]

I live in northeast Italy. And regarding the last post, have never seen so many stereotypes thrown at me at one time for as long as I can remember.

Big? I am in the military, make very little in comparisons to my civilian counterparts, I supervise a group of 70 or so specialized aircraft technicians, and make no where near my civilian peers. And your Euro dollars kick the cowboy sh_t out of my American bucks, so that argument doesn't hold water either.

I drive a small european car, because it is economical, and live in a small apartment, because I like the quiet litle town it is in.

Americans are not well protected, we are targeted around the world for simply being Americans. And many have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their heritage.

As far as Italian women being some of the beautiful, I have to concede that argument, as they are gorgeous. If your wife or girlfriend is coming with you, tell her to never wear her curlers to the mall. She will find she is the only one there doing so.

Satellite TV still can get you English speaking stations, so not too worry.

Here in NE Italy there is an American football league, and the locals here are getting to be very good at it. Basketball also has a foothold here, but soccer still has the best attendance all around.

And as far as Americans like having their decisions being made for them, I think you need to meet more Americans. We resent anyone telling us what to do. Ask King George III, he'll tell you.

[gmatov]

Tommy,

George the 3rd is dead, a long time now, but he went to his grave resenting the "spoiled brats" who kicked his troops out of the US of America.

Stereotypes galore, here. We're so well protected that we are getting our asses shot off world round.

We're all so rich we drive big, really big cars, and damn the cost of gas, etc. (That's probably a Madison Avenue shill's show. They did a poll of stupid rich, or close to rich, or wannabe rich people who said they will still buy Hummers, Expeditions and the like, pay 2.50 a gallon for gas, and cut back on trips to McDs We have an ******* media.

Why the Euros should hate us so, for "big" pay, when our measly buck won't buy anything there, is beyond me.

Friend of mine was telling me tonight of a Serb immigrant to the US who worked for 6 years in Germany and saved 100 grand, in those 6 years, to emigrate to the States. Bought a restaurant in Florida with the savings.

Find an American breadwinner who can put away 100 grand in 6 years, working for a living..

Better is, tell me how a Turk can buy ANY damn thing when the Turkish lira is a million and a half to the buck. 5 million lira bill to buy a Big Mac? Cut me a break.

When my daughter was in Germany, they lived "on the economy", played with their military paycheck, hoping to get a better exchange rate so they could afford to buy the grandbabies milk.

When a Staff Sergeant makes 65 grand a year, and the work force here makes 20-25, sumpin's wrong. In '62, I went in for 78 bucks a month.

Ah, well, there IS inflation, I suppose.

Cheers,

George

[SatStorm]

Hi Tommyknocker,

About the stereotypes: The difference between Europe and America, is that in USA, "stereotypes" are a bad thing, while for us in Europe, "stereotypes" is another word to describe those who follow traditions...

You won't understand my rest of reply, that's for sure. But I'll try to do it afterall (with my well known awfull and self learned english)...

"Big? I am in the military, make very little in comparisons to my civilian counterparts, I supervise a group of 70 or so specialized aircraft technicians, and make no where near my civilian peers"

You already are what in Europe call a "moving dollar"....

" And your Euro dollars kick the cowboy sh_t out of my American bucks, so that argument doesn't hold water either"

The market is USA-centric. Everything first present in USA, test it there and then goes to the rest of the world, including Europe. So, it is not only about the power of a currency that counts in the global market.
Also, the domination of dollar after ww2 offers a good and stable economy system, that can't be blow away just because Euro is higher Dollar today. You need generations to do that kind of transictions.

"I drive a small european car, because it is economical, and live in a small apartment, because I like the quiet litle town it is in"

In South Italy, families of 5 members (parents, 2 kids and a mother / father in law) live in appartments of 55cm2... A 100cm2 appartment is a big house for us. Italians on cities have those problems, but not in the country.
The reason we drive smaller cars in Europe, is bacause we don't have space to park them at our cities and we don't have to travel a lot (small countries, USA is geographically huge). It is not because of economical reasons mostly, after all, for the mediterenian nations (both european and arabs) "big car" gives you status (a not so italian characteristic but in Sicely still holds...)
It is not about stereotypes here, it is about different needs, different enviroment, etc. Sorry if I express it in a way that looks like a stereotypical approach.

"Americans are not well protected, we are targeted around the world for simply being Americans. And many have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their heritage"
You are very well protected. You simply don't know it.

"Satellite TV still can get you English speaking stations, so not too worry"

When you arrive in Europe, you gonna see that beyond CNN, Fox News, Worldnet (C-Span) and Bloomberg US, there are no other USA channels to receive. Also, there is no really good english speaking program in Europe, except some third class british Free To Air channels, from Astra 2A/B/D at 28.2 east. Subscription channels yes, but they don't have international distribution. For example, I pay my subscription of Sky Digital (UK based) but I'm illegal because I watch it outside UK. I have a fake andress to do it and I pay through banks for that. You gonna see what I mean soon...

"Here in NE Italy there is an American football league, and the locals here are getting to be very good at it. Basketball also has a foothold here, but soccer still has the best attendance all around".

You say "are getting" and somehow you feel "proud" about it. Beyond the fact that this has a feeling "we teach them how to play "really" games, I didn't have to learn there "stupid" europian ones", Rugby is a foreign sport for Italy (and most european countries). That's how gonna stay. It is something for very few. And I didn't mention Basketball. I mention baseball and Box.

"And as far as Americans like having their decisions being made for them, I think you need to meet more Americans. We resent anyone telling us what to do. Ask King George III, he'll tell you".

American "New York type" Masons anyone?
The plans was set 2 - 3 generations before (almost 100 years). This is what I'm talking about. And this reaction of yours, simply prooves that...


Hi, gmatov

"George the 3rd is dead, a long time now, but he went to his grave resenting the "spoiled brats" who kicked his troops out of the US of America"

And then, they kicked the native americans. Today they live on Ohio, near nuclear waste...
Can someone explain me how the 40 millions they were 100 years ago, today are 3 millions? I bet George the 3rd is proud for this too.

"Stereotypes galore, here. We're so well protected that we are getting our asses shot off world round."

Beyond the question "why you are around the world, your place is in USA", I don't have any comment about this.

"We're all so rich we drive big, really big cars, and damn the cost of gas, etc. (That's probably a Madison Avenue shill's show. They did a poll of stupid rich, or close to rich, or wannabe rich people who said they will still buy Hummers, Expeditions and the like, pay 2.50 a gallon for gas, and cut back on trips to McDs We have an ******* media."

I already expalain this. USA has space, Europe no. It doesn't have to do with money. Sorry for not clerify it better. About the salaries: South Italians have half salaries North Italians. Before the Euro years at least.

"Why the Euros should hate us so, for "big" pay, when our measly buck won't buy anything there, is beyond me"

We don't hate you. We doubt many thing about you. Now, how is possible "doubts" count as hate, is beyond me...

"Friend of mine was telling me tonight of a Serb immigrant to the US who worked for 6 years in Germany and saved 100 grand, in those 6 years, to emigrate to the States. Bought a restaurant in Florida with the savings"

And why you don't ask yourself, why an american didn't do the same thing so to be as successfull as our brothers Serbs? (I'm Greek, Serbs are our brothers, just for your information - and they do have wonderfull women too...). It is easy to jelous immigrants whey they succeed in our country, but it is difficult to analyse why they became succesful and how we can became ourselfs that way...

" Find an American breadwinner who can put away 100 grand in 6 years, working for a living.."

Easy solution: Why they don't go to work in another country like the serb immigrant did, for 6 years in the raw (no personal life at that time, no time to see your kids / wife, being a stranger in a foreigner place, have to live with THEIR rules and not how you learn from your parents to leave, ready to accept all the hate from the fuckin local nazi asholes who hate you not because of what you do, but because of what you are, etc). Then, they could return to USA and do bussness as the immigrants...

"Better is, tell me how a Turk can buy ANY damn thing when the Turkish lira is a million and a half to the buck. 5 million lira bill to buy a Big Mac? Cut me a break"

"Black money", drugs, prostetutes, 3 jobs per day... There are always ways to do that, even in USA. Also, Big Mac use the world "Big" and guess what: Apple computers are less than 1% in Europe...
Question: How is possible in USA some Rap artists replace their teeth with platimum (!), while most of their bross live on those wonderfull USA places called Ghettos. So cut ME a break...

"When my daughter was in Germany, they lived "on the economy", played with their military paycheck, hoping to get a better exchange rate so they could afford to buy the grandbabies milk"

When my ex girlfriend was in Germany, she had to work 12 hours a day and study the same time, and she didn't have any military paycheck at all. Her parents couldn't affort any money, because her father was jobless, thank to the "we have to stable our currency to became Euro" politics. You know, a situation like your US friendly Argentina....
She was also a raver, and she couldn't even affort a ticket to go from Franfurt to Berlin, to be in the Love Parade. Grandbabies mile? What was that? She lived two floors underground in a room with 3 other girls, eating potatos 6 days a week. And all this in middle 90s. Still a good age for Europe...

"When a Staff Sergeant makes 65 grand a year, and the work force here makes 20-25, sumpin's wrong. In '62, I went in for 78 bucks a month"

I'm not Italian to talk you about Italian salaries, and about Greek salaries I alread said it various times in this forum. For example, the basic worker salary in Greece is 540 euros per month, while a one room apartment in athens cost to rent about 300 euros. I do know that south Italians are about the same on this, but I only know for the pre euro years, so I don't burn my hand for this...

The Greek Sergent makes 12 grands per year here , and it is concerned "rich". Also, he is a target for wedding from many many local ladies - expecially from places with no future.

So, sure there is inflation, but from who is the question....

[donpedro]

Nice discussion guys.....

Any other sugestions about moving to Europe ? (not limited to Italy, which isn't the country that I actualy plan to move to)

Thanks for any sugestions and help.

[SatStorm]

Yes: Get with you a good NTSC VHS VCR! You won't find easy in Europe...

[makntraks]

All in all, considering the good and bad of everyones comments..
the only thing I can say is

I'M SOOOOOOOOO F***KING JEALOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck Don...

makntraks

[donpedro]

makntraks: Thanks

SatStorm: For some reason I feel that VCR's in Eourope (expensive one) are better that those in US. Anyway, I am bringing with me Internetional VCR (110/220V, 50/60Hz, PAL/SECAM/NTSC tuner). It's Samsung but hopefully it will work as it should

[Craig Tucker]

Any other sugestions about moving to Europe ? (not limited to Italy, which isn't the country that I actualy plan to move to)

Where are you planning to move to - Spain ?

[donpedro]

It's TOP SECRET ! ............. to Slovakia

[indolikaa]

Damn! I was going to say Slovenia.

[pacmania_2001]

Mmm... Slovakian females.

[SatStorm]

Most of the "slovakian" porn you probably know, is simply porn filmed in Slovakia but not with slovakian girls. Most of the pornstars are from other eastern european countries.
I do know that Slovakian girls are among the most difficult in Europe (after ours in Greece - which also are ungly.... -

[donpedro]

Most of the "slovakian" porn you probably know.....

Never seen any