Coming to America

Me, my world, and I

By Leauki on November 22, 2005 11:06:54 AM from

Leauki

Join Date 02/2004

+85

Ok, here's the deal: I plan to move to America.

That's my mid-term plan. It's finally out.

Some people who have read me might have expected something like that. After all, my opinion about Europe is known. But to take actual steps is something else; and I haven't taken any yet.

What I did do was, as many know, moving to Ireland. Many a migrant migrates to America via Ireland. It's traditional.

I have never even been in America. In fact I have never been outside what is now the EU. But I adapt well, and I like finding myself in new situations to deal with. I don't like challenges, but this won't be one. If I can make the move from the continent to Ireland, I can make the move elsewhere. If I speak the language, that is.

There are some obvious legal problems. Moving to Ireland required no visa or work permit (because of the EU). But moving to elsewhere does. But I am sure I can overcome them. They seem to require time and money and work experience. I have all three.

I considered many places, before I even decided that North-America should be it.

I considered Israel, Australia, New-Zealand, the USA, and Canada. I considered even Namibia and South Africa.

Israel: would have to learn Hebrew (good), low wages (bad), high prices/rent/taxes (bad), too warm (bad).

Australia: poisonous animals (bad), too warm (bad), too far away (bad)

New-Zealand: nicer weather (good), too far away from too far away (very bad)

USA: bad social security system (bad), lower taxes (good), many regions (see below)

Canada: good social security system (good), many regions (see below)

Namibia: speaks German (bad), too warm (bad)

South Africa: too warm (bad), crime rate too high (bad)

California: too warm (bad).

Pacifist North-West: very far away (bad), otherwise still in the run

New-England: in the run

Mid-West (Chicago etc.): doesn't do it for me

Canadian West: very far way (bad), otherwise still in the run

Quebec: would have the speak French (good), might become independent (bad)

Ontario: doesn't do it for me, otherwise still in the run

Atlantic provinces: high unemployment in some (bad)

Nova Scotia (Halifax): in the run

What I came up with is Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Its advantages are many:

- low unemployment (I think)
- speaks English
- a small Jewish community (about the same size as the Irish)
- next to New-England (Boston, New York etc.)
- close to Europe (see below)
- has a harbour (see below)
- close to Quebec (important for French language books/dvds)
- not in Quebec (EVEN more important)
- very Irish (I will feel at home)
- conservative majority in parliament

- Halifax population: 350,000 (about half of Dublin)
- public transportation (busses)
- possibly a commuter train soon

Close to Europe could be important as I tend to want to visit old friends or have them visit me. Nova Scotia is so much closer to Europe, it's frightening. It also means that if I move my stuff there a few years after first moving there, I don't have to transport it through the entire continent. I can get my stuff from Hamburg (my parents live near there) to Halifax and it shouldn't be much of a problem.

I somewhat depend on amazon.fr and I assume Canada is the next best place for French-language goods after Europe.

Now, how did all of this happen?

For those interested, I will now shortly summarise my life.

*** MY LIFE ***

By Andrew J. Brehm, LD

I was born in West-Berlin at the age of 0 some time ago (the curious reader may find the date elsewhere, I am under 30 now). I started small but worked my way up.

When I grew up Berlin was still occupied by Allied forces and surrounded by the Russians^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^HGerman Democratic Republic. I first moved away in 1998 and lived in Dublin until I moved back to my own flat in Berlin in 1999.

In 2004 I moved back to Dublin again. I shouldn't have gone back to Germany in 1999.

I speak English and German, I learned French and Latin at school, and I am learning Hebrew now, for fun.

My first job was a junior technician in a Compaq box-pusher (personal computer reseller) in Ireland, my last job in Germany was as a network technician in a German phone company. I have since then worked for a credit card network company as a system administrator and now for a famous multi-national software company as a system engineer.

My current plans are to go to Israel for two months in July and August 2006 to learn Hebrew at the University of Haifa.

That's my life in a nutshell, and I think the shell fits.

*** YOU WERE SEEING: MY LIFE ***

By Andrew J. Brehm, LD

Now you know where I am coming from. And you know where I think I will be going to. Does anybody have anything to say about America, Canada, Nova Scotia, or Halifax? Is there a known detail I overlooked (like everybody in Halifax is named Gumbo and you would not want to mix with them, or Nova Scotia sank last week, or something like that; you know, the less obvious things).

First, the Pacific Northwest is not sunny! Not really cold tho either. I have been out there many times, and it is usually cloudy and raining (I wonder why all the people dont turn into Mushrooms???).

I have had PNWers swear to me that the sun does shine up there. And indeed, I am sure it must sometimes as the largest non-tropical rain forrest in the world is up there.

Now, as for your destination, sadly I dont know much. Other than it does get a lot of snow and it does get cold! But if that is not a problem, sounds like a good place.

Oh, and the poison animals? They are all over North America. Just not as many as Australia. But we do have Rattlers, and Copperheads all the way up to Nova Scotia. Hawaii is the only state that does not have poisonious snakes. They just dont hae snakes period.