Why do we always think that "ELSEWHERE" is better than our own country? (page 4 of 23)

So if you feel it lacks nuance, the possibility for discussion is limited, the threshold has already been reached (since their opinion was quite nuanced and so was mine in response). I’m quoting you on the value judgment that won’t lead to any dialogue: "........not everyone spends their days overanalyzing the misery of living in France..."

The idea of nuance wasn’t aimed at your message. 😉

I still maintain that the original post lacks nuance. On one side, everything is great elsewhere. On the other, nothing works in France . Only the final sentence adds a hint of nuance. But the bulk of the message still leans toward everything being rosy abroad and pitch-black here.

Same goes for Kedor’s reasoning—they only cite what supports their argument. I counter with other contradictory examples. QED.

In any case, nothing is ever black or white; this Manichean view is far too simplistic.

So I’ll say it again: France isn’t perfect, I’m the first to admit it, but it’s still not that bad when you look elsewhere. 😎

Probably because in our country there’s a crisis—there are fewer jobs than in some other places.

SHOCKED.....OH THE POOR THING!!!

I wasn’t wrong after all about what I sensed regarding your first ramblings... I never asked for anyone’s OPINION or advice—REREAD the original idea carefully... which, up to now, hasn’t caused any problems for anyone. On the contrary.... check the history and learn......!!!!! The "ELSEWHERE" that may not be familiar to you gives me a taste of freedom, curiosity, opens doors, and broadens the mind—we keep growing instead of just sticking to what we know and what’s certain. But that must be beyond you....!!! Grab your little backpack and explore our beautiful France.... and don’t think you have to dictate to others what they’ve already learned or done. I think you’re on the wrong FORUM—"travelers’ thoughts and philosophical reflections!!!" You’re a troublemaker looking for controversy. REREAD YOURSELF.... there’s nothing more foolish than someone who thinks they know but doesn’t.... BOOM! As for the psychiatric asylum—"very worrying that you used such a word! You must know about it...!" To conclude, calm your nerves, and if you’re shocked, too bad for your ego. I find it a shame that your attitude has polluted such a great starting idea for all travelers. I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU. A thousand apologies to everyone reading this. Jupiteria.

Dear Juliette, Isn’t something off somewhere?🤪😕😐

Hello everyone,

But yes, but yes... it's back-to-school time!!! My Chilean friend, I'd love to set my suitcases down again in San Pedro, or even in the Elqui Valley—there’s so much to say... and to dream about... by the shore of a lake. Best regards, Jupiteria

Your response matches your subjective "interpretations" about France and the "rainbow" world elsewhere...

Rambling? Yet another interpretation that’s yours alone.

“There are none so blind as those who will not see.” And if I had to take back anything from my first comment, it’d be the part that was aimed personally at you—suggesting you discover France differently because you’ve got to be able to see things as they are, not as you’d like them to be. Your frustrations have left you with some serious scars. Settle down somewhere for good and live with the locals’ problems—the ones you’ve clearly missed. Between dictatorships, corruption, individualism out of necessity, "human" relationships (mostly within the same family or friend group) that let them get by (or even survive) by helping each other, in societies where you can die on the side of the road for lack of money or connections.

Meanwhile, back home (?), those "idiot" French people will keep working to fund the retirement of folks who’ve found their "paradise" abroad, mostly because their purchasing power is way above the local average—not because they suddenly felt a deep connection to the people. Without generalizing too much, there *are* a few genuine expats drawn to a country, whether they’re working or not, but those people never bite the hand that feeds them. They’re too aware of the realities for that.

That said, I’ll admit I was wrong about the point of this discussion. Keep stewing in your mental ruminations—who knows, maybe one day they’ll open your mind. You can always scream, stomp your feet because I’m getting under your skin—I just find you kind of pathetic, to put it politely.

Okay, I'm tapping out of this discussion—its subject should’ve been: *Tell me about elsewhere, give me reasons to leave, I can’t take my fellow countrymen anymore.*

You’ve completely lost it...... Oh help.....!!!! Stop convincing yourself that you’re the only one who knows, who can do, who understands.... You’re "off-topic," and you’re teaching us NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that’s useful, intelligent, or helps move the conversation forward on a topic you’ve UNDERSTOOD NOTHING about! You’re stuck in moralizing judgment, stating the obvious, and a narrow-mindedness I don’t agree with, that’s all. I won’t respond to your messages anymore—"you’re not worth the time"—and also out of respect for those who actually wanted to share their thoughts on the original topic. THE END.

I agree with you, it’s totally over the top. I regret coming here :/

As soon as I return to France, I tell myself, "it's better elsewhere." Where we went, I feel a kind of lightness in living, less restriction, less pressure, less sadness, and I catch myself dreaming of somewhere else—going to live somewhere else, a simpler life, more authentic, with colors, color everywhere, markets, clothes, homes, etc.!!! Meeting souls, real, gentle, kind people.

I’ve written this many times—it’s having a tourist’s view of things... The average tourist, and I’m part of that group, only sees a fraction of reality. I was in Romania, and it was wonderful to stay in 3-4 star hotels for just a few dozen euros, while the average person earns barely 200 € a month. So for the next country you visit, I challenge you to live like the locals—don’t do a fully organized "tourist tour." Like the average Mexican or Indian who wakes up early, takes the bus to work in a factory for 10 hours a day for a poverty-level wage, and trust me, you’ll see that elsewhere isn’t better than France.

It's true, we think the grass is greener elsewhere, but I actually believe it's because we don't know our own country well enough. I thought I knew everything about France, and I dreamed of other places. I ended up with the mirage of the Vahine, white sandy beaches, coconut trees—you know, those idealized postcard images? But there's another truth behind them. It's not in a few days, or even several months or a year, that you can discover this truth.

I've been living in Tahiti for over thirty years. Paradise? Yes, for tourists, and the wealthy (at one time, for the military too), but the reality goes far beyond that.

Now I look at France through the internet, and I realize I was completely wrong. I miss my France, and I dream of it.

My blog is very revealing—I express myself as best I can. I'd love to see it again, but will I ever be able to?

Thanks for this testimony... Actually, this thread is about that recurring philosophical theme: the existential search for happiness...

As soon as I return to France, I tell myself, "it's better elsewhere." Where we went, I feel a kind of lightness in living, fewer restrictions, less pressure, less sadness, and I catch myself dreaming of somewhere else—going to live somewhere else, a simpler life, more authentic, with colors, color everywhere, markets, clothes, homes, and so on!!! Meeting souls, real people, kind and gentle.

I’ve written it many times—it’s having a tourist’s view of things...

Or an expat’s perspective, detached from the burdens of family and/or social obligations of the place they’ve landed, enjoying a privileged status thanks to their origins, their staggering resources (compared to those of the local population), their connections with the most well-off members of the community, etc.

Touché!

or an expat’s perspective, detached from the burdens of family and/or social obligations of the place they’ve landed, enjoying a privileged status due to their origins, their staggering resources (compared to the local population), their connections with the most well-off members of the community, etc.

By writing this, you prove you don’t know the reality of expatriation, which very often looks more like immigration. You’re describing the reality of an extreme minority of expats.

Totally agree! Some people have a completely wrong idea of what an expat is. There are a thousand and one reasons why someone might move abroad, and the political climate in France over the past few years has led many French people to believe that money is the main reason. There are 2 million French expats, and the proportion of "rich" people is roughly the same as that of French people living in France. We should avoid lumping everyone together and treating expats in Luxembourg, Andorra, Monaco, or near the Swiss border the same as most expats who post on this forum. For the latter, the reasons for moving abroad are often sentimental (for the country or a person), they live with their families, and at the same pace as the locals. Not to mention the torture of missing camembert... 😐

Like a local family, but not at the same income level as the MAJORITY of other locals... In eight months, I only met one poor person (in poor countries), and he was the only one, by the way, who was happy to talk to French people without trying to squeeze money out of them in one way or another.

And quite a few of those speaking up here are certainly not the most objective, as their interests are closely tied to the arrival of tourists. Let’s give credit where credit is due...

But you’re right, let’s avoid generalizing.

Give up camembert? Not possible for me lol You’re really brave ;)

or an expat’s perspective, detached from the burdens of family and/or social obligations of the place they’ve landed, enjoying a privileged status due to their origins, their staggering resources (compared to the local population), their connections with the most well-off members of the community, etc.

By writing this, you prove you don’t know the reality of expatriation, which very often resembles immigration more than anything else. You’re describing the reality of an extreme minority of expats.

Indeed, I’m describing the minority of (very) well-off expats, detached from the everyday struggles of the locals in the country they’ve landed in, who take the liberty of badmouthing their home country under the pretext that things didn’t go their way. It’s a minority, but unfortunately, it’s a sizable one.

I’ve met them on 3 continents (Africa, America, Asia), and it’s clear that some of them post on this forum... 😉

That said, I’ve also fortunately met plenty of others who are much more pleasant. 😎

or an expat’s perspective, detached from the burdens of family and/or social obligations of the place they’ve landed, enjoying a privileged status due to their origins, their staggering resources (compared to those of the local population), their connections with the most well-off members of the community, etc.

By writing that, you prove you don’t know the reality of expatriation, which very often resembles immigration more than anything else. You’re describing the reality of an extreme minority of expats.

Indeed, I’m describing the minority of (very) well-off expats, detached from the everyday struggles of the locals in the country they’ve landed in, who take the liberty of badmouthing their home country under the pretext that things didn’t go their way. It’s a minority, but unfortunately, it’s a sizable one.

I’ve met them on 3 continents (Africa, America, Asia), and it’s clear that some of them post on this forum... 😉

That said, I’ve also fortunately met plenty of others who are much more pleasant. 😎

🙂 Completely agree. I’ve also come across these so-called "privileged" expats, who are insufferable to interact with and can’t stop slagging off France (and I say this knowing it’s really not easy for part of the population to feel good in France right now). The most fitting word to describe them is: arrogance (in their words and behavior).

Hello Sylvia, What wisdom projected through this masterful philosophy lesson. Even though you were relevant in many ways, I must say you somewhat overwhelmed me because, in the end (?...), only TRAVEL (note the conditional tense, as I don’t want to be overbearing or come off as preachy) should matter—this "elsewhere" that’s better and more beautiful, etc., which each of us must craft based on what we’ve felt here or there through the SHARING we’ve done with all the unexpected encounters that have peppered our journeys. Actually, sharing along the adventure—whether geographic or human... maybe both at once—far away or just outside your door, everything should boil down to these simple notions, sprinkled, however, with a little curiosity of the eye, the ear, and... the heart. Rest assured, I appreciated some of your sharp remarks about a few forum members’ somewhat saccharine posts that I stumble upon and that often leave me grumpy, even though I’m naturally cheerful and sociable. Traveler’s regards, and see you soon, maybe? Best, VIETALIER.

Dear Greensnow, There’s another small group of wealthy expats—or should I say clueless ones—who spit and vomit on the customs and people of the country they happen to be visiting. Here, I’d be more realistic than you in pointing out not just arrogance, but outright rudeness and stupidity they can’t seem to shake, like they fell into it as kids and never climbed out! The same goes for some travelers. On a flight bringing me back from Hà Nội, I overheard two people who’d just returned exchanging their impressions:

Vietnam?... It’s noisy, it’s dirty, and it stinks!

They’d spent a whole month forming these sweeping judgments and were talking loudly enough for their seat neighbors to hear. I made sure to tell them exactly what I thought of their basement-level intelligence before moving to another row of seats. Best from Vietalier