Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Countries To Move To


Sarah and I have been discussing moving to a Europe some day. Not in the next few years, but eventually. We even think of raising our (eventual) children there. So we've done much talking about which countries we would/would not want to move to. Here are our thoughts on several of them.

The United Kingdom:
The land that brought us Dr. Who, Harry Potter and...other things. Sarah would be fine moving here but I'm not very keen on it. I want to move somewhere that is very different. Learning a new language is actually a major part of why I want to move. I just don't feel that the UK is different enough for me.

France:
It seems like France would be many people's first choice for where they would move if they left the United States of America. It definitely has the new language factor that I desire but I'm still not drawn in. It's somewhat of a hipstery reason, but I don't want to move here because I feel like that would be most people's first choice of where to move.

Sweden:
This was a very strong contender. New language, not an obvious first choice, DreamHack, with a bonus side of strong a English language presence. This one is still a good choice.

Germany:
Another good choice. I like the language and already have some experience with it. Sarah doesn't though. It also not many people's (at least in America) first choice. I like it, and a definite possibility.

The Netherlands:
New language, definitely different, legalized marijuana, live sex shows. Sounds perfect, right? It's pretty good, but I just don't feel a particular compulsion towards it.

Luxembourg:
Out of the left field and a very strong choice. It's a very small country, which is somewhat appealing. It's situated very close to both France and Germany, which is neat. The thing that I find most appealing, however is their educational system. They have a trilingual educational system. Instruction begins in Luxembourgish, changes to German, and then finishes out in French. Proficiency in all three is required for graduation from secondary school. In addition to this, English is also taught in the compulsory schooling. This one is currently my favorite and Sarah seems to like the idea as well.

I don't know where we'll end up, but I'm sure we'll be happy when we get there. I can't wait.