"I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad, "
This post is just asking: So, what are you doing about it?
"I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad, "
This post is just asking: So, what are you doing about it?
My partner and I fled the US early this year. No regrets. Besides saving our own skin because I would 100% end up in a concentration camp, we’re now in a really good position to help others in our community find a way to safety.
We also love our new country and feel super welcomed
I commend and congratulate you! As a born American, it was never a problem for me. However, as a Jew I know full well the fragile and tenuous peace can vanish in a moment if any one or more ethnic groups become a convenient scapegoat for a regime. My grandparents got out of Germany literally with moments to spare. At the same time my grandparents were boarding a plane, SS were bashing down the doors to their home.
So if you are in a position that you could ever face persecution like that, getting the F out is the smartest thing to do. I sincerely wish you all the best and hope you make a peaceful life somewhere that isn’t headed down the hellish path that America is. Even being a white American, I still sometimes worry because of being Jewish. It can very easily happen again to my people, especially since antisemitism is in vogue again lately. And the biggest problem is that it’s familiar and comfortable for most people; my people are expected to have acclimated to oppression - hey aren’t you used to it?
I hope someday soon, the USA will be safe again for you, though I would further admire if you’ve made a life somewhere that is preferable even over a safe USA.
Kudos to you and your family.
Did you renounce your US citizenship so you’re no longer paying US taxes?
Not yet, I’m waiting for them to do it for me. But I’d like to.
How? Did you have ancestry somewhere that let you immigrate back? Family still there? Something else?
I’d love to find a way out for my family, but don’t know of any options.
Work, school, and family are unfortunately the easiest ways to get a visa. I got lucky with my job and took the first opportunity that opened up, and I’m so glad I did because there haven’t been any more openings since then. Unfortunately I took about a 50% pay cut to move.
Considering how expensive things are in the USA, I hope you got to a country with a lower cost of living. Well, also, no amount of money is worth your personal safety.
I had to give up some luxuries but honestly, my lifestyle hasn’t really changed. I’ve always lived somewhat frugally. Healthcare no longer costs an arm and a leg either. The US is just a special level of hell.
Why won’t you mention where?
It’s never really a good idea to share your home location online. At least nothing good can come out of it
I was only asking the country. I think that’s pretty safe.
Because every time I do I get a horde of angry knuckledraggers, but you can easily find it in my history
How did you do it? Do you have any tips? I really want to get out, because I’ll probably end up in a concentration camp too if I don’t. It just feels like such an enormous undertaking I don’t even know where to start. Every time I look at the process to immigrate to another country it always seems like it’s basically impossible for a retail worker who lives paycheck to paycheck.
How are you feeling about the community you left behind? That’s a big concern for us, but fleeing is a big option on the table.
Oh my God I left behind a massive community, I miss them every day. I hallucinate that I see my friends all around the city. I’m still in contact with them and have video calls with them every now and then just to say hi
I had a HUGE going away party too. About 60 people showed up.
I would love to do this, but my wife won’t leave.
Do you have children? That has been the argument my wife has made about not wanting to leave, the impact it would have on our kids. Especially if we were to go to a country where English isn’t the native language.
Kids pick up language really quick. They would struggle at first, but be so much better off in the long run. Being multilingual opens up so much of the world to you, even by simply giving you another angle to look at it from.
I do not have children but I went to school overseas and I think it was the best experience of my life. I think the effect on children is extremely positive.
My family is just three people now, but my wife has a large extended family and she loves to see them, especially the children. Different members come and stay with us several times a year because we live close to the beach.
Making the argument that she could fly home to see them didn’t work. Her telling me she wanted to stay where we were came as a surprise to me as we had discussed throughout our courtship and marriage, living in Europe. Once we both retired (early) I figured we had the green light. I mean just health care alone is reason enough to move there. And we have enough money for trips home when we get the urge.
I hope this doesn’t turn into a I-didn’t-escape-the-country-in-time situation. I often wonder what it was like for people fleeing fascism just a little too late.
I moved to a foreign country as a child. Best thing that happened to me.
Dope! So glad for you.