Do you ever do this?

dulcemariamar1 · September 2011

I was in the States with my DH this month. When I was there, I tried to imagine what it would be like to live there with him.

Do you guys ever do this when you go home?

Like we were shopping in this HUGE supermarket, where you have thousands of products to choose from and as I was pushing the cart, I was trying to imagine what it would be like to live in the States and how our lives would be really different from the life we have back here.

jldittber · September 2011

Our situation is different since we both know this is semi-short term thing for us. Even though we said we might try for Asia next year.

But yes, we were in the states over the summer and was like..."wow, look at the SUV's-that one is just like ours, awe we miss our boat too". I spent way to much $$ at Super Target because it was all right there.

Then on the flip, I missed riding my bike to the store, I missed taking a train or a bus to avoid lots of traffic.

bugabean · September 2011

I've been to the States twice since moving here, and only to a place I could not be paid enough to live in. But we have talked about possibly moving there and how different things would be in general. I don't think we've ever had that conversation while there, though.

MouseInLux · September 2011

DH has never lived in the states, I was there for 9 years and loved it at the time. Now we think that it's fun to visit but we prefer living where we are because it's got more history and there isn't a fast food place around most corners.

ebartzen · September 2011

That's a good question. I think I want nothing else but to live in the States; for ease of things, comfort level, and proximity to family. But then I wonder how DH would handle it. He live in North America for 6 years, but he looks back on it as stressful times. Maybe that was because he was trying to finish a PhD and find work, but it's still hard to see him fitting in well in the States. I also imagine I might have a bit of a hard time with it myself. I find myself getting tense around Americans now because I feel we demand a certain protocol. Maybe it's just because I'm American and feel the pressure. Who knows.

anna7602 · September 2011

Um, I actually live in the States now and I do this when we go anywhere outside NYC. Huge supermarkets are not part of my reality. Driving a car on wide super highways is not part of my reality. Target and Costco are not places I ever shop (I'd have to go to the suburbs). When we travel to Alabama, where DH's family is, it feels like we're visiting a different country.

We're about to move to Paris and I actually think I will have an easier time adjusting than if we suddenly moved to Alabama. In fact, I have resisted moving to Alabama and the Paris thing is a compromise because DH needs a break from NYC.

elenetxu · September 2011

I'm "home"sick for Canada. It's where I last lived any significant amount of time in North America. I'm having a bad day here and I'd kill for a Rickard's Honey Brown and some garlic fingers.

I was bored and just did the skilled worker immigration "points test" and passed! Wonder if Canada needs any Spanish teachers? I think DH would have fun...

Johlise · September 2011

Yes, I do.. even though there is not that big of a difference between the U.S and Canada there is still things that make you think.. hmm if I lived here then....

MrsBini10 · September 2011

Well, I live in the US so I guess this question doesn't really apply to me. One of the things I like though (and this is probably true of anyone living in their home country) is that I know how to get things done here. I missed that/thought "what if" about it a lot when I was abroad. The last place I lived was the UAE, which has malls, SUVs, and fast food galore, so it wasn't hard to picture that. I often wished though that I knew where to buy various things, who to call, which companies were reputable (firsthand) and so forth.

GilliC · September 2011

The other day when I was out for drinks with some of my friends here in Houston, I was thinking about what it would be like to live here. They're all single; I'm single now. It sounds kind of appealing at times.