In life, the saying “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” has just been a metaphor that we used to say, we want what we cannot have because it somehow is made better by its exclusivity. Cuban Cigars somehow might be one of those forbidden pleasures if you care for such things. I had not considered the Middle East as a place of greener grass and to tell the truth about the actual green grass here…..there isn’t any. Or if there is, it dies in the very hot sun, quickly. As for the greener grass of life, I am sad to report that when I was living in the U.S. it started out as the land of opportunity. However, In the last 10 years I had really come to a place where I started thinking that maybe I should go to some other country where they will give me free or cheap health care and free education and allow me to become a citizen that can get preferential treatment because I am at a disadvantage because I don’t speak the language very well if at all. Maybe i should go work for people that will pay me far better than I can earn in my homeland. This would enable me to pay off my bills and help my family. Maybe I would be able to build a better life where I can one day retire without dying in debt. This would be the life of an Expat with a few differences. Expats generally have a skill that they bring to the table and can provide services that cannot be found locally. Being an American Expat doesn’t mean that we aren’t sympathetic to the American cause it just means we live abroad as U.S. citizens. Expats can be from any country that they are not currently not living in but typically are American. I think this is because we have skilled workers but there are so many of them that companies can pay less for their knowledge.
It is a shame that America is the only country that imposes a Tax on it’s citizens EVEN WHEN they DON’T LIVE in the U.S… unless you stay out of the country for all but 35 days out of the year. If you are fortunate enough to work in a country that has no tax, and you stay out of the US for almost a full year you can reap the benefit of no federal tax. Would you believe they still impose a Social Security Tax? I just hope it’s there when I can draw it.
As I continue to write my blog and share my views and experiences I hope you might somehow be encouraged to see that there are excellent opportunities out there but sometimes you really have to stretch to make it happen. In my case, I traveled literally halfway around the world and while I do miss family and friends dearly, I know that to go back too soon would be to throw away my golden ticket.
Rowland Ramble - 