What Country Would You Live In

What country would you like to work or live in?

I would like to work and live in Italy. Italy is the home of Michaelangelo, and it is also the home of Marcus Aurelias and Leonardo da Vinci and Enrico Fermi and more (not to mention a thousand others), so, there is a very old tradition of thought and invention coming from there.So what if the government changes every 30 minutes? I think Italy gets a lot of bad press in the international media.Florence, or Firenze, is the home of great architecture and numerous art galleries. And Napoli has much natural beauty. Mt. Vesuvius, well, let’s leave it at that. We all know, or have heard about, Vesuvius, when it last blew its top.The Meditterranean is an ocean, or large sea, that only gets better every time one looks at it, with its crystal clear waters and grottoes galore. The mountains along the Amalfi coast that plunge into this water are ……….well, breathtaking. But I have yet to come across a better word to describe them.And, I love Italian food. Especially olives and bread and good pasta and lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, and lemons from Sicily and Italian wine and garlic and oregano. Que delizzia!I wrote that Malaysia is my favorite country in a previous post. I take that back. Italy is my favorite country. Here are some pics Google Image Result for https://img.grouponcdn.com/seocms/Utyvb3RMBFviiECTxczViTE8Fk7/italy-liguria-genoa-boccadasse-harbor-with-city-at-sunrise_jpeg-600x390

Which country would you want to live in if you had to leave the country you are currently living in?

It has to be Norway, the land of Midnight Sun.Is there anything better than the Aurora Borealis ?Or the fjords,-Some other pointers,-A high standard of living, equality, low crime, low social unrest, good education system, good incomes, pensions etc. are just bonuses !By the way, they still have some huge reserves of oil left, which is not being fought for. If not for anything, at least cheaper oil I ca get there.Shorter working weeks(typical working hour per day =  just 7.5 hrs), whoa ! And a compulsory 1 month summer holiday for everyone ?Well, less work, more money and a bunch of breathtaking sceneries to content my eyes, that's all I desire in my life !Someday maybe, I'll open my window and face these beauties :)

Which three countries would you like to live in other than your country of birth?

There are many reasons for choosing a place to emigrate to. Climate, culture (including compatibility with your own culture), economy and jobs, natural beauty (beaches and mountains being high on many people’s lists), tolerance of immigrants (because that’s what you will be, not an “expat” but an immigrant), social and political freedoms and so on.And of course nowhere scores highly on every count. But three do stand out:-Canada — compatible culture with British culture, healthy economy, plenty of natural beauty, welcoming to immigrants - at least British ones, and decent social and political freedoms. Main drawback: climate.Switzerland — I used to live in Geneva which has pretty decent weather, the economy is strong, the mountains and lake are beautiful, it’s an international city and it generally has a decent level of freedom. Main drawback: culture. Switzerland is nice, but hardly culturally exciting.New Zealand — good temperate climate, culture very similar to British culture, decent economy, plenty of natural beauty, reasonable tolerance of immigrants, and very good social and political freedoms. Main drawbacks: it’s very remote and culturally it’s pretty dull.All that said, these places seem a bit boring to me and - being a layabout that doesn’t really want to work - I think somewhere cheap and sub-tropical might suit me. So here’s the real list:-Spain — there are no jobs, but everything else is good. It has a great mediterranean climate, vibrant culture, great beaches, mountains, and a pretty decent political set up. And it’s cheap.Costa Rica — ok, culturally it’s like yawn. But it’s super beautiful, runs almost exclusively on renewable energy, has solid public services, an ideal climate in places - eg. the central valley which is a little cooler than the tropical coastal areas, has relatively decent political and social freedoms for Latin America, and is relatively tolerant of gringos to boot.Croatia — so it’s not so so cheap, but still it’s east of that magic line in Europe that divides the comfortable coddled countries of western Europe and the more interesting, spicy countries of the east. And it has a few killer cards up its sleeves - it has both beautiful sea and mountains and the people that live there are super super cool.