This thread made me think what if I had stayed home.
I might be doing similar job, or I might be in academic, or I might have joined NGO for human rights, or I might be a farmer.
3 Likes
I wouldnāt be posting on forumosa.
3 Likes
yeah, but what kind of farmer, vegetable, fruit, marijuana? 
Cereals and vege
I donāt get this āhomeā thing. I have this mate from the UK, whoās lived in Taiwan for 15 years. He has a Taiwanese wife and kids, speaks Chinese pretty well, and his roots are ensconced here.
But all I ever hear from him is:
Back home, we eat ā¦
The virus is ā¦ back home ā¦
Back home the weather this week is ā¦
He lives here, probably will for the rest of his life, but itās always this āback homeā crap.
I understand it from people who are away for a couple of years or so, with full intentions of going āback homeā. But this is where you and your family live and are probably going to die.
And, please, none of that āhome is where the heart isā or āthatās where my mum and dad live, so itās my homeā cornball stuff.
3 Likes
Sounds like he came, met a girl, got married and had kids, and thatās why he stayed. When people stay only for reasons like that, where they live will never be their āhome.ā
Home is where the mortgage is.
5 Likes
Iāve had my doubts over the years. Friends back in the US thought I was nuts and there is plenty to bitch about on this island. But, considering the current shit show in the US, Iām pretty content being here. The pandemic has been good for me. I have more work than I can really handle and the money is really good. My only concern, besides the crappy drivers and pollution, is the possibility of big brother moving in. There seems to be a mass exodus of foreigners from across the pond and if Xi moves into Formosa, weāll probably be the first whoāll be āencouragedā to go. Iāve thought of buying a place, but the thought of putting money into something I might have to abandon is not very enticing.
4 Likes
IDK. Iāve been 1.5 hours from my birthplace for the past 8 years, after being away for 18 years. As much as I donāt want to live there year round bc of the long winter, snow and distance from urban entertainment and good bookstores, I go there often and visit friends, take long drives, fly fish the river and hunt the mountains in the fall.
The land gets me. Honestly I think āhomeā depends on geography more than pretty much anything. But thatās just me. 
1 Like
Iām very lucky I came back and found a job when I did considering the pandemic. I imagine I would be doing some bullshit through Zoom if I even had a job at all.
1 Like
@tommy525, and thatās why California is f-upped.
Get ready to open up your wallet for some more giveaways.
2 Likes
Thatās what concerns me. Buy a place for big brother to just take it over. I assume no payments would be made to the āenemyā .
On the other hand foreigners staying is good for propaganda so who knows. Plus they would have to kick out all foreigners and foreign businesses from China too which would trigger crushing sanctions. And so far foreigners are allowed to stay in HK soā¦ 
Visa issues in China are huge now for foreigners and itās been getting worse and worse over the past few years. Iāve met tons of people who just got fed up with it. It doesnāt mean they would kick everyone out, but Xi has been cracking down and turning the country into another North Korea. Another thing to consider if you were to buy a place is the willingness of certain locals to go after you if/once Xi makes his unwanted visit. Theyāll just see you as an opportunity to rip you off and screw you over.
1 Like