Probably I will stick around for 2 more years in this country which is just another place to live, but not to be called “home”
If I continue learning Chinese, for sure Mainland will be the next move, but do I want to go there? No clue.
Back to my roots? No. That is for sure. The 3 weeks I spend there on x-mass only confirmed what I thought.
People running behind their own ass to be perceived as productive and successful, forgetting the values of life and acting rather shallow and selfish.
Maybe, only maybe, when I will get a deeper understanding of Taiwanese culture and life, I might stay longer.
[quote=“Indiana”]
I am always shocked at how cheap houses are in upstate NY. My husband and I were checking out prices on the net last year, and saw an awesome old Victorian home complete with a river in the back, about 4 acres of land, and a pricetag of less than $100,000.
I would say that to go back to that area and buy a home, two cars, and other necessities like furniture, you would need about $250,000, assuming that you and your wife can both get decent work in a reasonable amount of time.
Housing prices have been on the rise recently though, even upstate, so act fast! 
You could buy something now and employ someone to take care of the property in your absence…there are certainly companies that do that, and will even rent it out for you for a small(ish) fee. I think that’s a great way to go. Something I have certainly been looking into.[/quote]
I’ve been looking at Greene County. Huge land area and only 50,000 residents. House prices are good, lots of 100-150k homes with very big lots, some with 10+ acres, barns and horse pastures.
I have a couple of good things working for me in that I’m technically a disabled American Veteran and can get a VERY low down payment backed by the US Government and that we live pretty simply. We don’t need a big Victorian home (no offense; they are very nice to look at though), just a simple nice place with big sky. A home depot, public library and a community college nearby would be sweet.
So you’re saying 250k invested, working for us, or cash to get started? I don’t fancy the idea of taking out ALL of our money, getting the car and house and insurance and taxes taken care and then being broke. That would like… suck. That’s why I came to Taiwan in the first place.
After 2 years of being here, I’ve slipped into a comfortable lull, which judging from various posts on this website, is a very easy thing to do.
I could never call this place home, though - and I don’t think I’d want to, really. But it’s an easy place to live, it’s pretty relaxed and despite the pollution, overcrowding, filth and apathy I’ve grown to -almost- love it here.
South Africa, on the other hand, is where my roots will always be… But I don’t know if I could ever call it “home” again. I’m going back in June though, gonna spend 6 months just bumming around with my friends, playing in a band again, etc, doing various things I can’t do here. Then I’m gonna get my Master’s degree there next year. After that, travelling and teaching English again. For the moment, at least, South America and Eastern Europe are some definites, but aside from that, I have no idea.
Taiwan? I don’t know, I might come back here sometime, put in another year or two to save some money. But there are so many places to see… And ultimately I do want to find a place that I can, with all conviction, call “home”.
Somewhere with warm weather, sunshine, clean fresh air and bright blue skies, a small, old house full of antiques and pets (and a studio for jamming), the ocean, twisty bike roads and an orchard of fruit trees… Yup… Sounds great. It exists somewhere on Earth, and one day, I’ll find it.
Guns ‘n Roses:
"Where do we go
Where do we go now
Where do we go
Sweet child o’ mine…"
Good topic folks. I smell 20 pages.
Re-entry into Canada seems a last resort to me. Never say never, but…
You never know.
I too, want to live the beach life, but I am hoping that at some time over the next 10-15 years, peace will come to this land and the beach end of the tourism market gets opened up a little. There must be hundreds of tiny islands around that are nothing but missle silos. There may be the opportunity to find that dreamy Thai-esque island right here. If I do end up having kids, this is prolly the way I’ll go. Develop a perfect island hideaway. If not, aim for the chair next to HG.
Speaking of kids…
Surprisingly human, given that he’s 1/4 tiger.
Next time you see him, The Amazing ZZ, get him to imitate Hexuan. It’s the top.
[quote=“The Alan Parsons Project”]Where do we go from here
now that all other children are growin’ up
And how do we spend our lives
if there’s no one to lend us a hand
I don’t wanna live here no more,
I don’t wanna stay
Ain’t gonna spend the rest of my life,
Quietly fading away
[/quote]
[quote=“jdsmith”][quote=“Indiana”]
I am always shocked at how cheap houses are in upstate NY. My husband and I were checking out prices on the net last year, and saw an awesome old Victorian home complete with a river in the back, about 4 acres of land, and a pricetag of less than $100,000.
I would say that to go back to that area and buy a home, two cars, and other necessities like furniture, you would need about $250,000, assuming that you and your wife can both get decent work in a reasonable amount of time.
Housing prices have been on the rise recently though, even upstate, so act fast! You could buy something now and employ someone to take care of the property in your absence…there are certainly companies that do that, and will even rent it out for you for a small(ish) fee. I think that’s a great way to go. Something I have certainly been looking into.[/quote]
I’ve been looking at Greene County. Huge land area and only 50,000 residents. House prices are good, lots of 100-150k homes with very big lots, some with 10+ acres, barns and horse pastures.
I have a couple of good things working for me in that I’m technically a disabled American Veteran and can get a VERY low down payment backed by the US government and that we live pretty simply. We don’t need a big Victorian home (no offense; they are very nice to look at though), just a simple nice place with big sky. A home depot, public library and a community college nearby would be sweet.
So you’re saying 250k invested, working for us, or cash to get started? I don’t fancy the idea of taking out ALL of our money, getting the car and house and insurance and taxes taken care and then being broke. That would like… suck. That’s why I came to Taiwan in the first place.[/quote]
I meant $250,000 to buy a house, cars, etc etc. flat out. But, if you are talking mortgages, you would obviously need less than that to get started up. Of course, there are other factors to think about, such as…would your wife work in the U.S.? What kind of wages could you both earn? Do you have kids? If you want to live simply in a smallish town, you wouldn’t need much to get started out, assuming you mortgaged a house.
Your dream sounds lovely. Living in a nice town with breathable air, a Home Depot (LOVE that place), a library,…it’s the little things that mean so much in life, and you learn how much those things should be appreciated once you come to a place like Taiwan.
On a personal note, my husband and I are leaving Taiwan in 4 months. While the country has been good to us in many ways, we have had enough, and it’s time to move on to those wonderful things like fresh air, plentiful hiking and biking trails, nice supermarkets, road rules, and the millions of other things I will be grateful to have again…it’s time to start our dream, now rather than later. The longer we stay in Taiwan, the more difficult it becomes to leave…
Look at this place… 10 acres with a barn (no house)… about 1 hour outside of Pittsburgh… US$ 145,000
Want to do a treatment on me for hay fever before you leave?
We have an apartment in Taipei worth .4 million and one in Canada as well worth the same amount. We invest US$1800/month. I am hoping my stock options through my work continue to grow in value.
In the next 10 years, I’d like a nest egg of about US $750,000 to US$1,000,000. We would sell the Taiwan apartment before leaving…keep the Canada place…I’d like to buy a place in Southern France…While I hate French politicians, I like the weather, the food, and the drink. I’d love to have a little country home with a 4X4…spend lots of days working in the yard, going for long country drives, and watching my wife cook (she loves cooking)…spend 4 months a year there…4 months in Canada…4 months in Taiwan…live off the interest of my savings…open a small import/export business – Europe/Taiwan/Canada
A dream right now…but hard work, good financial planning, and a bit of luck are always good recipes for making dreams come true!!!
Well, I qualify for a great ultralow downpayment, so yes, I would take the mortgage. It makes better sense anyway, IMHO.
One kid, 6 years old now. I doubt my wife would work there, as she wants to take some classes. Me? I don’t know how employable I am nowadays. :s I was thinking about buying some off campus houses and renting them out. Why have one mortgage when you can have three?
jdslumlord
I plan to plan a plan.
Until then, I’ll go with the flow. Don’t want to be here forever, though - just until AnimalsTaiwan is a fully fledged charity and able to operate without my daily input.
Then maybe I’ll move somewhere where relaxing is more the norm, and set up an animal sanctuary there.
[quote=“Chewycorns”]We have an apartment in Taipei worth .4 million and one in Canada as well worth the same amount. We invest US$1800/month. I am hoping my stock options through my work continue to grow in value.
In the next 10 years, I’d like a nest egg of about US $750,000 to US$1,000,000. We would sell the Taiwan apartment before leaving…keep the Canada place…I’d like to buy a place in Southern France…While I hate French politicians, I like the weather, the food, and the drink. I’d love to have a little country home with a 4X4…spend lots of days working in the yard, going for long country drives, and watching my wife cook (she loves cooking)…spend 4 months a year there…4 months in Canada…4 months in Taiwan…live off the interest of my savings…open a small import/export business – Europe/Taiwan/Canada
A dream right now…but hard work, good financial planning, and a bit of luck are always good recipes for making dreams come true!!![/quote]
Way to go Idaho! :bravo:
The key IMHO: [quote]
We invest US$1800/month.[/quote]
[quote=“jdsmith”]The key IMHO: [quote]
We invest US$1800/month.[/quote][/quote]
Chewy, just to clarify… are you investing that amount, or just putting it away?
[quote=“Tigerman”][quote=“jdsmith”]The key IMHO: [quote]
We invest US$1800/month.[/quote][/quote]
Chewy, just to clarify… are you investing that amount, or just putting it away?[/quote]
We invest that amount every month in stocks and mutual funds.
I think it is important, especially for teachers, that you invest in yourself. Learn something or take an on-line class. So that if you ever do move back home you have stuff to show potential employers.
You people all have so much cash it’s scary. I was too much of a slacker to save any money in Taiwan (I’d also reached that particular level of enlightenment that precludes the desire for material goods–hey, call me a spiritual guy). We came back to Canada seven years ago with $20,000 and no prospects. Within a year it was gone. My wife and I found ourselves in a tiny two-bedroom apartment in a mid-sized southern Ontario city with the beginnings of twin careers in freelance translation. Our first year we had three months where we made nothing. It wasn’t until our third year that we were confident enough that we wouldn’t have to flee back to Taiwan with our tails between our legs to resume ESL teaching.
But things have worked out. Now we got the house:
In the cute and artsy southern Ontario town:
Life is good.
I’ve heard that one before. I no longer believe it.
And if you’re Canadian doesn’t the government give you everything anyway? Why save.
[quote=“Stray Dog”]I plan to plan a plan.
[/quote] That sounds like a plan.
I’ve heard that one before. I no longer believe it.
And if you’re Canadian doesn’t the government give you everything anyway? Why save.[/quote]
I’m certainly not Canadian…I’m Californian. 
With all due respect Richard I do think it is important for “non-professional” folks like myself to try to learn something while they are here.
Right on.
Is that a detached garage I see in the back?
[quote=“Tigerman”]Look at this place… 10 acres with a barn (no house)… about 1 hour outside of Pittsburgh… US$ 145,000
[/quote]
Beautiful piece of land but is $145,000 a bit steep for just land in your neck of the woods?