u/military_press

I (39m) moved from Asia to Europe several years ago. I did it mainly for two things: work-life balance and opportunities to travel.

Now I've got what I originally wanted - a job that pays well (by local standards) and opportunities to travel abroad. I also got a GF who loves me.

Despite all that, I often find myself dissatisfied with my current life. I got irritated by garbage and graffiti on the streets, men peeing outdoors even in front of women and kids (guess where I live), grumpy waiters at a restaurant, etc.

I often wonder whether my life would have been better if I had moved somewhere else. Maybe I would have had a better job, had more savings, lived among more polite and respectful people, etc. By staying where I live, maybe I'm wasting my opportunities and potential as a professional (I work in IT, btw).

Perhaps I'm experiencing the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. Moving abroad is a trade-off. By moving from Country A to Country B, you'll be free from Country A's problems, but you'll face Country B's problems. My logical brain understands that, but my emotional brain keeps telling me that grass could be greener somewhere else.

("Then, just move somewhere." Maybe that's what you're thinking. Moving abroad isn't an easy option for me because of my GF. She doesn't want to leave for anywhere. So, moving abroad means a break up. I'm torn.)

I want to hear about other expats' experiences. Have you ever experienced the “grass is greener” syndrome as an expat? If so, how have you dealt with it—or how are you dealing with it now?

EDIT:

Some people asked where exactly in Europe I moved. I've moved to Prague, the Czech Republic

I recently had an experience at a Czech restaurant that made me wonder whether I'm overthinking things.

After finishing my meal, I asked the waiter for the bill. When he brought the card reader, he asked whether I'd leave a tip. I replied, "I don't tip, sorry." After I paid, I said "Na shledanou" as I was leaving, but he just ignored me. He didn't even look at my face.

To me, that came across as rude. I'm from Asia, where it's customary for restaurant staff to at least respond when a customer says "thank you" or "goodbye." (Tipping isn't part of the culture there, btw)

Before moving to Prague, I had lived in Canada for 5 years. Regardless of whether I tipped, I never had a waiter / waitress ignore me like that. I've also traveled Czechia's neighboring countries many times, and have never experienced this kind of passive-aggressive behavior in restaurants there either.

I've been living in Prague for nearly 4 years, and I've experienced such behavior multiple times (not only in Prague but also in other Czech cities).

At first, I assumed the staff treated me that way because they thought I was just another tourist who would never come back. But this is probably not true because I've experienced it in a suburb.

Then I wondered whether it was because my Czech isn't very good. However, my gf (from Eastern Europe and speaks Czech quite well) told me she had similar experiences too.

That made me wonder whether it's simply a cultural difference. I've heard that Czechs don't fake smiles or friendliness to please others. So, I thought that they don't act friendly to make customers feel better even when they work in hospitality. However, I've only noticed this pattern only in traditional Czech restaurants and after declining to leave a tip. At Vietnamese, Italian, kebab, and other non-Czech restaurants and cafes, the staff have generally remained polite regardless.

Has anyone else noticed something similar, or am I reading too much into these situations?

This post is inspired by the following one:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestionsEU/comments/1up0gpo/is_the_cs_job_market_really_this_bad/

Maybe I'm biased, but nowadays a lot people on this sub describe Germany's CS job market as bad, cooked, dead, over etc.

This makes me curious about which countries have CS job markets that are still ok (or even thriving).

Reading posts in this sub, I have an impression that Poland is doing good as of now. That said, it's possible that Poland will be flooded with foreigners in the near future, just like Germany is today.

What are your thoughts?

I took train trips by České Dráhy three times in the last four weeks. All of the trails were delayed. One of them was delayed for over 70 minutes. Today's train was delayed for 80 minutes.

České Dráhy was reliable when I moved to Prague 4 years ago. What's going on in the company? Was I just unlucky? Thank you for reading my rant.

[removed]

Also, if you don't mind, can you tell me your age and how long you've been married?

https://preview.redd.it/yvnsl1umngzg1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=301edc81711e21eb04999e880eb9a98e671562c6

Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-unemployment-in-europe-in-2026/

I've seen many posts in this sub written by people who have been unemployed for a while and can't find a job. However, this stats show that the unemployment rate in Germany is not that high, relatively speaking. This makes me wonder why I see a lot of posts here saying that finding a job in Germany is so hard.

My guess:

• These stats don't include foreigners (and the majority of people here are probably foreigners).
• These stats count those who have part-time jobs as those who have jobs, even though they are seeking a full-time one.
• The majority of people who post here are those who have been unemployed. So, if you come to this sub, you'll have the impression that so many people are unemployed.

What are your thoughts?

edit: fixed the 2nd point

I watched a video on YouTube where a German man said he was moving abroad. He mentioned several issues with Germany, such as a stagnant economy, high taxes, abused welfare systems, etc. Some people in the comments were sympathetic, while others said he was just blaming others.

Reading those comments made me curious about one thing: if you (as a German) have lived abroad, have your views on Germany changed?

(I’m asking because I still think Germany is a good place to live, despite the issues that were mentioned above. It’s a country that many people around the world - not only from less developed countries, but also from other developed ones - admire and want to move to. So I’m interested in how Germans perceive their country after living abroad)