I was able to "Get Out" in late '02, before the Iraq War and moved my young family to Europe. I still found it very difficult to stay out of reach of the govt. I was sent letters from homeland security with veiled threats stating as a citizen I was required to provide them with all manner of details of any bank accounts etc I had opened in my new host country due to the newly adopted Patriot Act (1st one) or else. Making a good salary with a local job position (not an ex-pat assignment) I still had to pay US taxes on top of my already high foreign taxes. This was devastating financially because salaries overseas are typically less competitive for a post-grad than in the States anyway, and further while my colleagues were unburdened by student loans thanks to more socialist programs over there I was dragging a second house payment around owed to the Dept of Ed. [Thank the heavens the US currency dropped out or I'd have been homeless]. My job required frequent travel and as my passport quickly filled with stamps and stickers it became more and more difficult to get through customs, even into the US itself. (Afterall, what business does a young man have living, working and travelling abroad when there's such an abundance of good manufacturing jobs available in ... err... somewhere around here...)
At first, people we met were stunned we were there. [We avoided urban areas to settle down deep in the rural farmland]. The consensus at first was hatred for the US govt/policy although Americans themselves were perceived as generous, friendly and a bit obnoxious/loud. Once the war started, attitudes started to change. It went from 'Oh you poor Americans, you just arent conscious of how your country is impacting the rest of the world' to 'How irresponsible you are that you arent aware...'. Our home would be plastered with posters of the American flag - with ballistic missiles leaving while smoke trails across a red sky for stripes and those nuclear molecule symbols in place of the stars... as though Shock and Awe was somehow my idea. Once on business in Germany, I was waiting for a train doing my best to read thru the Tageskarte and got roughed up by a punk who's only English seemed to be "F*** YOU JOHNNY!" just for standing there apparently looking too American. Its hard to do the lie "yeah, err, I'm from Canada" when you're eating a knuckle sandwich. :O
Meanwhile, despite being immersed in a very rich, 360 degree world of news and opinion of a truely free press (having papers available from France, Germany, Lebanon, UK, wherever on my daily train commute) - I was shocked to find myself shunned by my own family and friends at home. "How can you possibly know anything about whats going on in the US - you live in Europe now". [You wouldnt believe the stupid questions you have to put up with .. like, God do they even have toothpaste over there? Although I suppose that's understandable when every time I flew home I packed a full suitcase of just peanut butter and French's mustard... LOL "What do you mean you cant buy French's mustard in France?" Oy...] Having the blinders off was truely enlightening though. The best way to describe it is like this - it struck me that every morning I knew what the weather would be in Madagascar. Never been there, didnt want to go there, wasnt anywhere near it, but at least I knew it existed.... everyday. If you live in the US currently, tell me right now what the weather in Alberta will be today. (Do you even know where Alberta is?) Watch the weather in the US and they grey out Canada and Mexico from the map! Its as though no other place matters - and that same thing applies to all types of news in the States. In fact, I was also struck by the fact that the only geography I knew of places that didnt have there own villa at Disneyland were those countries we had recently cruise missled. Sad but true.
Oh, and dont expect to take comfort in other Americans who have gotten out either. Maybe this is just personal experience and you'll have it different - but most others we met 'out there' were nothing short of flipping nuts. Especially the ex-pat wives suffering extreme cabin fever who will pick up on your accent from across the shopping center and come running like a Jim Henson muppet (doing the Grover 'near!... far!' arms waving bit) "Oh My Goodness, I'm from Alabama!!! Where are y'all from?" *look left* *look right* "Err... Canada - buh bye". Best way to avoid that one is to learn and use the local language. Not only is it very polite and often helpful (nothing worse than having your 4 yr old answer the door for you to see what the cops want), but its almost manditory. You'll find that any sort of written instructions on anything purposely leaves out an English translation. You can try to boil a pot of mac and cheese in Spain or assemble an electric lawnmower in Poland and find instructions in Gypsie Romansche and Thai... yet no English. I travelled to Finland quite a lot and took about 8 months of language classes. Initially, every Finn under 65 I met spoke perfect unbroken English. As I started to use the language some - suddenly nobody could help me in English anymore. (After a shocked 'what manner of a miracle is this - Finnish with an American accent' expression). Same thing happened in other countries.... Except in France, where I got more of a 'Please discontinue butchering the beautiful French language with your gutteral prattle - I suppose I'll help you in English ... *f--'ing johnny...*'. ;)
Anyways, the point is - Getting Out is only half the battle. Staying Out is also rather difficult as it will seem that all the cards are stacked against you. To end on a positive note - I wouldnt have done it any other way. Its definitely worth the adventure if you have the stomach for it.
))
