Thinking of Leaving?

When I left the United States in the summer of 2004, the reasons for my departure were more personal than political. I was a failed artist a few years north of thirty who was exhausted with the humiliating paycheck to paycheck poverty that had come to dominate my life. I also had a deep thirst for travel and international adventure, so when I stumbled across the opportunity to come teach English in South Korea, I leapt at it and never looked back. I could smell that I was running out of chances in life, so I just threw myself into this particular acid bath: the fact that I had to leave the fatty womb of my home country to do so was just the cherry on the sundae. I guess you could say I was ready for the change.

That said, I was also disgusted with the political winds in the USA. This was late into the first term of George W. Bush, whose corruption, incompetence, and world-destabilizing war mongering cannot be overstated some two decades down the line. What was being done in Iraq (and much of the Middle East) in our name turned my stomach to no end.

I was ashamed of my country, and could also clearly see that the tendrils of homegrown fascism had extended to the far corners of our otherwise fair land. It was clear to me that these forces of darkness had not only mustered, but also largely taken over the gig. While, in my mind, these jackals were the very definition of loathsome and repellent, they were also supremely organized in a way the “my side” could never hope to pull off, which meant that they’d be seeing successes for some time to come. I guess you could say that I could feel which way the wind was blowing.

What this means is that, despite expatriating largely because of my personal failings, the fact that the USA was clearly going to shit just a few years into the new millennium made my move much easier to justify. It also made staying in Korea a no-brainer, as each new mass shooting, election of a hate-frothed moron, or gut-punching Supreme Court decision just confirmed that my decision to emigrate had been the correct one. At risk of saying “I told ya so,” I kind of did.

Now of course I’ve been back to the US for long visits scores of times over the years, and the fact is most of it still works. It’s not like I’m entering into some dystopian hellscape every time I get off the plane, but I’d be lying if I didn’t mention that the last time I was home (just last winter) that things weren’t demonstrably worse, especially in that former “most livable” part of the country known as the Pacific Northwest.

The hordes of homeless and non-giving-a-fuck drug addicts on the streets of Seattle, Olympia, and Portland was reminiscent of episodes of the Walking Dead. It was shocking, sad, and frankly horrible, and a clear symptom that the body of the country was very, very sick.

While any nation on the planet has its share of ills, we once expected better from the USA, which I still think, in many regards, is a brilliant place. But its current decline is nakedly obvious to anyone with eyeballs or empathy, and while there is certainly enough blame to go around on both sides, it’s clear that a movement of homegrown, mostly white, Christian fascists is making an attempt to permanently establish minority rule. After all, the system is already rigged in their favor (the Senate, the Electoral College), and now they’ve got the Supreme Court.

Those of us not in their club can moan to high heaven, but until Americans are ready to get down with MASS civil disobedience (prolonged street protests, general strikes, monkey wrenching, even armed struggle), the left and reasonable liberal-ish center will continue to get their asses handed to them, because the far right has their finger on the scales.

They always have, but now have managed to infiltrate so many of our institutions that resistance may indeed be futile. After all, it’s only a matter of time before they straight up steal a presidential election by crying fraud and replacing Democratic electors with their own hand-picked slate. And when this is contested legally, where do you think it’s gonna go? The Supreme Court. And you can guess which way this herd of swine will vote. We already saw it in 2000. Bush v. Gore, anyone?

What I’m saying, of course, is that you don’t have to stay. I realize that for most people leaving the country isn’t, at least at first glance, a realistic choice, but it is a choice. While it’s much easier for people with money, you don’t necessarily have to even have money to emigrate.

I certainly didn’t. I moved to Korea with 400 dollars and hot-blooded desperation. What you really need is a hankering for a bit of adventure and a big dose of courage, a willingness to shed your American skin and dive into that acid bath. Marketable skills help as well, but again, this sort of thing tends to make its way when there’s a will.

So, what does this look like? Of course you can’t just up and move to another country without jumping through their legal hoops (which can be mighty), and some places are much more difficult to get into than others. And while I’m certainly no expert when it comes to specific places, I have been in the expat/immigrant game for nearly two decades now and know people who have pulled off settling in all sorts of places by many methods.

1. HAVE MONEY
Most countries will let you live there if you can prove that you have enough money to never be a drain on their system and also contribute to their economy. Immigration around the world loves rich people so if you have heaps of dough you can go most anywhere. I personally know a lot of folks back in the States that could sell their home tomorrow and not only be millionaires, but then be able to buy a great house in a country where prices are a fraction of what they are in the US.

2. INVEST IN A BUSINESS
A lot of countries have “investor visas” available for people willing to throw some money into a local project. Maybe you buy a bar, or a restaurant. I believe South Korea requires a hundred grand (USD) right now, but if you have it and put it into the local economy, you can live here.

3. GET A SECOND PASSPORT

Have an Irish grandmother? Or family from Germany or the U.K.? It may be possible to get a second passport.

4. HAVE A SWEET SKILL
Are you a nurse, a programmer, a truck driver, or an electrician? Some of the best countries (think Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden) will offer visas for people with in-demand skills. And all of these places pay top dollar as well. If you can offer a good skill the world is indeed your bivalve.

5. TEACH ENGLISH (or something else)
This is still a possibility all around the globe. While it won’t make you rich, you can still sock away good money in places like South Korea, China, and the Middle East. Other places such as Latin America and Europe don’t pay so well but you’ll get that work visa. You usually only need a bachelor’s degree with maybe some kind of ESL certificate, though a master’s can get you into uni work. And if you’re already an accredited teacher, you should look into international schools, where you can teach the same subjects you do in the States, but for better pay and no shootings! And most of these gigs come with a free apartment. That’s right, you won’t have to pay RENT.

6. COMPANY TRANSFER
Many big corporations have offices all around the world these days. It’s possible to get transferred within the company to a country that offers healthcare, education, and no psychos wandering the streets with firearms. Look into it.

7. STUDY THE LOCAL TONGUE AT A SCHOOL
Almost any country will offer a kind of student/study visa, though this often precludes you from working. It can be a way to get your foot in the door, however, while also picking up the most invaluable thing of all: another language.

8. DIGITAL NOMAD
From Bali to Mexico City to Portugal, whole communities of Westerners and others make their living through their computers while living in places so much cheaper than their home countries. Working remotely is possible in so many jobs these days, especially programming, web development, content writing, editing, and more. Some countries are beginning to offer special visas just for this class of worker.

9. MARRY A LOCAL
Whether it’s for love or convenience, getting married to a national of the country you want to settle in is the simplest way to live there legally, though Western countries don’t necessarily make it a gimme. That said, plenty of people have made their lives easier through this method, and if you look hard enough, there are whole websites dedicated to making this happen, though you may have to grease the wheels a bit.

These are just a few ideas off of the top of my head. There are other ways to emigrate if you set your mind to it, and again, I know this isn’t going to be a possibility for most. I owe the fact that I pulled it off to my position of great privilege, combined with timing, luck, and the fact that I was not tied down at the time. All I want to do with this piece is let my American friends and family and comrades know that this is an option. That is if you’re so sick of the state of things that you feel your molecules demanding relocation, you can. It’s not an impossibility.

As for me, I thank my stars for getting on that plane in 2004 and shooting across the Pacific. Of course South Korea is a boiler pot of a country with its own myriad issues (trust me), but I’m still grateful I landed on this rocky thumb sticking into the North Pacific. I miss the USA every day. It’s actually a source of great sadness for me. I long for its wide open spaces and the warm, friendly generosity of the people, but as I see it collapse day to day, and further enter into a period of undeniable darkness, I’m glad that a whole ocean separates me from the tire fire.

There’s no reason you can’t also enjoy the place from a similar distance.