# You Have to Leave Your Country--Which of your Neighbor Nations Would you Choose? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076 "2010-01-15T15:01:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/41 "2010-01-15T18:59:18Z")
I’ve lived in the US all my life. But I’d go to Canada easy enough. It’s not a bad place, I’ve visited it and all. I think i’d be just fine there. If I could live anywhere in the world? I don’t know… I’ve never been to Ireland or Scotland, and they seem like nice people there. If I could get a job there, then maybe I’d live there, though I only know my US English… And they seem close enough to England that I’d be able to get whatever random things I may want from there. (As again, no idea what’s in Ireland or Scotland, but randomly throwing a dart to live somewhere for a while, why not?) My 3rd random location from someplace I’ve never been: Maybe Australia. Or New Zealand, which ever one seems most like living in the USA (and I’m not a fan of the heat/desert, so that’s one minus for Australia and a point for NZ). :Shrug: Then I guess I could always go back to the Motherland and go live w/ family out in India, but I’ve been there before and not really my cup of tea, and I don’t really speak the language well so I couldn’t work in my field over there very well. Hence why it’s so down on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/42 "2010-01-15T19:11:03Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Maybe… used to be the case, but Jordan’s is losing some control, and Egypt is gaining a bit. IMHO. > > Both are bad enough I’ll probably be using my American passport… :eek: > > Tipping point for me is Egypt has a lot more touristy things to see. Jordan just about has Petra; Egypt… where to begin? 🙂 > > Aye, that **would** definitely had been my first choice, if I thought there were anything like a chance of going through the next decade or so without Hizballah picking another fight with us and getting the snot beaten out of Lebanon (again) as a result. ☹ Lebanon has certainly paid the price for being stuck in the middle of the Israel-Syria problem (with Iran thrown in for good measure too). If everyone (Israel, Syria, Hezbollah etc) would stop shooting, then Beirut would be ideal. I haven’t been there since Israel blasted it all to hell in 2006, but baring the constant battles, Beirut would be my #1 place in the world to live (I am not Lebanese BTW). ---
**Author:** ![JoseArcadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@JoseArcadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseArcadio)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/43 "2010-01-15T19:11:39Z")
If I could choose any other country in the UK it would most likely be England. Newcastle, Manchester or Liverpool would be my cities of choice. **ToeJam** : with the exception of some regional foodstuffs (the square sausage has yet to make it south of the Borders, for example) you will have access the most goods throughout the UK. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/44 "2010-01-15T20:39:54Z")
I live in South Africa, and I’ve visited Namibia for geology trips. Other countries we touch on include Botswana, **Zimbabwe** , \*\*Swaziland \*\*and **Mozambique** , and we completely include **Lesotho**. I would not want to live in any of the ones I bolded. In fact, the phrase “over my dead body” probably sums it up. They are hellholes or tin-pot dictatorships or malarial deathtraps. I \*could \*live in Namibia, but I’d hate it. Ditto Botswana. I \*need \*a temperate climate. If anywhere, I’d want to live in England. Zimbabwe’s the last place on Earth I’d want to live, followed by America. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/45 "2010-01-15T20:44:16Z")
I’m a U.S. resident, so Canada. I’d probably learn to speak french and live in Quebec province. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/46 "2010-01-15T21:00:17Z")
> [@JoseArcadio](#): > > If I could choose any other country in the UK it would most likely be England. Newcastle, Manchester or Liverpool would be my cities of choice. I’ll just quote this because it’s my answer exactly. Outside the UK, I’d pick France. My French is pretty good if a little rusty, I’ve visited a fair amount and would be quite happy there I’m sure. I must admit though to having a deep down desire to live on a small island, so The Faroes are an attractive option _in theory_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/47 "2010-01-15T21:03:13Z")
Frederickton, New Brunswick, Canada. Charming, friendly city. Non-contiguous, I’m torn between the UK and France. ---
**Author:** ![YoudNeverGuess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a587f6/32.png) [@YoudNeverGuess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoudNeverGuess)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/48 "2010-01-15T21:10:04Z")
Hmm, only land border is with UK (Northern Ireland). Nearest island is…UK. Do I not get a choice? Posting from Ireland. OK, I don’t know if this is cheating but I’m going west. And I’ll pick Canada thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/49 "2010-01-15T21:12:52Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > Mexico. Canada is COLD. My first response without too much thought was Canada. My dad’s from there. I could move to his home town and have an instant support system of relatives. Then I remembered, as **Darth Sensitive** posted, Canada is cold. My mom likes to suggest every so often that we move to her neighborhood (in western New York) and my husband’s response is always, “Sorry, too cold!”. So if I want to stay married I’d have to pick Mexico. How practically are we supposed to be thinking about this? I believe that my current profession is viable in a more towns in Canada than in Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/50 "2010-01-15T21:23:43Z")
I live the US, so I’d have to go with Canada. I already read/write/speak French, so I could really live anywhere there comfortably. Worldwide - other than Canada I think I’d pick Australia Least want to live in… well, there’s a bunch of those, but I’ll say North Korea. ---
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/51 "2010-01-15T21:25:22Z")
Gotta go with the Mexico contingent on this one. Not a difficult choice during a week where the average temps have been ranging from 2 to 21 degrees here in CT. I HATE being cold. And I LOVE Mexico. There! That was easy. I love Canada too, but hey. Forget that snow shit. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/52 "2010-01-15T21:43:41Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Mexico has plumbing, public potable water, a world-class telecom infrastructure, and you only get killed by cartels if you go to the wrong places (and you only get killed by gangs in Detroit if you go to the wrong places). English, though, will drive you crazy unless you settle in an expat community like Lake Chapala or San Miguel de Allende. My apologies; my intentions were less to accentuate the crappiness of Mexico as much as the general inoffensiveness of Canada…though I understand that Canadian customs has been known to be overzealous when it comes to bringing “offensive” publications (i.e. “smut”) into the country. Say what you will about America being too socially conservative, I can still get pretty much all the dirty books I want, with a minimum of fuss. _And_ a Gatling gun. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/53 "2010-01-16T01:24:11Z")
For all of you saying Canada’s too cold, it was 10 degrees (celsius - that’s around 50 fahrenheit) here in Victoria this week. Come on, that’s better than most of the US! I would live in the US. The people I know personally who declare they would never, EVER live in the US haven’t yet been offered a well-paying job there. 100% of the people I know who have took it without a second thought. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/54 "2010-01-16T01:50:07Z")
On the other hand, speaking from personal experience, living in the US _without_ a “well-paying job” can truly suck. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/55 "2010-01-16T03:17:41Z")
I’m Canadian and live about a 5 min. drive from the US border so that would be my first pick. Not that I wouldn’t be torn about it. I’ve spent much of the last decade being pissed off by American foreign policy and my middle-of-the-road Canadian social beliefs would probably get me branded a border-line commie south of the border. That said, I was a very frequent visitor to the US during the 1990s (up to 3 times a week for several years) and the vast majority of individual Americans I met were very cool people. I’d want to live somewhere in New England because they’re relatively liberal and, dammit, I LIKE winter. Plus it would be fairly close to Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario where I have friends and family. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/56 "2010-01-16T03:30:04Z")
Mexico in a heartbeat. Mexico is a diverse, vibrant place where you can live a very good lifestyle on what would be considered a small savings in the U.S. Plus they have great food, friendly people, and in my personal favor, I speak Spanish fluently. Any where in the world: Barcelona, Spain. Beautiful city with unique architecture; cosmopolitan, diverse atmosphere; temperate climate; plenty of activities and entertainment; and the icing on the cake is that Barcelona has several theaters that play American movies in the original English. I do need my English language fix. Over my dead body, literally: Any of the war-torn African countries or Saudi Arabia. I’m sure that, as a woman, I would do something unacceptable that would end with my being flogged. ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/57 "2010-01-16T05:04:09Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > On the other hand, speaking from personal experience, living in the US _without_ a “well-paying job” can truly suck. Of course. But I’m surrounded by graduate students who happily deride the US, and I know that when they take a look at the very limited Canadian academic market in a few years, an assistant professorship at the University of Arizona or something will look _awesome_, principles be damned. ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/58 "2010-01-16T06:56:49Z")
Great… I have way too many passports for this game… I’m American and Canadian, so I end up with Mexico… I also have Irish citizenship, so I’d have no problem with the U.K, although maybe that means I’d have to pick Northern Ireland? I think I’ll take London instead… If I had to pick somewhere else in the world, gotta say I’d pick France… You can never have too much Paris! ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/59 "2010-01-16T07:16:15Z")
WooHOO. Canadian expat dopefest, come on down…um, up! By the rules of the OP, can Canadians go anywhere but the US? Oh, wait,[there’s France, just off the coast of Newfoundland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Pierre_and_Miquelon). That said, I’ve been to St. Pierre and Miquelon, so I’ll take Hawai’i, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076/60 "2010-01-16T07:33:50Z")
I’ve lived half my life in the US, so Canada. I like Toronto, reminds me a lot of Chicago. I currently live in Korea, and the only other country we share our border with is North Korea. :dubious: I’ll swim to Japan or die trying before I move to NK. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-have-to-leave-your-country-which-of-your-neighbor-nations-would-you-choose/525076.md?page=4)