Eh, as a person who has had the privilege to move around the world for work and to live I kind of agree with their take up to the point they moved back to the US. I don't like being in Northern Europe either. I really don't like places that get cold and I had a similar experience in Northern European cities where it is very difficult to make friends. Fine to visit and work but not somewhere I'd personally want to live when I can live in a hot place with warm people and food more to my taste.

[–] BanMeFromPosting@hexbear.net 23 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

Nothing wrong with not wanting to live somewhere. It's her reasoning for moving there in the first place and then her reasons for not enjoying her stay are kind of vapid.

I'd say your reasons are very valid, but also you didn't uproot your life to move to Copenhagen based on a fairy-tale idea of what it would be like.
I'm considering studying in china, and you can bet I do more than just Google "how cold china?" And look at postcards

[–] hamid@crazypeople.online 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

To be honest, and maybe this is a form of racial bias but like I don't want to live anywhere that is 75%+ people of European descent. I find they kind of don't like people that look like me lol

China seems cool I'd like to go there some time.

[–] Kuori@hexbear.net 9 points 2 days ago

maybe this is a form of racial bias but[...]I find they kind of don't like people that look like me

sounds like your survival skills kicking in more than anything tbh

[–] BanMeFromPosting@hexbear.net 9 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

That would be racism is it weren't supported by how racist the laws in Denmark are. Also good luck getting into a nightclub here with all the racist bouncers we have.
That's not to say it's terrible, at least in copenhagen. People aren't going to call you slurs on the street and there's a significant ME diaspora whose shops are becoming very chic at the moment. I just go there for cheap spices, but for some reason the bazars are becoming sort of an instagram hotspot.
Also if you're a woman you might enjoy it as a change of pace from a lot of other countries. I've a lot of female friends who tell me they feel much safer here + no catcalling.
The cops are racist as fuck though. The common refrain is "at least we're not america" which is true, but you're still going to get profiled.

[–] xijinpingist@hexbear.net 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

China isn't the old China, not even the street vendor China you watched all those youtube videos about. China is highly regional and every city is different. Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen aren't much different from Dallas, except sparkling clean and no crime. I guess you'd study Chinese, there are private language schools that do that all over and give student visas. It's basically a 3 month party time. As long as you paid, nobody cares if you show up for class or not.

[–] BanMeFromPosting@hexbear.net 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'd be going with a university programme and studying in the outskirts of Beijing

[–] xijinpingist@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

OOf, boring, Beijing is like Houston, it goes on forever. And the city kind of sucks, it's not China enough to be China and it's not western enough to be Shanghai. Plus there are a lot of diplomats, journalists and other unsavory types in the foreign population there. And it's a stinking lie Beijing speaks the most standard Mandarin, they sound like they have marbles in their mouths. It's a desert climate, hope you enjoy dry windy cold winters.

[–] BanMeFromPosting@hexbear.net 3 points 2 days ago

Fuck

[–] WhatDoYouMeanPodcast@hexbear.net 12 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I think very famously if you move to a new place with a new culture it's hard to make friends writ large. You're an unknown unknown and getting to know you is not the path of least resistance.

I was at a foreign MMA gym one time. I attended a striking class for my first day nobody paid me any attention (I'm a mediocre striker). But after the grappling day, because I'm a BJJ brown belt, everyone wanted to know my name, where I'm from, and they were impressed with my knowledge of the language. I come back the next day and the front desk person asks "you're the brown belt, right?" I don't think they were basally curious that a foreigner was there, but the second I showed that I was exceptional at this hobby they had it was, by some mechanism, enough to want to talk to me. I've rolled with a visitor at the gym only to find they were a UFC fighter and only at that point wanted to learn more about them, so it's mutual.

But here's the thing, I think if you want to do something and you can then that's reason enough. Even if your motivation is silly. Even if you get BTFO, nobody likes you, it wasn't a max win, and you have to move back moving abroad is a romantic and adventurous thing to do. If you tell me that you moved to China because you're a leftist, you saw a cool postcard, and you weren't doing anything important in America I'd think you were rad.

[–] towhee@hexbear.net 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

hello fellow b-jay-jay person (blue belt)

[–] WhatDoYouMeanPodcast@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago

Hello! You should ping me funny stories from your gym, questions, and the like. I'd always like to blab your ear off about it