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Comment by simonebrunozzi | Hacker News Reader

Sorry to hear that you need to leave your country. It's never easy. I left Italy in 2008, in search for opportunities (AWS), then left the US in 2020, back to Italy.

What made you leave Berlin, if you don't mind sharing a bit more?

Finding the right place is always a compromise. E.g. :

1) quality of schools for your son (eventually; he's still super young)

2) VISA, how easy it is to get a permanent resident, and/or citizenship

3) Island close to the equator: the weather is usually not that great (source: lived in Singapore, an island close to the equator, for 2.5 years). But picking the right "type" of place is important, and I suggest you take a 1-month long vacation in 2-3 places, if you can afford it, to "test" it and see if you like it.

Still on this point, I think that most "north Europeans" enjoy the mediterranean area (Portugal, Spain, Italy, or even Greece). Have you tried it out?

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Just providing a cautious view: living on an island sounds like a fantasy but in practice it's very isolating, many supply chain issues and it can be hard/expensive to get a hold of items produced off the island

> but in practice it's very isolating

Well, maybe. There are some island towns with lots of community , even expat communities. I actually found it easier to make friends on these islands then in a big city.

But the supply chain issues are big, if you want electronics ( in my case for Panama ), you get on a plane and go to the US to buy them. Same with any major medical care.

I've lived on an Island for nearly five years, hardly ever left for the mainland. Depending on your personality Island life may be 'just the ticket' or indeed 'isolating'. For me it provided the lack of through traffic and quiet that I was very much longing for.

Lack of traffic, yes. No need for a car. Local products and food. Small community. Relaxed and laid back people. Sounds like a dream, right? I doubt, we'll find that, but I am grateful for the point you made.

What were your reasons for leaving the US, if it's something you'd be willing to share?

Not OP but will answer anyway. Lived in the US for quite a long time and left a couple of years ago. Below are just my very subjective opinions.

1. Unhealthy relationship with cars, race and food. Food is bad quality in general compared to other developed countries.

2. Car centric city planning, zoning. Suburb culture.

3. Bad or lacking and underfunded public transport everywhere.

4. No public healthcare.

5. Not very good for introverted people who just want to be chill and mind their own business.

6. People will look at you strange or make fun of you if you don’t like or care about certain American things like BBQ, football, burgers, pizza, etc.

7. People in general don’t know much about the rest of the world, and only consume American cultural products.

8. Unsafe outside in certain parts of the city. "Don't go south of that street" kind of stuff.

9. Trump.

I lived in Scandinavia and certain developed Asian countries, and found that these places fit me better, so that’s why I moved away.

Sorry I missed your question.

Few things:

1) family reasons (father-in-law was sick, wanted to stay closer)

2) had enough of SF. Expensive, dirty, unsafe, poorly managed.

3) was missing some cultural interactions (European/Italian vs “shallower” Californian)

4) tax advantages for returning to Italy

5) wanted to start a new VC firm, thought that non-US became interesting.

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