Happier Abroad Forum Community

I understand that if you have an income of $500 - $1,000 (£325 - £650) per month, you can live very well in SE Asia or L America, whereas in your own country it would not be much. And that kind of income is very achievable if your income is from doing something online.

So, why don't people in those non-western countries do the same?

Johnny1975 wrote:I understand that if you have an income of $500 - $1,000 (£325 - £650) per month, you can live very well in SE Asia or L America, whereas in your own country it would not be much. And that kind of income is very achievable if your income is from doing something online.

So, why don't people in those non-western countries do the same?

I am not sure what you're asking.

Internet penetration is much lower in developing nations, most of it is infrastructure out to the rural areas. The other reason, they simply can't afford it and you don't miss what you don't have.

In Brazil only about 54% have some sort of internet access either at home or at work. The rest of LA is like that. The US is not behind anymore in access (87% have access) but we are behind in speeds because of the monopoly enjoyed by the two-three largest telecoms and cable companies. South Korea, Scandinavia and part of Eastern Europe have the fastest connection, any shock that Pirate Bay is in Eastern Europe???

The other major reason is language 90% of the internet is in English.... If you can't speak or understand it, well.... This is one of the main reasons why learning English is in high demand in Brazil and China and also why there less restrictions on who's teaching it.

The eCommerce and Consulting world of internet entrepreneurship is just starting down there, very ground floor.

Why do you think I am going down there? The old world and the old new world are in DECLINE... I don't even understand why this is debatable anymore.

Education levels are very low in SE Asia. Heck some TLL ladies I talk to can't even tell me their name.

There's also a big difference between Asia and the West. Everywhere I've been in Asia, companies have 3-4x as many staff as a Western company would have, so I guess people here get paid 3-4x less as a result.

I went in a Kuala Lumpur restaurant that had 2 customers and 8 staff, yeah they still got my order wrong.

And every day expenses here might be low, but get a serious illness and you'll find that the hospital bills can be $$$$$. Treatment for lung cancer in China can be as much as $30,000.

Also Asian people have families to support, so then your $1000 wouldn't go so far.

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xiongmao wrote:Education levels are very low in SE Asia. Heck some TLL ladies I talk to can't even tell me their name.

There's also a big difference between Asia and the West. Everywhere I've been in Asia, companies have 3-4x as many staff as a Western company would have, so I guess people here get paid 3-4x less as a result.

I went in a Kuala Lumpur restaurant that had 2 customers and 8 staff, yeah they still got my order wrong.

And every day expenses here might be low, but get a serious illness and you'll find that the hospital bills can be $$$$$. Treatment for lung cancer in China can be as much as $30,000.

Also Asian people have families to support, so then your $1000 wouldn't go so far.

Xiongmao, you're a f***ing idiot. I've been in the hospital numerous times and the cost was MUCH LOWER than in the west. I was in a coma and in the hospital for nearly a month and it ran me $5000 including the ICU charges. Is that expensive?

Also, $1000 isn't much no matter how you slice it. But if you're smart, and don't land some dirt poor, uneducated farm girl like you and Falcon seem to love, then maybe you won't need to support THEM and THEIR whole f***ing family! I know it's hard for you to believe but it's true. Find an educated girl, learn the culture, learn the language, and if you're halfway decent with women, you won't be paying for their family unless perhaps there is a truly dire emergency.

what´s up xio?somebody here is in roid rage for no reason then seeing every where cun ts.

anyway chicks and lifestyle are expensive. the hotter the bitch the more money it will cost. natural law.

I live now from 200dollar a month. But I live like a shaolin monk and using no c unts.

Johnny1975 wrote:I understand that if you have an income of $500 - $1,000 (£325 - £650) per month, you can live very well in SE Asia or L America, whereas in your own country it would not be much. And that kind of income is very achievable if your income is from doing something online.

So, why don't people in those non-western countries do the same?

THEY DO! Why do you think the prices are so low on those online freelance sites? You have to compete with filipinos and Indians who are willing to work for ten percent of what you would charge!

Billy wrote:what´s up xio?somebody here is in roid rage for no reason then seeing every where cun ts.

anyway chicks and lifestyle are expensive. the hotter the bitch the more money it will cost. natural law.

I live now from 200dollar a month. But I live like a shaolin monk and using no c unts.

The Genius is chiming in again. Wonderful.

Ghost wrote:

Johnny1975 wrote:I understand that if you have an income of $500 - $1,000 (£325 - £650) per month, you can live very well in SE Asia or L America, whereas in your own country it would not be much. And that kind of income is very achievable if your income is from doing something online.

So, why don't people in those non-western countries do the same?

I would say $1000 is the threshold. Living "well" on $500 is only possible if you don't pay rent. I, for example, live in an out-of-the-way Chinese city and live on $500 a month or less, but I pay no rent because I'm doing TEFL. Most people in Asia make far less than $1000. In this city, I think it is more like $200-$300 a month tops for most jobs. And they have rent of course. So most Asians don't do it because they can't.

$1000 in Brazil where i am living the way i do.You would be fine on that.Hell if i could just make $500 a month somehow along with what i already make teaching English i would be doing pretty well.Of course not rich...but Ok.How ever if trying to live a life of luxury then that is not going to cut it at all.

anamericaninbangkok wrote:

xiongmao wrote:Education levels are very low in SE Asia. Heck some TLL ladies I talk to can't even tell me their name.

There's also a big difference between Asia and the West. Everywhere I've been in Asia, companies have 3-4x as many staff as a Western company would have, so I guess people here get paid 3-4x less as a result.

I went in a Kuala Lumpur restaurant that had 2 customers and 8 staff, yeah they still got my order wrong.

And every day expenses here might be low, but get a serious illness and you'll find that the hospital bills can be $$$$$. Treatment for lung cancer in China can be as much as $30,000.

Also Asian people have families to support, so then your $1000 wouldn't go so far.

Xiongmao, you're a f***ing idiot. I've been in the hospital numerous times and the cost was MUCH LOWER than in the west. I was in a coma and in the hospital for nearly a month and it ran me $5000 including the ICU charges. Is that expensive?

Also, $1000 isn't much no matter how you slice it. But if you're smart, and don't land some dirt poor, uneducated farm girl like you and Falcon seem to love, then maybe you won't need to support THEM and THEIR whole f***ing family! I know it's hard for you to believe but it's true. Find an educated girl, learn the culture, learn the language, and if you're halfway decent with women, you won't be paying for their family unless perhaps there is a truly dire emergency.

Whats up with you lately AIB? Your posts have been riding hard on the rage train. Seems out of character when compared to your older posts.

HouseMD, I've told AIB to chill with his temper tantrums. He's a good poster--and I really want him to stay--but constantly attacking other forum members does not add anything to the site; in fact, it detracts from it.

And I know, sometimes, there's lot of things written on the forum that we disagree with (i.e. Winston, LOL)--but there has to be a level of civility on the forum, no matter how b.s. it is. What I would do is counteract those b.s. arguments with cogent responses, rather than name-calling and cursing.

Zboy - you mistake the swearing with a temper tantrum. Frankly I am sick of the lack of manhood by some on this site and the bs information by guys like Xiongmao.

Also, Winston's post about a stripper is way out there. Is he truly serious? He asks the question of what we thought, we told him, and as is always the case, he gets pissed off when he doesn't like what he hears. Then...of course...he feels the need to make it personal and talk shit about my family.

C'mon, do you really think falling in love with a stripper in a matter of hours is the path to being Happier Abroad? For him to even bring this up says so very much.

Also, of all the guys on the board here, how many are truly Happier Abroad? Of the ones who are, how many are teaching English, struggling to get by on a lousy $500-$1000 a month? Probably way too many.

I am Happier Abroad. I'm living my life how I want it, doing what I want, when I want, and I have good life doing so. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail, but I keep my eye on the prize and I continue living the way many others dream of living.

At times my posts may be harsh but it's usually done in an effort to get guys to WAKE UP. Call it tough love for the brotherhood of man. The problem isn't always the outside world, sometimes it starts with you.

You have Winston thinking a stripper is the answer to his romantic woes. Please...

Xiongmao bitches (oops, complains) about the lack of intelligence of Thai women. Now I will admit that some are extremely limited upstairs. However, perhaps if he learned how to speak the language of the country he supposedly lives in, they would know WTF he's talking about when he's asking their name. He whines about the floods, which in Bangkok are not that bad AT ALL. If he were in a village like I was when the big floods hit here, he would know that the water was waist high, even above the top of some cars. I had to ride in a boat to get around in some places so why is he whining like a little girl about ankle or knee deep water? Where is your sense of adventure, really...

Much of what I'm hearing now on this board is whining, questioning why the women are so bad, why is America so bad, etc., instead of simply working on accomplishing the mission which is to get Happier Abroad. Asking WHY, WHY, WHY without simply going with your gut on an answer and proving it right or wrong does very little and leaves you spinning your wheels. Which is what it seems some guys are doing.

If I had a board like this when I first left to live abroad, I might have just sat on my duff and never went anywhere. I would have listened and though it was sooooo difficult to live abroad. It's not. I had nothing to go by though. I just did it, sink or swim, just like men did in the old days. Good or bad, they forged ahead. Maybe more guys on this board should do this.

The only reason I am here at this point is to get something from helping others here. Rarely do I get more than this from this site so Zboy or Winston or whoever else feels I'm more of a detriment than help to members and want to ban me, C'est la vie. If you like, I can make it easy on you and simply no longer post here. No worries.

anamericaninbangkok wrote:
Also, of all the guys on the board here, how many are truly Happier Abroad? Of the ones who are, how many are teaching English, struggling to get by on a lousy $500-$1000 a month? Probably way too many.

Why the swipe at ESL teachers? Should we man up instead and start generating google adsense revenue? Not everyone's a computer nerd or enjoys sitting by themselves for hours at a time with no social interaction.

rudder wrote:

anamericaninbangkok wrote:
Also, of all the guys on the board here, how many are truly Happier Abroad? Of the ones who are, how many are teaching English, struggling to get by on a lousy $500-$1000 a month? Probably way too many.

Why the swipe at ESL teachers? Should we man up instead and start generating google adsense revenue? Not everyone's a computer nerd or enjoys sitting by themselves for hours at a time with no social interaction.

You're not complaining about your job though, right?

I have absolutely no problem with English teachers or other teacher here in Thailand or other places if they're qualified. Until recently, many teachers here in Thailand most definitely were not. The thing is, it's fine to go after your dream whatever the occupation, but not at the expense of kids. Qualified teachers make more than $500-$1000 - those who aren't qualified are passing time.

BTW - my Google adsense revenue is a very small part of my income. I am retired so every little bit helps as my retirement money alone isn't enough to do everything I want to do.

Johnny1975 wrote:I understand that if you have an income of $500 - $1,000 (£325 - £650) per month, you can live very well in SE Asia or L America, whereas in your own country it would not be much. And that kind of income is very achievable if your income is from doing something online.

So, why don't people in those non-western countries do the same?

In the Philippines, in a way, they are doing just that with all the call centers that have popped up.
However, for most SE Asians, it is very difficult to independently market themselves online...the culture gap is large.

$500 to $1000 a month...hmmm...not what I would call living well. I and my wife probablly are
thought to be "living well", but our monthly budget is more like the $2400 range. We do not have a house payment or rent, but we do have a full time helper included in that figure. We do pay for a lot of
extra groceries and related as we have guests very frequently.

Outwest