House Hunters International - General Discussion

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/4/2023 at 12:48 PM, Jodithgrace said:

I don’t know which was more annoying, Nigel and his 5th Avenue whine

Even more annoying for me was that it was always "fifth ave" and not "avenue." 

So who was the guy manning the camera when they were walking through the streets creating content?

[aghst]

Dunedin, NZ.  Have thought about visiting, feels similar to Wellington, a coastal city with some hilly terrain surrounding the flat center.

Maybe if his job status wasn’t uncertain, they might have made a different decision or looked at homes with higher budgets.

The first home that they ruled out because of it wasn’t fully furnished might be best location for her job but walking and biking might be a drag at times as it was up on a hill with those views of the city just below.

Maybe they’d have considered a car as well if they knew they’d still have his income.

I think there’s been one or two NZ episodes featuring Americans who got job offers in NZ and at least one of those was a doctor so they seem to be recruiting people in health care from other English-speaking countries.

Dunedin seems beautiful and probably offers a great lifestyle but it’s kind of out of the way, on the SE corner of South Island.  Probably not the first choice for tourists to visit because it’s pretty far from Queenstown and Wanaka — and Christchurch too.

But someone mentioned the cost of housing is better than other NZ cities.

[laredhead]

Aghst, as I understand it, the HH's have already chosen the house when the episode is filmed.  Maybe he already knew he would be keeping his job, and that really is their budget even with his salary added.  Don't know what salaries for her job pay in NZ.  They also could be trying to save $$ for future retirement expenses.  Isn't there a 30-minute bike ride for her to her job?  That's a long ride, especially with the hills.  I love that they adopted another greyhound.  Those dogs want to be lap dogs, and are very gentle.  My neighbor has adopted several retired racers over the years.   

[proserpina65]

On 3/4/2023 at 1:37 AM, aghst said:

Austin to Maastricht.

That robot contraption led them to choose the house with one bathroom because it had a big shop space.

I forget whether it was over budget or where it was relative to the center but #1, the new 4 BR/4 BA looked like a nicer home.

Guess he really didn’t want to stop performing.   Can’t tell if the wife was accommodating her husband or also preferred the older 3 BR/1 BA place as well.

I found that episode quite interesting.  The HHers were unique, but in an actually entertaining way.  When it first came on and they talked about needing a robot workshop, I did wonder if they built killer robots for something like Battlebots.

House #1 was definitely bigger and had more bathrooms, but I liked the place they chose better.

On 3/4/2023 at 1:46 PM, amarante said:

I am nit sure you get a visa immediately on marriage so it might have involved a lot of bureaucracy.

It's not automatic.  A friend of mine from Canada married a man in the US Army; it took her a long time to get her green card.  The hoops they had to jump through were huge.

On 3/6/2023 at 8:15 AM, snarts said:

Dunedin, NZ: I was happy to see them choose the beach adjacent option because I was getting bad vibes on his ability to compromise throughout the episode. Odd couple but enjoyed seeing that part of the world.

I got what he meant about wanting trees - they do provide great shade and privacy - but I totally would've gone for the house close to the beach.

 

On 3/6/2023 at 11:37 PM, aghst said:

Dunedin seems beautiful and probably offers a great lifestyle but it’s kind of out of the way, on the SE corner of South Island.  Probably not the first choice for tourists to visit because it’s pretty far from Queenstown and Wanaka — and Christchurch too.

But someone mentioned the cost of housing is better than other NZ cities.

I'd lean more towards the North Island for weather reasons, but yeah, cost of housing is a big deal.

[aghst]

Sweden to Ko Lanta, Thailand.

Swedish couple (not sure if married both had different last names) with two young girls in tow, looking to buy a hotel which would provide sustainable income for them, for $200k.

#1 was a turnkey hotel, already earning income with a restaurant on site but the owner apt wasn't big enough for the family.  Man worried it wouldn't generate enough income for them.

#2 was a resort of 24 villas and I believe it had a big enough owner unit.  Needed renovation.  Woman wanted villa style resort like this property but 24 units may be too much for the couple to take on, while taking care of two very young children.

#3 were 9 villas, nearby, but had small owner unit and needed some renovation of the units.

They eliminated #3 because it needed renovation, didn't have enough units.

Man said the sane choice would be #1 but the woman said if they were doing the sane thing, they'd not have come to Thailand.  They noted they had reliable income in Sweden and all kinds of good support for young families with children.  Maybe their jobs weren't exciting for them.

They came to Ko Lanta, an island near Krabi -- they didn't mention Krabi but mentioned Phuket, which is farther away -- for the first time before looking at properties to buy.

They chose #2 because of the income potential and they were willing to put up with the work require to fix up and maintain all those units.

In the 5 months after (!), there's no evidence that they've made major renovations or even that they're renting out the villas.  But this resort property had a restaurant and pool near the road -- villas were set back from the road -- which they could use to charge for day visitors.

But not only that, they found an investor and bought property #3, which was actually very nearby.

Not sure if they spelled out whether they had hospitality experience or if the man was particularly handy when it came to construction.  They showed him putting up a curtain rod.

 

 

[buttersister]

Sweden to Thailand struck me as odd for some reason. A little browser search later and it turns out Ko Lanta is a mecca for Swedish tourists, with a comment about hearing more Swedish spoken than Thai. I couldn't find their B&B/hotel/whatever they ended up with, but they could have renamed it or aren't speeding towards completion/opening. Investors, they say? Perhaps there'll be a followup ep one day. 

[Hedgehog2022]

3 hours ago, aghst said:

Sweden to Ko Lanta, Thailand.

Swedish couple (not sure if married both had different last names) with two young girls in tow, looking to buy a hotel which would provide sustainable income for them, for $200k.

#1 was a turnkey hotel, already earning income with a restaurant on site but the owner apt wasn't big enough for the family.  Man worried it wouldn't generate enough income for them.

#2 was a resort of 24 villas and I believe it had a big enough owner unit.  Needed renovation.  Woman wanted villa style resort like this property but 24 units may be too much for the couple to take on, while taking care of two very young children.

#3 were 9 villas, nearby, but had small owner unit and needed some renovation of the units.

They eliminated #3 because it needed renovation, didn't have enough units.

Man said the sane choice would be #1 but the woman said if they were doing the sane thing, they'd not have come to Thailand.  They noted they had reliable income in Sweden and all kinds of good support for young families with children.  Maybe their jobs weren't exciting for them.

They came to Ko Lanta, an island near Krabi -- they didn't mention Krabi but mentioned Phuket, which is farther away -- for the first time before looking at properties to buy.

They chose #2 because of the income potential and they were willing to put up with the work require to fix up and maintain all those units.

In the 5 months after (!), there's no evidence that they've made major renovations or even that they're renting out the villas.  But this resort property had a restaurant and pool near the road -- villas were set back from the road -- which they could use to charge for day visitors.

But not only that, they found an investor and bought property #3, which was actually very nearby.

Not sure if they spelled out whether they had hospitality experience or if the man was particularly handy when it came to construction.  They showed him putting up a curtain rod.

 

 

OMG! This had to be one of the more puzzling and strange HH International episodes ever. The entire town/village looked dreary and rundown. The three hotels/"resorts" were sub par at best. They all needed upgrades and work done on them... all of the owners quarters were horrible. What was more concerning was the fact that neither of them had any business experience or managerial experience in hotel or restaurant management. 

Can't believe that they bought that mess of a resort with way too many units for them to take care of...let alone the rickety wooden walkways with no railing that their little girls have to navigate...I would be worried sick about allowing kids to walk on those during flooding season...yikes!  That muddy flood water looked disgusting and god only knows what lurks in there. My mind immediately goes to giant snakes and other jungle creatures.

 

[aghst]

Yeah those walkways weren't appealing.

Does that water breed mosquitoes in the summer?

The restaurants and bars in a couple of those places looked okay, there were customers in one.

In some small towns, hotels are the only restaurants around instead of stand-alone places.  Maybe with unreliable bus services, people don't venture away from the hotel for their meals as often as they would in other places.

But then they'd have to worry about kitchen and wait staff.

[mojito]

Sweden to Thailand

Something that struck me as odd was how the husband dismissed cooking facilities in their living quarters because they had a restaurant. So they would eat each meal at the restaurant? Would she cook up one thing for the family and the staff could cook up menu meals for the guests? Would she be carrying food back and forth from the restaurant and home? Also, she liked having a pool for the kids. I can't see having kids traipsing around the pools and restaurant where there are guests. But maybe theirs will be a more communal establishment than any place I've ever stayed at. 

[Jodithgrace]

I guess resort #2 didn’t need a pool because it was already sitting in a lake. Honestly all that mud would be a giant turn off for me, though hopefully I would plan to not be visiting in the rainy season. 
 

Sure…I don’t know anything about owning or running a hotel, so let’s buy two!

[laredhead]

On 2/28/2023 at 1:21 PM, proserpina65 said:

I wanted to stab myself in both ear drums every time she said that.  She was so fucking annoying.  No, you didn't move to Mackay to be at the beach.  You moved there for your husband's job.  I get it, I'd want to live as close to the beach as possible, but seriously, shut the fuck up about it.

I just got around to watching the Mackay episode, and I was thinking the exact same thing every time she said they moved to Mackay for the beach.  Uh, no, you didn't.  You moved there because of his job.  Her voice and uptalk drove me nuts.  By the end of the episode I was exhausted from listening to her.  She was a bit much for me.  Glad her husband doesn't like to talk very much.  The house they chose was the best of the 3 IMO.

[twoods]

The Swedish couple annoyed me. They were whining about buying a hotel, their budget was only 200k, and then complained about the owner’s quarters being so small. At most of these hotels the manager usually stays there, not a 4 person family, and what do they expect for 200k? Plus they picked the place without a pool and high likelihood to flood. Just dumb, dumb, dumb. I liked the first place and did find it on booking.com, and it looks nice! Only 16 bucks a night.

Edited March 9, 2023 by twoods

[twoods]

Is Spain that cheap- 600 bucks a month for a 3 bedroom? I love it when idiots don’t know how European houses/apartments are complain about the size of rooms when their budget is ridiculously low. Maybe she should sell her massive wedding ring so their budget can be a little bigger (I am kidding). They were a pleasant couple, and that kid was adorable.

Edited March 10, 2023 by twoods

[ECM1231]

I enjoy the episodes in Spain, and from what I have been seeing, it really is quite affordable if you stay away from the larger cities like Madrid and Barcelona. I wasn't familiar with Logrono, which apparently is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja. It's a rather large city of 150,000+ people. 

That 3rd flat was a no just because of being a  5 flight walk-up, but it did have a terrace. I was glad that in the end the flat they chose did have a park for the dogs not too far away. Javier made it seem as if there were no parks nearby.

Did the wife say whether she was fluent in Spanish? She said she was Mexican American, but made it sound like that was an anomaly in their area of Kansas. Cute kid. 

[seacliffsal]

Was the Spain episode the first one in which the producers didn't even bother to try to have a real estate 'expert'?  I liked the 'local friend' who served in that role.

I loved the apartment they chose.  Couldn't believe city center, 2 baths, 2 or 3 bedrooms (I forget which) and all for $600!  

[slasherboy]

Back to Thailand for a minute.

Where the heck are those little girls supposed to play? The only dry land I saw were those rickity wooden walkways with no railings and I wouldn't let my child walk on them alone, much less play hopscotch or tag. And where was the little tripod dog supposed to potty? In the middle of the walkway for the guests to maneuver through/around? What if the family didn't care for the food in their restaurant? Since the husband didn't seem up for cooking in their apartment, I see a situation. Where will everybody park their vehicles? I know most of the people there drive motorbikes, but will tourists? How will they get their luggage there if they're on a bike? I'll bet that water is stinky, and who knows what's in that muck. As you can see, I've given way too much thought to this episode.

[Grrarrggh]

28 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

Back to Thailand for a minute.

Where the heck are those little girls supposed to play? The only dry land I saw were those rickity wooden walkways with no railings and I wouldn't let my child walk on them alone, much less play hopscotch or tag. And where was the little tripod dog supposed to potty? In the middle of the walkway for the guests to maneuver through/around? What if the family didn't care for the food in their restaurant? Since the husband didn't seem up for cooking in their apartment, I see a situation. Where will everybody park their vehicles? I know most of the people there drive motorbikes, but will tourists? How will they get their luggage there if they're on a bike? I'll bet that water is stinky, and who knows what's in that muck. As you can see, I've given way too much thought to this episode.

The flood waters were only there during the rainy season, the girls have the beach too. Other dogs manage well enough, so I think it will do fine. The family can hire any cook/chef they want, so that checks off food. Parking in the same place the previous owners and drivers did. They carry and pull luggage the rest of the way. As for water smell, not really. Unless people are throwing trash in or defecating into it, which they usually aren't... 

[slasherboy]

Well, there ya go!

[aghst]

8 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Was the Spain episode the first one in which the producers didn't even bother to try to have a real estate 'expert'?  I liked the 'local friend' who served in that role.

I loved the apartment they chose.  Couldn't believe city center, 2 baths, 2 or 3 bedrooms (I forget which) and all for $600!  

Yeah what a deal.

Guess the low housing costs figured into their decision to move there.  He’s going for school but if it was a high cost area like London,they’d probably look for another school elsewhere.

Guess the second bathroom was more important than outdoor space to them.  

Both seem to enjoy shooting the episode.

Kind of in the middle of nowhere compared to more famous places in Spain — hence the low-cost housing.  But presumably he’s going to school for culinary skills so being in the Rioja wine region must be a part of it.

[mojito]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

But presumably he’s going to school for culinary skills so being in the Rioja wine region must be a part of it.

His school is where he'll be going to teach English. I don't think he's going to culinary school. Maybe I missed something. She'll be remotely managing a pet sitting business. Hmm...

Nice couple. 

[buttersister]

Rerun tonight of Adrian in Lille with newlyweds who've come for his PhD around Christopher Marlowe. Bride was giving me internal screaming vibes. She, who had no plans to ever leave Wichita. Oy. They chose Adrian's compromise place and it looked nearly the same as when they were hunting--so as usual, they moved out the minimal accessories and I guess put in some storage somewhere. 

So interesting that there was no talk about traveling around France or elsewhere while they were living there. LOL. Guessing she's already on overload (good she found remote work) and no has no plans to leave Lille. I was left wondering if the eyeglasses she wore at the end came from Wichita or France (they looked good).

Forgot to mention how funny Adrian was kvetching about how nice the couple was and how it's easier sometimes to work for demanding clients. LOL!

Edited March 11, 2023 by buttersister

[BAForever]

9 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

The flood waters were only there during the rainy season.

I, too wondered about the rainy season. On the "5 months later" recap, dad had on high wader boots, and while the water was lower, the ground around the huts was still saturated. I think it would be an awesome place to stay, buy it's not the luxury, high end resort that some people want, definately more rustic.

[HappyHanna]

22 hours ago, mojito said:

His school is where he'll be going to teach English. I don't think he's going to culinary school. Maybe I missed something

Yeah, per their tiktok he is teaching English through nalcap program the https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/eeuu/convocatorias-programas/convocatorias-eeuu/nalcap.html

While you can do it until you're 60, it seems an unusual choice for a married couple with a baby.  More like a "just graduated from college" gap year before you get a real job thing,  but good for them for making it work.  

[snarts]

Logrono, Spain: 

I was also shocked by the low prices. The working hours in the restaurant industry are grueling, especially for someone with a young child. Sounds like maybe he's taking a bit of a breather with the teaching gig and the way lower cost of the living will allow that. 

[TVForever]

On 2/21/2023 at 3:41 PM, aghst said:

I did like Adrian saying no initially to yoga.  She probably went along with it to take a short shot of them doing it for the show.

Also, she can stop over-using the adjective "fabulous."

Sex and the City is now over a decade ago?

 

 

Almost 20 years ago!!! Series ended in 2004. Time flies...

[mojito]

On 3/13/2023 at 12:20 PM, TVForever said:

I did like Adrian saying no initially to yoga.  She probably went along with it to take a short shot of them doing it for the show.

I suspected that this woman and Adrian are old acquaintances, if not friends. 

[Grizzly]

Gothenburg, Sweden. I'd love to hear the story behind her name, Holden. Makes me think of Catcher in the Rye. Apartment #1 had plenty of room. But we didn't see the bathroom, did we? #2, great location, great price. How can she request a studio and then complain about the smallness of a studio? I bet she takes this one and is just producer complaining. #3 is too far out. They did not need to show Petunia using the toilet.

[Dehumidifier]

7 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Gothenburg, Sweden. I'd love to hear the story behind her name, Holden. Makes me think of Catcher in the Rye. Apartment #1 had plenty of room. But we didn't see the bathroom, did we? #2, great location, great price. How can she request a studio and then complain about the smallness of a studio? I bet she takes this one and is just producer complaining. #3 is too far out. They did not need to show Petunia using the toilet.

I just googled her. She is on several websites as K. Holden. 

It's probably a family name. There is a man with a similar name to her on LI. 

[aghst]

UK and TX to Merida.  A long distance couple marry during the pandemic and decide to live together in Merida.  They will telecommute to their jobs overseas so they need fiber optics.

House one is over budget but very well decorated yet doesn’t have fiber optic Internet.

House two is more modest, under budget and has fiber optics.

House three is well under budget, has fiber optics but is completely unfurnished so they’d have to buy furniture in a rental.

This feels short term though apparently moving to Merida is the only way they could live together?  Their budget wasn’t that low, maybe they could find something in Texas for $1300 a month.

I forget his job but she’s an attorney in the UK — who could do her job remotely from overseas?

Maybe this is more an extended honeymoon.  He teases her about having dozens of kids.  She kept harping aBout an authentic hacienda but none of the homes were.  House 3 was more “traditional” but to me it was just a modern boxy construction like the other two except older with white appliances in the kitchen.

He looked at one property with a big backyard and pool and said he didn’t want do yard work or keep that pool clean.

Their personalities were mostly pleasant but tHeir circumstances smell fishy.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Y'all might have missed it, but I gather the Gothenburg, Sweden, HH has anxiety and a cat. 

Merida, Mexico:  I remember previous episodes in Merida where the houses were in two parts--the front building is the living area, then there's a little swimming pool, and then the bedroom is in a separate building in the back.  I think those are so cool and was disappointed there weren't any in this episode.  I was actually thinking they were the predominant style there, which reveals I wasn't doing much actual thinking at all.

So I'm grateful for this episode, because I can just see myself on a ski lift talking to a stranger who says he's from Merida and I'd say, "Oh, Merida, where the houses are in two parts with the swimming pool in between" and he'd be thinking, "What the hell are you talking about?"

[aghst]

On 3/14/2023 at 8:02 PM, Grizzly said:

Gothenburg, Sweden. I'd love to hear the story behind her name, Holden. Makes me think of Catcher in the Rye. Apartment #1 had plenty of room. But we didn't see the bathroom, did we? #2, great location, great price. How can she request a studio and then complain about the smallness of a studio? I bet she takes this one and is just producer complaining. #3 is too far out. They did not need to show Petunia using the toilet.

Yeah she chose the one which was like a dorm as she said.  Probably university housing or private housing which is most often rented by students.

Otherwise the prices were surprising for Sweden.

With social anxiety, she even talked about how #1 and #3 had space for hosting people.

 

 

[debbie311]

On 3/14/2023 at 8:02 PM, Grizzly said:

Gothenburg, Sweden. I'd love to hear the story behind her name, Holden. Makes me think of Catcher in the Rye. Apartment #1 had plenty of room. But we didn't see the bathroom, did we? #2, great location, great price. How can she request a studio and then complain about the smallness of a studio? I bet she takes this one and is just producer complaining. #3 is too far out. They did not need to show Petunia using the toilet.

I'm sorry, I found that disgusting. Maybe she is ok with using the same toilet seat as a cat, but now anyone who visits her will know, which maybe is a good thing. Would not use her bathroom.  Does the cat flush? 

[chessiegal]

28 minutes ago, debbie311 said:

Does the cat flush? 

They can.

[ECM1231]

6 hours ago, debbie311 said:

I'm sorry, I found that disgusting. Maybe she is ok with using the same toilet seat as a cat, but now anyone who visits her will know, which maybe is a good thing. Would not use her bathroom.

I thought it was disgusting too, but honestly didn't even realize that was possible. 

[BAForever]

5 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I thought it was disgusting too, but honestly didn't even realize that was possible. 

Our cat could pee in toilet too. Never trained her to do it, but she was smart and watched fam using toilet. Happened to catch her one day. Got it on video, then shut door so it never happened again. 

[Grizzly]

Lyons, France. Ooh la la. David is a fine looking man. They are an attractive couple. Why such a small budget? Didn't they sell her 5 bedroom monstrosity in Miami? If he would spend more to buy, why not just buy? Can't picture them getting anything but #1. But the sexy bargain hunter promises to buy her a big house someday if they get #2.

[mojito]

9 hours ago, BAForever said:

Our cat could pee in toilet too. Never trained her to do it, but she was smart and watched fam using toilet. Happened to catch her one day.

Do female cats have better aim than male cats?

[aghst]

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Lyons, France. Ooh la la. David is a fine looking man. They are an attractive couple. Why such a small budget? Didn't they sell her 5 bedroom monstrosity in Miami? If he would spend more to buy, why not just buy? Can't picture them getting anything but #1. But the sexy bargain hunter promises to buy her a big house someday if they get #2.

He didn't have a job yet so I guess he didn't want to rely on her income.

Maybe he does't want to commit to buying long term in Lyon either, since he said Parisians wouldn't dream of living anywhere else.

He was going to buy that place with the low ceilings and way out of the way to save $200 a month.

What the heck is International Development?  Must pay well enough for her to develop some champagne tastes.

[mojito]

Lyon, France

At first, I had negative feelings for the glamorous-life wife, but in her TH, she came off as being reasonable. The place they got was a good compromise. I thought the first place was gaudy. (That's Miami style?) Too much space, trim, and sparkly things. 

Nice couple. Hope they find their way to Paris someday.

 

[seacliffsal]

I really enjoyed the Lyon episode and fell in love with choice #2 so was glad that was the one they chose.  David was very upfront and honest about Parisians not even wanting to visit elsewhere in France.  I agree with an above poster that David doesn't want to live there long-term and he is looking to get back to Paris.  The couple actually seemed like they loved each other, so that was pleasant!

[ECM1231]

14 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Lyons, France. Ooh la la. David is a fine looking man. They are an attractive couple. Why such a small budget? Didn't they sell her 5 bedroom monstrosity in Miami? If he would spend more to buy, why not just buy? Can't picture them getting anything but #1. But the sexy bargain hunter promises to buy her a big house someday if they get #2.

Just saw this one and David and Magda are a striking couple! I'm glad they compromised on flat #2. It had the most charm and at $1200/monthly was a bargain, ugly kitchen and all!

I've never been to France, but my son has traveled there a bit and I've seen many photos of the gorgeous cities he's visited. Do Parisians think Paris is the center of the universe? The realtor said Lyon was the 3rd largest city, so it's not exactly Hicksville.

[buttersister]

29 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Do Parisians think Paris is the center of the universe?

The ones I've met do. Can't find the lie.😊

[Crashcourse]

DaVEED was nice-looking, but I got tired of her constantly talking about DaVEED, DaVEED, DaVEED like he was her boy-toy (even though they look to be the same age).  I hate it on these HHI episodes when the couples keep harping on how they met.   

Rant over, but I did like their choice of #2. 

[aghst]

It sounded like she was making a very good living.

That $1800 a month has to be less than their rent/mortgage on their Miami McMansion.

So I sympathize with her point, she doesn't have to settle for a cramped place, pointed out that they wouldn't choose to live in a tent when David said housing doesn't matter.

They're not in their 20s any more so they don't have to scrimp.

 

 

 

 

 

[Grrarrggh]

On 3/15/2023 at 2:38 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

So I'm grateful for this episode, because I can just see myself on a ski lift talking to a stranger who says he's from Merida and I'd say, "Oh, Merida, where the houses are in two parts with the swimming pool in between" and he'd be thinking, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Reminds me of a story. One of my cousins lived in Springfield (one of the many USA Springfields), was on the metro in Moscow and asked where she was from. When she told the man Springfield, he asked if she knew the Simpson family lol. She says she still can't decide if he was serious or joking. 

Edited March 18, 2023 by Grrarrggh

[StatisticalOutlier]

5 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

The couple actually seemed like they loved each other, so that was pleasant!

I could have done without them calling each other "honey" or "my love" or whatever in every sentence.

[Grrarrggh]

9 hours ago, aghst said:

What the heck is International Development?  Must pay well enough for her to develop some champagne tastes.

It's working at developing places around the world. She mentioned visiting and living in Africa and the Carribean, that makes sense. Working for NGOs/government aid, the UN, World Bank, international foundations. It's usually for the good. 

[debraran]

17 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Just saw this one and David and Magda are a striking couple! I'm glad they compromised on flat #2. It had the most charm and at $1200/monthly was a bargain, ugly kitchen and all!

I've never been to France, but my son has traveled there a bit and I've seen many photos of the gorgeous cities he's visited. Do Parisians think Paris is the center of the universe? The realtor said Lyon was the 3rd largest city, so it's not exactly Hicksville.

I wish I could watch this but dropped cable, just have hulu, other streaming devices. My SIL told me about it because my daughter is teaching in France and spends time there. Would have been fun to see some sites if I can't be there. ; )

17 hours ago, ECM1231 said:

Just saw this one and David and Magda are a striking couple! I'm glad they compromised on flat #2. It had the most charm and at $1200/monthly was a bargain, ugly kitchen and all!

I've never been to France, but my son has traveled there a bit and I've seen many photos of the gorgeous cities he's visited. Do Parisians think Paris is the center of the universe? The realtor said Lyon was the 3rd largest city, so it's not exactly Hicksville.

My daughter has been to Paris, and taught (not paid well but in France) in high schools in Quimper and Annecy now. Annecy is gorgeous and she can hop over to Geneva etc being close. Her friend is working in Paris and coming to visit her and although Paris is hyped up, it's very expensive and touristy. There is much more to France than Paris.....but don't tell everyone. ; )

[Notabug]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

I wish I could watch this but dropped cable, just have hulu, other streaming devices. My SIL told me about it because my daughter is teaching in France and spends time there. Would have been fun to see some sites if I can't be there. ; )

My daughter has been to Paris, and taught (not paid well but in France) in high schools in Quimper and Annecy now. Annecy is gorgeous and she can hop over to Geneva etc being close. Her friend is working in Paris and coming to visit her and although Paris is hyped up, it's very expensive and touristy. There is much more to France than Paris.....but don't tell everyone. ; )

People who live in major cities are often insistent that they couldn't live anywhere else, not that they're ever tried.  There are plenty of folks from London and New York City who are convinced that leaving those cities is akin to moving to Mars.  It's a quirk, not a very charming one, though.

[Grrarrggh]

15 minutes ago, Notabug said:

People who live in major cities are often insistent that they couldn't live anywhere else, not that they're ever tried.  There are plenty of folks from London and New York City who are convinced that leaving those cities is akin to moving to Mars.  It's a quirk, not a very charming one, though.

Just as there are people living in tiny villages that say and think the same. Too many people with such fixed opinions. I've often wondered if instead of drafting people into the military or a service corps, the government should instead move city/country people to places the opposite of where they live for 2-5 years? Walk a mile, and all that.

Edited March 18, 2023 by Grrarrggh