House Hunters International - General Discussion

[cinsays]

8 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Ojochal, Costa Rica. They must have a lot of rental units in AZ for that type of budget. The prices surprised me. And that was not the house I thought they'd pick.

yeah, having their 2 daughters rooming in their own little buildings in a foreign country did not seem like something any parent would want to do, so i was shocked. 

for that matter, i didn't like either of the adults, especially the father, not sure exactly why.  seemed humorless to me.

[snarts]

9 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Ojochal, Costa Rica. They must have a lot of rental units in AZ for that type of budget. The prices surprised me. And that was not the house I thought they'd pick.

Surprised that they picked the open air house without A/C in the middle of the jungle with detached bedrooms for their 12 and 10 year old girls.  I know I wouldn't.

1 hour ago, cinsays said:

for that matter, i didn't like either of the adults, especially the father, not sure exactly why.  seemed humorless to me.

Same. He gave me an icky vibe, not sure why. Admittedly, the mom lost me when she mentioned she was homeschooling the kids in Scottsdale. I thought she was a realtor/broker?

[aghst]

They don’t seem sure how long they would stay.  She mentioned 2 years and 5 years.

But it sounds like they have a mini real estate empire back in Arizona and they don’t want to put even half a million without the chance to make income.

She says they wanted to slow down, didn’t want to work down in CR.

But they signed up for projects to make income by choosing the house that they did.

 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

The Scottsdale to Costa Rica couple were just odd. Like the way she proved how practical she was by refusing to step one step closer to the "too large island" to hand her husband pretend eggs. Like other posters I was *shocked* that they chose the house with the kids in a separate building. 

I hope that the girls have a good time. 

[aghst]

Toronto to Cambodia.

Francesca doesn’t like the materialistic culture in Toronto, where she grew up.  She starts traveling in 2019, something which the rest of her family won’t do.

She teaches yoga to fund her travels and decides to try to find a home in Kampot, a smaller city near a river.

She’s met Grete, a tall Lithuanian woman, who will help in her house hunt.

Budget is $300, for 1 bedroom with also space to hold yoga classes.

House 1 is 2 bedroom, right on budget.  Second bedroom could be used for an air conditioned yoga studio.  The house and rooms are large but sparsely furnished so Francesca would have to spend to furnish it.

Though it’s on budget, she worries about financial instability depending on freelance yoga classes for income.

House 2 is also 2 Bedroom, for $250.  Also has air conditioned space for yoga but home is smaller and right next to neighbors.

House 3 is 1 bedroom, for $200, several miles out of town through dirt road which will become muddy in the rainy season.  Kitchen is bare bones with a dorm fridge and toilet doesn’t have a tank so she would have to use a bucket to flush?

The toilet makes her realize that she’s still Western.  But it has great views of tHe mountains and countryside from a large terrace and plenty of room for a garden.

Francesca eliminates House 1, because it would be too much money.

She chooses the Hippie house, number 3, for the view.

Seems like money is more of a factor than she would admit, because she’s going to put up with dodgy roads to town and not having a toilet.

Plus, is she going to get yoga class clients to come outside of town, in muddy roads when it rains?

She certainly is getting away from consumerism and the status symbols — she decried clothes and cars used to judge people.  She doesn’t want a regular job, which is what her family wants for her, to maintain a lifestyle which alienates her.

But as she gets older, will she miss some creature comforts?  Will she get tired of pouring water down that toilet?

[cinsays]

8 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

The Scottsdale to Costa Rica couple were just odd. Like the way she proved how practical she was by refusing to step one step closer to the "too large island" to hand her husband pretend eggs. Like other posters I was *shocked* that they chose the house with the kids in a separate building. 

I hope that the girls have a good time. 

yeah, as if she couldn't just walk around the island to position plates or reach a bit, since she seemed to be portraying herself as this spry nature child

1 hour ago, aghst said:

Toronto to Cambodia.

Francesca doesn’t like the materialistic culture in Toronto, where she grew up.  She starts traveling in 2019, something which the rest of her family won’t do.

She teaches yoga to fund her travels and decides to try to find a home in Kampot, a smaller city near a river.

She’s met Grete, a tall Lithuanian woman, who will help in her house hunt.

Budget is $300, for 1 bedroom with also space to hold yoga classes.

House 1 is 2 bedroom, right on budget.  Second bedroom could be used for an air conditioned yoga studio.  The house and rooms are large but sparsely furnished so Francesca would have to spend to furnish it.

Though it’s on budget, she worries about financial instability depending on freelance yoga classes for income.

House 2 is also 2 Bedroom, for $250.  Also has air conditioned space for yoga but home is smaller and right next to neighbors.

House 3 is 1 bedroom, for $200, several miles out of town through dirt road which will become muddy in the rainy season.  Kitchen is bare bones with a dorm fridge and toilet doesn’t have a tank so she would have to use a bucket to flush?

The toilet makes her realize that she’s still Western.  But it has great views of tHe mountains and countryside from a large terrace and plenty of room for a garden.

Francesca eliminates House 1, because it would be too much money.

She chooses the Hippie house, number 3, for the view.

Seems like money is more of a factor than she would admit, because she’s going to put up with dodgy roads to town and not having a toilet.

Plus, is she going to get yoga class clients to come outside of town, in muddy roads when it rains?

She certainly is getting away from consumerism and the status symbols — she decried clothes and cars used to judge people.  She doesn’t want a regular job, which is what her family wants for her, to maintain a lifestyle which alienates her.

But as she gets older, will she miss some creature comforts?  Will she get tired of pouring water down that toilet?

about the toilet....... um, no seat and maybe ok to hover to pee but for other bodily functions?  yuck......  and she's having yoga classes there, so she will occasionally have a client need to use the restroom..........double yuck

i missed anyone saying that greta was lithuanian and that's my lineage so sorry i didn't hear that

[Chit Chat]

15 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

Like the way she proved how practical she was by refusing to step one step closer to the "too large island" to hand her husband pretend eggs.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain about a kitchen island being too big.  He can always get off his ass and walk over to pick up his plate while she's cooking or set it up buffet style on the one end of the island, then they can all help themselves.  Crisis averted!  They chose the property in which the girls will walk a mile to their bedroom!!  

Edited September 15, 2023 by Chit Chat

[buttersister]

Quote

Plus, is she going to get yoga class clients to come outside of town, in muddy roads when it rains?

No. No one is coming.* B and S.

* Except possible content creators in the neighborhood. 😂

[Crashcourse]

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

No. No one is coming.* B and S.

* Except possible content creators in the neighborhood. 😂

Yeah, her whole story was totally B and S.  Plus, the nose ring...ugh.     

[eel2178]

On 9/12/2023 at 9:12 PM, buttersister said:

I figured Mr. Fix-it would take on a project. Eventually. Since they were already in the house and I didn’t see the two new bedrooms, opportunity and expansion didn’t come with urgency, anyway. 

"I want privacy and renters."

How does that work?

[eel2178]

18 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

 Like the way she proved how practical she was by refusing to step one step closer to the "too large island" to hand her husband pretend eggs.

Who ever would say "I don't want all that counter space and storage space I would get with such a large island?"

Then you add into it that she is a realtor. You'd think she'd be a little more in touch with what sane people want in a home.

[eel2178]

4 hours ago, Chit Chat said:

I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain about a kitchen island being too big.  He can always get off his ass and walk over to pick up his plate while she's cooking or set it up buffet style on the one end of the island, then they can all help themselves.  Crisis averted! 

We always handed the plate to the closest person who would then pass it down the line until it reached the far nether regions.

I had never even considered that someone would think there was some problem with that. 

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, eel2178 said:

"I want privacy and renters."

Seriously!  That made no sense at all.  It's a beautiful property, but he can throw privacy out the window if he's going to rent those cabins that are literally a stone's throw away from the main house.  

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Canada to Cambodia.  I hated the slow, draggy uptalking that both women did. I tried to switch to captions, but that didn't work for this episode. I understand the minimalist impulse, but not when it's combined with wishing her dad was around to pay for her motorbike. 

She mentioned getting people out there for yoga lessons, which I agree would be hard. It looked like maybe she was teaching in town at the end - I couldn't tell, wasn't interested enough to pause the recording and look more closely. 

This was a beautiful place that I'd never heard of, so it was interesting. 

[Pine]

Cambodia girl, maybe we gave our kids too much? hahaha  Her disgust is fine, but, don't be a hypocrite.  Nose ring etc...is asking for admiration and notice.  JMHO of course.  

[proserpina65]

On 9/15/2023 at 5:58 PM, eel2178 said:

Who ever would say "I don't want all that counter space and storage space I would get with such a large island?"

I'm fine with counter space and storage but I hate kitchen islands, so I guess me?

Cambodia: that third place would be right out for me with that "toilet".  I'm probably a bit spoiled but I want proper indoor plumbing, damn it.  Plus, I'm old and have arthritis in one knee, so squat toilets are not workable.

[Orcinus orca]

1 minute ago, proserpina65 said:

I'm fine with counter space and storage but I hate kitchen islands, so I guess me?

Ditto,  Waste of space in my opinion.

And squat toilets would be a deal breaker.  Ugh.

[eel2178]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

I'm fine with counter space and storage but I hate kitchen islands, so I guess me?

This dumb chick didn't object to the island itself, just that it was too big. To me that's a whole different argument.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me as though you're saying that you don't want an island at all, which is fine. However, that's not the same thing as saying "Good, the island is here. Now let me tell you my complaints about it," but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

[Bastet]

On 9/15/2023 at 2:58 PM, eel2178 said:

Who ever would say "I don't want all that counter space and storage space I would get with such a large island?"

Was it too large for the layout of the room?  Because I hate islands that take up so much of the floor that walking between them and the cabinetry or walls feels like you're in a cattle chute.  Or was there plenty of room around it, and she had some other (or no) reason for declaring it too large?

[eel2178]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

Was it too large for the layout of the room?  Because I hate islands that take up so much of the floor that walking between them and the cabinetry or walls feels like you're in a cattle chute.  Or was there plenty of room around it, and she had some other (or no) reason for declaring it too large?

There was plenty of room for it in the kitchen. Her complaint was that when her husband sat down at the island and she cooked eggs for him, she'd have to walk six steps and possibly stretch her arm out a little in order for him to be able to reach the plate. There was no mention as to why her husband wasn't capable of stretching his arm out a little too to help her reduce the distance or even just sit at the other end of the island closer to the stove. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that this woman hasn't ever cooked anything for her husband during their entire marriage, so really the whole thing was moot.

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

There was no mention as to why her husband wasn't capable of stretching his arm out a little too to help her reduce the distance or even just sit at the other end of the island closer to the stove. 

Or cook his own damn eggs.

Thanks for the info, which I now recognize from up-thread, I just didn't register it at the time.  What an odd complaint, indeed.  I wonder if that came from her or a producer.

[Crashcourse]

I think the woman thought she was being "cute"--which she wasn't. 

[Grizzly]

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Space vs price, this could be a real dispute. Although at such a young age, I think the girls would adjust to sharing a room. These buildings seem to have pools but nothing is being said about amenities.

[laredhead]

Ho Chi Minh episode - which apartment did they choose?  The most expensive one @ $2,200/mo or one of the others?  I fell asleep before the episode ended.  The wife made is very clear that it was her husband's idea to move abroad, and I could understand her anxiety about giving up her career and staying home full time if that is not what she had planned or envisioned her life to be.  I wonder which shoe company he worked for.  I always find it interesting to see Ho Chi Minh City as it is now compared to the images of it that I saw almost daily on the news back in the 60's & early 70's. 

[buttersister]

The wife wanted the large expensive place. For purposes of entertainment, the husband talked up #2—less $$, less room. 😂😂😂

If she’s home all day, it will be in the large apartment with a bedroom for everyone. My sense was that he didn’t disagree and I think his housing allowance covered the big place. This is a temporary situation that likely benefits his career with that company.

[aghst]

12 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Space vs price, this could be a real dispute. Although at such a young age, I think the girls would adjust to sharing a room. These buildings seem to have pools but nothing is being said about amenities.

 

34 minutes ago, buttersister said:

The wife wanted the large expensive place. For purposes of entertainment, the husband talked up #2—less $$, less room. 😂😂😂

If she’s home all day, it will be in the large apartment with a bedroom for everyone. My sense was that he didn’t disagree and I think his housing allowance covered the big place. This is a temporary situation that likely benefits his career with that company.

I don't think that $1500 budget was realistic at all.  They only looked at modern high rises and even in Vietnam, asking for 3 bedrooms in a central location, that price wasn't realistic.  Either the husband is that cheap or the producers set an unrealistic budget.

They both worked in CA so they were probably spending more than even $2200 a month on housing.  Plus he's going to have a car, which seems a luxury in a big, dense city, though it may be that HCMC doesn't have subways or other mass transport.  The one time I visited, it's packed full of people on mopeds, so traffic is probably crazy.

Presumably they're moving, which involves her giving up her income, because he's getting a big bump up in pay.  Or maybe it puts him on a better track for promotions.

But he kept saying they're on one income.  Well why would you move from two CA incomes to move to Vietnam unless you're getting a big bump up in pay?  It wasn't because they wanted to travel and loved Vietnam or give international experience to their children, which are the usual HHI tropes.

Notice too that she wanted to live in an expat area.  So the girls are going to international schools with probably other Westerner kids.  They may go to the markets and interact some with locals but it sounded like she wanted to be around people who spoke English.  Not saying she didn't want to assimilate more into the culture but for all we know, this is a temporary assignment, maybe a couple of years -- they didn't say whether they sold a home back in CA or kept it or maybe they were also renting.

The interesting thing were the baby cafes at the end.  Those two toddlers were getting pedicures?  That has to be strictly a service catering to expats.  Vietnamese people aren't taking their 2 year olds and putting them in robes to get beauty treatments while they sip cappuccinos.

 

[BAForever]

I wanted to like Ho Chi Minh City couple- there seemed to be some tension between them per usual. Giving up her optometry practice was huge- bet they are only there a few years. 

Cracked up at the scenes of children misbehaving- that was unusual, and it was more than once shot. Cranky toddlers can melt down- surprised it made the show.

Agree that dad had a good housing allowance- the shorter commute would have pushed me to choose #2.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

On 9/18/2023 at 4:39 PM, eel2178 said:

There was no mention as to why her husband wasn't capable of stretching his arm out a little too to help her reduce the distance or even just sit at the other end of the island closer to the stove. 

This made me laugh out loud. I said basically the same thing to myself, in an annoyed voice, during the episode. And then I thought "Self, you're taking this too much to heart."

[Crashcourse]

I didn't even stick around to see which place the Ho Chi Minh City couple chose because I couldn't believe the wife wanting separate bedrooms for two small daughters.  

[aghst]

1 hour ago, BAForever said:

I wanted to like Ho Chi Minh City couple- there seemed to be some tension between them per usual. Giving up her optometry practice was huge- bet they are only there a few years. 

Cracked up at the scenes of children misbehaving- that was unusual, and it was more than once shot. Cranky toddlers can melt down- surprised it made the show.

Agree that dad had a good housing allowance- the shorter commute would have pushed me to choose #2.

That was interesting that he brought up how she ambushed him into meeting her parents after dating only 3 months and she had to defend it, that they were going to a wedding in her home town so he should have deduced that her parents would be there.

They went back and forth about the budget, which either he wasn't being realistic about or it was set artificially too low.

28 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I didn't even stick around to see which place the Ho Chi Minh City couple chose because I couldn't believe the wife wanting separate bedrooms for two small daughters.  

She said when the younger daughter was out of her crib, they'd need to fit a bed in and for House #2, there wasn't room for even a child's bed.

So maybe they plan to stick around at least a couple of years.  Was suppose to be a big career move for the husband or else I don't think they'd have moved to Vietnam, with her giving up her job.

Or how old before a toddler becomes too big for a crib?  The younger one was 21 months.  So maybe they'd need a bed for her in a year.

[Crashcourse]

2 hours ago, aghst said:

She said when the younger daughter was out of her crib, they'd need to fit a bed in and for House #2, there wasn't room for even a child's bed.

So maybe they plan to stick around at least a couple of years.  Was suppose to be a big career move for the husband or else I don't think they'd have moved to Vietnam, with her giving up her job.

Or how old before a toddler becomes too big for a crib?  The younger one was 21 months.  So maybe they'd need a bed for her in a year.

I didn't stick around to see which place they chose, but I still think they could have made things work with one bedroom.  It's not like they were going to be living there long term.

[Notabug]

4 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I didn't even stick around to see which place the Ho Chi Minh City couple chose because I couldn't believe the wife wanting separate bedrooms for two small daughters.  

I thought the same thing.  The girls were close in age; the older one was 4, the younger almost 2.  She said something about bedtime being a nightmare with both of them in the same room.  I would expect, at their ages. that they go to bed roughly the same time at night, so it shouldn't be that tough.

Even if the older kid stays up a little later, just have the baby get used to falling asleep in her bed by herself and teach the older kid not to wake the baby when she goes to bed.  I grew up in a house with 4 girls, spread over an almost 8 year age spread.  We shared a bedroom and I don't recall our varying bedtimes being a big problem, even when we were little.

I got the impression that, although she agreed in principal with the move, the wife was really pretty resentful that she had to give up her job and be at home full time.  She even said as much when talking about being a full-time mother.  I presume she cannot get a permit to work in Viet Nam and I know plenty of women who love their children dearly but would rather be tied to an anthill than quit working to stay home all day.  Still, I got the impression she was kinda pissed at her husband that they were in Viet Nam.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I've talked before about my default "The non-job-moving-person gets the say in everything" setting, but this woman worked my nerves a bit - but not as much as her husband, who would NOT stop saying "I'll be the only one working." DUDE. You're moving for YOUR job. Shut up. 

Also the way he said, in the places that had bathtubs, "Look, for you, Lori." DUDE. The tub is for YOUR KIDS. 

But she was plenty annoying especially when, as was noted upthread, she said her two small daughters "weren't used" to sharing a bedroom. Isn't that why we're in a foreign country, to shake things up?

I have friends who have jobs that require them to move somewhere specific to further their careers. For none of them has it been longer than 2 years. Yet the husband was talking about wanting to save money for braces even though his older child is four now. 

Them talking about growing into the space made me wonder if they meant for this to be a long-term move, though. 

From online information it looks like he works for Adidas. 

[aghst]

Also did anyone catch that he half-jokingly talked about having another kid to fill up that long sofa in that one place and she said she was done having kids, made a point of emphasizing it.

Hope they last for the sake of the two young children but there appears to be some fissures in that marriage.  Maybe they won't develop into big cracks that split them apart but all is not smooth sailing in paradise -- or shall we say the Saigon River?

[eel2178]

18 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

 Them talking about growing into the space made me wonder if they meant for this to be a long-term move, though.  

They kept talking about 2 preschoolers needing to be close to an international school. If they weren't intending it to be a long term move, then their children must be Sheldon Cooper's long lost cousins needing advanced placement or their intellectual maturity would be stunted for life.

[eel2178]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:35 AM, aghst said:

it may be that HCMC doesn't have subways or other mass transport. 

Didn't he keep asking about being close to the train station or am I thinking of a different episode?

[aghst]

Just now, eel2178 said:

Didn't he keep asking about being close to the train station or am I thinking of a different episode?

No he kept asking how far from work and the realtor said it was close to the freeway.

I don't think Vietnam has a subway system.

I remember reading that mopeds are a big problem, in terms of pollution.  They're unregulated and there are so many of them that it's dirty.

They make owning a car there very expensive.

They've tried to encourage people to use buses but most people, especially the young, won't give up those mopeds.

[eel2178]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:35 AM, aghst said:

Notice too that she wanted to live in an expat area.  So the girls are going to international schools with probably other Westerner kids.  They may go to the markets and interact some with locals but it sounded like she wanted to be around people who spoke English.

She wanted the USA to be in Veit Nam. She had no interest in being in any foreign country if it wasn't an exact replica of the US.

Even if her husband's assignment isn't more than a year or two, I don't see her lasting that long. She really didn't want to make the slightest effort to adapt to anything that she didn't consider to be the norm in the US.

[aghst]

Well they're moving for his career.  She had to give up her career, possibly forever.

So she probably wanted it to be as nice as possible.  Vietnam is a developing country so she wanted to live in an expat enclave, be as close to home as possible.

 

[eel2178]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:35 AM, aghst said:

 

The interesting thing were the baby cafes at the end.  Those two toddlers were getting pedicures?  That has to be strictly a service catering to expats.  Vietnamese people aren't taking their 2 year olds and putting them in robes to get beauty treatments while they sip cappuccinos.

 

Also, her comment that there aren't places like that in the US? They lived in Long Beach, CA, for Pete's sake. Does she not get out much? Google "kids' cafes in Los Angeles," and you get 24 pages of listings with 10 entries to the page on Yelp alone.

It might be a valid comment if they were coming from Waverly, IA, but she'd never heard of someplace with ball pits and pedicures for toddlers before?

[eel2178]

19 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

From online information it looks like he works for Adidas. 

I would have guessed Nike since they originally met when they were both living in OR.

[eel2178]

27 minutes ago, aghst said:

I don't think Vietnam has a subway system.

From what I Googled, nationwide, Viet Nam has a good mass transit system; however, in Ho Chi Minh City itself, there is a system currently in development:

Ho Chi Minh City Metro is Vietnam's first rapid transit network that will serve the business and financial hub, Ho Chi Minh City. The metro project will have eight lines. Lines 1, 2 and 5 are in the implementation stage while the remaining lines are in the investment preparation stage. Mar 29, 2021

[ArtFossil]

On 9/20/2023 at 7:09 PM, aghst said:

Also did anyone catch that he half-jokingly talked about having another kid to fill up that long sofa in that one place and she said she was done having kids, made a point of emphasizing it.

Hope they last for the sake of the two young children but there appears to be some fissures in that marriage.  Maybe they won't develop into big cracks that split them apart but all is not smooth sailing in paradise -- or shall we say the Saigon River?

I don't think the marriage will last two years.

6 hours ago, aghst said:

No he kept asking how far from work and the realtor said it was close to the freeway.

I don't think Vietnam has a subway system.

I remember reading that mopeds are a big problem, in terms of pollution.  They're unregulated and there are so many of them that it's dirty.

They make owning a car there very expensive.

They've tried to encourage people to use buses but most people, especially the young, won't give up those mopeds.

My jaw dropped when I saw the getting into a huge van at the end of the episode. Who would drive a vehicle like that in Ho Chi Minh City?

 

6 hours ago, aghst said:

Well they're moving for his career.  She had to give up her career, possibly forever.

So she probably wanted it to be as nice as possible.  Vietnam is a developing country so she wanted to live in an expat enclave, be as close to home as possible.

 

Ho Chi Minh City has a population of 9.3 million. Per Wikipedia;

Quote

It is known for its well-preserved French colonial architecture, vibrant street life,[8] its varied cultural institutions, which include historic landmarks, walking streets, museums and galleries which attracts over 8 million international visitors each year.[9][10]

Ho Chi Minh City is a major centre for finance, media, technology, education, and transportation. The city generates around a quarter of the country's total GDP, and is home to many multinational companies.[11] It has a Human Development Index of 0.795 (high), ranking second among all municipalities and provinces of Vietnam.[6] Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, the main airport serving the city, is the busiest airport in the country by passenger traffic, accounting for nearly half of all international arrivals to Vietnam.[12]

 

[aghst]

I meant she wanted to have a lifestyle as close to the US as possible.

So nice amenities and nice, updated home and be around a community where English is commonly spoken.

[Grizzly]

2 hours ago, ArtFossil said:

My jaw dropped when I saw the getting into a huge van at the end of the episode. Who would drive a vehicle like that in Ho Chi Minh City?

 

I think it was a taxi.

[buttersister]

Empty Nesters meet Floor.

Wow, after so many transparently obvious bs stories, this Netherlands episode outdoes them all. 😂 He’s Dutch moving back with his American wife. Her two girls from previous marriage are on their own, so back they go. He has a job, she’ll be home. She wants to be in town (Zwolle) so she has something to do during the day. He’s a country boy who wants to be way out of town. Oh and the boonie house had the 3 bedrooms she “wanted “ in case her daughters came together to visit. LOL! I guess they couldn’t share a guest room (that had two beds!).

He tried to sound sincere about the noisy city vs. cow country, but had nice things to say about #3. Because they were living in #3. In the city. Where she, who has no driver’s license, wanted to live. Big. “Furnished.” Great views. Did I mention, a guest room with two beds?

[snarts]

Swolle, Netherlands: I didn't find their situation odd. She's always been interested in living in Europe and married a European off a dating app. He's lived with her in the States for 9+ years. Her two daughters are now 25 and 22, one lives in Spokane, WA and the other lives in Kansas. Both are grown and already a flight distance away. They're aware that they'll likely want to be back in the States if/when there are grandchildren so they saw this a window in time where they could move. One of them also mentioned that she'd recently left her job.

I loved the option they chose. Being on the top floor got them away from the street noise and gave them some nice views. The apartment felt quite large.

I'd never heard of Swolle previous to this, it looked beautiful. The Dutch love & value their parks.

[laredhead]

Zwolle, Netherlands - the house in the country was set in a beautiful area, but the bedrooms upstairs were a nightmare.  He couldn't even stand up, and they had to duck down to go between them.  I was getting claustrophobia watching it.  When I saw apartment #3, I told my cat they needed to take that one because of the space and the outdoor area.  The cat agreed.  On another note, the husband had lost a lot of his accent in 9 years. 

[Chit Chat]

On 9/20/2023 at 5:35 PM, Mediocre Gatsby said:

who would NOT stop saying "I'll be the only one working." DUDE. You're moving for YOUR job. Shut up. 

His attitude irked me.  She gave up her career as an Optometrist in order to fulfill his dream of living in Vietnam, but yet he didn't seem to give a damn as to her needs when she and the kids will be spending most of their time at home.  However, I was pleasantly shocked that he agreed to the larger and more expensive apartment.  

I thought that both of them were ridiculous about the apartment with the small office that could be converted into a bedroom.  A twin bed would've fit nicely in there.  Do kids not sleep in twin beds anymore?  They could've gotten a daybed without the pull-out bed underneath and used the space for storage for the kids. 

[ArtFossil]

29 minutes ago, Chit Chat said:

His attitude irked me.  She gave up her career as an Optometrist in order to fulfill his dream of living in Vietnam, but yet he didn't seem to give a damn as to her needs when she and the kids will be spending most of their time at home.  However, I was pleasantly shocked that he agreed to the larger and more expensive apartment.  

I thought that both of them were ridiculous about the apartment with the small office that could be converted into a bedroom.  A twin bed would've fit nicely in there.  Do kids not sleep in twin beds anymore?  They could've gotten a daybed without the pull-out bed underneath and used the space for storage for the kids. 

Seriously. Or put a trundle bed in the other room and used this room as a playroom. 

Both parents seemed like they just acquired the children yesterday and had no clue how to manage them.