House Hunters International - General Discussion

[debraran]

7 hours ago, Nysha said:

I'm going to admit that before HHI it would never have occurred to me that Metropolitan cities would be that much different from the U.S. I would have moved to London, Paris, Berlin...wherever, expecting a tub/shower combo, full-size kitchen appliances, and, if there was a washer, a dryer, too. NOW, if I ever move to another country, I know to research is the cost of housing and what amenities to expect. 

Some of that is personality too, I always had to research everything even before the Internet. I was taught a lot by having kids that went abroad in college and after for a 6 months to a year, I learned about dryers, how much less is in stores, what "American" things aren't available, what rents usually are like etc.  A friend of mine told me about mini washers and appliances in UK compared to our over-sized ones.  Most of the time you don't need larger.

What I don't get and think is crazy, is when a company moves you, a job is sending you and they act clueless. My cousin went to UK for 6 months with his bank's help for his job and they helped with settling in, some money, but they made sure you were prepared. If you are free-lancing and doing a travel blog, maybe not, but a company usually makes sure you are aware of differences that would effect your time there.  It makes it less dramatic though for TV

Edited June 25, 2017 by debraran

[debraran]

11 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

I use a folding drying rack on a regular basis for items that I do not want to put in the dryer.  My grandmother never had a washing machine (and had 10 children).  When  I was litte, I can remember everyone gathering their dirty clothes on a large tarp-type thing from the laundry.  When you pulled the drawstring it formed a "bag" for all the laundry.  The laundry truck would pick it up and take it to the laundry to be washed.  Then it  came home wet.  This was called a "wet wash".  The clean wet laundry was hung on racks to dry.  My aunt continued to use this service until she finally bought a washer and dryer in the 1990's.  This was in a larger town in Iowa, not an impoverished area.

I always have a drying rack out. So many things I don't like to put in the dryer or my daughters like to hang instead, bras, delicate shirts,yoga pants, sweaters. Towels, socks, tees, get put in dryer but a lot of things don't.  My Mom had just a washer for years, had a drying rack in basement and clothes line outside. So excited when she got dryer, sheets and towels felt so nice but then the drama started..."you shrunk my sweater!, my jeans are shorter" lol  The new dryers weren't fancy, hot and hotter...but we survived. She kept hanging certain things and drying others.

[laredhead]

I watched the Yorkshire to Australia episode last night and there is no way I would have ever considered that first house.  Who on earth in their right mind would think that was a suitable house for a family with small children.  It looked like a primitive hunting camp and was obviously thrown into the mix as an extreme example.  I don't want to sound like the wife in that episode, but I didn't see any screens, or even decent doors to keep out any of the creepy crawlies or insects.  Are mosquitoes a problem there? 

I think the 2nd house was a good choice, and having a pool is great for the kids.  Was any mention made of how large the yard was?  I live in south Louisiana so snakes, mosquitoes, and roaches (ICK) are common here, but even I would freak out at finding a snake in the dishwasher as the wife said had happened to them.  I would take some of the $$ they had left from their buying budget and invest in A/C and lots of screens and other deterrents to keep unwanted pests away. 

[jumper sage]

On 6/24/2017 at 7:33 AM, debraran said:

" I'm surprised the number of pets that come over.

I am too.  I found this link for bringing pets in.

Thanks @debraran for the video.  I found the process interesting and loved her house too.  In the Detroit area we get Canadian channels and on the CBC we can watch the show Escape to the Country.  It's an hour long and house hunts throughout the UK.  The show made me appreciate HHI because they do actually buy/rent the houses.  I don't care if they were already in the house.  In Escape to the Country they very rarely even consider any of the houses.  It kind of drives me nuts.

[Pine]

The Berlin HH , always had this stunned look on her face.

I don't know why, but, I  found her rather annoying.

Edited June 26, 2017 by Pine

[BlossomCulp]

On 6/24/2017 at 0:51 PM, debraran said:

 

[CherryAmes]

I saw an episode last night, a couple from London relocating to Amsterdam.  The husband insisted he wanted to live right in the thick of things in an apartment right in the city despite them having 3 children and the woman doing the voice over kept stressing how the wife had given up her thriving business to move for hubbies job.  It could not have been more fake and producer driven.  The couple end up in a very boring suburban house 15 minutes from hubbies job and right under a flight path!!!  And the wife has started a new business (baby yoga) even though they supposedly have been living there like 2 weeks or so.  Yeah.  They aren't even trying to be subtle about the fake back story anymore.

Edited June 26, 2017 by CherryAmes

[KLovestoShop]

On June 23, 2017 at 8:53 AM, CherryAmes said:

I used to babysit a bunch of "little" kids when I was about 10-11.  A friend of mine and I would gather up all the neighbourhood kids and take them to the park for a couple of hours.  I think each mother gave us a quarter.  Riches :).  I cannot even imagine letting a child that age go to the park alone with a younger sibling let alone a bunch of little kids not even related to her!  Those may have been simpler times but sheesh, what were those mothers thinking?

 

 

We lived across the street from a public park and it's where all the kids in the neighborhood played all day long.  There were counselors who did different activities like arts and crafts or tetherball or four square or dodgeball, and kids came to that park from blocks and blocks away.  No parents, just groups of kids who used to hang around together.  I started going to that park when I was seven and we just moved to the neighborhood.  We would cry when it rained and the park was closed and the counselors didn't work on rain days.  Heck, I walked to the community pool with my best friend when I was in 6th grade, and it was more than a half mile from my house, crossing a very busy street.  We're both still around to talk about it.  Yes, it was a different time, but not having a helicopter mom made me a very independent and confident adult.  

Edited June 27, 2017 by KLovestoShop

[debraran]

Adjusting to Amsterdam, wife who was from Japan, had been living in US 10 years, moving to Amsterdam because her 40 year old husband was "now or never" and they can both work from home.  Can she adjust again and being an accountant, go over budget??

My husband was in a mood and kept asking me how I can watch the same theme over and over, one wants to be over budget, "what's 500 more?", same person insists on canal view, etc.

I kept telling him, your right, it's dumb but I like to see the apartments, what's shown, etc. and kind of mute the rest. He couldn't on this one and went to walk the dog, lol.

It was worse than others in the producer "must have an issue" theme and it does get old, but they must feel just showing someone with logical needs is boring.

[BlossomCulp]

17 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

 Heck, I walked to the community pool with my best friend when I was in 6th grade, and it was more than a half mile from my house, crossing a very busy street.

So did I and I'd still let a mature 11 yr old do that today (depending on the neighbourhood) but I wouldn't be letting that same 11 year old take   kids to a park that same distance and expect her to supervise them.  So not going to happen!  I don't think that makes anyone who wouldn't do that a helicopter parent!

2 hours ago, debraran said:

It was worse than others in the producer "must have an issue" theme and it does get old, but they must feel just showing someone with l

The episode I saw was the same one Cherry Ames saw and that was also set in Amsterdam and it had me so fed up - the people involved when they spoke were actually pretty nice and reasonable, it was the narrator who kept stressing the negatives using words like "sacrifice" and stressing how the wife had given up a successful business as if the husband was forcing her to do something she hadn't wanted to do.  And making the husband want an apartment -which was over budget by a whole $100, the horror - seem like he was Good Time Charlie wanting a place so they could party all the time (yet with 3 kids) was just so dumb and forced.  The only thing they didn't do was talk about visitors and needing room for entertaining.   Which when you consider their family actually did live a reasonable "dropping in" distance was a little odd.  I guess only American families travel long distances and stay with family for long periods of time!

Edited June 28, 2017 by BlossomCulp

[mojito]

Quote

So excited when she got dryer, sheets and towels felt so nice but then the drama started..."you shrunk my sweater!, my jeans are shorter"

But remember when we discovered how soft our jeans were coming out of the dryer?

KLovestoShop, I spent many a summer day at a park like yours. We had 2 softball games a day. Sometimes there might be as many as 12 people on a team because there were a lot of us. I don't recall any of the park staff organizing us or there being any fistfights. I wonder how long it would take kids today, "stranded" in a park, to decide what to do and then organize themselves so they could do it? Remember, "You come in this house one more time and you're going to stay in this house!" Or that summer day when your mother decided to wax the floors and you weren't allowed in the house? As ancient as the old Little Rascals/Our Gang series is to us, many of us were, in fact, raised more like those kids than The Brady Bunch. During the summer, we spent all but eating and nighttime hours with no parents in sight.

I just saw the couple moving to Antibes, France with their two young daughters. They were going to live on savings and home school their daughters. I'm guessing he's getting an income for his work-related accident that made him an amputee; I didn't hear it mentioned if he was going to work in France (they were both teachers). I wonder if their plans were to stay in France or keep moving throughout the world. Takes a lot of guts, not just to move, but to take an adolescent with you on your adventure.

[biakbiak]

13 minutes ago, mojito said:

'm guessing he's getting an income for his work-related accident that made him an amputee; I

It was 25 years ago so I also imagine he has worked in other jobs which would also help their savings.

[debraran]

I liked Barry and Ginger, seemed "normal" and the apartments were nice. I think he gets around very well with his prosthesis.  He was using the stairs well but maybe all the time would be tiring.

The last home was very interesting. Not my style but I can see someone saying it was cool. I didn't have many windows at all.  I think I would dread those stairs after a while even if in good shape. That was a lot of stairs! I liked the 2 bedroom the best also. We shared rooms a lot growing up so that's not as big a deal for me, it's nice but not a deal breaker.

I think budget is not really a rigid budget since most go over. When I was younger, if I said, 600 a month was it, 650 probably would have been my limit, not 900. ; )

[biakbiak]

23 minutes ago, debraran said:

He was using the stairs well but maybe all the time would be tiring.

Also it made since that he would want a bath sense  he wouldn't shower with his prosthetic on and a bath would be useful and I think that was the only one with a bathtub.

[MsProudSooner]

8 hours ago, mojito said:

 

I just saw the couple moving to Antibes, France with their two young daughters. They were going to live on savings and home school their daughters. I'm guessing he's getting an income for his work-related accident that made him an amputee; I didn't hear it mentioned if he was going to work in France (they were both teachers). I wonder if their plans were to stay in France or keep moving throughout the world. Takes a lot of guts, not just to move, but to take an adolescent with you on your adventure.

 

Wouldn't the kids get more of the French cultural experience if they weren't homeschooled?

[pep4]

Texas to Auckland, I really felt for the young lady whose mom had died at just age 35.  So unfair.

Really felt raging hate for the producers who had to milk that into 20 mentions in the episode, along with constantly repeating all the hokey quips ("In Texas we go big or blah blah blah.")  If not for the producers, this show could be really good...

Also, I'm pretty sure you can't move to NZ full time without either a job in certain govt defined occupations, or investing at least $850,000 US in NZ bonds or companies, or a NZ spouse.  So was she on a 6-month vacation?

Edited June 30, 2017 by pep4

[debraran]

5 hours ago, MsProudSooner said:

Wouldn't the kids get more of the French cultural experience if they weren't homeschooled?

It might be that they were homeschooled before and a continuation of that and I don't think International schools are free in France so unless they have a good grasp of the language, might have felt it to be too stressful. If you don't know french well, a website on moving said " If you arrive as a minor and you don't speak French, you'll have to take the UPE2A class to learn the language. If you're an adult, you are not required to learn the language (though obviously it helps)." This article touched on it also. https://www.frenchentree.com/living-in-france/education/homeschooling-in-france/

My daughter taught English in France for a year and it was interesting. She was in the Brittany region.

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, pep4 said:

So was she on a 6-month vacation?

The whole thing was a little off.  Penelope. Penelope, Penelope, Penelope got old pretty quickly.

But I did quite like the young lady and I admire her devotion to living life.  I'm glad she has her pup for companionship as making new friends in a foreign country has to be tough, especially without a job.  Yet again, the price (or rent in this case) really meant nothing.

That potting shed was, well, bizarre.

[Pickles]

Texas to New Zealand lady. I googled her during the episode and she has a job there. Now I can't remember her name or what the job was. It seemed like it was some type of government job. She must have had that all lined up. I almost wondered if she and her friend were partners? The friend said something about "we" need to stick to the budget, but maybe that was just her manner of speaking.

[mojito]

I liked Texas to New Zealand lady. She seemed to be complimentary of all the places she saw and I didn't hear many--if any--complaints. I'm guessing that this lady has some marketable skills.

From an informational site about moving to NZ from the US: "... if you’re considering New Zealand for the longer term you may be able to apply for a skilled migrant visa that lets you live and work here indefinitely."

What I'd be looking for is a place where the dog can tinkle, not necessarily be left outside. I would walk the dog for exercise. Also, I would've gone for a 1-bedroom and gotten a sofa sleeper in the living room for that one guest who might show up every other year.

Edited June 30, 2017 by mojito

[debraran]

I liked her too. I think they might have been closer friends than they cared to say for whatever reason, but it's nice to know someone well in a new place. They did wear out the dogs name...we love our pets, my lab is the "best kid" most of the time, but you have to think of both of you. I don't like leaving my dog outside for long periods of time, I'm a walker and that's good for both of us, twice a day.

This was the first time I noticed, the places were realistic for a budget renter, not cheap in price, but for what you would pay, its much less than you would get in a lot of places. I hope she is happy there and lives life to the fullest. I agree with Mojito, that guests going that far will probably be few, a one bedroom probably would have been enough.

Most people are advised to have a job lined up when moving to another country, especially so far. It's so expensive and what do you do if you can't find one? I give anyone a lot of credit to do it. My daughter loved England, went for a year in college, a year for her Masters, but later said, as much as she adjusted to it, it was never "home". She realized she really didn't want to live there long term but it was an experience she'll always have.

[Neurochick]

I don't give a shit what the "real" stories are with these people.  I can't be bothered Googling them.  I just like to look at the properties.  House porn for me.

I just get sick of them saying "city center " every episode.

Edited July 2, 2017 by Neurochick

[awaken]

 Yes, city center is so weird. No one would say that in real life. 

[Bastet]

10 minutes ago, awaken said:

Yes, city center is so weird. No one would say that in real life. 

In Europe they would; it's as common there (at least much of western and central Europe; I'm not familiar beyond that from my travels - yet) as "downtown" is here in the U.S.  And, especially since so many of these HHs have actually lived in their new location for a while, it would be natural for them to pick that up.  Even traveling, I'd say city center rather than downtown, just as an adjustment to local vernacular that I was readily aware of.

[KLovestoShop]

On 6/24/2017 at 8:19 PM, walnutqueen said:

I remember some days we would "wade" our wash in a tub, much like stomping grapes.  Kids were the alternate washboards, back in the day.  And the creek served as a rinse cycle.

Wanna talk primitive?   When I was traveling in India, Mumbai to be specific, we drove by their local laundromat which was made of concrete and built like a maze.  The walls were about knee high, and it was filled with water, filthy water.  You carry your laundry into the maze, find an open space, and start washing by wetting each item and slamming it into the concrete wall, over and over.  One has to wonder how clothes got clean in the very dirty water. 

[mojito]

Houston to Costa Rica

Forty-five-ish couple living off investments to chill in Costa Rica. He was a systems engineer at NASA. One son, looked to be around 12. 

I wonder what goes through a local real estate agent's mind when ex-pats come to their beautiful country to live a more relaxed lifestyle, and then ask for a gated community? Especially when it's a town with few gated communities. The wife wanted her home-schooled son to be able to go outside and play with the other kids safely. To me, that's just code for wanting to huddle away from the great unwashed with "people like us", undoubtedly, other ex-pats. You want the kid to experience other cultures? Immerse him, don't segregate him. If you must, you can supplement his learning at home. Start with Spanish.

In this gated community, for $1200 per month, this couple wanted a large yard, dishwasher, three bedrooms and two baths, a view, and the ability to walk to town. Maybe I was projecting, but I think the real estate agent was biting his tongue a lot.

[Mrs. Hanson]

Texas to New Zealand:  I am glad I was not taking a sip of alcohol for every time this couple, especially the mom said "the girls."  Not "our daughters" or "our kids" but "the girls."  And shut it over needing a quest room for your mom!!  She lives in Texas, you are in New Zealand!!!  Having a dedicated room for a person who might visit?  Turns out she did come, but that would be a lot of pressure.  TX to New Zealand ain't cheap!!

[biakbiak]

22 minutes ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

TX to New Zealand ain't cheap!!

Isn't this the episode where they said she would be staying for long periods when she did visit? Which makes since the flight can be a bitch. While not cheap it's not coprohibitive for many people.

[Mrs. Hanson]

5 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Isn't this the episode where they said she would be staying for long periods when she did visit? Which makes since the flight can be a bitch. While not cheap it's not coprohibitive for many people.

I think so - but I think I was just tired of her talking about the need for a guest room so much!  You are right - don't fly so far then stay in a hotel.  I just think it is interesting that people buy houses with other people in mind.  Gracious of them......maybe I am not as nice!! LOL!

[debraran]

3 hours ago, mojito said:

Houston to Costa Rica

Forty-five-ish couple living off investments to chill in Costa Rica. He was a systems engineer at NASA. One son, looked to be around 12. 

I wonder what goes through a local real estate agent's mind when ex-pats come to their beautiful country to live a more relaxed lifestyle, and then ask for a gated community? Especially when it's a town with few gated communities. The wife wanted her home-schooled son to be able to go outside and play with the other kids safely. To me, that's just code for wanting to huddle away from the great unwashed with "people like us", undoubtedly, other ex-pats. You want the kid to experience other cultures? Immerse him, don't segregate him. If you must, you can supplement his learning at home. Start with Spanish.

In this gated community, for $1200 per month, this couple wanted a large yard, dishwasher, three bedrooms and two baths, a view, and the ability to walk to town. Maybe I was projecting, but I think the real estate agent was biting his tongue a lot.

I found them annoying, especially the wife. I'm not sure if the son had any special needs but they seemed to want to get away for  awhile to regroup. She was worried about too many people in one bathroom? There's 3 of them....how many times or hours just she spend in there ? No school area? You can find space easy enough. Those had to be " you have to have a problem" issues. (i hope) The one they picked was my favorite. I thought for the area, it was a nice space.  There was something else going on there but whatever it was or is , I hope they enjoy it. My daughter is in CR for 3 wks for a program but not in such a nice area.

[CherryAmes]

1 hour ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

 I just think it is interesting that people buy houses with other people in mind.  Gracious of them......maybe I am not as nice!! LOL!

I'll join you on the "not as nice" couch" :).  

I'd like to believe it's just one more of the producer driven drah-mas like the way the wife (usually it's the wife) has "sacrificed" her career or the way they must be in the city centre or must have old worlde charm but also must have American appliances and walk in closets.  I keep reminding myself that the back stories are usually highly suspect at best and that they've already been in the house for months before they ever got involved in HH in the first place.  Still doesn't mean I don't end up wanting to throw something at the TV screen now and then though!!!

[Mrs. Hanson]

14 hours ago, CherryAmes said:

I'll join you on the "not as nice" couch" :).  

I'd like to believe it's just one more of the producer driven drah-mas like the way the wife (usually it's the wife) has "sacrificed" her career or the way they must be in the city centre or must have old worlde charm but also must have American appliances and walk in closets.  I keep reminding myself that the back stories are usually highly suspect at best and that they've already been in the house for months before they ever got involved in HH in the first place.  Still doesn't mean I don't end up wanting to throw something at the TV screen now and then though!!!

Yes it makes me laugh when anyone moves to an Eastern Europe country (or anywhere in Europe, really!) then act horrified to see their tiny bathroom, tiny bedroom and tiny kitchen.  Welcome to Europe!!  Did you not study a little bit about the country you are moving to?  No guess not.....

[Kohola3]

6 hours ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

Did you not study a little bit about the country you are moving to?

Sure, by watching movies that are filmed in the US and are supposed to be of Europe.  Ditto TV shows.  And then, wow, (quelle surprise} nothing is the same is depicted on the screen.

They are always yammering about wanting the charm of (enter name of country here) but only if they can duplicate their American digs.

[sistersledge]

I loved the Houston husband's (to Costa Rica) voice! I had my back to the tv while working and I had to keep turning around... his wife's voice (shudder)... I kept having to turn around to see who the sexy voiced dad was! I always assume gated communities are probably safer, so I don't mind when people prefer them.

 

Likewise w the dad moving to New Zealand! Sexy deep voice married to screechy heavy-accent. We just moved 4 hours away from friends and family and absolutely will be wanting and needing a guest room/office in the house we end up buying within the year... just feels uncomfortable w people and their stuffed camped out everywhere!

[Babalooie]

Colorado to St. John USVI:  I thought that they chose the right house.  The modern looked like it was meant to be a showpiece rather than lived in.  On a shallow note, If I were the wife and had that kind of money, I would have gotten my nose tweaked a bit.

[izabella]

That St. John wife rubbed me the wrong way the entire house hunt with her constant talk of wanting modern, modern, modern.   That modern house translated as generic, cold, and oddly dark, to me, which is the opposite of what I think of when I think Caribbean.  Why move to a tropical island and surround yourself in typical "anywhere USA" construction?

Loved the views in every house, though, and the pools.  Good for them that their hard work paid off like that!

Edited July 6, 2017 by izabella

[juliet73]

5 hours ago, izabella said:

That St. John wife rubbed me the wrong way the entire house hunt with her constant talk of wanting modern, modern, modern.   That modern house translated as generic, cold, and oddly dark, to me, which is the opposite of what I think of when I think Caribbean.  Why move to a tropical island and surround yourself in typical "anywhere USA" construction?

 

Agree!!! She didn't seem to care about what her husband wanted when they looked at the first two houses. By the third house, she seemed to be a lot more compromising. 

If I had $3 million, I would definitely want to be beachfront. All the houses they toured had beautiful views, but none of them looked to be walking distance to the beach. 

[Kohola3]

The thing about beachfront is that you don't go to the beach every single solitary day.  I bet if you asked some of those folks how often they are on the sand it's not more than a couple of days a week.  There are other things in life unless you are a professional surfer.  I live beachfront on Lake Huron in northern MI as does my neighbor.  Others in the area are here in the summer.  The summer folks are out there every day on the weekends but my neighbor and I are not.  I have my volunteer work which keeps me busy.  But the view I have I enjoy every single day.

[Mrs. Hanson]

9 hours ago, juliet73 said:

Agree!!! She didn't seem to care about what her husband wanted when they looked at the first two houses. By the third house, she seemed to be a lot more compromising. 

If I had $3 million, I would definitely want to be beachfront. All the houses they toured had beautiful views, but none of them looked to be walking distance to the beach. 

They want to live in USA McMansions because for all the "I want to be in another culture" chatter they really do NOT want to give up stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, open floor plans, high end washer/dryer and AC.  

I wished I had seen the St John episode as we are taking a belated honeymoon this December to British VI (not the same, I know......) and it would have been cool to see the area!  

[mojito]

Quote

If I had $3 million, I would definitely want to be beachfront.

The beach is incredibly boring after awhile if you don't live near a harbor or something where you can see boats or cruise ships or seaplanes coming in or out. Plus, you can have people walking around your home at all hours of the night. I would prefer a home on a hill overlooking land and sea, especially if there's a pool. It's cooler, prettier, and more private. Hurricanes aren't as scary as well. 

Montana to Thailand

I can understand why the wife wanted the house with the lawn, but I would've picked the home the husband preferred because of its proximity to school and shopping. Additionally, it had more rooms, nicer furniture (the furniture in the house they chose was filthy), a great kitchen. The kids could romp around elsewhere and still enjoy the tiled surface surrounding the home. I'm glad the husband warmed up to the inherited cat. 

[LazyToaster]

I wonder why those parents care so much about the kids identifying with Thailand.  They said the kids weren't all that interested.  I hope this is a temporary thing so the American kids can eventually go home because it doesn't matter where they were born that much -- IMO.  I don't mean to be insensitive, but I'm just not sure it will benefit those kids that much. 

[debraran]

7 hours ago, LazyToaster said:

I wonder why those parents care so much about the kids identifying with Thailand.  They said the kids weren't all that interested.  I hope this is a temporary thing so the American kids can eventually go home because it doesn't matter where they were born that much -- IMO.  I don't mean to be insensitive, but I'm just not sure it will benefit those kids that much. 

It depends on the family. I knew someone who had 2 children from Korea...she didn't want them to visit or identify with it much and she was in the minority in most international adoption groups. Later both her children visited and did internships there as adults. I think as we get older, we are more interested in our roots, where we came from. I have a feeling though that the Mom and Dad wanted to be there more than the kids did. It's cheaper and an adventure compared to here.

Edited July 8, 2017 by debraran

[SmithW6079]

13 hours ago, LazyToaster said:

I wonder why those parents care so much about the kids identifying with Thailand.  They said the kids weren't all that interested.  I hope this is a temporary thing so the American kids can eventually go home because it doesn't matter where they were born that much -- IMO.  I don't mean to be insensitive, but I'm just not sure it will benefit those kids that much. 

I got the impression they adopted the kids when they were slightly older, so perhaps they had some memory of Thailand? 

Was anyone else shocked (*rolls eyes*) that the husband managed to get a job at the very same school his wife was teaching at?

On 7/7/2017 at 10:09 AM, mojito said:

I can understand why the wife wanted the house with the lawn, but I would've picked the home the husband preferred because of its proximity to school and shopping. Additionally, it had more rooms, nicer furniture (the furniture in the house they chose was filthy), a great kitchen. The kids could romp around elsewhere and still enjoy the tiled surface surrounding the home. I'm glad the husband warmed up to the inherited cat. 

I agree, the third house was the best house. I also wonder why the lawn care in the second house was such a big deal. Surely they could hire a gardener for practically pennies.

[debraran]

9 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

I got the impression they adopted the kids when they were slightly older, so perhaps they had some memory of Thailand? 

Was anyone else shocked (*rolls eyes*) that the husband managed to get a job at the very same school his wife was teaching at?

I agree, the third house was the best house. I also wonder why the lawn care in the second house was such a big deal. Surely they could hire a gardener for practically pennies.

yes, that was why his wife was SO sure he'd find something soon. If he really was going to be home all day, cutting the lawn isn't such a big deal and I'm sure it's inexpensive to hire someone.

[pep4]

Love the Alicante episode and any from the Spanish coast (and yes, it really can be that affordable.)  Wish the producers could have been more creative with their script than having Rich Eisen endlessly pretending to care about the budget. 

[Amethyst]

I liked the ending to exchange student in Rome episode.  He seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.  He clearly wanted the bigger apartment, but he was practical enough to know that he would need a second job to pay for it, and that would interfere with his studies.  Akee made the right choice.

[debraran]

3 hours ago, Amethyst said:

I liked the ending to exchange student in Rome episode.  He seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.  He clearly wanted the bigger apartment, but he was practical enough to know that he would need a second job to pay for it, and that would interfere with his studies.  Akee made the right choice.

I liked him too. He was more "real" than most and no annoying mother to act overbearing which is "script" a lot.  The first one in he Jewish quarter was interesting...but being tall is a problem with those slanted ceilings but the built in 1600's building was interesting. The second was better and of course the third was ideal but over budget. The third had so much more for 125more  a month. It made me think for maybe 50 or 75 more a month, he'd find something better. Where I live, to get a jump like that, you need to be 500 more a month or a drive to downtown.  But Rome is Rome.

I agree, he made a good choice and one day he'll have his oven. ; )

What a nice level-headed young man.

[SmithW6079]

Add me to Akee's fan club, but based on the few clips we saw, I doubt he knows how to ride a bike. Dude was definitely struggling in the one clip where he wasn't walking it 

[Ohwell]

He'll learn but I hope he can stay out of traffic.

[mojito]

Quote

Add me to Akee's fan club, but based on the few clips we saw, I doubt he knows how to ride a bike. Dude was definitely struggling in the one clip where he wasn't walking it 

Hmm, might be so. I thought his bike was having mechanical problems, like a problematic chain. 

I liked his hands-off mother.