House Hunters International - General Discussion

[Mrs. Hanson]

21 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

The couple moving from Minnesota to Kenya: For the most part, they were OK, although the wife's attitude that she's the one whose life is changing the most was off-putting. I wasn't quite sure I heard her correctly when she was pushing for the gated community, that she needed her "tribe" to help her as a stay-at-home mom. Did Mrs. Midwest White Bread say "tribe" just because she was in Africa? 

Ugh - I am a Minnesota home grown girl and as a state that has a high Native American population, I am shocked she used the word "tribe."  My apologies to HH'ers!!!

[Spunkygal]

@suebee12, well spotted on those clues! I'm usually more aware when there is a big piece of furniture that is covered by a sheet and then in the reveal, voila! There it is! 

[chocolatine]

5 hours ago, suebee12 said:

The one funny thing was the man was from England but he was the one who wanted the quaint English charm....isn't the newbie to the country supposed to ask for that, not the other way around?

Nope, he's German. He got a job in Northampton (which, I'm not sure how it works now with Brexit), and she followed.

ETA: Is "tribe" really an offensive word? I'm sure I've heard the figure of speech "finding one's tribe" many times, it refers to finding a group of people with whom one has many things in common.

Edited November 29, 2017 by chocolatine

[CruiseDiva]

39 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

Nope, he's German. He got a job in Northampton (which, I'm not sure how it works now with Brexit), and she followed.TA: Is "tribe" really an offensive word? I'm sure I've heard the figure of speech "finding one's tribe" many times, it refers to finding a group of people with whom one has many things in common.

I have a last name that is often associated with Jewish people and a new co-worker whose husband is Jewish asked if I was a member of The Tribe. I knew just what he meant because my mom's step-father was Jewish. No, "tribe" isn't necessarily offensive.

[AnnaRose]

1 hour ago, chocolatine said:

Nope, he's German. He got a job in Northampton (which, I'm not sure how it works now with Brexit), and she followed.

ETA: Is "tribe" really an offensive word? I'm sure I've heard the figure of speech "finding one's tribe" many times, it refers to finding a group of people with whom one has many things in common.

Mothering.com has popular forums, and it's had a whole section for "Finding Your Tribe" for well over a decade.  It is for finding other people with whom you have things in common.  I think it's a very typical usage, and should not be considered offensive in any way.  Then again, people love to get offended these days over every little thing.

I'm offended by people who get easily offended!  :D

[mojito]

Quote

Couple leaving the rat race of D.C. to move to his native Australia ( although he had no accent and no mention of family still there).  Were either of them intending to find work in Australia?  That was confusing to me.  Her short jean shorts with pockets hanging out were also distracting.

I had the sense that the husband was born there, but raised elsewhere. Yeah, those shorts were not a very good look.

What I thought was kind of annoying about the Kenya couple was that he wanted to immerse his children in a different culture, but she wanted to live in a gated community. 

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, mojito said:

What I thought was kind of annoying about the Kenya couple was that he wanted to immerse his children in a different culture, but she wanted to live in a gated community. 

I don't know much about sub-Saharan Africa, but my understanding is that almost all expats in large cities live in gated communities due to safety concerns. I've heard that about Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, etc. I was with the wife on that one.

[mojito]

Quote

I don't know much about sub-Saharan Africa, but my understanding is that almost all expats in large cities live in gated communities due to safety concerns. I've heard that about Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, etc. I was with the wife on that one.

Uh-huh. Which is kind is kind of counter productive if you think you're going to immerse in a culture. 

[Kohola3]

We see that a lot.  They want to be "immersed in the culture" but send their kids to schools that only speak English, live in gated communities in American style homes, and only hang out with ex-pats.  The fake dinner parties at the end of the episode, packed full of "locals" are as much of a sham as everything else on these shows.

Way too many places, especially these days. are dangerous places for Americans.  I don't blame them for wanting to be safe but don't pretend you won't be pretty much isolated from everyday life in a foreign country.  

I will watch just to see the homes but mostly with the sound off.  The stories are annoying as hell.

[chocolatine]

51 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

We see that a lot.  They want to be "immersed in the culture" but send their kids to schools that only speak English, live in gated communities in American style homes, and only hang out with ex-pats.  The fake dinner parties at the end of the episode, packed full of "locals" are as much of a sham as everything else on these shows.

It's a two-way street. In many places, locals aren't keen on interacting with expats either. When my family and I moved to small town in Germany in the early 90s, almost all locals avoided us like the plague. 25 years later, my parents only have a handful of German friends - the few people who were open-minded enough to look past the different backgrounds. Most of their friends are fellow Soviet expats.

As for schools, parents who are planning to move back to the US or send their children to US colleges want to make sure the kids stay on track with the curriculum, so that makes sense to me. 

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

We see that a lot.  They want to be "immersed in the culture" but send their kids to schools that only speak English, live in gated communities in American style homes, and only hang out with ex-pats.  The fake dinner parties at the end of the episode, packed full of "locals" are as much of a sham as everything else on these shows.

Way too many places, especially these days. are dangerous places for Americans.  I don't blame them for wanting to be safe but don't pretend you won't be pretty much isolated from everyday life in a foreign country.  

I will watch just to see the homes but mostly with the sound off.  The stories are annoying as hell.

If a family is only going to be there a relatively short period of time, I think it would be very difficult to send the kids to a school where they would have to learn another language.  For example, in Kenya, Swahili is the main language used in school although most people speak their tribal language and then, learn some English as they go along since it is also an 'official' language.  That means the kids would be taught in Swahili while playing and interacting with children at school speaking their tribal language outside of class.  Neither Swahili nor the tribal languages are similar in any way to English or the Romance languages, so they are not easy to pick up, even for kids.   I don't blame parents for putting their kids into English language schools in circumstances like that.  Yes, the kids aren't going to meet as many indigenous kids, but expecting a child to learn a couple of additional languages in addition to moving halfway around the world from family and friends is a lot to ask.  Most of those kids are going to be mighty lonely, I suspect. 

Same goes for the parents.  How are they going to interact with the locals if they don't speak the language?  Expecting an adult who is already working a full time job and/or caring for a home and family to become fluent enough to socialize with the locals when they're only going to be there a year or two is unrealistic.  Even if the whole family gets intensive language training prior to the move, it is not very likely they're going to be fluent enough to befriend the local populace.

There is indeed some danger in Kenya for those who are not natives which is why many businesses require their foreign employees to live in a gated community.  I've done medical volunteer work there and we stayed in a compound surrounded by fencing and protected by armed guards, mainly because of the risk of theft.  Being middle class in a place where many people are struggling with day to day life, especially if you cannot blend in (ie a white person in Kenya) can be a dangerous proposition.

As far as 'immersing in a culture', living there, even in a gated community, is going to be far more culturally enriching than never going there at all. 

Edited November 29, 2017 by doodlebug

[mojito]

Florida to Cork, Ireland

The man moves to Ireland for his job as a Web Developer, and then has to have a home office from which to work. Go figure. 

I liked some of the agent's comments. When asked about the apartment coming with a desk (obviously, it didn't as there wasn't one there), the agent responded that the place wasn't established to accommodate Americans who wanted to work from home. He also stated that people tended to put beds in bedrooms. 

Another couple with dogs that they had to worry about, but I give this couple credit: they didn't ask for "outdoor space". 

[Ohwell]

That's the second time they've done an episode in Cork, Ireland in the past several weeks, with the same real estate agent.  I wonder if it's because of his humorous, yet pleasant, attitude, and that lovely accent.  I also think he's a cutie.  I hope to see more of him....err.... Cork.

[AlleC17]

Just wanted to make a comment on the Nairobi to Rome couple:  yet another couple who barely know each other.  He said although they have dated for 5 years, they have really only seen/been with each other for 52 days.  Crazy!  Although, I have friends who have met their spouses over the internet, spoke daily while only meeting in real life a few times that married, and those marriages have all been successful. 

That being said, they were both really cute together.  I didn't care too much for any of the apartments though.

Edited December 1, 2017 by AlleC17

[aguabella]

4 hours ago, Ohwell said:

That's the second time they've done an episode in Cork, Ireland in the past several weeks, with the same real estate agent.  I wonder if it's because of his humorous, yet pleasant, attitude, and that lovely accent.  I also think he's a cutie.  I hope to see more of him....err.... Cork.

Not surprising b/c they normally film 4-6 episodes in an area, over a 2-3 month period.  They usually space the airing out more so I was surprised to see another Cork, too.  

About the agents, they've been contracting with individuals* to do 3-4 HHI episodes instead of faking so many episodes. 

*"individuals" b/c they're not necessarily rental agents.  For example, London's Richard is a landlord with an acting / theater background.

[SmithW6079]

On 11/27/2017 at 11:03 PM, Thumper said:

Couple leaving the rat race of D.C. to move to his native Australia ( although he had no accent and no mention of family still there).  Were either of them intending to find work in Australia?  That was confusing to me.  Her short jean shorts with pockets hanging out were also distracting.

While I didn't hate the house they chose, I see it being more a vacation home with all those steps. Why were they bitching about having to take the dog up all the stairs? Let it shit outside the door & clean up the mess up. I don't normally wonder about this, but with the house appearing to be so far off the beaten path, how are things like garbage pick-up and mail delivery handled?

 

On 11/29/2017 at 0:51 AM, AnnaRose said:

Mothering.com has popular forums, and it's had a whole section for "Finding Your Tribe" for well over a decade.  It is for finding other people with whom you have things in common.  I think it's a very typical usage, and should not be considered offensive in any way.  Then again, people love to get offended these days over every little thing.

I'm offended by people who get easily offended!  :D

I wasn't offended by its use, just questioning the wife's use of the word. I've only heard "tribe" in context to peoples who actually are from tribes, like Native Americans or Africans. While I usually roll my eyes at the SJW buzz words and concepts, I did think its use in the episode was questionable.

 

11 hours ago, mojito said:

Florida to Cork, Ireland

The man moves to Ireland for his job as a Web Developer, and then has to have a home office from which to work. Go figure. 

I liked some of the agent's comments. When asked about the apartment coming with a desk (obviously, it didn't as there wasn't one there), the agent responded that the place wasn't established to accommodate Americans who wanted to work from home. He also stated that people tended to put beds in bedrooms. 

Another couple with dogs that they had to worry about, but I give this couple credit: they didn't ask for "outdoor space". 

He was pretty funny, and as someone else mentioned, he was a cutie. I liked the third apartment that they eliminated immediately. It was near things, so I don't know why the wife was getting her panties in a twist. I also found her comments about how "dated" an apartment was or how "it looks like my grandmother lives here" rude and annoying.

3 hours ago, AlleC17 said:

Just wanted to make a comment on the Nairobi to Rome couple:  yet another couple who barely know each other.  He said although they have dated for 5 years, they have really only seen/been with each other for 52 days.  Crazy!  Although, I have friends who have met their spouses over the internet, spoke daily while only meeting in real life a few times that married, and those marriages have all been successful. 

That being said, they were both really cute together.  I didn't care too much for any of the apartments though.

My cousin and his wife spent the first several years of their marriage living in different countries, on different continents, visiting each other a few times a year. Twenty-odd years later, they're still married. Other than her constant repetition of the word "green," I liked the Nairobi to Rome couple. First, for both not being Americans, and second, for being an international interracial couple. I think the apartment they chose was the best one, just for that terrace. Was that the one that had the weirdly shaped bathroom?

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

I don't normally wonder about this, but with the house appearing to be so far off the beaten path, how are things like garbage pick-up and mail delivery handled?

There were several other houses in that neighborhood. Just because of the steps doesn't mean it's off the beaten path. It actually reminded me of some of the waterfront neighborhoods in Seattle - I believe the steps are because the houses are built as close to the water as possible, but you still need access to/from the street.

[biakbiak]

I wonder how soon these two women fled their dreams, i also wish like other reality shows that have featured places hard hit by this hurricane season and St. Thomas definitely fits into the category, had chosen to do disclaimer at the top or end of the show t least highlighting aid organization but I guess it would take away from their island paradise theme.

[Pickles]

The two women in the British Virgin Islands last night. The one from Charlotte, NC was back in Charlotte six months later. Found her on Instagram. Not sure about the blonde one from Atlanta. 

[copshop]

Nairobi (er, apart?) to Rome. I figure if they can make a long-distance romance last five years they are probably okay. They sure were cute--a rare occurrence where the couple were as interesting as the locale. I really wanted to know if she had learned much Italian in that time. 

[mojito]

US South to USVI

Geez, that seemed like a disastrous relationship. I think as soon as I saw the dresses on the dog and seen how frivolous the blonde was, I'd've been outta there. 

I'd be surprised if both of these ladies weren't back in the states. Statesiders have been leaving in droves. No electricity for over 70% of the population, and people are stealing generators. Tough times. 

[SmithW6079]

The woman moving to Norway to be with her boyfriend and her insistence on being by the beach -- does she think she's going to be able to swim and sunbathe year-round, the way she could in Florida (or whatever warm-weather climate she lived in)? The house by the lake was great, but I wonder about the "yoga retreats" she was going to offer. To me, a retreat is someplace you go to get away from your normal life. Is she having guests stay at her house? I wouldn't. Otherwise, she's just offering classes with a nice view.

And speaking of yoga, what's with that? This is the second person they've featured who needed space for yoga classes. Is yoga the new scrapbooking?

[chocolatine]

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

And speaking of yoga, what's with that? This is the second person they've featured who needed space for yoga classes. Is yoga the new scrapbooking?

She claimed that yoga was new to Norway. Which, if Norway is anything like the rest of Western Europe, is not true. Most cities have yoga studios and in smaller towns there are classes at community centers and/or gyms.

Last night's episode with the PhD student in Manchester: she came across very spoiled. She wanted a two bedroom two bath apartment with outdoor space, and her mother was footing the bill. I was also a graduate student in the UK, and neither I nor any of my friends could afford anything remotely as big/nice as the places she was looking at. I lived in a studio apartment with no central heating. The HH said her PhD is in "visual anthropology" which probably means that her mother will be supporting her for many years to come.

Edited December 5, 2017 by chocolatine

[mojito]

Raleigh to Manchester

I definitely thought the student was smackworthy. 'It's over budget, but---" No. You don't get a "but". You're an adult living on Mommy's dime. You get to have a safe place near school. You're not entitled to "outdoor space", "indoor/outdoor living" (WTF?), and space to entertain your friends (get with the program, Missy, and meet them at the pub).  You're a damned student.  If you need so much space for all your clothes, or to cook and store a side of beef, perhaps you're not concentrated enough on your real purpose for being in Manchester. Choco's right. She's going to be an anchor on her mother for a long, long time. 
 

It kills me that even when these young adults are in college on someone else's dime, they still expect so damned much. I'm glad I remember a time of shared dorm rooms, no one having any money, no cars, and still lots of laughs. 

[doodlebug]

12 hours ago, mojito said:

Raleigh to Manchester

I definitely thought the student was smackworthy. 'It's over budget, but---" No. You don't get a "but". You're an adult living on Mommy's dime. You get to have a safe place near school. You're not entitled to "outdoor space", "indoor/outdoor living" (WTF?), and space to entertain your friends (get with the program, Missy, and meet them at the pub).  You're a damned student.  If you need so much space for all your clothes, or to cook and store a side of beef, perhaps you're not concentrated enough on your real purpose for being in Manchester. Choco's right. She's going to be an anchor on her mother for a long, long time. 
 

It kills me that even when these young adults are in college on someone else's dime, they still expect so damned much. I'm glad I remember a time of shared dorm rooms, no one having any money, no cars, and still lots of laughs. 

She was particularly awful, although I presume her mother helped create that monster!  She not only wanted two bedrooms for when her mother visited (ever heard of a futon, idiot?), she said she needed to put a desk in a bedroom so she would have a quiet place to study.  You live ALONE, nitwit!  You can study anywhere in your apartment! No one else will be there!  Her excitement over having a second bathroom so she wouldn't have to share with visitors was also incredible.  Who is going to be visiting other than friends and her mother?  Why does she think she cannot use the same bathroom as them?  She got on my last nerve and stayed there, entitled princess.

As for outdoor space, has she never been to Manchester?  The weather is not conducive to spending prolonged periods outdoors for at least 6 months of the year.  It is rainy and cold A LOT.  Meanwhile, there are plenty of lovely public parks in easy walking distance to the university which also has a lot of green space.  If she wants to commune with nature on the occasions that the weather permits, there are plenty of free options for it.

[TVForever]

Raleigh to Manchester:

I fell in love with that second apartment, the one with the adorable little private garden. I'm with doodlebug- when you live alone, having a private place to study isn't an issue- it's the whole apartment! And the only reason to reject it was because it was too small? What? And then I had to remind myself that they had to come up with something, because of course she's probably been living in her "choice" for a year already.

[biakbiak]

Quote

As for needing a sepera'm with doodlebug- when you live alone, having a private place to study isn't an issue- it's the whole apartment! 

Depends on how you work. I like a separate place because I can easily get distracted by my living room and also like a desk when writing papers and such but don't want to see it when I am not.

I didn't mind her, the other two places were ringers and she ended up in the underbudget two bedroom with no outdoor space so clearly she did understand the budget.

And she repeated more than once how grateful she was to her mother, I also thought it was sweet that her mother teared up when talking about her getting a PhD abroad.

[mojito]

Quote

Depends on how you work. I like a separate place because I can easily get distracted by my living room and also like a desk when writing papers and such but don't want to see it when I am not.

Uh-huh. In some academic circles, this is what the library and the small study rooms in libraries are for. I think it depends more on how comfortable you feel spending your parents' money for unnecessary luxuries.

[biakbiak]

3 minutes ago, mojito said:

Uh-huh. In some academic circles, this is what the library and the small study rooms in libraries are for. I think it depends more on how comfortable you feel spending your parents' money for unnecessary luxuries.

She went with the one that was underbudget and given that her mom was paying,I imagine she might like a guest room for when she comes and visits.

[JennyMominFL]

21 hours ago, chocolatine said:

She claimed that yoga was new to Norway. Which, if Norway is anything like the rest of Western Europe, is not true. Most cities have yoga studios and in smaller towns there are classes at community centers and/or gyms.

 

I've been to Norway a few times  in the last few years. They do yoga there. Any sort of physical fitness is big. In fact one of my favorite signs in Norway is for a gym. IT says, "Feeling fat and Ugly? Just be Ugly"  Golds gym or whatever

Edited December 6, 2017 by JennyMominFL
added pic

[debraran]

22 hours ago, mojito said:

Raleigh to Manchester

I definitely thought the student was smackworthy. 'It's over budget, but---" No. You don't get a "but". You're an adult living on Mommy's dime. You get to have a safe place near school. You're not entitled to "outdoor space", "indoor/outdoor living" (WTF?), and space to entertain your friends (get with the program, Missy, and meet them at the pub).  You're a damned student.  If you need so much space for all your clothes, or to cook and store a side of beef, perhaps you're not concentrated enough on your real purpose for being in Manchester. Choco's right. She's going to be an anchor on her mother for a long, long time. 
 

It kills me that even when these young adults are in college on someone else's dime, they still expect so damned much. I'm glad I remember a time of shared dorm rooms, no one having any money, no cars, and still lots of laughs. 

My daughter did a year in UK for her Masters. She saved a year, got a scholarship for most of the tuition and paid her R&B. Nothing fancy , but safe. I gave her 150 a month or less for food but she did the rest. If I watch this show, I know we will both be rolling our eyes.  She's seen so many like what is described here. "On their own, but not".

[SmithW6079]

At first, I thought the Manchester PhD student was OK, but that changed as the episode progressed. What a spoiled brat. "The carpet is less than stellar"? STFU, princess. You're renting the place for a year or so. So long as it wasn't gross, you're OK.

The couple moving to Vietnam: the wife was a prime grade A c---, although he wasn't much better. Dude, you survived cancer. Don't waste your second chance at life with that bitch.

Supposedly, they did their homework before moving, but they sounded and acted like they had no idea that moving to Southeast Asia meant dealing with humidity. God, what a pair of ignorant assholes.

Edited December 7, 2017 by SmithW6079

[KLovestoShop]

The Budapest wife is on my top five of disliked House Hunters.  Her way loud voice and immature behavior grated on my last nerve.  The husband seemed really nice, but that woman was beyond obnoxious.  

[mojito]

Florida to Budapest

I'd never seen a woman so excited to see a shower stall.

Nice enough couple who didn't insist on outdoor space for their two dogs.

[TVForever]

Just saw the Budapest episode. They seemed like a nice enough couple. Yes, the wife was a little "exuberant", but it actually seemed to work with the husband's more low key personality. Budapest looks like a beautiful city; hope to see more episodes.

[irisheyes]

On 12/6/2017 at 8:55 PM, SmithW6079 said:

At first, I thought the Manchester PhD student was OK, but that changed as the episode progressed. What a spoiled brat. "The carpet is less than stellar"? STFU, princess. You're renting the place for a year or so. So long as it wasn't gross, you're OK.

The couple moving to Vietnam: the wife was a prime grade A c---, although he wasn't much better. Dude, you survived cancer. Don't waste your second chance at life with that bitch.

Supposedly, they did their homework before moving, but they sounded and acted like they had no idea that moving to Southeast Asia meant dealing with humidity. God, what a pair of ignorant assholes.

I was wondering if anyone else hated the Vietnam couple as much as I did. I didn’t even care which apartment they got. 

[chocolatine]

When the Vietnam episode started I thought "that mother is awfully touchy-feely with her son" before I realized they were a couple.

Budapest wife had an annoying voice and a terrible grown out dye job, but she seemed OK otherwise.

 

4 hours ago, TVForever said:

Budapest looks like a beautiful city

It really is! It's a mix of regal Austro-Hungarian imperialism, Eastern Bloc grittiness, and natural beauty of the Danube and Buda hills.

[Pickles]

The couple who quit their jobs and moved to Portugal. I don't understand these couples who tire of working, retire to a foreign country and leave all friends and family behind. The wife last night was saying she would be homesick and miss the six kids. It was the husband's idea to move. They had been married four years. Bought a house farther out in the country, so kind of isolated. So, they left extremely busy lives filled with jobs and many kids and grandkids and friends and now a house in a different, faraway country with no friend  yet and no family nearby and 100% free time. No thank you. Why not move to a different part of your own city or a different part of the US? It seems so drastic to make such a big, extreme move. I wonder how many end up relocating back to the US?

Edited December 9, 2017 by Pickles
Typos

[scrb]

12 minutes ago, Pickles said:

The couple who quit their jobs and moved to Portugal. I don't understand these couples who tire of working, retire to a foreign country and leave all friends and family behind. The wife last night was saying she would be homesick and miss the six kids. It was the husband's idea to move. They had been married four years. Bought a house farther out in th country, so kind of isolated. So, they left extremely busy lives filled with jobs,and many kids and grandkids and friends and now a house in a different, faraway country with no friend she yet and no family nearby and 100% free time. No thank you. Why not move to a different part of your own city or a different part of the US? It seems so drastic to make such a big, extreme move. I wonder how many end up relocating back to the US?

Google their names.  Chances are they have a blog or something, especially if they're younger.

You can find out how long they stayed in their HHI home and often they're long gone by the time the episode airs.

Edited December 9, 2017 by scrb

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

The couple who quit their jobs and moved to Portugal. I don't understand these couples who tire of working, retire to a foreign country and leave all friends and family behind. The wife last night was saying she would be homesick and miss the six kids. It was the husband's idea to move. They had been married four years. Bought a house farther out in th country, so kind of isolated. So, they left extremely busy lives filled with jobs,and many kids and grandkids and friends and now a house in a different, faraway country with no friend she yet and no family nearby and 100% free time. No thank you. Why not move to a different part of your own city or a different part of the US? It seems so drastic to make such a big, extreme move. I wonder how many end up relocating back to the US?

Yet another head-scratching HHI story.  I could have understood if they rented, but they purchased a home, which means they planned to live there.  She had a wistful look in her eyes when she mentioned family visiting, like she knew there was a fat chance of that happening.  I'd like to know their "real" story.

50 minutes ago, scrb said:

You can find out how long they stayed in their HHI home and often they're long gone by the time the episode airs.

But assuming there's no more than, say, a year or even two between filming and airing the episode, I still find it hard to believe that someone would purchase a home instead of renting if they weren't sure how long they'd be living there.   

[seacliffsal]

Just watched the Portugal episode and it really seemed like she didn't really like her husband at all.  The husband was passive-aggressive; he kept referring his sense of humor to 'help ease' the transition, but his "jokes" were very different when he didn't like something.  Yep, jumping into the pool in one's clothes is the perfect way to help someone feel at ease in a new country...  I figured that was the house they had chosen when he jumped in the pool.  I really liked the second house the best-some really nice features.  When they showed the 3 months later scene I was surprised by how bland the interior design was as all I heard about during the episode was what a fab designer the wife was (they both referenced this).  Oh well.  Hope they're happy.

[mojito]

Quote

The couple who quit their jobs and moved to Portugal. I don't understand these couples who tire of working, retire to a foreign country and leave all friends and family behind.

I suspect  a lot of these people are running away from things, not looking for a new adventure. Bad debt (and one can be in debt to creditors who don't have the resources to track them down in foreign countries like, for instance, former friends or landlords), bad reputations, bad relationships with kids or former spouses. One spouse's kids despise the new spouse, so the despisedspouse suggests they  embark on a different journey to escape the family. Endless possibilities. People have skeletons in their closets.

[Ohwell]

18 minutes ago, mojito said:

I suspect  a lot of these people are running away from things, not looking for a new adventure. Bad debt (and one can be in debt to creditors who don't have the resources to track them down in foreign countries like, for instance, former friends or landlords), bad reputations, bad relationships with kids or former spouses. One spouse's kids despise the new spouse, so the despisedspouse suggests they  embark on a different journey to escape the family. Endless possibilities. People have skeletons in their closets.

All these things might be true but in the case of the Portugal couple, the wife kept referring to needing room for the kids coming to visit.  I don't know if she meant just her kids though. 

[debraran]

8 hours ago, Ohwell said:

All these things might be true but in the case of the Portugal couple, the wife kept referring to needing room for the kids coming to visit.  I don't know if she meant just her kids though. 

They do have to make things up also, the "issue". Sometimes it's family visiting (when no one will) or the absolute need of a dryer or "outdoor space". The overuse of the terms makes it seem less natural, the way I felt watching tiny house shows and every person needed "natural light" as number one. : ) They try to not have people talk but a couple of old participants did youtube videos to explain what they did.

I think some are more real than others, some have links to things they do or sell, but many I feel are fabricated or just airbnb starters for extra income and the extra room will be more inviting for some.  I try to look at the scenery and dislike the shows where the drama is more on the couple and less on the area.

I hope that some of the worst ones lately are fake, hard to believe that anyone would want to come off so badly on TV but that is "reality"  TV for many, just the time on, not the content.

[mojito]

NYC to Reykjavik with two 5 year olds

She's gutsier and heartier than I. She's looking forward to their outdoor life in Iceland. I see the average high temps don't even get out of the 50s. Brr. Count me out.

She's lucky to have landed a job there; more power to her.

[Pickles]

The couple relocating from Nashville to Costa Rica in hopes it would help their marriage. I don't see this working out. I wasn't paying close attention, but she seemed to make a few jabs and they seemed on different pages about a lot of things. Wouldn't Nashville be a really nice place to raise their two kids? No way would I leave Nashville (or anywhere) for permanent residence in Costa Rica. 

[chocolatine]

7 hours ago, mojito said:

She's lucky to have landed a job there; more power to her.

Did she say that at the end of the episode? My DVR cut out a minute early. I was under the impression that it was a vacation home since she mentioned how short the flight from NYC was, and since she insisted on a central location I figured she was going to rent the place out when she's not there. If she's moving there full time, I wonder what the custody situation is with the children's father.

[biakbiak]

Yeah i thought it was a vacation home as well, I thought she said something about not wanting to take on a fixer because it would be difficult to supervise the remodel from NY. Also, she said of the first place that was one bedroom would just be a crash pad because it was so small which would be a weird thing to say if it was going to be living there full-time.

[doodlebug]

14 hours ago, Pickles said:

The couple relocating from Nashville to Costa Rica in hopes it would help their marriage. I don't see this working out. I wasn't paying close attention, but she seemed to make a few jabs and they seemed on different pages about a lot of things. Wouldn't Nashville be a really nice place to raise their two kids? No way would I leave Nashville (or anywhere) for permanent residence in Costa Rica. 

Moving to a foreign country in hopes of saving a faltering marriage does seem like a poor strategy.  They were supposedly going to enroll their young kids in school down there, so it was meant to be their primary residence.  I hope the kids already knew some Spanish, otherwise that would be a rather difficult transition.  It seems to me that it would've made more sense to try to apply some of the things they were able to do in Costa Rica (more family time, less time working) to their lives in Nashville rather than uprooting the whole family.  The dad said he was an 'entrepreneur' with 4 different businesses in Nashville.  Why not sell one or more of them to make time for the family while staying put?  I would be surprised if they're not already back in the US and even more surprised if they're not divorcing.

[Mittengirl]

I will never understand these folks who insist moving to a foreign country is necessary to spend more time together.   Move to a different part of the country if you want get away from something negative (family, former spouse, public scandal, etc.), but the hassle and expense of moving to another country makes no sense.   How can running a business remotely from another country be less work than doing the same from another state, or even across the state?

The house the Costa Rica couple chose looked like it was in a development with other houses that looked just like theirs.  Probably a gated area filled with US and Canadian expats.

 I wonder whose idea it was to move, and to move there in particular.   As an outsider, I am suspicious of the motivations of whoever made the first suggestion.  Financial motivation?  Isolating the family from others?  Secrets that are about to blow up?  Inquiring minds want to know.