为什么许多人（包括离开美国的美国人）说，在美国生活很艰难，离开美国是他们曾经做出的最佳选择？

Danie Reeder
I’ll start with the definite truth of my own life: Leaving the US was, without a doubt, the best decision I ever made.
I have said this out loud and reflected upon it often. In short - it had to do with identity and personal happiness.
I was always an energetic child and a hardworking student. Motivated by accomplishments; incredibly obedient; afraid of getting in trouble - a teacher’s pet type. I was generally nice to people around me; just wanted to do well and get on with my day.
After elementary school, I started going to private school - for a better education and hopefully better access in life. During that time, my Black, middle class background became the center of the world. I still did well in school, but I wasn’t spoken to as if I did well or was capable. I was made to feel inadequate at every turn, even in the face of great accomplishments.

我将从发生在我身上的事实开始：毫无疑问，离开美国是我做过的最好的决定。
我已经大声说出了这一点，并经常对此进行反思。简言之，这与身份认同和个人幸福有关。
我一直是一个精力充沛的孩子，一个勤奋的学生。以成就为动力，极其顺从，害怕惹麻烦——老师最喜欢的类型。我对周围的人很好，我只是想做好一切，继续我的每一天。
小学毕业后，我开始上私立学校——接受更好的教育，希望能更好地进入生活。在那段时间里，我的黑人中产阶级背景成为了我的世界的中心。我在学校的表现仍然很好，但人们对我的评价并不像我表现得很好或很有能力。我在人生的每一件重要事情上面都缺乏自信，即使我做出了巨大成就。

As a teenager, this racial alienation was emphasized through social and dating dynamics. All teens have teen problems, but I wasn’t just a moody, insecure kid - I was a Black kid in a sea of White and there was nothing to be done about that. There was no amount of patience, kindness; weight loss; working out; grooming; hair perming - that would make me less Black. And you can’t talk about that to anyone; no one can relate; you’re unceremoniously accused of “bringing race into everything”. A very lonely reality.
Throughout the entire secondary school process, my intelligence was always doubted and I was constantly insulted. My school offered Chinese - they tried to tell me I wouldn’t do well because it’s “a very difficult language”. Within a year, I had top marks. I once had a teacher tell me my writing was so bad I probably had a learning disability. (I’m about to finish my Masters with distinction in England, and I’ll be starting my PhD in the fall).

作为一名青少年，这种种族疏离通过社会和交友动态得到了强调。所有的青少年都有青少年问题，但是，我不仅仅是一个喜怒无常、缺乏安全感的孩子——我还是一个生活在白人海洋中的黑人孩子，对现实无能为力，没有多少耐心和善良。减肥，锻炼，烫头发——那会让我不那么黑。你不能跟任何人谈论这件事，没人能理解。他们会不客气地指责“把种族带入一切”。一个非常孤独的现实。
在整个中学学习过程中，我的智力一直受到怀疑，我经常受到侮辱。我的学校也教中文——他们总是告诉我我学不好，因为这是一门“非常难学的语言”。不到一年，我就得了高分。曾经有一位老师告诉我，我的写作太差了，我可能有学习障碍。（即将我以优异的成绩在英国完成硕士学位，我将在秋季开始攻读博士学位）。

By high school, I decided to spend a portion of my senior year in China. It was like night and day from my home school. Suddenly, I was smart again. Without a concerted effort of teachers telling me how stupid I was all the time, I was flourishing. I got straight A’s in Calculus - a course, among others, my home school wouldn’t let me take because it would be “too hard for me”. When it came to college lists - I was told I couldn’t get into any of the schools on my list; I shouldn’t aim higher than my State school. Mind, at 17 I was a varsity athlete; president of thespians; worked on a number of school plays; danced on the school team and studied Martha Graham independently; first chair clarinet; played alto sax in Jazz band; fairly skilled in drawing and painting; spoke Chinese and had a high honors GPA. So - what made me less than my peers?
In China, it was the first time anyone (other than my parents) had ever told me I was pretty. Looking back, I was still quite young; so a lot of firsts would be happening around that time anyway - but it was definitely different than in America. In America, I was just ugly. People might not say that to my face - but it was reflected in certain ways.

到了高中，我决定在中国度过一段时间。从家里到学校的日日夜夜，突然，我又变聪明了。如果没有老师们的共同努力，一直告诉我，我是多么愚蠢，我的事业会蒸蒸日上的。我曾经在美国母校微积分得了A——除这门课程外，他们不允许我参加其他课程考试，因为其他课程“对我来说太难了”。说到大学名单——我被告知名单上的任何一所学校我都进不了，我不应该把目标定得比州立学校更高。记住，17岁时我是一名大学运动员，戏剧社主席，参与了多部学校戏剧，在校队跳舞，独立学习玛莎·格雷厄姆，单簧管，在爵士乐队演奏中音萨克斯，具有一定的绘画技能，会说中文，GPA成绩优异。那么，是什么让我比同龄人差？
在中国，这是第一次有人（除了我的父母）告诉我我很棒。回首往事，我还很年轻，所以，不管怎样，很多第一次都会发生——但是这绝对会不同于在美国的时候。在美国，我很糟糕。人们可能不会当着我的面这么说，但这反映在某些方面。

Beyond that, college was the same for socialization. I tried to be cute, preppy and peppy like my White friends - but I wasn’t. I was sad and defeated. And still had some discernible, inferior, human status.
So again, in college, I went to China. And again, I was able to find normality, humanity and love.
After I graduated college, I went back to China to work. I soon met my current partner and we’ve been together six years. We moved to England together last year so I could continue studying to change careers. I’ve done incredibly well and I’m just happy.
In summary:
I personally felt my intelligence and beauty were never appreciated in the US.
I was suicidally sad; until I could no longer deny that I needed to live life a different way.
My partner is Greek and it feels very freeing to not be a part of the radical, racialized, American fervor. Also, biracial relations aren’t questioned in England the way they are in the US.
Life doesn’t feel so heavy. My days are nice. I have a nice home. A nice partner. My efforts are recognized. I’m just, whole.

除此之外，在大学和适应社会的过程是一样的。我试着像我的白人朋友一样可爱、有派头、有活力，但我不能。我很伤心，很失败。而且仍然有一些明显的、低人一等的人类身份。
所以，在大学里，我又去了中国。再一次，我找到了常态、人性和爱。
大学毕业后，我回到中国工作。我很快遇到了现在的伴侣，我们在一起已经六年了。我们去年一起搬到了英国，这样我就可以继续学习以改变职业。我做得非常好，我很高兴。
总之：
我个人觉得我的聪明才智和美好在美国从未被欣赏过。
我有自杀倾向，直到我不能再否认我需要以不同的方式生活。
我的伴侣是希腊人，不参与激进的、种族化的美国狂热让我感到非常自由。此外，英国的种族关系不像美国那样受到质疑。
生活并不觉得那么沉重。我的日子很好。我有一个美好的家。很好的搭档。我的努力得到了认可。我是完整的。

Bob Wuest
I worked in the IT industry from the time it was in its infancy. I progressed up the ladder, making good money and becoming a workaholic in the process. Always striving and stressing for more money so I could buy more and save more.
Till I started approaching age 50. Then I was laid off around the time of 9/11. Even with loads of experience, I could no longer find a decent IT job. I was considered “over the hill”.
So I started investing and selling real estate. While I loved being my own boss, it was hard work. Particularly in the 2007–2010 housing market crash, when it got about 3x harder for half the number of home sales. More stress than ever! I started burning through my retirement savings well before I was ready to retire.

我从IT行业刚刚发展的时候就开始工作了。我向上爬，赚了很多钱，并在这个过程中成为了一个工作狂。总是为更多的钱而努力，这样我就能买更多的东西，存更多的钱。
直到我开始接近50岁。然后我在9·11事件后被解雇了。即使有丰富的经验，我也再也找不到一份像样的IT工作了。我被认为是“过时”的。
于是我开始投资和销售房地产。虽然我喜欢做自己的老板，但这是一项艰苦的工作。尤其是在2007-2010年的房地产市场崩盘中，一半的房屋销售增加了大约3倍的难度。压力比以往任何时候都大！就这样，在我准备退休之前，我已经挥霍我的退休储蓄。

Finally I surrendered to the lousy housing market and moved to Mexico in 2011. My limited American dollars went about 3–4 times further there. I no longer had the stress of having to work, and the anxiety of closings. I had a gorgeous climate, a beautiful rental home, and ate great food - essentially living like a king on a very limited (by USA standards) budget.
Since then I've lived in Bali and the Philippines. Same story - great climate, beautiful nature, cost of living 1/3 to 1/4 that of the USA. My 2 bedroom, new, furnished condo with a pool, a knockout view of coconut groves, the ocean, and the next island over amazes me every day. It's about half the rent of a decent apartment in any busy US city.

最后，我向糟糕的房地产市场投降，并于2011年搬到墨西哥。我有限的美元在那里变成了大约3-4倍。我不再有工作的压力，也不再有退休的焦虑。我有一个美丽的气候，一个美丽的出租屋，吃了很棒的食物——基本上像国王一样生活在一个非常有限的（按美国标准）预算中。
从那以后，我一直住在巴厘岛和菲律宾。同样的故事——气候宜人，自然美景，生活成本是美国的三分之一到四分之一。我的两居室、新的、带家具的公寓里有一个游泳池，可以看到椰子林、大海和下一个岛屿，每天都让我惊叹不已。这大约是美国任何一个繁忙城市一套像样的公寓租金的一半。

I eat fresh, locally-produced exotic fruits and vegetables all month long for what Americans spend weekly in the produce department. I drink clear mountain spring water - free.
Health care is (amazingly!) compassionate and affordable - so much so that I haven't paid for private health insurance since I retired. It's far cheaper to come out of pocket, since I am blessed with great health; and the cost of doctors and prescxtion drugs is so low. What do you figure I've saved in health insurance premiums since 2011? 20K? 50K? I don't know, but it sure has contributed to a whole lot of fun and travel.

我整月都能吃新鲜的、当地生产的外来水果和蔬菜，这是美国人每周在农产品部门消费的东西。我喝清澈的山泉水——免费的。
医疗保健（令人惊讶！）充满人文关怀，负担得起——这么多以至于我退休后就没有支付过私人医疗保险。自掏腰包要便宜得多，因为我身体很好，医生和处方药的成本非常低。自2011年以来，我在医疗保险费上省了多少钱？2万？5万？我不知道，但它确实带来了很多乐趣和旅行。

With some of my free time I'm laser focused on my life's purpose - which adds fulfillment and meaning to my life that I never had in the good ole high-stress USA. Some of my time I train for an upcoming 500-mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain, by walking upwards of 8 miles a day in the nearby mountains. Some of my time I scuba dive and snorkel among beautiful coral, and colorful tropical fish and sea turtles.
And I take naps. Sometimes long ones.
I'm a permanent American expat who has no intention of ever setting foot in the USA again. It's much more enjoyable reading of all the racial hatred, violence and dysfunctional politics from my safe, secure, affordable piece of paradise half a world away.

有一部分空闲时间，我专注于我的人生目标——这为我的生活增添了在美国从未有过的满足感和意义。我的一些时间，我在西班牙的卡米诺-德-圣地亚哥上为即将到来的500英里朝圣而训练，每天在附近的山上步行8英里。有时我会在美丽的珊瑚、五颜六色的热带鱼和海龟中间潜水和浮潜。
我会小睡一会儿。有时会睡很长时间。
我是一名永久性的美国侨民，不打算再次踏上美国的土地。在半个世界之外的安全、有保障、负担得起的天堂里，阅读所有种族仇恨、暴力和功能失调的政治，会让我更加愉快。

Katrina Johnston
As a low income American that worked multiple jobs that just covered rent, utilities and health insurance, I can assure you I was scraping the barrel of third world living conditions, my house was ruined, we had no hot water, no heat, and barely enough for food. It cost me $25,000 a year to survive, barely survive.
For the same amount of money in the UK I have a home, all utilities paid, cable WiFi and landline, a cellphone, health care, transportation, a whole months shopping for groceries and money left over. I also get 15 free hours of child care for my children and 28 paid vacation days. I have never lived better in my life.
Some wealthy person is going to say the US is easy, well for lower class people it's a nightmare. I don't have time to put the lixs but Google the following.

作为一个低收入的美国人，我做多份工作，只负责得起房租、水电和医疗保险。我可以向你保证，第三世界的我生活条件差得离谱，我的房子被毁了，我们没有热水，没有暖气，几乎没有足够的食物。我每年要花25000美元才能活下来，勉强活下来。
在英国，我花同样的钱买房，支付所有的水电费，有线WiFi和固定电话，一部手机，医疗保健，交通，整整一个月的购物和还有钱剩。我还为我的孩子们提供了15小时的免费托儿服务和28天的带薪假期。我的生活从来没有这么好过。
一些富人会说，美国很容易，对下层阶级来说，这是一场噩梦。我没有时间放链接，请用谷歌搜索以下内容：
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

51 percent of Americans earn less than $30,000 a year.
The average minimum wage worker needs 2.5 jobs to have a two bedroom apartment at fair market rent
Low income Americans can't afford 95% of colleges.
Our healthcare, infant and mother mortality rankings.
When you are poor you are left with nothing, there may be programs but they are extremely limited, hard to get, usually you are denied several times until you give up. As someone who just barely survived I got SNAP. I fed my family on over a hundred dollars a month, that does not last.I eventually had to get Medicaid when my job closed up, but nothing in the form of cash benefits.
First, second and third world reside within the US, your income depends on what your reality is.

51%的美国人年收入不到3万美元
平均最低工资工人需要2.5个工作岗位才能以公平的市场租金拥有一套两居室的公寓
低收入美国人负担不起95%大学的学费。
我们的医疗保健、婴儿和母亲死亡率排名。
当你贫穷的时候，你一无所有，可能会有一些项目，但它们非常有限，很难获得，通常你会被拒绝几次，直到你放弃。作为一个勉强活下来的人，我很生气。我一个月靠一百多美元养活家人，但这种情况不能持续下去。当我的工作结束时，我最终不得不接受医疗补助，但没有现金福利。
第一、第二和第三世界都在美国，你的收入决定了你的现实情况。

Kay H.
I was born and raised in the States (LA, San Gabriel, CA to be exact) and graduated from Berkeley for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I was employed full-time as a Senior Operations Analyst at an IC manufacturer headquartered in San Jose back in 2007 before I decided to move - both myself and my parents back to Hong Kong.
Living in the States is hard because it’s expensive. Even if you have a job in the Silicon Valley, like I did.
The price we pay for our freedoms (in the Constitution) is that Uncle Sam won’t look after you. You’re more or less on your own.
Now, even though Hong Kong has a LOT fewer job opportunities (and pays a LOT less) than Silicon Valley, it does offer perks that make living a lot more convenient and hassle-free:

我在美国出生和长大（确切地说是在加利福尼亚州洛杉矶市圣加布里埃尔），从伯克利大学本科和研究生毕业。2007年，在我决定搬回香港之前，我在总部位于圣何塞的一家IC制造商担任全职高级运营分析师。
住在美国很难，因为它很贵。即使你像我一样在硅谷工作。
我们为我们的自由（宪法中定义的）付出的代价是山姆大叔不会照顾你。大大小小的事你都得靠自己。
现在，尽管香港的就业机会比硅谷少得多（工资也少得多），但它确实提供了让生活更方便、更轻松的福利：

World-class public transportation system:
As an only daughter with parents who are in their mid-60s, you wouldn’t really want them on the freeway driving at 80mph. My mom nearly had an accident on an overramp to Hwy 10 back when she first immigrated to the States, and she was so afraid she never drove on the freeway again. That made her life very isolated during her 26 years in LA, where life is dictated by cars. Dad did 90% of the driving. When we were sick, we’d have to wait for Saturdays to go to the doctor because Dad worked on weekdays. Mom subsequently had Graves’ disease and undergone a couple of surgeries. Frequent doctor’s visits meant that Saturdays were about doctor checkups and pharmacy runs. In their 26 years living in LA, they never visited Santa Monica beach.

1、世界一流的公共交通系统：
作为一个独生女，父母都是60多岁的中年人，你不会真的希望他们在高速公路上以每小时80英里的速度行驶。我妈妈第一次移民到美国时，在10号高速公路的一次超速行驶中差点发生事故，她非常害怕，再也没有在高速公路上开车了。这让她在洛杉矶的26年生活非常孤立，那里的生活由汽车决定。爸爸开了90%的车。当我们生病时，我们不得不等到星期六去看医生，因为爸爸在工作日需要工作。母亲后来患了格雷夫斯病，做了几次手术。频繁的医生拜访意味着周六是医生体检和去药房买药的日子。在洛杉矶生活的26年里，他们从未去过圣莫尼卡海滩。

Fast forward 26 years later, Mom moved in with me in San Jose to help me settle down in my first job. I did all the driving. Saturdays meant doctors visits and pharmacy runs again. Sundays meant church and supermarket runs. The “overhead time cost” of driving (getting in to your garage, starting up your car, finding parking, parking, getting out of a parking spot, etc.) means it’s only viable to go to one destination per day. Life’s not fun when you can’t “tag on” routines such as grocery shopping after work.
Contrast this with Hong Kong. Hong Kong has a world-class subway system where trains come every 1 minute during rush hour and every 2–4 min otherwise. I have a standard 9–6 Mon-Fri workweek and they do their doctors visits and supermarket runs by themselves. I don’t need to take PTO to help them out. I do my own supermarket runs after work or during lunch. And honestly taking the subway to buy groceries doesn’t even make sense here, because Hong Kong scores a 99% on the Walkable City Index (higher than NYC), and grocery stores are around a 5 min walk from your apartment, no matter where you live in Hong Kong. You no longer have to worry about traffic to work because if you go underground, traffic doesn’t exist. You can study, watch Youtube, post on social media, even do makeup on the way to work. And the average trip to work is around US$1. Contrast that with the cost to buy a car and car insurance and you’ll know what I mean by “expensive.”

26年后，妈妈搬到圣何塞和我一起住，帮助我在第一份工作中安顿下来。所有开车的事都是我做的。星期六意味着医生的来访和再次需要去药房买药。星期天意味着教堂和去超市。开车的“开销时间成本”（进入车库、启动汽车、找到停车位、停车、离开停车位等）意味着每天只能去一个目的地。当你不能在下班后去杂货店购物这样的日常工作上“贴标签”时，生活就没有乐趣了。
说说香港。香港拥有世界一流的地铁系统，高峰时间每1分钟一班，其他时间每2-4分钟一班。我有一个标准的9-6工时，周一到周五工作周，他们自己去看医生和去超市。我不需要利用个人休假去帮助他们。我在下班后或午餐时间自己去超市。老实说，坐地铁去买食品在这里根本没有意义，因为香港在可步行城市指数上的得分是99%（高于纽约市），而且无论你住在香港的哪里，杂货店离你的公寓大约只有5分钟的步行路程。你再也不用担心交通问题了，因为如果你可以走路去，交通就不存在了。你可以学习、观看Youtube、在社交媒体上发帖，甚至在上班途中化妆。平均去上班的费用约为1美元。对比一下买车和汽车保险的成本，你就会明白我说的“昂贵”是什么意思了。

Affordable Health Care:
My dad had prostate surgery in a Hong Kong government hospital for US$60. He stayed at the hospital for 5 days. He doesn’t need to pay for medical insurance because he pays around US$12 for hospital stay (everything included) by virtue of being a permanent resident in Hong Kong.
Mom’s doctors visits cost around US$6 per visit and includes half a year of medications. In Hong Kong, we don’t get medication from pharmacies because doctors will typically provide medication with the doctors visit - no extra fees needed.
I am part of my company’s group medical plan (no, I don’t need to pay US$40 every two weeks to Kaiser or anything to be in the plan) - I don’t pay insurance companies anything. I go to private practice, pay in full (US$50 with three days free medication), then I go back to my company who will help me claim back around US$40 per visit. I visit private practice for the shorter queue time.

2、平价医疗：
我爸爸在香港一家政府医院做了前列腺手术，花了60美元。他在医院住了5天。他不需要支付医疗保险，因为由于他是香港永久居民，住院费用（包括所有费用）大约为12美元。
妈妈每次看医生的费用约为6美元，包括半年的药物治疗。在香港，我们不从药房获得药物，因为医生通常会在医生就诊时提供药物，不需要额外费用。
我是公司集体医疗计划的一部分（不，我不需要每两周向凯撒支付40美元或任何费用），我不向保险公司支付任何费用。我去私人诊所，全额支付（50美元，三天免费药物），然后我回到我的公司，公司会帮我报销每次40美元左右的费用。我去私人诊所是为了缩短排队时间。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

Lower taxes
I’m not going to elaborate on this. I earn US$53,000 and pay around US$150 in taxes.
When I lived in the Silicon Valley, I was in the 28% bracket for Federal Taxes.
In Hong Kong, you get a huge tax break by living with your parents - it’s part of the city-state’s strategic plan for elderly care.
Enough said.
If I were to go back to the Silicon Valley, I’d earn double of my current salary in Hong Kong. I’d be in the 33% tax bracket. While that may still seem lucrative (there is incremental profit if you’re doing the financial analysis), sometimes you really need a hand from Uncle Sam or Big Brother. Money can solve a lot of problems, but unless your parents are taking Uber to their doctor’s visits and ordering food with Deliveroo twice a day, you’ll need help from the state. And you’re simply not going to get any help if you’re living in the States. Living in the States is good if you have no liabilities - but only if you have no liabilities.

3、减税
我不打算详细说明。我的收入为53000美元，缴税约为150美元。
当我住在硅谷时，我的联邦税率为28%。
在香港，与父母同住可以获得巨大的税收减免，这是这个城市国家养老战略计划的一部分。
说够了。
如果我回到硅谷，我的收入将是我目前在香港工资的两倍。我的税率是33%。虽然这看起来仍然是有利可图的（如果你做财务分析，会有增量利润），但有时你真的需要山姆大叔或老大哥的帮助。金钱可以解决很多问题，但除非你的父母用优步打车去看医生，并每天两次用Deliveroo订购食物，否则你需要政府的帮助。如果你住在美国，你根本得不到任何帮助。如果你没有负债，生活在美国是好的——但前提是你没有负债。

Carla May
Retiring early to Mexico after years of working hard (and smart), saving and making good choices is, so far, one of the best choices I have made.
Why?
I could not stand the giant chasm in beliefs between Americans, fomented by major media.
I was plain sick and tired of rush, rush, rush.
I was tired of having to carefully analyze the ‘facts’ presented to the populace and tired of informing others.
I was sick of insurance making choices to deny healthcare and the high costs in the US.
I was under an incredible amount of stress due to my work and the political situation.
I wanted a complete reset, nothing else would do.
I am so f#cking glad I left the USA!!!

经过多年的努力（和聪明）后，提前退休到墨西哥，储蓄和做出正确的选择，到目前为止，是我做出的最好的选择之一。
为什么？
我无法忍受主要媒体煽动的美国人之间信仰的巨大鸿沟。
我厌倦了匆忙，匆忙，匆忙。
我厌倦了必须仔细分析呈现给民众的“事实”，也厌倦了检举他人。
我厌倦了保险公司拒绝医疗保健和美国的高昂成本。
由于工作和政治形势，我承受着巨大的压力。
我想要一个完全的重置，没有别的办法。
我很高兴我离开了美国！！！

Anthony Genova
Because it’s true! I am an American who permanently moved to central Brazil. It was the best decision I ever made.
● I built my new house in central Brazil and was able to pay it off in ONE year.
● My property taxes are $100 US dollars a year. No, that is not a misprint. $100 US dollars a year!
● My dental implants are less than half the cost of the same in the United States…with equal and often better results.
● My food isn’t loaded with hormones and chemicals and I even have space to grow my own organic vegetables. Within 2 months in Brazil I lost 40 pounds without much exercise….just eating better food (which is difficult in the US).
● Almost every day is sunny and breezy with low humidity.
● Racism is much less pronounced than in the US. People in Brazil actually help each other and are not afraid to talk to strangers.
● Doctors actually take the time to listen to you and don’t treat you like a “number”.
● Brazilians enjoy life and have “fun”. They don’t worship the “Almighty Dollar”….except for some who are very greedy. For the most part, people are more important than money.
When Americans speak about “life” they speak about “life in the United States”. There are many ways “to live” and , for me, life in the US is NOT “truly living”. Americans don’t know what it means to truly live. In the end, materialism isn’t what brings true peace and satisfaction…….good relationships are.

因为这是真的！我是一个永久移居巴西中部的美国人。这是我做过的最好的决定。
● 我在巴西中部建造了我的新房子，并能在一年内付清。
● 我的财产税是每年100美元。不，这不是印刷错误，的确是一年100美元！
● 我的牙科植入物的成本不到美国同类产品的一半……效果是一样的，而且往往更好。
● 我的食物中没有激素和化学物质，我甚至有自己种植有机蔬菜的空间。在巴西的两个月内，我不做太多运动就减掉了40磅……，只是吃更好的食物（在美国这很难）。
● 几乎每天都阳光明媚，微风习习，湿度低。
● 种族主义远没有美国那么明显。在巴西，人们实际上互相帮助，不怕和陌生人交谈。
● 医生实际上会花时间听你说话，而不是把你当成一个“数字”。
● 巴西人享受生活，享受“乐趣”。他们不崇拜“万能的美元”……，除了一些非常贪婪的人。在大多数情况下，人比钱更重要。
当美国人谈论“生活”时，他们谈论的是“美国的生活”。“生活”有很多种方式，对我来说，美国的生活并不是“真正的生活”。美国人不知道真正的生活意味着什么。最终，物质主义并不能带来真正的和平与满足……。良好的人际关系很重要。

Michiel van Leening
Even non US residents know that living in the US is like living in a third world country. There's a huge discrepancy between rich and poor: just like any third world country. Medicare is basically non existent or unaffordable if you are poor: just like any third world country. Police know they can get away with anything, from harassing you on the road to downright killing you : just like any third world country.
The only difference is that the US pretends to be a civilized first world country.

即使是非美国居民也知道，生活在美国就像生活在第三世界国家。富人和穷人之间存在巨大的差异，就像任何第三世界国家一样。如果你是穷人，联邦医疗保险基本上是不存在或负担不起的，就像任何第三世界国家一样。警察知道他们可以逃脱任何惩罚，从在路上骚扰你到彻底杀死你，就像任何第三世界国家一样。
唯一的区别是，美国假装是一个文明的第一世界国家。