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Returning to the US after living abroad reveals significant societal and economic challenges, prompting a reevaluation of personal aspirations and the concept of 'home'.
The host, Alex, returns to the US after living abroad and shares his observations about the country's current state, noting a significant increase in stress and a perceived economic decline. He contrasts this with his experiences in Southeast Asia, where he felt less pressure. Alex admits to stress eating and acknowledges the challenges he faces upon his return, which are compounded by a feeling that the US is not as prosperous as it once was, despite its material wealth.
He elaborates on the economic downturn by pointing to rising prices for everyday goods and services, such as at Walmart and Qdoba, and a noticeable increase in homelessness, even in suburban areas. Alex also touches upon the difficulty of finding future-proof jobs and the declining lucrativeness of the tech industry. He reflects on the past, particularly the 1990s and early 2000s, as a more prosperous era, contrasting it with the current reality where working individuals struggle with high rent and living costs.
The video also explores the challenges faced by younger generations due to declining health outcomes and a strained healthcare system. Alex discusses his career plans, aiming for a stable wage in California that will allow him to build a dividend portfolio for passive income, a goal that could enable a return to Southeast Asia. He emphasizes that while YouTube is enjoyable, it's not a sustainable career, and he needs to focus on financial stability and personal well-being, acknowledging that 'home' has become a fluid concept due to his extensive travels and the changes he's witnessed.
Reverse culture shock in the US, especially when coupled with a perceived economic decline, involves feeling disillusioned by societal and economic challenges upon returning home. This can manifest as increased stress, higher living costs, and visible signs of hardship like homelessness, contrasting with expectations of prosperity.
Many expats returning to the US observe signs of economic decline, noting rising prices for everyday goods and services, stagnant wages, and increased homelessness. This perception suggests a decrease in societal well-being and financial stability compared to previous eras.
Reverse culture shock can significantly affect expats by creating a sense of dissatisfaction with their home country's living standards and economic conditions. This often leads to a reevaluation of personal aspirations and a stronger desire to return to their adopted country for a better quality of life.
Challenges of returning to the US include facing a perceived economic downturn, higher living costs, and a less prosperous environment than remembered. Many find career opportunities less stable and struggle with financial planning for the future, leading to stress and a complex sense of belonging.
Expats may wish to leave the US due to disillusionment with its economic state, perceived decline in living standards, and increased societal stress. The aspiration for a better quality of life, reduced stress, and greater financial ease often draws them back to overseas locations.
Coping with reverse culture shock involves acknowledging the complex feelings associated with returning home, especially when economic conditions are challenging. Focusing on building financial stability, like passive income, and understanding that 'home' can be a fluid concept can help manage these adjustments.
The video suggests the US is experiencing economic decline with rising prices for everyday goods and services. This is contrasted with past eras, like the 1990s and early 2000s, which are remembered as more prosperous. The current reality includes high rent and living costs that make it difficult for working individuals to get by.
The host observes a significant increase in stress among people in the US compared to his experiences abroad. This stress is linked to economic factors such as the perceived decline in prosperity, high living costs, and a challenging job market. The political climate and general cost of living are also mentioned as contributing factors.
The video touches on the difficulty of finding future-proof jobs and notes a decline in the lucrativeness of industries like tech. Many individuals are working long hours with significant commutes, making it hard to achieve work-life balance. This situation leads some to focus on building passive income for future financial stability.
The video suggests that retiring overseas is a desirable goal for many disillusioned with current US conditions. The aspiration is to achieve a better quality of life and reduced stress, often by building passive income. Some viewers express a preference for the perceived friendliness and lower cost of living in other countries.
The video points to a noticeable increase in homelessness, even in suburban areas, as a visible sign of economic hardship. This, along with items being locked up in stores, suggests a decline in societal well-being and economic stability for a portion of the population.
0:04 Hey YouTube, Alex here. I wanted to do a life update video for you. I'm back here in America and I have been moving forward with some different opportunities that I found and think things are trending in the right direction for me. But I wouldn't be lying if I didn't mention that it's been pretty stressful.
0:29 If you can't tell, I've definitely been doing a lot of stress eating and definitely have some weight to lose. It's just tough here. I think a lot of people that are attracted to expat life, leaving the United States, it tends to be a combination of factors. But I found a very common thread among the guys I met over the years I lived in Southeast Asia were that we didn't really feel like we had a lot here in the US or in our respective home countries.
1:03 Of course, there's guys or gals from Australia, Canada, the UK, other countries as well, not limited to those, but those seem to be the four that are the most represented in the places that I've been, Thailand, Philippines, but even in Latin America.
1:27 And, uh, you know, it just, it's not what it used to be. There's just little things I noticed. Like when I first got back, it was great. You know, I hadn't seen several people in years. So, it was great to see those people, catch up with those people. If you're watching this, you know who you are. I had gotten a little worn out on certain little things in Southeast Asia. Like overall I mainly left to get back to work.
1:57 But like, you know, there's things that I think all of us, no matter where our home country is at, there's things that we miss about it. We might not miss everything about it, but like even people, you know, I met people from many different countries and I feel that very few of them are totally negative on their home country. Like they might have some critiques, some criticism, some things that they really didn't care for, but you know, they miss like the weather or they miss the culture or they miss having everybody speaking the language or who knows, it could be any number of things.
2:39 But being back here, there's just, I don't know, people seem stressed out. I think the United States is not as prosperous as it once was. Sure, in GDP terms, I think it's, you know, if you're just looking at that, but if you look at the actual wealth of the people, it just seems like people, they definitely have material wealth and it is the most materially wealthy country in the world, but it seems like people are cutting back some. And it seems like the country's economy, even if they're not coming out and saying it, isn't as good as what it once was.
3:21 I've finally managed to find my way into a career that I think is or should be getting into career soon that's somewhat future-proof, but a lot of jobs are getting automated. I don't think the tech industry is as lucrative as it once was.
3:42 Everything's getting more expensive, but the job market is also not very good. I notice like, you know, I'm here in the Denver metro area. I don't know if you're familiar with Colorado, but if you aren't, Denver's always had some homeless people, but it seems like worse than I've ever seen it. I see homeless people out in the suburbs where I used to not see homeless people or very many homeless people. I see just like driving around the city more people kind of hanging out, you know, flying signs where you hold up a sign with some kind of message, basically, please give me money.
4:28 And I also see like when I go to different stores, like Walmart, I've had to go to Walmart several times throughout the week just to pick up different things, mostly little things for my car like I had to replace my windshield wiper blades, replace my car battery, I got some tires recently. You see a lot more stuff locked up. Like I need to get batteries or a battery for my key fob and that was locked up. So I had to ask an employee to help me unlock the battery case. You see this in different aisles, like a lot of stuff is locked up. And I know like some people would say, 'Ah, it's you know, liberal Colorado or whatever,' but I think this is an issue around the country that people are harder up.
5:22 And I think like if the country is kind of going backwards economically in some ways, you know, I've overheard people say they need to punish that or they need to punish this. It's like the jails only have so much room. The prisons only have so much room. There's only so much law enforcement attention. Like, you know, when there's like a few homeless people, like, yeah, you can crack down. When there's like thousands and thousands of homeless people, it's a lot harder to crack down. Like you can't just take them out, you know? You have to, they have to go somewhere. And if the shelters are full, they can't, there's only so many people that fit in the shelter.
6:13 It's just, you know, ain't what it used to be. I think we should all appreciate like peak America. I grew up or had my earliest years in the 90s and that seemed like a time, you know, I'm watching this channel, Finance with Nick, shout out to Nick, where he argues that like the year 2000 was the most prosperous year in the United States. And I'd agree with that. I mean, it was like unheard of when I was a kid for anybody but like the most destitute of the destitute to be homeless, certainly not people who are working a job. Now you have like a lot of working people living in vehicles because rent is so expensive.
6:53 I have been like, just shocked at the prices now that I'm kind of getting out and about and looking around more. Like when I first got back, it's like, ah, whatever. I'd saved plenty and still have savings to last me through starting my new career, but it's like, wow, you know, I'm back in Denver. But I'm going to some of the old places I used to frequent and I lived in Denver and a lot of them have doubled the prices on everything. I mean, I used to go to this Goodwill outlet where you could buy donated goods by the pound. Like seven years ago was 99 cents a pound. Now it's $1.99 a pound.
7:38 Qdoba, like over here, I don't know if you'll be able to see this. There's Qdoba right there. You used to be able to get like a breakfast, pretty big breakfast burrito for like, gosh, I remember it was like six bucks. It was really good. Now it's nine bucks. So, I know inflation, that topic's probably been beaten a lot by a lot of people, but it's really shocking to see.
8:11 I wish I'd been more appreciative of those economic boom times when I was younger. I guess I was too young to really understand economics for the economy. I wish I had had more financial literacy. I probably would have made better decisions growing up.
8:37 It's, you know, I think it's tough for a lot of the younger generations and the older generations alike now because we're seeing like, I think health outcomes kind of declining in the US. And so I think a lot of people, they like to blame the boomers, and some of my boomer friends are probably watching this, but they're also struggling from a lack of qualified personnel. I think a lot of healthcare professionals are like burnt out from the COVID era, and so that definitely affects people who are more in need of healthcare, like the older generations where, you know, their personnel are stretched thin and like really probably overworked in a lot of areas that don't, you know, where healthcare may not be as heavily regulated. Like I know the Bay Area, they have minimum patient to nurse ratios, but that's like a Bay Area thing, certainly not applicable to everywhere in the country.
9:51 Yeah, I'm just, I'll be here for a few more days, I think, in Colorado and then I'm going to head to California. So, I'm actually moving back to California. I managed to find some opportunity in California. I think it's going to be a good decision overall. I'll be able to enjoy that nice weather and lose this newfound gut.
10:12 I'll be able to earn a decent wage. Like where I'm from in Tennessee, the cost of living has gone up a lot, but the wages still don't pay very much unless you're in healthcare. But even if you're in healthcare, you can make more money in other states. So for me, I felt very blessed to be able to stay with some good friends for several months while I planned out my next steps. But they understand as well as I do. They're very familiar with the economy there. Most people, like if you want to be successful by home state, you need to either be a business owner, you need to have like a healthcare education, or be retired, may have made your money in another state. So like a lot of the people in Tennessee that have money now, they made their money in California or New York or Chicago, some big city, and now they're coming to Tennessee to enjoy it. But that doesn't really help the young people in Tennessee who want to make a living. And so that's why I'm going back to California even though it's very expensive in a lot of ways.
11:22 It's now kind of a wash as far as cost of living differences and the wages are a lot higher, especially for the field that I'm researched and figured out I'll be able to do a lot better out there. And I think this could be my career until I hit a more standard retirement age if I don't have any major health issues come up. I'm not counting on health issues around my family, but it's more of a future than focusing on trying to do YouTube full-time.
12:05 Like, I enjoy YouTube a lot and it can be a lot of fun to meet new people. I've met some wonderful people through this channel, but it's not as
12:17 Through this channel, but it's not as really sustainable as a career. I plan to keep making more videos. I know I've taken several months off, and I apologize to you guys for that. But YouTube is not a career; it can be a lot of fun, but I needed to take a break from it.
12:47 Too much of my focus was being diverted from other opportunities that I need to pursue. I guess winter is coming, so it's going to be getting cold in a few months, and I'm not looking forward to it. I really enjoyed being in Southeast Asia in the winter months; having those tropical vibes was really wonderful to not have to experience cold weather.
13:17 That's something I'm going to have to be prepared for. California winter is not the same as Colorado winter or even Tennessee weather where I'm from, but it's still going to be chilly. It's not going to be like a tropical vacation like being in the Philippines or Thailand. So, that's something I'm going to have to be prepared for.
13:46 It's, you know, making sure I have the proper attire for that. I guess the new dream is to just make enough money in your career to eventually move overseas. I think it'll become more and more common in the coming years, and more and more people are figuring out what their plan should look like.
14:18 I think that in an early timeframe, I could maybe pull it off in like 10 years. But I don't know, as I get older, the US can be nice because if you need something like healthcare, the quality is very good here. Of course, the US changes so much too, so that might be contradictory.
14:52 I don't know. I've moved around so much, so I think that's part of my challenge. I don't know that anywhere really feels like home anymore. The US has changed so much; it doesn't quite feel like home. Southeast Asia, I didn't grow up there, so no matter how much I want to be accepted or welcomed, I'll never be Thai or Filipino.
15:17 So, there's just been a lot on my mind lately, guys. I appreciate your patience with me as far as not uploading in several months. Some of that is my memory cards are full, and some of that is I've been trying to focus on getting my job going because in the United States, you've got to work.
15:33 Everybody's got to work until you're very fortunate, made really good decisions, worked really hard, and did everything right to maybe sell a tech company or something like that. You got to work to be here; the costs are just too high. And also, the expectations placed on people here.
15:56 People expect for you to have a late-model car. People expect for you to have a nice home. I think maybe some of that will change with the younger generations, but I think we'll be in a kind of a split society in the future where there's not really a middle class anymore.
16:19 That kind of factors into the equation as well: what does it look like for the people who aren't rich and may never become rich? I guess the dream is like, hey, I'm going to get to a certain point where maybe I make a couple grand a month in investment income.
16:37 That may sound like a lot, but it's reasonably attainable by most people. And then when I hit that point, then I go overseas where I can actually live a decent standard of living again. I'm not trying to live in a vehicle or have 12 roommates or work 40 hours of overtime every week on top of my standard 40.
17:04 Yeah, I miss being in Southeast Asia for sure, guys. It's not just like being able to chill out, but it's like the social climate. I had a lot of friends throughout Thailand as well, and just having the time to kind of slow your mind down and destress.
17:24 I think part of me is permanently a little bit lower in terms of stress than if I hadn't spent so much time in Southeast Asia. But I can just see the way some people act in public; some people are really wound up tight here in the United States.
17:41 They're very confrontational. I don't know if it's that their life isn't working out, or entitlement, or just general frustration with the society kind of declining a bit. I realize part of that too is that I don't I actually like the United States.
18:06 But having family issues that could happen in any country, that was part of my frustration with wanting to go overseas. It's like, you know, no matter what I do, that's not going to be resolved.
18:23 I think a lot of people, that factors into the frustration of a lot of expats with the United States: they don't have that family to lean on. So when times get tough, they have to be totally self-reliant.
18:35 When you develop that strong sense of self-reliance, you're like, well, I can go anywhere in the world if I can trust myself and depend on myself to take care of myself. That same trait or characteristic or quality is a good thing anywhere.
18:52 There's no country where being self-reliant is not going to be helpful for you as a person. So, I know I'm starting to ramble, guys. Let me know what you think down in the comments. If you're glad to see me back, if you want to see me keep making videos.
19:08 I don't know exactly how I could pivot the content of the channel. I know that once my new career starts going, I could start putting away money every month. I can start building out that dividend portfolio.
19:22 That's going to be a goal of mine: to build out that dividend portfolio where I get passive income. I can build that passive income up and eventually return to Southeast Asia in a more sustainable way. But also, I don't know, later years, I may just want to slow down from work.
19:43 I think it's good to work really hard when you're young and then build up a lot of investments and savings, and then when you get older, you can kind of chill out a bit. But anyway, guys, this video could be an hour.
19:54 Give us a thumbs up if you like this video. Comment down below your thoughts and subscribe if you haven't already, and we'll see you soon. Bye, guys.
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