Should I work in the US or the UK? - which pays best? (slight diversion)

[Dave Hodgkinson]

On 14 Dec 2011, at 10:23, Richard Foley wrote:

> Adding a little diversity here, by including Germany, where I currently live
> with my family.  Simon's museum reference hit hard, I sympathise, and can
> confirm it's the same here in Munich.  The paucity of anything comparable to
> the London, open to the public, museums is quite extraordinary, given that
> Munich is the capital of the free state of Bavaria, and virtually it's own
> little country even today.  Anything worth seeing is also very expensive to get
> in to, I can only presume thus to keep the riff-raff out.  

I'll add in my 2c here.

I spent a fantastic year living in Amsterdam.

I'll second the culture shock. Even a people a short hop over the dirty ditch
can be alien enough to be culturally incomprehensible. 

"Dutch Cuisine" is an oxymoron of the highest order: snert? Stamppot? Nee 
bedankt. The beer is passable. Luckily there's a manual for expats called 
"The Undutchables" which gives an insight to the psyche and the plumbing.
They got a rubbish empire so their imported cuisine is Indonesian which is
also a bit meh. However, booze is relatively cheaps.

A lifesaver for me was the thriving expat community there and I made friends
from all over the world and Yorkshire.

As for culture, the Dutch have lots. Amsterdam is itself a living museum
stuffed with museums: the Rijksmuseum, the van Gogh and the very nice FOAM
the photographic museum. At current exchange rate it's expensive with a 
main course at my fave Irish pub coming in at €14 or so.

Having lived in Amsterdam and for six months, Taipei, it's something I'd do
again like a shot; either coast of the US, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo, Beijing.
Just make the work interesting!