#2
The pros - too many to mention. But let's list the obvious: no one has fought a war on our soil in over 200 years, we have both wealth and a reasonable degree of income equality and sharing, we have more space than we could possibly fill, we have 20% of the worlds fresh water (although granted much is underground, we still have 7% of the world's surface fresh water), we produce far more food and energy than we consume. So - peace, food and water, space, money, and energy, all in abundance. A recipe for bliss.
The cons - the weather sucks much of the year, we live in the cultural shadow of the US, and we spend most of our time griping that although it's good, it could be better.
#3
Pros: nice weather, nice food, beatiful cities
Cons: politics are a joke, racism and blind nationalism, unemployment, too many people with a backwards mentality.
We wanted to hear directly from people around the world about what they truly love and what they really don’t about their home countries. Today, we stopped by India, a vibrant country in South Asia with a jaw-dropping population of over 1.4 billion. That’s right, 1,463,865,525 and counting! It’s a land of noise, color, chaos, and charm. And to give us a local’s view, we spoke with Neeraj Bucha, who lives in the bustling capital, Delhi.
India makes up about 17.78% of the world’s total population, let that sink in. With 492 people per square kilometer, space here is a shared luxury. Delhi, as Neeraj tells us, is one of the most high-energy places on the planet. “You can feel the buzz the minute you land,” he said. He’s not kidding. From traffic to temples, this city rarely slows down.
#4
Pros: whole country is historical and cultural adventure
Cons: government.
#5
Pros: We keep improving economically, average temperature (some people will say it's too cold but i'm okay with it), we have both mountains and sea, Poles really care about their cultural identity, low costs of living
Cons: low salaries comparing to the west, taxes, geography (in case of war we always get attacked first)
Generally I'm okay with living here.
#6
Pros: high standard of living, politics not as big of a mess as other countries, bike lanes everywhere
Cons: small country, expensive to live, sad food culture.
But ask Neeraj what makes Delhi special, and he doesn’t hesitate: the food. “You have to fall in love with it,” he grins. “You get global cuisines here, sure, but the street food? That’s the real deal.” He went on to rave about everything from spicy chole bhature to syrupy jalebis.
Compared to other cities he’s been to, Neeraj says Delhi just works. “It’s convenient,” he explains. “Things are available all the time, midnight deliveries, online shopping, anything.” As a grocery store owner in East Delhi, he knows the flow of the city well. “You just have to adjust to its rhythm,” he adds.
#7
Cons: prosperity, lack ofdevelopment, stagnant mentality, day-to-day racism
Pros: Just look out the window and at the view and you forget everything else, great food, chilled and warm people.
#8
But that aside, I've never found the small size to be a huge problem. I grew up in the United States, and at the end of the day people can only manage social circles of a certain size. Being in a small island community hasn't made my social circle any larger or smaller. You do end up knowing a lot of people nearly everywhere you go, but that same phenomena occurs in small city in the United States all the time. In general, the culture and interests we share as a people makes everywhere you go feel very welcoming.
And most people don't know this, but Fiji is made up of over 300 islands, so the amount of exploring in completely empty, near perfect islands you can do is endless :)
#9
Pros:
The food is great.
People are friendly and extremely open.
Serbia is a beautiful country with amazing landscapes and a very long history that really makes it wonderful and interesting to explore.
Our climate is good and it would suit anyone for all I know.
Cons (oh boy):
Low wages
Corruption
Poverty
High social inequality
Healthcare system is a disaster
Nepotism
High unemployment
For Neeraj, Delhi also offers great opportunities for those willing to hustle. “There’s work if you’re ready to work,” he says. From tech startups to local businesses, the city buzzes with ambition. Add in the cultural mix, and it’s never boring. “So many festivals, languages, beliefs, yet somehow, people manage to live in harmony.”
#10
Pros: high wages, thermal energy to heat up houses, cheap electricity, public security (low crime rates), no mosquitoes
Cons: Everything is extremely expensive, the weather, selfish idiotic government, ridiculous loaning system.
#11
Pros: Weather, food, nightlife, maaaaany things to do
Cons: Awful wages compared to other countries, politics has been a s******w since forever, streets aren't as clean as I would like.
#12
Pro: Great education, stable politics, pretty safe. High wages.
Con: everything expensive as f**k. No matter what other country I go to everything is cheaper there (which is nice for vacation though).
He also appreciates the city’s infrastructure, especially the transport system. “The metro is honestly a blessing,” Neeraj points out. “It’s fast, affordable, and well-connected.” Whether it’s commuting to work or meeting friends across town, you can get there without needing a car. That alone is a major win in a city this dense.
#13
Pros: good universities, universal healthcare, multicultural immigration means lots of good food, amazing coffee culture, some of the world’s nicest old theatres and cinemas. People tend to be chill.
Cons: unstable and chaotic politics, very high cost of living, employment drought (especially compared to the UK), summers are painfully hot, culture of misogyny can be very pervasive, overcrowded public transport, weird accents.
#14
It is, of course, pretty small. You can drive from one side of the island to the other in about 25 minutes at our national speed limit of 35 mph. You can walk it in about 4 hours. I still haven't learnt to drive yet even though I could have done 5 years ago.
We have one town, which we know as Town. It's still a bustling metropolis if you come from one of our dependencies, Alderney (pop. 2,000) or Sark (pop. 500).
Given what's been going on in the world, I'm grateful for our politics being pretty boring. We don't have any political parties, and our issues aren't stuff like starting a trade war, it's how to fund a new high school and bitching about the ferry operator.
I've been living in Singapore (a big country :P) for the last few months and nobody here has heard of it. I have to show it to them on the map, or lie and say I'm from the UK. And inevitably when I do show it to them I have to explain that no we're not part of the UK, yes I'm a British citizen, it says European Union on my passport, but we're not part of the EU, but I stand to lose my rights to live in it, thanks Britain, and we don't have an army but the British are supposed to defend us and we've only been invaded once in 1940 but they didn't then bla bla bla
Naturally it's a very close-knit community. And if you know a Guernseyman in Singapore it's probably me. Hai.
Also, tax haven.
#15
Pros: safe, functioning and high standard of living
Cons: summer too short, winter too long, food mediocre, expensive.
“And don’t even get me started on the shopping,” he laughs. “From high-end malls to chaotic street markets, this place is a shopper’s dream.” According to Neeraj, you can find anything and everything in Delhi. Clothes, gadgets, spices, books, you name it, Delhi has it. And probably at ten different price points.
#16
Pros: High standard of living, universal healthcare, strongest economy in Europe, good income.
Cons: Taxation, rise of nationalism.
#17
Pro: Free at point of use health care, libraries, local transport (I'm a pensioner!); reasonably tolerant society; countryside generally accesible from most cities/towns.
Cons: Current government working hard at dismantling public services; highly visible, vocal extremist groups trying to foment intolerance; rise of binge drinking culture; UKIP and Daily Mail isolationism.
#18
Although there are other factors as well, one thing I've noticed is the effect of everyone knowing everyone (as is the case in a small country) vs the anonymity of a big city like London. This manifests itself in a weird way:
I'm a big gym goer and in London I see it all the time that people just walk off leaving weights lying around and not cleaning up after themselves. Maybe partially because here they're one in a very big crowd, nobody will know who didn't unload that barbell.
In Estonia however the gyms are much more orderly: people always take their weights off and put things back and I think it's to do with it being more easily visible if you're acting like a d****e.
Anonymity breeds douchebaggery, familiarity counteracts it.
But of course, not everything sparkles. “Pollution is a serious issue here,” Neeraj admits. Delhi’s air quality often tops the global charts, for all the wrong reasons. With AQI levels sometimes crossing 400, it’s not just a problem, it’s a health hazard. “It’s something we live with, but not something we’re proud of,” he adds.
#19
Pros: pretty, a lot of culture and history, big for Europe with varied landscapes, high standards for schools, pretty good living standards, delicious food, good food and social culture, pretty language
Cons: politics are getting worse every year, lots of unresolved social issues, too centralized around Paris, expensive for Europe.
#20
The Pros of NZ
New Zealand is a pretty big place, especially when you take into account the small population. This can be both a blessing and a course, though when you grow up getting used to seeing people crammed into every nook and cranny(Singapore has roughly the same population, however it is hundreds of times smaller) it can be refreshing to not glimpse a single soul as far as the eye can see.
As someone who has grown up in Asia (including the famously ethnically homogeneous Japan), I am often stunned to see the cultural diversity in New Zealand, especially in my hometown of Auckland. Although there definitely needs to be an improvement with race relations in NZ, growing liberal attitudes to immigration are helping to solve any tensions that can arise.
And the Cons
One problem facing young adults and teens in New Zealand is the lack of prestigious higher/tertiary education facilities. However, this also means NZ misses out on a potential market for new talent that could otherwise be attracted to the countries business friendly policies. Although NZ is praised for it's primary and secondary education system, and it does have some solid universities, many of them lack the star power to actually attract foreigners, like many top institutions in the US, Britain and Australia. If NZ could successfully market itself out as a higher education Mecca, we could attract young entrepreneurs from around the globe.
Disclaimer: These suggested pros and cons are just a drop in the ocean. I didn't go into political, economic or social issues, as I only decided to go into things that affect me directly, or that tend to stand out as obvious positives/negatives.