If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave?
Lots of reasons... Hungary was joining the EU, and residency requirements were going to be much stricter. I was self-employed, so didn't have an employer (and their lawyers!) to advocate for me. I'd been there for many years, and was missing my family back in the US. And my Hungarian fiancee had just left me, so I was feeling dejected and lonely, and kind of done with Hungarian women. And finally, Viktor Orban was changing from being the heroic young leader of the rebellion against the old Communist apparatchiks, into a serious nutcase right wing fascist. All those different factors came together to tell me it was time to sell and get out. Go do something else. So I left.
I did. It took a lot of flailing around, heavy drinking, alienating several girlfriends in a row, buying a motorcycle and just riding around the country for a month or so, and finally finding a job I could really commit myself to. I also learned not to talk about anything other than America. The fastest way to stop a conversation with an American is to express the fact that there may be somewhere outside of our borders. Their eyes will glaze over... they will cock their head to one side... and then kinda wander off in a daze. I actually use this when I am annoyed by someone and want them to go away. I just start talking about living overseas, and what life was like there, and they promptly leave. "Right? I know! When I was living in Budapest I had a washing machine, but no dryer. So I had this wire clothes rack I'd hang my clothes out to dry on, and put it up in the living room, and... oh. Ok. Yeah. Good talking to you! See you later!"
Jeez. May it be the circle of people you find yourself into? Quite disenchanting would be to learn that most people in the US are like that. Quite a ride, that was. I hope you're doing fine now and nothing like that touches you again.I also learned not to talk about anything other than America. The fastest way to stop a conversation with an American is to express the fact that there may be somewhere outside of our borders. Their eyes will glaze over... they will cock their head to one side... and then kinda wander off in a daze.
It took a lot of flailing around, heavy drinking, alienating several girlfriends in a row, buying a motorcycle and just riding around the country for a month or so, and finally finding a job I could really commit myself to.