I live in the EU but also have a US account. I can photodrop any USD check to my US account and it clears in a few days. Then I just transfer the money to my EU account.

First question: do yiu know anything about Dubai? Second question: do you want to live there?

You could also use the neighbor app, NextDoor. Lots of people post availability for work, or work requests, there.

I had 6 weeks to begin with, but as I got older I got more. Last 2 or 3 years before retirement it was 9 weeks.

Had an all-commission sales gig in the US so I earned a lot more there. But expenses were also much higher. American culture is designed to extract as much as possible from your bank account. Bought an apartment in Den Haag for far less than it would cost in the US. Mortgage is consequently much cheaper.

Born and raised in the US, lived in the Netherlands 12 years. Money is an issue often brought up by Americans. We pay a lot of taxes here but get a lot back for that too. Public transportaion is awesome. Infrastrucure is very good. Everything works and is properly maintained. City services are amazing. If you call a city or national department, someone answers the phone and answers your question. Cycling infrastructure is second to none. You can walk everywhere. Don’t need a car. No violent crime. No guns.

It’s flat and rainy in the winter. I miss the nature in the US. Americans are friendlier, but the big expat communities here provide endless opportunities for friendship. Nothing i miss enough to entice me to move back.

Final word, here it’s peaceful as opposed to chaotic in the US.

This is virtually impossible on a 6 month ticket, especially with all the housing problems here now and the absurdly high rent.

Never turn your back on an opportunity for love. I moved 12 years ago and am now happily living in the Netherlands.

After 12 years away, nothing on the planet could entice me into moving back to the permanent chaos that is the US.

It’s simple. If you have any income, US or foreign, you must file. Tax itself is paid to the country where it was earned, even if you’re working remote. Don’t forget FATCA.

Good enough. best of luck to you.

My take on your situation is that you will find the US entirely changed, and not for the better. Since you have an in demand skill, why not try a new place, rather than limiting youself to the US?

This is a common story here. Many people return to their place of origin and expect to find it exactly as they left it. It never is. You’ve changed. It has changed.

Efficiency is defined a thousand different ways. Netherlands has highly effective bureaucracy, but there are lotsa regulations. We like rules.

Thankfully, those are languages I don’t have to think about. Ducth was bumpiest one so far.

Just thank god they weren’t speaking Dutch.

NL is a good choice in your situation for several reasons: tech jobs are plentiful and English only is acceptable with many employers; Germany is close by if you need to deal with your citizenship application.

Negs are: it’s flat; cloudy and rainy in winter; plenty of green space but no vast open spaces as in the US. Been here 12 years and really like the country.

This all depends upon how much your definition of QOL hangs on money. I moved US to NL 12 years ago. Never made as much money, but find living here far more relaxing than it ever was in the chaotic US. And, if you move and don’t like it, you can always go back.

Sorry to read of your troubles. But hang in there. This too shall pass. I’ve been here 12 years and it’s been a wonderful ride.

Also, keep in mind it’s soul destroying to put off your wishes for what might, or might not, happen.

I moved from US to Netherlands at 58. I’m now 69 and still here. Never looked back. Do it.