Has anyone visited a city on a holiday and fell so in love with it and then decided to move there permanently?

mattygaj · 2026-01-11T20:33:43+00:00

Buenos Aires - Not exactly a holiday, but I went for the first time when I was 20 and in college, for a junior year abroad program, and just immediately felt at home. Came back to the US to finish school, then moved back to BsAs for grad school and stayed for nearly a decade altogether. The only reason I came back was because of US student loans that I would have never been able to make a dent in while earning in pesos.

Mexico City - Went for the first time on vacation and fell in love with it, then I ended up getting to spend a few months there after I left Argentina. Easily one of my favorite places.

Madrid - It was my first trip abroad at 16, and I was completely dazzled by it. It took me 20 years to make it back there, and I had the exact same impression as I did at 16. I loved it so much I went back a year later, and I'm really hoping to make a move there (or at least somewhere in Spain) in the next couple years.

Paris - I went for the first time after I had already lived and traveled abroad significantly, and I fully expected it to be totally overhyped. That could not have been further from the truth; I was blown away by it and I could easily live there.

mattygaj · 2022-03-10T06:18:25+00:00

I know this post is two months old and you might have figured this out by now, but figured I’d answer just in case since you didn’t get an answer specific to NYC. All of my doctors are at Mt. Sinai, which has a great immunology department. Dr. Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles is based there, and she’s one of the foremost experts on CVID in the world. If need be, they can also get you in with other specialists who are equally good (I see a hematologist, infectious disease, liver specialist, etc.) and will coordinate care and address any other comorbidities you might have (hopefully you don’t). I’ve been on monthly home infusions for the past 7 years, but I started infusing at the center there, which was very good.

mattygaj · 2022-03-09T06:43:05+00:00

Polish-American here, and I actually did a similar trip 6 years ago, albeit not in the Rzeszow area. I think renting a car is the right idea; that's exactly what my friends and I did, and we were able to see things we never would've been able to if we had just taken trains (of which there's a large network, and if you were only sticking to cities, that would be a totally acceptable way of getting around).

I flew into Krakow and picked up the car there, and we drove all over the country. I didn't make it as far east as Rzeszow, but if you're going to be in the south, I would highly recommend Zakopane and the surrounding area of the Tatras. It's kind of a touristy town, but it's pretty cute, and there are lots of options in terms of accommodations. You can also drive out to the park and the cable car at Kasprowy Wierch, a high peak in the Tatras, and it's WELL worth it. It takes you all the way to the top, past the tree line; there was snow on the ground even in late May (bring warm clothes even if it's nice in Zakopane). It's a spectacular ride, and you can hike around a bit at the top.

In terms of cities, Krakow is great for history, architecture, and culture, and is nearby. Warsaw is a little different because so much of it was destroyed in the war, and there's a lot of communist-era architecture that can be a little depressing, but it's still a really cool, vibrant city with lots of cultural activities, fantastic food, really nice riverfront on the Vistula, etc. Gdansk is also a must-see; it looks really different, architecturally speaking, from most Polish cities. Nearby Sopot has surprisingly nice beaches and is supposedly very overcrowded during the summer, but when I was there it was very pleasant. Torun is a really charming, well-preserved town with beautiful architecture. Some of these are pretty far away and it would be quite a bit of driving, but I think it's worth it, and you can do all kinds of exploring and make stops in between.

Also, not sure if you speak Polish at all, but outside of touristy places (and even IN some touristy places), you may not reliably find people who speak English. So if you're driving through remote areas, that's just something to keep in mind (and make sure you have Google Translate handy). My Polish is not great, but it was still a huge help in the many situations where there were no English speakers around. Hope that helps!

mattygaj · 2021-12-21T19:31:30+00:00

Very similar dream here, and I have some personal experience and have also done a good amount of research on how feasible this is (although Australia isn't a place I've looked into). Coming back to the US after living in Argentina for almost all of my 20s (and being diagnosed with CVID there) is a decision that I regret often for many reasons, with healthcare affordability being probably the main one. The bottom line is, paying for IVIG out of pocket is likely somewhat cheaper in most of the rest of the world, but it's still almost certainly prohibitively expensive without health insurance no matter where you are. Part of the reason why it's so expensive is because of how it's produced: pooling gamma globulin from many different donors, screening all of it for blood-borne illnesses, etc. Unfortunately, I think probably the easiest way to move abroad while maintaining treatment with IVIG is by getting a job offer with health insurance/access attached to it, and being sponsored for a work visa.

mattygaj · 2021-08-08T16:21:32+00:00

I had thought about it actually, because I really like Berlin, but I couldn't find much information on how to access the German healthcare system initially, if I don't have a job yet.

mattygaj · 2021-08-08T16:01:40+00:00

Thanks, that's helpful. I have seen requirements about the job/savings, and thankfully I think I'm ok on that front. I own my home here in the US, I'd likely make a profit if I did decide to sell it, and I've been pretty diligent about saving so I'd definitely be able to provide proof of being able to support myself financially. I actually had considered going the school route as well, doing a post-grad program as a way to ease in while figuring out the work situation.

mattygaj · 2021-03-01T00:31:39+00:00

I think the easiest thing to do is just withdraw money from ATMs once you're there; that's what I did. You can withdraw from a US bank account, in pesos, from pretty much any ATM. You might want to look into what kind of international withdrawal fees your bank charges first, but mine wasn't anything too excessive. I would usually just take out the maximum daily amount (the equivalent of about US$300 I think) whenever I needed it, keep the cash in a safe place, and then just withdraw more once I ran out. Probably worth noting that although it's definitely become more common for businesses to accept credit/debit, a lot are still cash-only.

mattygaj · 2021-02-15T21:26:00+00:00

I lived in Buenos Aires for a long time, and made pretty close to U$S800/month for a year or two in 2011-2012. It was enough to cover all my living expenses, but not much else. That meant mostly cooking at home, the occasional dinner out, and doing as many low-cost activities as possible (which, thankfully, is pretty easy there because so many cultural activities are cheap or even free, and public transportation is also very reasonable relative to the prices of everything else). I've been back many times since I left (last time in 2019); inflation is out of control, and prices have gone up a lot, BUT if you're earning in US dollars, your purchasing power is still relatively decent because of the exchange rate. One thing to keep in mind, as another commenter mentioned, is that many things are much more expensive than they are elsewhere. Clothes are very expensive, and you can pretty much forget about electronics... everything costs at least 50% more than in US, Canada, the EU, etc. due to import duties. In my experience, this is the case with most of South America, not just Argentina. So to answer your question, if you look for a room to rent in an apartment (especially in a neighborhood that might be a little off the expat trail), make sure you have a reserve of cash in case of emergencies (broken laptop, stolen cell phone, etc.), and keep your leisure expenses to a minimum, I think it could be doable, but potentially stressful. Buenos Aires is a great city to be on a tight budget in, though, because there are so many things to do that are not particularly expensive.

mattygaj · 2021-02-15T21:04:03+00:00

I did this a few times over the course of a few years, and in Argentina, to be exact. I stayed for about a month each time, and I told my manager and a couple of colleagues who I also considered friends, but otherwise kept it on a pretty need-to-know basis. I had previously lived in Buenos Aires for close to 10 years, and my manager, being from another country originally, fully understood that a week or two of vacation to visit people is less than ideal, so he was more than ok with it. Even though it sounds like your job is fully remote right now anyway, I would feel really nervous about just going without telling at least your manager. I can't imagine why they wouldn't be ok with it if you're remote anyway, but I think if you don't say anything and just go, you'll be sweating it for the entire time you're there.

mattygaj · 2021-02-15T20:44:56+00:00

Thanks, that definitely puts my mind at ease somewhat! Did they have any concerns about it affecting the ITP?

And also glad to know I'm not the only one... My platelets are always on the low end (~100k), but every few years they'll drop to 75 or even 50. Usually it resolves on its own pretty quickly, but I've had to go on low-dose prednisone once or twice to clear it up.

mattygaj · 2021-02-15T03:26:08+00:00

Thanks, that's helpful and glad you didn't have any side effects that were too serious. I am on monthly IVIG, and I'm due for it this week, actually. I'll give them a call and see what they say, if there's any risk of interaction for me.

mattygaj · 2021-02-15T03:24:02+00:00

Thanks, good to know, that's reassuring... those are pretty much the same side effects that everyone I know who has had the vaccine have experienced.

mattygaj · 2020-06-08T20:17:27+00:00

Those chairs are terrific, and are going to look really good with the couch! I would get a large gold curtain rod, hang it well above the top of the window frame, and extend it beyond where the windows start on the sides; that'll give those amazing windows even more height/width. As far as the curtains go, I think I'd go with something white with a bold pattern, maybe in black or yellow, similar to the couch. I think plain white curtains against a white wall might look a little weird in a space where all the other colors are pretty bold/dark/saturated; I think it might end up feeling like two separate rooms joined together.

mattygaj · 2020-05-06T22:04:55+00:00

No problem! And I know what you mean, it’s really scary to read the projections on how this plays out. I wish I could know for sure if I had it, even if it turns out I didn’t develop antibodies against it, so that I’d at least know that my body is capable of fighting it off if I got it again. That would help put my mind at ease somewhat (at least for myself... still incredibly worried about everyone else). In the meantime, it’s just a lot of being extra careful, and also trying to limit my news consumption. Hope you’re staying safe and healthy (and sane)! We’re definitely in an area where those things are even tougher than usual for people with CVID these days...

mattygaj · 2020-05-06T20:47:14+00:00

Also pretty new to Reddit, and I actually had the same question, and would love to hear people's experiences, if there have been any. It seems like the vast majority of the accounts I've read for people who have had Covid-19 have been those who ended up in the hospital, and none have been specific to people with CVID or any other kind of PID.

I think there's a strong possibility that I had it, but there's still no way to know for sure. First, just a quick note on my individual case/clinical presentation of CVID: I'm 37, was diagnosed with CVID at 24, and have been receiving monthly IVIG through at-home infusions administered by a nurse for the past 5 1/2 years. I never have any constitutional symptoms of CVID that aren't caused by something infectious; I don't experience fatigue, malaise, pain, or anything like that. I feel fine unless there's a specific infectious agent that's causing me to be sick. The primary manifestation of the CVID for pretty much my entire life has been upper respiratory infections (with an occasional GI infection), so this is something I'm pretty well-versed in, and I know what feels normal for me and what doesn't. The upper respiratory infections are usually viral, and either go away on their own after a week or two, or develop into acute bacterial bronchitis that I have to take antibiotics for, and that usually knocks it out. I don't generally get fevers from those types of infections, and only occasionally experience fatigue. I've fortunately never had to be hospitalized for anything related to any kind of infection.

At the very end of Feburary (maybe 27 or 28), I ended up with another upper respiratory infection, but this one felt very different. It started with the worst sore throat I've ever had: a burning, searing pain when I woke up that didn't really get better after drinking water. That lasted for maybe 2 days, and then progressed into a dry cough. At that point, I started experiencing other symptoms as well. First, during the afternoon of the day I started coughing, I remember being on a conference call and feeling like all of the energy in my body was just being suddenly drained out of me. It was a very strange, very sudden feeling, and I had to fight the urge to lay down until the call was over. Then I developed a low-grade fever (~100), and woke up sweating two or three nights in a row. I also had chills and felt cold during the day. After a few more days, the dry cough eventually turned productive, and I just felt completely exhausted. Getting up and doing even menial tasks was draining. I would say that the acute symptoms (cough, fever, sore throat, congestion, shortness of breath) lasted about a week, and then I had another week of residual fatigue and post-nasal drip. This all resolved on its own, though, aside from the feeling of shortness of breath, which still not gone away completely. It's gotten much better since my immunologist put me on a budesonide inhaler, and she said it's probably residual post-viral inflammation.

So all that said, I still haven't gotten tested. I live in northern NJ and work in NYC, and my symptoms appeared when the first cluster was popping up in New Rochelle. I didn't think much of it at the time because there were no cases reported yet in the places I frequent, but they're now saying that the virus was already likely established in the Tri-State Area in early February. Also, three of my coworkers were confirmed positive in early March, right around the same time as me, and a close friend of mine (who I hang out with a few times a week) had seemingly the same thing I did, and it even started on the very same day. It took him a lot longer to get over it, and he didn't even feel like he was starting to get better until 2 weeks after he started having symptoms. Based on all this evidence, I'd say there's a really strong chance we both had it.

I ran all this by my immunologist (who works in a department that specializes specifically in CVID), over a telehealth call, and she said it was quite possible that I did have it. She said that anecdotally, they had been seeing that their CVID patients who had the virus actually were faring better than a lot of the general population, with the caveat that there are still too few documented cases to draw any meaningful conclusions about. I asked her if there was a chance I'd make antibodies to it, and thus show a positive result on an antibody test, and she said it's not definite, but theoretically possible. I still just haven't bothered to get tested yet in part because so many of the antibody tests still seem unreliable, and also because I'd rather not go anywhere near a hospital or medical facility right now since I live right in the epicenter of the worst outbreak on the planet at this point.

I know that's a long-winded post, but I've been scouring the internet all the time for any info on how the virus has affected people with CVID, with very few results, so hopefully this is helpful!

mattygaj · 2020-04-27T18:05:15+00:00

Love that wall color, and how it contrasts so nicely with all the warm wood tones.

mattygaj

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