How I View the U.S. After 10 Years Living in Europe (Is This Real Freedom?)

Ten years ago, I got hit by a car while riding my bike. About a month later, I moved to Germany where I’ve been for the past decade this coming August. Getting hit by a car was, in an ironic sense, the perfect send off for me. It was the culmination of years of close calls with cars, whether I was on a bike or just walking around in my neighborhood. And one of the main reasons I wanted to move to somewhere in Europe was so that this was less likely to happen. And I got it. When I moved from the U.S. to Germany, I couldn’t have imagined I’d spend all of my 30s living here. It still seems surreal to me that I’ve been here longer than my high school, college, and graduate school years combined—and am now a German citizen. But there was never a pull to move back to the U.S. permanently. Frankly, I didn’t want to go back. I love visiting family, grabbing a beer at Great Lakes Brewing, and something to nosh on at Larder. But I’ve found the grass to be greener here, in Europe, for how I like to live—and this seems to be pretty consistent to the American experience abroad. In this video, I’m going to share the biggest differences I’ve noticed after moving abroad—and how I view freedom very differently from how I understood it growing up in the U.S. The last point is—surprise, surprise—the most important to me. -- CHAPTERS 00:00 - I got hit by a car 01:12 - Guns 02:17 - Physical and financial security 03:42 - Linguistic and cultural diversity 04:41 - Walkability and public transportation 07:11 - Freedom is in the eye of the beholder 08:55 - Coming up next (Uzbekistan, Zelda) SOURCES: https://withoutapath.substack.com/p/how-i-view-the-us-after-10-years Trail running tours and planning: https://burningriverrunningcompany.com/ Sign up to my newsletter so you never miss a video: https://withoutapath.substack.com/ Get 25% off your first three months with Vert.Run using code Joe25 at: https://vert.run/joe-baur/ Tailwind Nutrition: https://alnk.to/7McmXyf FOLLOW ME HERE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baurjoe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baurjoe Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/3879178 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/joebaur/membership Substack: https://withoutapath.substack.com/ #america #moveabroad #lifeabroad #leavingamerica