Where to settle down - Oslo, Berlin, Lisbon, Bali, Bucharest or Buenos Aires?

Here are some points I wrote down when I was living in Bali early in 2012, and considering where to settle down for good.

By then I had been living in Oslo, Bucharest, Berlin and Bali, and I wanted to weigh up pros and cons about each place. (At the time I hadn't been to Buenos Aires.)

As I write this it's March 2014 and I am also strongly considering Barcelona, but I hadn't thought about it in 2012, so it's not on the list. Maybe I will edit this blogpost and add it.

Here are my pros and cons, maybe they can help others also searching for a great place to settle down in.

Remember that all of this is from my personal view at the time - a 38-year old Norwegian freelancer and expat trying to avoid a regular job, and who lived in Oslo until he was 32.

Oslo

Pros:
- very familiar
- family and old friends live there
- I don't have to learn a new language
- lots of musicians to work with on my own music
- more work available for me since I am from there
- strong economy and very high wages
- civilized and functioning systems
- enough culture to be interesting
- warmer in the summer and the Oslo fjord
- could be the place I'll settle down in

Cons:
- cold in the winter
- feels too familiar and kinda boring
- not so easy to meet new people (especially around my age)
- very expensive - I would probably have to get a normal job (the horror!)
- night life ends at 03.30
- not that much food variation
- I don't really like the Norwegian self-centered mentality

Berlin

Pros:
- very cultural and artistic
- amazing music scene
- relatively friendly and social people
- tons of other expats in the same situation as me
- easier to learn German (coming from Norwegian)
- still the cheapest capital in western Europe
- lots of food variety
- very convenient
- very central in Europe
- very cheap flights
- close to lakes
- I will get many visitors from Norway and other places
- much freedom to develop creativity
- easy to visit Oslo if I need to
- 24-hour public transport
- civilized and functioning systems

Cons:
- cold in the winters
- inland

Lisbon

Pros:
- by the sea
- friendly people
- small and cute capital
- beautiful scenery
- great food
- nice light and architecture
- cultural with a rich history
- a warm country with beautiful nature
- tranquil culture and rhythm of life

Cons:
- harder to learn Portuguese
- not very cheap flights
- living is not that cheap
- bars in Bairro Alto close at 02.00 (though clubs go to 06.00)
- the sea water isn't that warm

Bali

Pros:
- very warm
- beautiful nature
- beaches and sea
- quiet surroundings
- feeling of complete freedom
- delicious food
- it's a great place to work on my self-discipline and self-development
- pretty cheap life
- easy to get around in South-East Asia and see other amazing things
- easy to learn Indonesian
- easy to meet Indonesians
- I already have some friends
- feels safe and not too boring
- I can probably get enough DJ-work

Cons:
- more expensive to rent than it should be
- no city culture
- very transient (people come and go)
- I'm not really interested in Asian culture
- long and expensive flights to Europe
- it feels more like a kind of extended vacation than "real life"
- slow and expensive Internet
- six hours ahead of European time

Bucharest

Pros:
- I know a lot of dynamic people there
- easy to meet new people
- the Romanians I meet are often intellectual and artistic
- new clubs and places are opening all the time
- many people are warm and friendly - and very attractive :)
- nice food

Cons:
- post-communism can be a bit negative
- more expensive than it should be - especially for the locals
- people can be a bit depressed because of capitalism and corruption

- a lot of traffic

- not that much international culture

- not that easy to learn Romanian

Buenos Aires

Pros:
- both European and South American feeling
- interesting culture

- warm people

- by the sea

- fairly easy to learn Spanish

Cons:
- long and expensive flights to Europe
- living is not that cheap

"The Greatest Event In Television History" on Adult Swim - all episodes

"The Greatest Event In Television History" (Wikipedia) was a series of four short specials aired on Adult Swim, co-created by and starring a very self-deprecating Adam Scott.

These specials are mockumentaries about the shot-for-shot remaking of classic 80's TV series opening credits sequences, followed by the remakes themselves and finally the original opening credit scenes.

They are all hilariously funny and definite must-sees, with many famous actors listed below doing absurd guest roles in the comedy tradition of e.g. "Childrens Hospital" and "Burning Love" - or even "Parks And Recreation" for that matter.

Below are all of the four episodes in sequence, and we start with...

1) "Simon & Simon" (October 12, 2012)

Adam Scott and Jon Hamm reenact the opening sequence from "Simon & Simon". Paul Scheer plays the role of a crazy fan, while Paul Rudd plays the abusive director.




2) "Hart to Hart" (June 6, 2013)

Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, and Horatio Sanz reenact the opening sequence from "Hart to Hart". Paul Scheer plays the evil agent, and David Wain plays the therapist.




3) "Too Close for Comfort" (November 7, 2013)

Adam Scott, Catherine O'Hara, Chelsea Peretti, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Glaser reenact the opening sequence from "Too Close for Comfort". Jason Mantzoukas plays the crazy director and Seth Morris the stunt coordinator. The ghost of Jon Hamm also appears.




4) "Bosom Buddies" (January 23, 2014)

Adam Scott and Paul Rudd reenact the opening sequence from "Bosom Buddies".

There are cameos by Tom Hanks, Peter Scolari and Billy Joel, who actually performed "My Life", which he wrote and originally recorded but was covered by another artist for the original series.

June Diane Raphael plays Adam's fictional wife.




BONUS:
Co-creator Adam Scott has also appeared on various podcasts and radio shows over at Earwolf. Check them out.