What is your favorite country?

[Ylla]

In terms of culture, UK, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Kosovo/Albania (ancestral).
In terms of living, I love the UK but I don’t see myself living here permanently. My 5 year plan is to open my own clinics in Kosovo and possibly the UAE. My husband is also supportive of that.

[Cristiano viejo]

Yes, PIGS are known for being open, emotional, hospitable, sometimes fiery, knowing what is "merak" and how to enjoy life, not being a depressive shadow of a man. They became part of the first world -and this is debatable- only after joining the EU.

The contrary, the EU is ruining Southern Europe. We were first world much before we "joined" the EU. Less (or zero) immigration, crimes, unemployment, corruption, etc etc.

Funny that an American believes they are still a first world country.

[Marshall Theodore]

Yes, PIGS are known for being open, emotional, hospitable, sometimes fiery, knowing what is "merak" and how to enjoy life, not being a depressive shadow of a man. They became part of the first world -and this is debatable- only after joining the EU.

Thats not, unless you're referring to Greece.

[Roy]

I don't have any favourite country.

[RogueState]

Mentality of Serbs, Romanians, Bosnians, part of Croats, Northern Macedonian Slavs, part of Greeks, Bulgarians (even tho I know Bulgarians very little). I dunno what did the armchair ubermensch in topic mean by "third world mentality", i meant being open, emotional, hospitable, sometimes fiery, knowing what is "merak" and how to enjoy life, not being a depressive shadow of a man.

I always find it funny that Serbs used the word "merak" for this concept (and the person - meraklija), which in Turkish is just about being curious, wondering.

For instance among Bosniaks, Albanians, Bulgarians, Greeks, they rather use the more correct word keyf (ćejf, qejf, kefi, ...) from Ottoman Turkish, from the Arabic "kayf" (also used in Russian through their contact with Muslim minorities) to capture this feeling of enjoying simple stuff, direct, pragmatic, intuitive happiness (as opposed to the more absolute Aristotelian concept "Eudaimonia" or the Epicurean "Ataraxia"). It has even entered French slang through Maghrebian immigrants, who pronounce it "kiff" (also meaning in slang to enjoy).

Regardless the word used, the idea is one of the true essence of the Mediterranean spirit

[Incal]

I can only talk about the Americas and Europe since it's the only places I've been to: Uruguay, Spain, Czech Republic, Serbia. I'd say Scotland if it were independent.

[Monapps]

The contrary, the EU is ruining Southern Europe. We were first world much before we "joined" the EU. Less (or zero) immigration, crimes, unemployment, corruption, etc etc.

Funny that an American believes they are still a first world country.

Just like any third world country. There is no immigration because nobody wants to live in a third world hellhole. Instead, mass emigration is the norm and combined with most women being housewives lead to a low unemployment rate.
Crime and corruption are so widespread that citizens don't even realise their society is rotten. In fact, in the third world the government is the number one source of crime and corruption so the official statistics cannot be trusted.

[Jana]

Croatia. Older I am am more I realize how good it is here, granted you have a decent paying job. Honestly I think we have overall near best quality of life in the world. I joked with my friends it is good that people don't know how fantastic we live here, so we don't get flooded with western expats

Hungary is in my heart too, ofcourse.

[Monapps]

I joked with my friends it is good that people don't know how fantastic we live here, so we don't get flooded with western expats

Don't you think that's hypocritical considering the huge amount of Croats living abroad?

[Jana]

Don't you think that's hypocritical considering the huge amount of Croats living abroad?

Are you trolling? Croats living abroad are people with low paying jobs in Croatia, which is why they left. They all would come back tomorrow if they could get a well paying job in Croatia.
Most live poorly in the west, except for money.

From proper middle class upwards everything here is better than almost everyone else. US is literally thirld world in comparison (yes, I lived there).
Our natural beauties, climate, food quality, safety, work-life balance, food, social life, ethnic homogenity and many other things are unprecedented in most of western world and are totally unknown to average westerner.

Spain/Portugal are similar, and better in some aspects but I didn't mention them because of huge immigration they got which ruined lot of things.