Many people have asked what my plans are for next year. I'm not quite sure yet. It would be great to stay here and get some international work experience, and I love the city. But the US still feels more like home, and it would be nice to be closer to my family and friends. These have always been my thoughts on the matter, but lately there has been something else as well. As ridiculous as it sounds, I've started to feel a little, well,
scared of moving back to the US. This mostly comes down to the fact that I just feel a lot safer here, a lot better taken care of. There is a safety net here.
I've known for a while now that European countries tended to have more universal health care and more comprehensive educational systems than in the US, but I think its different when you actually experience it, get used to it. I've had to go to the doctor here a few times, and it was always easy to get an appointment. They were always professional. And picking up your prescription? I recently had to pick up antibiotics for an eye infection. The woman at the counter seemed very concerned that I was going to have to pay for it out of my own pocket. "Are you sure you don't have some sort of eligibility for public funding since you're a student?" she asked me. Then I got concerned. "How much is this going to set me back?" It was $6. Granted, that was the most I've had to pay for a prescription since I've been here. My other prescriptions are free.
In the US, even when I paid over $1,000 a year for my health insurance, I never knew what would actually be covered. Got hit by a car -- paid over $100 for x-rays. Prescriptions were still expensive, and if my doctor wanted to see me for a follow-up visit? Well, there goes another $15. Not that any of that bankrupts you; usually its just annoying. But what happens if you, god forbid, get breast cancer? I've read more horror stories about this than I think I should have. They all go something like this: Jane Smith had a middle-class job and owned her own house before she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the fact that she had health insurance, she was forced to sell her house to pay for treatment that her insurance wouldn't cover.
I want to have a kid one day. Here, in addition to all the free healthcare (having a baby in the US costs about $10,000 if you don't have insurance) you get statutory time off work for checkups and even for prenatal yoga classes! All your dental and prescription costs are taken care of. And you're entitled to 26 weeks paid maternity leave, as well as 26 additional weeks unpaid.
And though healthcare is a big deal, its not all I'm worried about. My classmates from the UK complain about how expensive this master's course was for them - at about $6,000 it was more expensive than just about any other university in the UK - most are free. I, of course, am here because I couldn't afford to get my master's in the US.
And the little things too. I like not having to own a car (which I could do in the US too; it was just more annoying). I don't feel like I am stuck in the city either. A cheap train ride gets me anywhere from the Scottish highlands to London (and for more money, and a few stops along the way, all the way to Cambodia!)
I guess what it comes down to is that it seems like the government here is concerned about the well-being of the citizens. Their policies reflect that. And it just feels nice -- it feels like you think it should feel. Looking back, in the US, the government seems to cater more to whoever has the most money -- the big corporations, or the rich people. If you didn't slave away at a power job and save up hundreds of thousands of dollars to help pay for your breast cancer treatment, well then it serves you right that you lost your house. I just don't like that subliminal pressure to feel ashamed if you're not pursuing the American dream of More For Me Now! Its okay to be just average here, and you'll be taken care of regardless of your financial situation. You don't have to be ashamed to be who you want to be.
All this is not to say that the UK is some shining beacon of societal perfection. The cost of living is undeniably high here - a large pizza is going to cost you over $20, and an average restaurant meal about $30. The libraries here completely suck. And I really miss microwave popcorn.
