This is a very international community, so it's the perfect place to ask my question and hopefully get a variety of answers.

First of all, let me explain myself. I am German. I'm a citizen, was born and raised and lived there for more than 30 years. There is also some Polish blood running through my veins, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I like Germany. It's not perfect, but it's a good place to live. It's a democratic state with working social and health care systems, people are living in peace and (mostly) freedom. I am glad to be born in Germany, because there are much, much worse countries to be born in on this planet.

As I mentioned, Germany is not perfect, not at all. There are a lot of issues that bother me. Mainly it's that uptight attitude in huge parts of the society. Many people are very small minded. Most of you may know about these issues with youth protection laws, which leads to problems for media containing violence, like games and films.

So due to that and many other minor and major reasons, I decided to leave Germany. Meanwhile I am living in Austria for some time now. It's not too big a change, because the two countries are very similar. After all they are neighbours, share the same language and are culturally related. But there are these little differences in the peoples mentality. Austrian people are more relaxed and tolerant, not so stubborn and withdrawn. This makes me very comfortable here.

Now my question to y'all is: If you were born again and had to decide in what country, except the one you are actually born in, which one(s) would that be?

To me, it would be a choice between Austria, Canada, Netherlands or one of the Scandinavians. All of these countries have AFAIK a quite liberal state of mind, which is most important to me. They all have beautiful nature and landscapes, as well as a rich history and culture (not so shure if Canada matches this last point too).

So what about you?

Oh, and you can correct me if I was wrong in some aspects about the countries I dream of. ;)

I don't know that I might pick to be "born" anywhere else, but as for choice of residence I might pick Neuchatel, Switzerland or Oslo, Norway over the Pacific Northwest. I'll be honest, even in those places there's some uptight attitudes about some things that I find to be "no big deal", but I don't know if there is a place that's perfect.

I pretty much resent the idea of "national personalities" that you present here. There is no "German" personality. There is no "Austrian" personality. There _are_ some cultural differences between the two countries, but the differences between regions _within_ the same country is far stronger.

If you really decided to leave a country because of whatever you perceive as the "personality" that all people in this country share, then I can only shake my head at such a decision. I think it's fundamentally flawed. It does make sense to look for a community where you can thrive in, but thinking that there is no such community in a whole country of 80 million people, and thinking that all those 80 million people, with all their various personalities, backgrounds, goals, ideas, and passions, are "stubborn and withdrawn", is ... absolutely clueless. Sorry.

Pretty happy I was born in Belgium.

I'll be moving to the Netherlands soon. Since Belgium loves copying the Netherlands, not much will change for me.

Can't complain to be honest. It's cool here.

I love Canada, its where I'm from, or more Specifically British Columbia.

There are many countries that would be a dream to go to.

The top three for me in no order would be Australia, New Zealand and Chile.

There are many others that I would love to go to but these three for certain reasons remain at the top of my list..

Hopefully when I finish nursing I'll be able to do that someday.

I'd love to live in Japan, Tokio, rally. I think I would have hard time to acomodate, but... Japan is truly amazing country. I will definitely visit it at least once in my life.

France, circa 1848
Australia
Southern USA
South Africa

I think Japan would be awesome to live in to. I would love to visit Hokkaido and the Kuril islands while I'm at it.

Rome, if I'm a natural Roman. But let's assume you only mean today's countries. Then of course the United States.
Wait, what?

Before I get hate for this, let's first see where exactly:
Either the Virgin Islands or Hawaii.

Alternatively I go with any lovely island where one can live peacefully and not poorly.

The United States in many ways I believe is prettier then my home country. Its so diverse and different from Canada. It would be a great place to live also. Though some people would hate you just for living there. Which could be a downside

Alright, I'm trying to do this "nicely" and I'm going to fuck it up, so forgive me, but *bullshit*! I lived in parts of Europe for a couple years and you guys have stereotypes too. Germany is a bit different due to the national emotional scars of the whole Nazi thing but I swear I got tired of the "loud Texan in a painfully bright, untucked shirt" picture most of you carry of Americans. Everyone in one region of France thought I was German, due to my thick accent and my size and complexion (I'm sure the way I dressed had a lot to do with it too).

"You" may not do it personally, but nationally, yes, there are prevailing attitudes, personalities, and perceptions. These "shift" over time as different generations come to "power" (i.e. being to host media broadcasts, own businesses, and hold office) but at any given time there is most certainly a prevailing attitude in any region.

I hate it overhere, nothing here but a bunch of stoned hypocrites.

If you want an island to live on you're likely to be disappointed by Hawaii, it's nice for tourists but it's not fun to "live on" for many. Tahiti or Fiji are probably much more pleasant as far as island areas on which to live (the British Virgin Islands seem nice, though, don't know how it is to live there, though).

In some ways that is why I'll move someday, British Columbia is a bit too liberal for my tastes, but that's the great thing about a global village. You can move to another part of the country that suits ones tastes or move to another country entirely.

Sometimes I wish I had grown up in British Columbia in the 40's and 50's, it was a completely different province.
I prefer the Big island to any of the other islands. If I lived in Hawaii I'd live there.

Still Greece. Still the place where I'd wish to live, though it's going through hell now. And I have no idea what it will look like tomorrow. It may evolve in very opposite bad ways. Misery, racism, or an uptightness and individualism that would probably be more "economically efficient" (at least for some, including for some foreign corporations).

I have many practical advantages in living in another country. Better incomes, decent universiities (greek university is horrible), less administrative hiccups. But I only feel alive when immerged in greek streets and society, in its noises, in its weird inter-personnal relations, in its cult of informality, in its focus on life, and inpredictability of all instants. Greece makes me want to go out, chat with people, listen to the crowds. And touch the heat on every surface - walls, concrete, earth, wood...

And the stray cats whose trust takes so long to gain, and the stray dogs that stroll around in disparate bands. The rough landscape, the rocks, the dry vegetation that scratch your legs. The incredibly marvellous friends there. And the music, the good music and the bad one, doesn't matter. It's all part of it, It's the environment I want to end up living in.

If it survives this.