How To Move To Countrys You Weren

Have you ever moved to a different country with high hopes, only to be very disappointed with your decision?

Moving to Sweden in the 1970s was a very disappointing experience. I don’t dislike Sweden as such, but it was extremely bad timing. Moving 20 years later would have been awesome, but I digress.It was simply impossible for Sweden to live up to the hype unless you entered the country’s 1% as a new immigrant - unlikely. Sweden had an amazing run of 20–25 years of economic and social development and was known for that.Unfortunately, that run ended about 5 years before we moved there and the country entered an economic crisis that, except for a brief uptick in the late 1980s, ended only in the mid 1990s.The 20–25 years of rapid post-war development created what was known at the time as “två tredjedelssamhället”. A society for 2 of the 3 social classes. And the economic crash made life in and opportunities for the middle class deteriorate quickly. Jobs for the middle class were scarce - not that many lost their jobs, but there were hardly any openings if you weren’t connected - and rampant inflation and devaluations took their toll on our purchasing power.1970s Sweden was surprisingly boring and provincial. There wasn’t much choice of anything - better than in the eastern bloc, for sure, and never any shortages of food or basic products - but everything was kind of samey, entertainment and activities were limited - instead of the hype we got a dull, conformist country borrowing money to hold off the as it seemed neverending downwards spiral.

Do you regret moving to another country?

I’ve lived in nine different countries, and of course you always regret something about everything, because nothing is perfect. It’s simply one of those planets.Here’s my experience:Canada: I found it a bit limited in possibilities. There are some things you simply can’t do in Canada, because it doesn’t happen there. I guess that comes with being in a huge place with barely anyone in it.United States: My main regret there was that I couldn’t stay. Because if you are a talented, educated, young man with energy and determination, you can do great things in the US, and it is a wonderful place. Risky, but adventurous. I would have liked to have more of a chance to try it, but if you go the legal immigration route, there seems to be no interest whatsoever in letting in young, educated Europeans with money and a plan, all of which I was, and had.France: Again, I regret not being able to stay. This is the country where I would live again if I won the lottery. It is wonderful. But the French preference of having a French boss, not a foreign one left me no choice but to leave. I felt like there was no way I could climb the career ladder there, so I left.Germany: This would be such a great country, if it weren’t for its inconsistencies. To make a long story short, I left because the place simply scared me. You get people telling you off in ways you just never experience elsewhere, and the mood seems perpetually tuned to apocalypse there. I just couldn’t take the gloom and doom any longer.Great Britain: I would still be in Great Britain if Brexit hadn’t happened. I regret Brexit. It killed a really great country for me I was totally ready to dedicate the rest of my life to.New Zealand: Another country I regret having to leave behind because I wasn’t wanted. Here, I felt unwelcome. And I’m afraid I am not the only one. Almost all my friends from that time, who came to New Zealand with their families, have left again, as well.China: The only thing I regret here is that I didn’t try it sooner. China is so much nicer than we westerners think.India: I regretted not being able to help people there. It seemed like there was so much that needs to be done.Sweden: No regrets as such, only that I wish I’d come here much sooner.

What is your experience when you move to another country?

I migrated to Australia and my experience has been very positive. I have never really faced obvious racism. Maybe subtle racist, but I just didn't care. Most of those who did to me were usually of lower status and had no impact on my life whatsoever.There was one incident where a bus driver clearly intentionally made racist discrimination towards Asian passengers who, despite not having good command in English, said clear name of their destination. If it was only to the first passenger I could wave it off as language difficulty, but he did the same to three more passengers from that group. The driver clearly has a good time embarrassing those passengers, who  by that time had felt very bad, so I realised what I was seeing. Now it was my turn and he started to attempt the same "where? what? speak English!" thing. I told him that he was intentionally racist and unless he apologise to all the guys he'd just made fun of  I would make sure  this incident is heard by his manager all the way up to highest person who look after discrimination and racist cases and (I lied) I knew someone in Brisbane Transport who will not let this go until the case is fairly sorted for discriminated passengers and racist staff is accounted. He was taken aback, surprised, and  spluttered that he wasn't at all racist and that he just couldn't understand. I didn't buy it, neither other passengers in the vicinity who saw the incident. It was also surprising that someone who was clearly hated Asians could back down that much, just because I threaten to report him to his employer.Other than this incident it has been a great place to live. I miss real Thai food, of course, but I can survive on Fish n Ship and BBQ chicken just fine :D

Can someone born in another country move to a different country and run for president/prime minister?

That really depends on the country. In Canada the only requirement to be PM is to be a member of the House of Commons or the Senate. To be a member of the HofC one must be an eligible voter; which means they need to be a citizen of Canada, over the age of 18, and not have been convicted of an electoral crime. To be a member of the Senate one must be a Canadian citizen, over the age of 30, owning at least $4,000 worth of real property, and must be a resident in the province or territory they are appointed to represent. There is no requirement that parliamentarians be born in Canada (in fact we’ve had 4 PMs born outside of Canada, all from the UK).Of note; we’ve also had 2 refugees rise to become Governor General.

I don't like my country, should I move and leave everyone behind?

I did not like my country either and I started writing down the reasons I wanted to move out. It took me some time to gather the courage, financial resources and some kind of planning of where to go and how to go there. But I did that.I left behind my friends, my family, my relatives, my culture, my job and everything you can imagine. And I think it is worth it. Because it really boils down to 2 options: staying where you are now and lead a boring, unfulfilling life OR venturing out. The first option is predictable, accessible and does not contain many obstacles. The second one is filled with unknown twists, uncertainties and potentially dangerous situations.No one can decide for you except yourself. What I can tell you though after leaving my country six years ago is that I have met new people, learnt much more about the world, tried my hands in different jobs, became much more independent and cultivated a sense of adventure and going on with uncertainties of life. Now that I look back at my former life, I am so much happy that I did not stay there and took my life call.If you value personal growth, taking risks, exploring the world, meeting new people and encountering diverse situations, I would recommend you leave your country. Risky and dangerous but definitely worth it.