Have you immigrated?

[Le Baron]

I like visiting other places, and living there for a while doing immersion programmes, but I don't know if I'm really one of those people who could city hop every few years. I'd rather just end up back as a teacher and spend my summers in a different country doing language courses and interacting that way. Seems to be the best of both worlds.

It's a bit of a double-edged sword. Ideally I'd prefer to live in England and be able to go about to other places for generous holidays and exercising any language knowledge, but it's not always possible. Also spending extended time living in other places really gives you a totally different perspective and experience of the culture/language. So it is valuable, but also costly sometimes, in a personal/social way. You need to be willing and able to give yourself over to it.

[cito]

I'm personally looking at a few countries for post-graduate studying (Israel, Germany, Italy, France, Ireland, Canada... etc), but I'm curious for those who became what we might call the "successful cases" of immigrants, did you know you would feel comfortable/at home in the country you immigrated to? Does anywhere other than home feel like home for you? Did it start more "uncomfortable and then change?"

I assume this is something that is on a scale but I am curious. While being in France this summer I'm not so sure if I have felt such a way. Comparing France and Quebec, I think I almost connected with Quebec more than France (even if I have only gone there a few times, and only for a bit of time), even if I prefer the latter's accent .

I guess I'm asking all this because of schooling, and I'm someone who really values comfort. Not in any real material sense- as long as I have a space I feel safe and "at home" at, I think I'm all good (as long as I have some friends too!).

[galaxyrocker]

but I'm curious for those who became what we might call the "successful cases" of immigrants, did you know you would feel comfortable/at home in the country you immigrated to? Does anywhere other than home feel like home for you?

So this wasn't my first time in Ireland, but coming here for graduate school I knew I would feel comfortable more or less. There's a few things that annoy me and that I miss from home (Southern biscuits for one! but also friends), but I also knew people here and knew about the culture/things to do. I have some issues with Dublin, but that's more the city itself and I still feel generally comfortable with the lifestyle here, even if there's some American conveniences I miss (things close super early, apart from pubs). I don't know if I'd call myself a 'successful case' quite yet, given that I'm still only a student, but I knew it'd be more-or-less fine. Perks of moving to an anglophone country where I already knew some people, and having Irish helped me meet even more due to various events around it. Now just need to add another social hobby or two and I'd be set I think. So it helps to have some hobbies already that can easily transfer.

[jimmy]

but I'm curious for those who became what we might call the "successful cases" of immigrants, did you know you would feel comfortable/at home in the country you immigrated to? Does anywhere other than home feel like home for you? Did it start more "uncomfortable and then change?"

very good question!
and would like to respond this question with another question
do you have a better idea to earn much money? how ? (I enjoy working from home). Also be sure that if there is no chance for someone like me , then you may find no solution for anyone.

because I think I do not need anyone to learn something. look what it does mean: generally everyone tries to find a way to go abroad , but the way they find is generally or more properly very commonly : education.

I do not say that it was a bad way . But I am sure that I do not need it.
I am self taught.

anyway, already I do not believe that non limited freedom would be available at anywhere. unfortunately.

[PeterMollenburg]

I/We attempted to emigrate once, but it didn't stick.

At 12 y/o I remember telling my parents I was going to live in Germany as an adult. I'd fallen in love with the language and wanted to swim in it, all day every day.

After high school I lacked direction, I lacked know-how, I lacked insight. I learned some French, which I previously hated at high school, but fell in love with it, like German before after finishing high school and studying it independently at home. I thoroughly enjoyed Spanish as well. I was going to live in Europe!

I turned up in France in my 20s with very little cash thinking I'd try to stay (btw, I held an EU passport, still do, so it would be a lot easier).... I spent all the cash after travelling around some parts of Europe with a friend and after a bit I simply went home when the money ran out. I didn't ask for a job once.... anywhere. It was just easier to go home with a roof over my head and free food living at my parents. I still had some growing up to do.

I grew up some (yes, only some), eventually got a decent job, married. Plan: move to Europe together. Start in the Netherlands as they speak more English (than France for example), thus the transition I thought would be easier for my wife. We lasted 5 months in NL and 11 months in EU total (we spent time in NL, Belgium, Norway, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Greece). It just didn't work out and I won't go into details, but it was close to working. I guess it wasn't meant to be, but we have said in hindsight we should've just stuck it out (and got past the hurdles).

Part of the problem was language skills preventing work opportunities in nursing (my wife was offered a job in Rotterdam but couldn't accept it due to B2 certification of Dutch needing to be provided - we were prob B1 at most), so upon returning home we agreed we'd not return to Europe without a B2 level in any language and a job lined up.

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Edit:
I forgot to mention, we were also to go to Saudi Arabia for work in 2018 where my wife had lined up a job at a cardiac hospital in Riyad (her experience/qualifications far outweigh mine). The idea was that this was to serve as a financial springboard to Europe. We seemingly jumped through every beaurocratic hurdle known to man to make it happen but it fell through at the final hurdle when we just could not get the whole family out there together (ie simultaneously).

Next plan: It was my turn... Belgium
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2018/19, or sometime pre-covid I was in touch with a recruitment agency in Belgium. I had my B2 for a couple of years now in French under my belt, this company said they would assist in finding housing for our family. We weren't ready, but were saying two or three years and we would be. It was promising, the aim was a cultural-linguistic experience for the family as we speak French at home (except my wife). Then... Covid. We couldn't go abroad, we decided to move to the countryside instead. This is where we are now, an hour or so from where we used to live. I'm doubtful now that we'll emigrate, even if for only a few years, but never say never. At least we (myself and the kids) speak French and Dutch at home now on a consistent basis, but my desire to emigrate hasn't really disappeared, but I think I've just been in Australia too long now, so the likelihood feels a little slim, particularly with the state of world affairs being rather off-putting.

[Le Baron]

I/We attempted to emigrate once, but it didn't stick.

^ That was a very interesting read. Can I ask what is the main driving force making you want to live in Europe? Is just the language possibilities or other wider cultural things? You say you hold an EU passport, so I assume you have connections? Origins?

I never thought about it as a language thing, I just happened to be in Belgium, on holiday actually, and saw a job opportunity that looked interesting. On my return to the UK, and because I was dissatisfied with work and a few other things, I just looked at French-speaking job opportunities and applied and got lucky with a short-term contract. Enough to give me the taste. Then I met someone and she was living in Belgium at the time so I applied again and got a longer contract. The language ability was just useful. I had no plan to go anywhere else and felt a bit reluctant to learn Dutch when she wanted to return home. I also thought it would be an interesting jaunt and I would go home in a few years. I never had a great desire to live in Europe especially, though it's had a major effect on how I think.

[PeterMollenburg]

I/We attempted to emigrate once, but it didn't stick.

^ That was a very interesting read. Can I ask what is the main driving force making you want to live in Europe? Is just the language possibilities or other wider cultural things?

Hey Le Baron,

Thanks for your interest.

Once I start learning a language, I learn about the country/countries where it is spoken, as we all usually do. I become passionately interested in the country/countries and want to go and live there to be immersed in the language, use it everwhere like I do here in Australia with English, use it to do things that others find mundane - speak to a supermarket employee, go to the library, speak to people on the street, use it at work, it appears on TV as the default language and so on. Here I have to force some of those things and can't find the others without considerable effort, or not at all. How is it that this whole other country exists and this language is used everywhere? It's magical! I want to live there and breathe it every day!

As I hold an EU passport, I figure I could live in Europe, so I focus in on the European countries mainly (eg I'm more interested in Spain than say Argentina) and because if I focus on one continent, were I to ever try to live in Europe again then at least all the countries are close together, so I can use all my languages on one continent - I have avoided languages spoken on other continents as it's hard enough trying to make it to Europe!

You say you hold an EU passport, so I assume you have connections? Origins?

My father, born in Limburg, emigrated with the family at the age of four. Never spoke Dutch to us (me and my sister) growing up as not necessary.

I never thought about it as a language thing, I just happened to be in Belgium, on holiday actually, and saw a job opportunity that looked interesting. On my return to the UK, and because I was dissatisfied with work and a few other things, I just looked at French-speaking job opportunities and applied and got lucky with a short-term contract. Enough to give me the taste. Then I met someone and she was living in Belgium at the time so I applied again and got a longer contract. The language ability was just useful. I had no plan to go anywhere else and felt a bit reluctant to learn Dutch when she wanted to return home. I also thought it would be an interesting jaunt and I would go home in a few years. I never had a great desire to live in Europe especially, though it's had a major effect on how I think.

Yes, my primary interest for wanting to emigrate is language. I have also considered as a consolation prize, New Caledonia which might appease the family as it's not so far from our shores. At this stage though we're staying put as our personal situation and the global environment is not conducive to another attempt at emigrating for now. Should it happen, I suspect it will always be temporary, but temporary is better than not at all.

I must say in reading several posts including yours in which the person in question has moved a few times or several times around different European counties... I think that would be such an amazing experience. There's so much to see in Europe and one year for me was absolutely nowhere near enough time to see all the wonderful places, use the languages and explore explore explore (or even just live in the cultures). Ogrim seems to have had an awesome time of it - a considerable period of time living in each language/culture/country... perfect!

[Chupito]

I'm curious for those who became what we might call the "successful cases" of immigrants, did you know you would feel comfortable/at home in the country you immigrated to?

I became a citizen of my country of immigration today, so I guess I can call myself a "successful case" .

I had done a study abroad in my country of choice a few years prior to immigrating so I knew life in that place fairly well and felt confident that this country was one I could happily immigrate to - although immigrating turned out to be a different experience than temporarily moving there.

Oddly enough, at the time of my study abroad, I had enjoyed the experience but came back certain that 1) I would never emigrate (by which I mean 'permanently' changing countries, I was eager to move abroad temporarily again) and 2) the country where I did my study abroad was fine for a year abroad but not one where I'd want to live forever. But when I considered immigrating, that experience made me confident I could move there permanently.

Does anywhere other than home feel like home for you?

My country of choice is the country I consider "home". My life is here. When I go back to my birth country, I don't feel truly at home anymore. It's not foreign exactly but it's not home either. I don't belong the way I used to. I've stopped voting for that reason. I don't feel I have a legitimate say in the future of that country.

I've spent the last couple of years as an expat in another country and that has been an interesting experience in terms of what's home. Moving distended the ties between me and my second country, in a way I hadn't expected, much faster than my ties between me and my first country had distended when I first emigrated and it sort-of made me closer to my homecountry again, somehow. But at the same time, when we thought about the end of our international escapade, we knew we'd go back home and that meant somewhere in my country of immigration - not necessarily where we previously lived. Indeed, we moved back recently and I immediately felt we were back home.

Did it start more "uncomfortable and then change?"

I think oftentimes, there's a honeymoon phase first, then things get more difficult before they improve again, following that period of adjustment. For me, the beginning was difficult for personal reasons but it did change for the better.

I have also considered as a consolation prize, New Caledonia which might appease the family as it's not so far from our shores.

I could be wrong but, having looked into it several years ago, I was under the impression that this was complicated, job-wise.

Ogrim seems to have had an awesome time of it - a considerable period of time living in each language/culture/country... perfect!

Yes, I feel that it's quite different from immigrating (but I respect that others may feel differently) and it's super fun, albeit stressful sometimes too. Such a great experience! I think we will be staying put for quite a while though.

[PeterMollenburg]

I have also considered as a consolation prize, New Caledonia which might appease the family as it's not so far from our shores.

I could be wrong but, having looked into it several years ago, I was under the impression that this was complicated, job-wise.

I had the same impression.

Ogrim seems to have had an awesome time of it - a considerable period of time living in each language/culture/country... perfect!

Yes, I feel that it's quite different from immigrating (but I respect that others may feel differently) and it's super fun, albeit stressful sometimes too. Such a great experience! I think we will be staying put for quite a while though.

It seems like immigrating to me, but short-term.

[zenmonkey]

I'm curious for those who became what we might call the "successful cases" of immigrants, did you know you would feel comfortable/at home in the country you immigrated to? Does anywhere other than home feel like home for you? Did it start more "uncomfortable and then change?"

My case might be a little odd. My father was an immigrant, his parents were immigrants, and their parents were immigrants. And as such I was a TCK (Third Culture Kid) from birth.

In my case, I feel at home everywhere and nowhere. I haven't felt homesick but I miss people and connections. I deal poorly with the administrative burdens of where I live. I recognize that. But my moves have been relatively vanilla. I didn't move to China (like my parents did) or Mayotte (like my daughter has) or some of the places I've thought of moving to. I did expat lite - degrees, opportunities and soft landing.

I work as a somewhat sedentary pseudo 'digital nomad' and like to spend a large part of my year 'elsewhere'. So I roll with the otherness of places.

And I consider it very valuable that I've taught my daughters that they can basically live anywhere.