Emigrating, where is the grass greener?

[Gilded]

Japan. I'm short so I'd prefer a country full of short women.

 

At 6'4" I'd probably be freakishly tall.

 

Anyway, if I had to leave Finland I'd probably move to the UK, the U.S. or Canada.

[bascule]

Japan. I'm short so I'd prefer a country full of short women.

 

Japan was a fun place to visit, but I don't think I'd ever want to live there...

[john5746]

Japan was a fun place to visit, but I don't think I'd ever want to live there...

 

couldn't agree more.

 

 

To live and work for a living....

 

Britain or Australia

 

 

If I could speak any language with ease....

 

Sweden or Italy

 

 

If I have money....

 

Brazil

[CaptainPanic]

I don't know if you count Finland as being a part of Scandinavia, but it's sad how many people here are xenophobic (some people blame basically everything from unemployment to social care problems on immigrants). I think at least Sweden and Denmark are more open-minded.

 

Well... the open-minded Dutch do exactly the same. Immigrants are no longer received with open arms. They are accused of stealing our jobs and destroying our Dutch culture (which is all said using euphemisms).

 

I strongly believe that the immigrants themselves can determine how they are received. If you have a pro-active attitude, and you try to immediately learn a language, and if you are trying to make new friends (rather than waiting until other people invite you), then it's all quite easy. Immigrants must remember that the locals already have a life, they don't think they need new friends.

 

And yes, I counted Finland as part of Scandinavia. People in Finland are just shy. Give them a beer, put them in a sauna, and they melt. Talk a bit about sauna in a forest at a lake, and they might even invite you. It's really not as bad as you paint the picture there. It happens that I've been there a couple of times, and I made friends pretty easy.

 

But, you have to adapt to the culture before you can truly integrate...

[npts2020]

Problem is that in many cases people are not emigrating to go join a new society, they are looking to take their society somewhere else.