Immigrants to the US: what’s something you’ve done or achieved here that you couldn’t do in your home country?

10 comments

1. The massive upward social and economic mobility.

   I earn very high 6 figures income that I would never have been able to in my home nations of India or Egypt (Comp. Engineering), or in most of the world (most of EU included). I also have access to quality of life that would not be possible there

   Also, having more civil rights is always nice. India and Egypt both restrict firearms and freedom of expression (with some bs excuse like dignity of State).

2. Working only 1 job and make a nice living.

   In Ukraine scientists, doctors and teachers are severely underappreciated, so many have to work extra hours or find a side job. At one point I was working four: 9-to-5, then a night shift until 9 pm, then remote until 1-2 am and sometimes freelance. That was giving me $1500 a month, I was making $1000 from the remote and $500 from the rest.

3. I married a white person. Interracial marriages are almost unheard of due to the ethnic homogeneity in my country of origin. Here they are quite common, and growing in proportion, even compared to when I first arrived.

   Edit: my country of origin is India. The marriage and family dynamics of India are so complex they can, and have, filled multiple volumes of academic study. So I really can’t go into it here. And every Indian-American family varies in their attitude toward tradition.

4. Freedom of religious expression. I’m a practicing Catholic. That in itself is a ***crime*** literally punishable by imprisonment in some of the countries I’ve lived in. It’s theoretically fairly normal in my home country, but extreme *laïcité* makes that almost meaningless, though: have your faith, but definitely don’t let it affect any part of your life!

   If I say something like “Bless you,” most Americans tend to hear it as a compliment and a sign that someone else is thinking kindly of them regardless of religious affiliation. People elsewhere (including traditionally Catholic countries) would chide me for a hate crime if I dared to assault the sacrament of secularism.

   It’s a breath of fresh air where I don’t have to hide my faith nor censor the language I use to express the highest forms of respect and admiration. (except on the internet lol the terminally online remind me of being back home)

   God bless you all, redditors.

5. I can make a livable wage working reasonable hours. I don’t have to put bars on my windows or worry about getting robbed when I go out. I can continue my education and actually get an education past elementary school. I have access to good doctors and modern medicine.

   Downsides: it’s much harder to bribe yourself out of a speeding ticket here

6. If my family stayed in their home country I would likely be in a trench fighting right now

   So I guess not dying and being able to fight for a better military

7. Become a huge college sports fan. Mainly College Football and Basketball.

   But my alma mater is Rutgers and it’s been a rough ride.

8. Great question to ask. I really enjoyed reading all of these responses. I think social media (especially Tik Tok) puts a negative view on quality of life in this country (high cost of living, health insurance, etc).

9. I was born in Australia and moved to the US as a small child.

   I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if we’d never moved.

   I don’t think I would own a house, housing seems so expensive there.

10. This is an awesome post. I love seeing people posting positives about America rather than the shit talk that is so popular these days. It almost seems like the only people who have something good to say are people who moved here from another country. It’s kinda sad, really…