My comment was going to be about how we all immigrate for different reasons but for most it appears the idea of a 'better' life. Either for themselves or their children. When it comes to the US I often wondered about that, looking at it from a Canadian perspective. I often wondered what was so good about the US? Like now, I wonder why the large group of people in France ports are so desperate to get to the UK? Not being from that mindset I find it difficult to get my head around. I understand the wanting to leave from war and political unrest and all that. I can fully understand refugees and immigration of that nature.
Where I get lost is when people are so desperate about the 'gold' at the end of the rainbow mindset and will risk everything to get it, including their lives. Worse is that here in the UK a lot of times their lives are no better. Same goes for Australia but this information doesn't get out to those desperate people and that's where I get confused. Where's the short circuit happening?
As for my own experience, the closest I got to feeling like a 'real' immigrant was my time in Finland. Yes there were difficult times in Australia as well but Finland was something else. Being in a country where you don't know the language, don't know the culture, don't know the 'ways' things work, even though you have some help is a scary thing. Struggling to get by and wanting to work but not having any ability to. Doing some different things in hopes of getting work but nothing is really working. Getting so low on your income that you're happy just to find 2 euros in you pocket to get some food is welcoming. It's a stressful existence that I really don't want to repeat.