In my little info-bubble, I sometimes see claims like “emigration slows you down.” I strongly disagree.
When we — emigrants — compare ourselves to locals, of course, we often come up short. We lack the social networks they’ve built over years. We don’t have nearby relatives to water the plants, watch the cat, or pick up the kid from school. We don’t speak the language well, which makes finding friends harder — we’re simply less convenient conversational partners.
And yet, that’s only true in comparison to locals. Compared to those who stayed back home, we might actually be ahead. Most people in my circle are those who left Russia for the EU or Schengen countries. They can travel wherever they want on weekends. They’re far more open to the international job market. They’re often paid in currencies more stable than the ruble. Their kids don’t sit through “patriotic lectures.”
“We’re slowing down” is really just comparing the emigrant experience to some fantasy land where you get all the benefits of both your new country and your homeland. Which is basically the same as saying: “By my 20s–30s–40s, I have fewer opportunities than someone who was born in one of the best countries in the world.”
Well, that’s hardly news! We’ve long known it’s better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick. But everyone plays the cards they were dealt — and the very possibility of emigrating is already like holding a trump card in the deck of life.