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Living in a foreign country cannot be better than living in your own As a rule, it might be easy to agree with the

statement above, up to a point where we could even argue that most of us are likely to take the assertion for granted. The grand majority of world's population is so keen on living in their own home country that they do not even come to think of an alternative. Although nationalism or patriotism is by and large an acceptable idea and principle up to a certain extent the history has also shown us that emigration to another country has been the primary option for many, due to a number of political, social, and economical reasons. From a historical standpoint, political factors have been the driving force behind many massive migratory movements which have taken place around the globe during the last centuries. Even in the last decades, numerous national and international conflicts have developed into destructive wars, which have obliged large segments of population to emigrate to a new country as the only viable solution to their desperate situation. Furthermore, though on a far smaller scale, throughout the history innumerable individuals and collectives have had to confront the harsh reality where they have been the object of political persecution and suppression practised by under-developed totalitarian governments and regimes, and this has eventually led them to search for new opportunities in another countries. Nevertheless, as the days of rigid totalitarian political regimes seem to have come to an end, and the global market economy is gaining ever more ground as the ultimate financial model worldwide, it is quite obvious that nowadays personal economical factors are most likely to play a key role in the decision to move abroad. Even though the lure of thriving economical prospects in a foreign country may prove irresistible, it may be argued that there are always social and cultural implications involved in the process which should be carefully weighed against the possible economical benefits. From a social point of view, and for the sake of personal well-being, there is always a need to establish a completely new social network when migrating to a country, which in turn facilitates integration into the new culture and society. This is by no means an easy task to accomplish, since social relations take time to develop and maintain, and in many cases social interaction might be hindered by linguistic barriers. Moreover, as it can be claimed that the level of professional success and degree of cultural integration are largely conditioned by person's linguistic abilities, a good command of the foreign language is absolutely imperative when considering successful and satisfying living abroad. In conclusion, it can be pointed out that while emigration can be seen as a feasible solution to a variety of economical problems, most likely there are numerous completely unforeseen social and cultural issues which are bound to arise in the process of settling to a country. As a consequence, eventually migrant's ability to adapt to a new environment and its circumstances will be the decisive factor dictating the degree of his or her personal satisfaction.

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