My Emigration: Pain or Adventure?

I want to share my experience with emigration and how I deal with it. I hope this will help those who have moved or are considering moving.

I've lived for over a year in five countries, visited more than 50, and received higher education in four (an MBA in the US, a master's degree in the UK and Russia, and my first degree in Belarus). Recently, after three years living in Bali, I moved to London on a talent visa.

Often, after moving, there's euphoria: everything is new, interesting, and exciting. But then stress levels rise. Adapting involves learning the language, finding housing, education, business or work, healthcare, legalization, children's schooling, sports, and more, all in a short time. This adaptation happens by trial and error, as one navigates a new system, adding to the uncertainty.

Language: Locals often have accents, and so did I. It was especially hard during my first move to the US, where my English was poorly understood. But I continued to study intensively, and it got better. I still study English twice a week at Englishpapa. It's a joy to communicate in English and read news and books in the original. In Indonesia, it was harder because I didn't know Indonesian, so I started learning it on the spot, with a tutor and courses. Knowing the local language helps a lot. The key is to keep learning.

Money: It's crucial to start a business or find a job. It took me 1.5 years to research the market and launch a business in Indonesia, despite 20 years of business experience. I'd previously created educational companies training over 100,000 people offline, "Leader" and "Englishpapa," with over 500 employees. I invested in commercial real estate, including 4000m2 of shops, warehouses, and offices, as well as over 7 hectares of land. I built, extended, and renovated two hotels.

I've had over 20 other businesses, not all successful. In the UK, I haven't sought a new project yet, but I think joining a board of directors and helping increase profits would be great. I'm considering building a new property, having already completed training and programs in London. I believe in deep market research before starting.

Finding a new project in the UK is work, and I'm postponing it until launching the hotel in Bali to focus on the current project. It's important to give a good return to our investors in Bali's Aviator and create something to delight guests.

Finding friends and like-minded people: In Bali, I built a circle of friends over three years. Joining clubs and communities, attending events, being active in communication, and helping others helps. In England, thanks to social media, I immediately found interesting people to talk to. I believe the environment shapes the mind. It's important to surround yourself with supportive people with similar interests.

Housing: In the UK, we searched for three weeks, viewed 50 places in person, and over 500 online. It took three intense weeks, and at times I wanted to settle rather than find what I liked. Often the pictures didn't match reality. It's important to find what's suitable without compromising. We found the perfect option, and we're happy, as we spend a lot of time at home. In Bali, we moved five times in three years, and once, a wallet with $6,000 was stolen. We organize security at our hotel to make guests feel safe. Interacting with various owners is a quest in itself.

Stressful issues arise in every area, and all sources of stress come simultaneously. Initially, we believe, even when the benefits aren't yet visible. But difficulties lead to growth. We better understand others and ourselves.

During the move to Bali, I realized happiness is internal. I mistakenly thought I'd be happy earning more, moving to an ocean, to my dream country. But at the ocean, I understood happiness wasn't there. It's a spiritual experience and growth.

My conclusion: Happiness depends on how we perceive what's happening. "Happiness later" is an illusion, and it's important to learn to be happy now, experience different emotions, and enjoy a rich emotional world. One source of happiness for me is helping others. Social media is one way to share value with many.

After some time post-move, positive moments emerge. Stress lessens, problems disappear, opportunities open up, and you see more bright sides.

Interacting with people from around the world — talented, spiritual, athletic, with diverse worldviews — broadens the world's picture. The world turns out to be more voluminous and interesting.

Opportunities open up. You realize there are more career and business opportunities than in your hometown. Immigrants can be very successful. For example, Sergey Brin, who founded Google, came from Russia, and Elon Musk came from South Africa. Such success wouldn't be possible in their home countries. In London, you can work in the best global companies or start a business and operate globally. But only if you handle the stress and pain. My goal is to adapt and start a business in the UK in two years. In Bali, I continue to work in real estate, constructing investment properties, as there are good investment opportunities. I'm thinking of new projects and talking to potential investors.

Beauty around, inaccessible to tourists: architecture, exhibitions, culture, events. It's hard to enjoy this diversity as a tourist. Walking around London or Bali's wilderness fills me with energy. Understanding beauty takes time, months.

I've written a post comparing Bali and London, which you can read on my profile.

Sometimes I listen to Oginsky's Polonaise "Farewell to the Homeland." It's believed he wrote it while leaving the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after the Kosciuszko Uprising. Oginsky spent his last ten years in Italy. I remind myself emigration is part of millions of people's journey, often talented ones. I meet hundreds of Belarusians abroad, while only a few foreigners in Belarus. I wish it were the other way around. At least seven people from my class at the 56th School in Gomel have moved abroad (to the US, Germany, Poland, Finland, the UK, and Indonesia), and none have returned. This means they're happier there.

An objective benefit of emigration is life expectancy. In Belarus, it's 64 for men, while in the UK, it's 79. This is a substantial bonus.

Entertainment and events: In London, over 4,000 events can be found daily on one aggregator — theaters, concerts, amazing restaurants.

Food: The chance to eat tasty, high-quality products from around the world.

Legal system: Living in different countries, you see the pros and cons of different systems and can choose the best. We want a system that ensures the rule of law and protects citizens' interests.

I see the development of "a state for the people." The state as a service (providing safety, conditions for a happy life, business, work, education, and more), and the person pays for it.

Developed countries already compete for people, attracting talent and money. In top countries, talented people are welcomed and competed for, and top universities and states will pay for their education. Over time, talented people become investors, forming passive income from real estate. The need to work to cover basic needs disappears, and these people do what they love. Most investors in my Bali Aviator project are talented entrepreneurs or specialists.

One can become talented, for example, by learning a language and achieving success in their field. I even wrote a book, "Education Abroad: A Complete Guide," sharing 20 years of experience, explaining how I got education for free in top universities.

Emotionally, I'm attached to Belarus: the native land, language, culture, and people are valuable in themselves, and this is hard to measure. I wish life on my homeland would improve, adopting the best global practices. Had circumstances not occurred, I likely wouldn't have moved.

But having gone through my journey, enduring much effort, pain, and stress, I think seemingly unfavorable circumstances brought positive changes. Now, having moved to the UK, I wonder if I'll accomplish something significant and good on this new ground.

Overall, I think living in different countries is an exciting adventure with elements of pain, making life more interesting and full, opening new opportunities.