What if I was born in America?
I often wondered, how will my life be if I was born and raised in a more developed country. A place where people go-to for the hopes of a better life. A country so famous with the so-called opportunities people starts associating it with dreams. A country called the United States of America.
Just for context, I’m a 30 years old, straight, cis male, Yemeni descent, and a 100% full-fledged Indonesian. I’ve been working in the game industry for nine years. It’s an industry where most of the opportunities are happening in either North America or East Asia. Being in this industry in a country where the industry is almost non-existent is not an optimal way to live. I’m also a writer that writes in Indonesian and English, despite my limited English skill.
Those facts are the reason that got me thinking, “I should have been born in the US.” But as time goes by, I started to have my doubts. So, I decided to write a comprehensive list of the pros and cons if I was born and raised in America with the backgrounds I have now.
Maybe, it would help me appreciate what I have now more than before. Maybe, it would help me with any decisions I need to take in the future. Or maybe, it would help you instead?
So, here goes.
Pros
Being a cis man anywhere on Earth is a privilege, so I believe being born anywhere won’t change that fact.
My family wealth is probably counted to nothing if we lived in America, but let’s assume my family will have the same level of wealth as we have here. We will in a bit upper middle class with a comfortable home to live. That sounds good.
Going to other countries would be easy. The exchange rate would make me a king in the country I lived in now. And most importantly, I don’t need to worry about the visa. Because, fuck visa.
I will still love video games. The access I got in the States would support my hobby even more. From that, it’s pretty safe to say I will have the same dreams of being someone who works in video games.
The access I have to learn more about the technology and industry would be invaluable. It might give me a significant head start when I jumped to the industry.
The options of places I could work with would be at least a thousand times better than whatever we have in Indonesia. I don’t need to worry about almost skipping a semester just because I couldn’t find a game company that accepts internship, something that happened to me nine years ago.
English would be my native language. And being a native English speaker is a privilege, trust me. Of course, I won’t have the privilege of being forced to be bilingual, but that’d be a story for another time.
Cons
Did I tell you I’m of a Yemeni descent?
