I was born as a second-generation immigrant in the Netherlands. Even though I was born and raised there, the fact that you’re an immigrant and always will stay an immigrant (aka second class citizen) is constantly reminded to you by the media, politics and every other institution and hampers your growth in life everywhere you go.

When I later on in life moved to the US, as an actual immigrant, I’ve felt immediately way more accepted and at home than in the country I was born and raised in. Of course, the US is far from perfect, don’t get me wrong (if I were dark skinned this would probably be a different story) but its mostly merit-based society definitely works for me.