No country in the world is perfect, but the US is as close to perfection as it gets (imo). From the diverse people to the varying landscapes ... there is a city or a state to suit each persons way of life. Conservative? Head down over to the Deep South. Like the winters? MA/MN 's are your state. Want to live in sunny weather all around? Move to FL or CA. Like to live in your own community-of-origin ? There are hundreds of small ethnic communities strewn around the US. You can have a little India or Korea here in the US itself. You can spend an entire lifetime exploring this counry.

Well Sam77 Golda Meir...the iron lady of Israel grew up in the US till she was 23/24 and then immigrated to Palestine to work towards creation of Isreal and later became its Prime Minister...so by all means dream and dream big...but U need to work for it also! :) (p.s.) I am NOT a fan of what Golda Meir did...but i think as a person she was great individual who worked hard for what she believed in!!

I do have to say though that I can't help but feeling that those people who left Pakistan and other Muslim countries to go get education and establish themselves in the west are really the only ones who can go BACK to their own countries and make it better because, due to the ignorance of the masses in our Muslim countries, I so don't see any of the people who have lived there all their lives doing anything to improve the place. Now, I guess its jus a question of are we willing to leave our privilegdged lives here in the west to go to our 'motherland' and work hard to improve the situation there. And do we care enough about our motherland to actually go back and do something!? Just a thought. I often think of going to PK and really starting some sort of ruckus there...and try to get that country out of the whole that they have soo deeply dug for themselves. Oh yeah, I would also love to become the PM of Pk and then ask all the leaders of all the Muslim countries to join the "united Muslim Nations" So that we work together, and rely on eachothers resources, rather than having to rely on the west. Boy, do I live in a dream world or what.....although maybe it can be reality, Allahoalaam

My dad left pakistan at the age of 23 to study at Concordia University in MOntreal Canada. He mostly left to escape his dads strict military style upbringin (my granfather was a high ranking officer in the army). He went back to PK to marry my mom and then brought her to Canada as well. My Dad has had to deal with alot of racism at the hands of British whites here in Canada and at the hands of Jews. Throughout the years he has often said that he wants to go back to Pakistan, but now, due to the horrible situation there (my dad hates Musharraf and his sell-out ways) my dad says that Pakistan is not the same as it used to be. Also, his mother passed away a few years ago, and his brothers in PK have their own lives, so he feels there is really nothing to go back to. My mom says she couldn't stand the heat there (she was born there so I don't understand why....she's got russian blood in her, I think that might have to do with it!) so she only likes to go to Pakistan to visit not to stay for good. I personally love it in Canada. I'd like to think I enjoy the best of both cultures. I like so many things about Canada, yet I still work hard to hold onto my values and the good aspects of our desi culture. My dad made us speak urdu at home so we could learn our own language....I used to find that annoying when I was younger, but now that I"m older, I'm glad that he did. As much as I love Canada....I"m kind of getting tired of the long winters, I sooooooo very badly want to move to Spain :PP I'd pick Spain beause the weather is great, their culture and values are rather similar to that which desis value, and because its just such a beautiful country, Oh, and because they have this one flavour of Ice cream called Cream Catalan......its to die for! :)

fled iran when the regime change happened...had to pretend to go to germany as tourists and leave everything behind and then go to the states....been here since age 4.

i guess a lot of people whose parents moved out of Pakistan are happy with their lives here in the West. I came to the US for my undergrad when i was 18, went back for three years after graduation and then came back once more for my masters and have been in North america between canada and US since then. Professionally i am better of here, but if i evaulate it in the quality of life scale...i dont think i am. I would move back eventually for sure, Inshallah. Pakistan has its drawbacks as its going through growing pains. Which country did not? US 60 yrs ago, may have been a not so nice place for "colored (brown)people", racism was at its peak...blacks did not have the ability to break that vicious cycle, etc.
Only when educated/englighted people go back would things improve and change. As they would be in the best possible position to appreciate the difference and maybe make one also. Public service is in my blood and i think until and unless i dont go back i wont be able to fill that void in me & being the son of the soil, i think Pakistan has the first right to my services.

Moved to the UK in '87 at age 13... with most of my family, my dad joined us some years later due to his job.. I'd lived in the UK before for 2 years... and 5 years each in Saudi and Pakistan... I must say the UK is great (apart from the epidemic-like shortage of decent Asian men :) )....don't think I could live in Pakistan (for the same reasons my parents left) though it was really valuable spending bits of my youth in Saudi and Pak cos it means I'm not a total coconut/ bbcd .. and it probably puts bits of your religion/ culture into perspective

~~~~~~ANSWER1: Why Im here? .. A long story.. :D .. In 2001 I was thinking about getting married to my cousin... In the middle my company offered me a position in US office... During that time I was thinking about coming to US. The girl chose another 'sohna munda' after saying 'Tera Mera Joor wii kii' :D . After that incident I wanted to run away from my city... (the cousin's house was near). I applied for Australian immigration. The company moved me to US to retain me. (It took them 3 long years to fulfill that promise).
~~~~~~ANSWER2:I would prefer not to go back. Reason? read answer1 :). Few people (u know now) are happy there without me :)
~~~~~~ANSWER3: Currently in Massachusetts, US & Im happy. ~~~~~~ANSWER4: my job, this beautiful area & nice people in this area makes me happy. ~~~~~~ANSWER5:Where I'd move? .. no plans of moving anywhere out of US. If later I'd plan to move, then I'd go to Canada, UK or Australia. Why? --> almost have the visas for all these places.

my parents came to Toronto from Sri Lanka in the mid 70s so my yet unborn brothers and I would have better opportunities than were available in SL...I must say I wouldn't have improved my poker skills if I were still in SL so thanks mom and dad

everyone comes here for a better life than their country can offer them...i had to move cause of the gulf war ,saddam wanted to be next hitler and take over the persian gulf...things happen for a reason, i dont mind living here, it sure did teach me alot...nothing beats life in the middle east, you have god fearing ppl out there as to here all you'll find are con artist...thats just my perception i may be wrong...i wouldnt mind moving back to dubai, although i just visted for 2 week and was definately awesome...once you get used to living out west, you cant live back out east...in conclusion folks made a right decision on moving here, big up to them...

I have had family in the US since the 70s who convinced my parents to move here in 1988. Being here in the US for the last 17 years, has really taught me a lot. Living in Pakistan for my first 10 years were great as a kid but I am glad that we left. Being middle class in Pakistan, didnt really help us. I love the US and am very grateful to my parents and God for giving us an opportunity to be here and make something of ourselves. What I do love about the US is that it gives everyone who lives here an opportunity to be someone and get a good education. This country does invest in its people unlike Pakistan or India or other third world countries. What bothers me about the people here, esp. the immigrants that they live here and they complain about the US and they hate it. If you hate it, then leave and go back. Why be in a country that makes you unhappy? I used to have these debates in college with people who would come here for education, complain about this country, get jobs and end up living here forever and still hating the place. I am sure that happens in Europe as well as Canada. My piece of advice for those people is to go back. Pakistan is a nice country but I couldnt live there esp. because of the poverty level and to see that the poor are getting worse and the rich getting richer and the government doesnt care about its people. Moving here has been the best decision my parents have ever made :)

Begsy what little state pension we did/do have was cr*p to say the least anyway.

Atif: hahaha...good one ;) Yes you are right New York is a great place to be :)

I want to emigrate to Barcelona or Rome..because this country is now full of immigrants..Soon we won't have no state pension because this UK economy is crumbling. And just because I don't agree with mass immigration doesn't make me a racist!..

lol mamad..Who's that lucky girl? Any advances yet?

Father came to US for education, stayed after marriage (mother's from India) for the opportunity (was considered a 'pro US traitor' by some of the Pakistani family - although he was hardly pro US lol). For better or worse, I like living here, and since I haven't lived anywhere else long-term, I don't know if I could adjust moving back to desiland. I like to visit, though. :)

My family (mum, dad and little sis) moved from Iran to London in 1988. The main reason was because it was becoming more and more difficult both to live and work in Iran under the regime. I just hope it's only my generation that has to suffer leaving their homeland behind and starting a fresh. It probably won't happen in my life time but a social evolution is slowly taking place and hopefully things will slowly improve. Having said all that, I do regard Britain as my home now and this is where my children (when I find a woman willing to have them with me) will live and grow up. I think of all the developed countries, Britain still is one of the best places to live, work and bring up kids. I would travel to Iran, but from what I've seen, I don't think I could live or work there as things stand.

STEJ my folks were 'exiled' from Uganda when Idi Amin decided to kick out all the asians....Countries all over the world took in those asians.....my folks were given the 'green card' to come to the UK....that was 34 yrs ago....and we've lived here ever since.

My parents visited their homeland a couple of years ago...and now even though we can reclaim our businesses and properties.....i doubt very much they'd want to move back.

For me personally my 'home' has always been the UK....and if the truth be told i luv it here...well London that is.....not sure i'd want to live anywhere else within the UK though :op

I guess I'll start this one off. Why am I here? - I blame my parents it's there fault. I didn't have a choice as to whether I wanted to be born. Ok all kidding aside, my parents came for a better life for them and for my siblings. Personally, Pakistan is a nice place to visit, but I like it here in New York.