The grass is not always greener elsewhere… Established for years in a rich country with a good reputation, this young woman now explains why she ended up leaving it. The behind the scenes is unsuspected.
Where should you settle down to live comfortably and safely? Some choose to look towards Asia, this is the case, for example, of French retirees who have opted for Thailand in recent years, while those who work in finance dream of obtaining expatriate status in Singapore, where the standard of living is very high. But without going that far, many also spontaneously think of the Nordic countries.
Indeed, Finland, for example, is designated as the happiest country in the world. But we can also mention Norway, which is in the top 10 of the richest countries in the world with 75,000 euros of GDP per capita. An Eldorado to work and ensure you earn a good salary at the end of the month? On paper, everything suggests so, but in reality, it’s not as rosy as that.
A content creator named Elodie Hustle shared a video on her Instagram account and this mother of three explains without language the reasons which pushed her to leave this “rich country” Or “people don’t live, they try to hold on.“
Despite a marriage and three children, Élodie Hustle therefore decided to leave the country where she had lived for seven years. For this Internet user, Norway’s reputation does not necessarily reflect reality. According to her, there is a real gap between the ideal image conveyed abroad and daily life on the ground. “This country is sold to you like an El Dorado. But salaries are falsely high. Only very high incomes push the averages upwards. The real daily life is a rent of 2,000 euros, overpriced shopping, and no help“, she says. A description that brings to mind the testimony of Agathe, this French woman living in Switzerland, another very rich country.
In addition, according to her, investing in Norway would also be a real obstacle course. “The banks take everything from you. Rates vary. You sign at 3%. You wake up one morning at 9%. And you can’t do anything“, she testifies, before specifying that “everyone cashes in”.
And as if that were not enough, the climatic conditions add to the picture. An aspect often underestimated by those who fantasize about the Nordic countries. “Winter isn’t just about the cold. It’s the empty streets, the silence, clearing snow“, she explains. Would we be better in the sun? Not sure either.
