The Immigrant Guilt Complex

No one talks about the guilt.

The guilt of leaving. The guilt of staying. The guilt of thriving. The guilt of struggling.

If you succeed, you feel like you’ve abandoned the people who never had the chance.
If you struggle, you feel like you’ve wasted the sacrifices that got you here.

You feel guilty for not calling home more.
For missing birthdays, weddings, funerals.
For not doing enough for the family you left behind.

And when you do go back, the questions come.

"Why don’t you visit more?"
"How much do you make now?"
"So, when are you coming home for good?"

Home. As if it were that simple.

Because no matter where you are, there’s always a part of you that thinks—

Maybe I should have stayed.
Maybe I should have left sooner.
Maybe I’ll never do enough to make up for it.

Maybe I’ll never stop feeling like I owe someone, somewhere, a version of myself I can never be.