This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Arthur Begtine, a 34-year-old senior business development manager in Atlanta. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I was born in France, 20 minutes from the Mediterranean. I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Toulon, in the south of France.
My father is a first-generation immigrant from Tunisia, and my mother was born in the US to Irish parents. It was a diverse neighborhood, and most people were immigrants. I was surrounded by people speaking different languages.
When I was two, my family moved to Nice. We lived in a similar neighborhood and spent our summers on vacation at the beach in Toulon.
Courtesy of Arthur Begtine
There was a strong sense of community
At elementary school in Nice, we’d have Wednesday mornings off and go to school on Saturday morning. We had a Catholic Bible study class, which now seems crazy.
It was a tight-knit community at school. I remember one kid’s parents getting divorced, and we all gave him a hug and told him we were sorry for him.
When I was five, we moved to Ernstein, a village near the French-German border, for my father’s job.
But after three years, we moved from a small European village to a big city in the US.
My mom’s two sisters were based in Atlanta and we moved to be closer to them.
Moving to Atlanta was lonely
It was lonely being the only French kid at first. I spoke no English, though I could understand a little because my mother spoke it. I was put in an English as a second language class at school. Most of the other immigrant kids were from Spanish-speaking countries.
At first, being the only French kid was lonely. At the time, there weren’t as many immigrants from around the world in Atlanta as there are now.
I learned English in three months by making friends through the soccer and basketball teams. I started to integrate.
I noticed some major differences with France
People were treated differently based on their clothes or the car their parents drove. In France, nobody cared about that at all.
I find people friendlier in the US but more superficial than in France.
In France, my sister, who was a year and a half older, and I would walk to school when I was six. In Atlanta, you needed a car to get anywhere. We were stuck in our neighborhood unless our parents drove us somewhere.
I liked that everything was bigger and more convenient in Atlanta. I was shocked that places had air conditioning, and you could get free drink refills.
New York reminded me of home
We moved to Pelham, New York when I was 11 for my father’s work. New York felt like home because it was full of people from all over the world. It reminded me of Toulon. I didn’t feel as much like a foreigner.
My sister and I could take the train to school by ourselves and walk everywhere. It was like living in Europe again.
I lost my French accent, and I started to feel more confident.
I struggled with moving back to France
Our family moved back to France when I was 14. I was upset when I found out. I felt like I’d been “Americanized” — I was into US culture and sports, and I felt like I no longer fit into French life.
It was tough, and I was angry for a long time.
I moved back to the US at 17
After we went back to France, I returned to the US as soon as I could when I was 17. I lived with my aunt near Atlanta until I was recruited to play basketball at a university in Montreal. I loved Canada but got cut from the team after a year and moved back to New York.
I didn’t have much money. I worked in a hostel and shared a dorm with six other people.
There were other tough times. I got divorced in my 20s, but I was never tempted to move back to Europe. It would have meant giving up on myself.
I’ve succeeded in the US, but I’m glad I was born in France
I went to college in Georgia and graduated in 2013. After a few jobs, I started my career in the trucking industry back in Atlanta. I’ve been in the trucking industry for 11 years and now work as a senior business development manager, earning six figures.
In the US, no matter your socio-economic background, if you work hard, you can succeed. In France, you’re stuck at the bottom if you don’t have the right connections.
Europe is better for work-life balance and a better quality of life, but the US is the place to be if you’re a go-getter like me.
Atlanta has changed over the years I’ve lived here. There are more immigrants here now than there were in the 90s.
I speak four languages, and that helps me with my clients.
I made it in the US, but growing up in France made me more humble. I still go back to Toulon whenever I can.
If you have relocated for career or other opportunities and would like to share your story, email ehopkins@businessinsider.com.
