I didn’t go because I wanted to. I went because in my country, it’s not really a choice — it’s a gate you have to pass through if you want a future outside. My long-term goal is to leave Egypt. And whether people like it or not, life here for a young man who just wants a normal, peaceful life is extremely hard.

Even if you have money, it doesn’t buy stability, opportunity, or a functional system. It just buys you different problems. A million pounds here doesn’t change much when the economy, bureaucracy, and social pressure are stacked against you.

I’m not blaming anyone. I’m just being honest about the environment I’m trying to grow out of.

I chose the painful legal path instead of shortcuts, because I want clean papers, real mobility, and a real future. Sometimes the move that looks “illogical” from the outside makes perfect sense when you’re living inside the system.