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Series: Diary of A Reluctant Immigrant, Part 1
 | | Series: Diary of A Reluctant Immigrant, Part 1 | | For me, the strangest thing about being an immigrant is that it was never my intention to leave my country permanently. My trip to England was simply an opportunity to take a break from my life, to do something different for a few years. I had a great life in my home country. I had a decent career, was in the vicinity of my parents, and a better quality of life than the one I knew I was coming to.....< MORE > | | View Comments (1) |
| RE: Series: Diary of A Reluctant Immigrant, Part 1 | | Posted On | December 18, 2007 | | Posted By | Carol Manyika | | I truly sympathise and understand your initial experiences as an immigrant. The saddest thing for me was realising that once I crossed the immigration point I had my identity re-written for me. My Africaness deleted and superceded my educational qualifications and all my work related experience. I had to learn to rely wholly on God's grace and forget that I am an educated woman who had a good job back home. I was now only good enough to be a care assistant, to be insulted and keep quiet, to accept whatever was handed to me. I thank God that I did have some fire in me and I fought through the paperwork, beaurocracy, ignorance and stereotypes and finally reversed the deskilling I had experienced to start working as a teacher again. It is tough and not all have the opportunities or the drive to finally claim their true identities. But then we are immigrants only because we dont have a choice. Sirtuations beyond our control determine what we do and for of us migrating was the only solution. |
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