The Displaced African » The Immigrant’s Survival Toolkit

Top 10 Things I Learned About Job Hunting in Melbourne, Australia

Mwangi — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:02:17 +0000

Hi,

Recently I decided to expand my online adventures by not only creating a potential cash flow muse, My Podcasting Tutor but bringing on full time staff, namely a full time web developer.

Small problem. I don’t make enough to cover all these expenses and was quickly approaching a cash deficit.

What Is a Brother To Do

As much as I didn’t want to go back into the job market, stopping or moving backward are not options so I bit the bullet, got in my car (and my computer) and got tarmacking to get me a J-O-B.

Progress So Far

It is now 3 business days later and I:

* Got an old job back with a nursing agency.

* Got offered a new slightly-over-minimum-wage one position as a cleaner.

* Am in talks to become a virtual assistant to my former lecturer ( muuucchh better pay so wish me luck with this one).

Update: I got the job and its double my old pay with huge upside potential, so definitely a 3 days well spent

Most importantly:

* Got offered my old virtual assistant job at much higher pay (enough to cover my expenses).

So in short, it’s

Mission Accomplished

Lessons Learned

Here’s what I have learned through this process.

NB: I have a high school diploma, no college degree and experience in the aged care/community services and Internet marketing worlds.

1) If you have no proper qualifications for a job you are wasting your time searching on online job sites: I have applied for about 30 customer service positions, no call back…..considering I have never worked in customer service, no surprise.

2) If you don’t have a Linked In Account get one now: This is the social network for business professionals and definitely comes in handy when transitioning between jobs.

3) Ask your LinkedIn Network if they have any job openings for someone with your qualifications: If I do get the second VA job it would be all thanks to Linkedin.

4) Tell as many people as you can that you are looking for a job: Carry your resume everywhere and give it to all your friends, you never know who might help you get a job.

5) The easiest jobs to get: I wrote about this before. Hands down the easiest job to get is sales. Don’t dismiss this job immediately. If you are good looking (NB: to be considered good looking, people outside of yourself and your family have to tell you, without being paid, that you are) or charismatic or love the career this job has a lot of cash flow potential.

Other easy jobs to get:

* Cleaning jobs.

* Labourer: Mover, unloading trucks etc etc

* Working in a supermarket: The big chains have websites and relatively long hiring processes but if you can handle this job, go for it. I know people with all sorts of qualifications who’ve worked in supermarkets.

7) Face to Face is the Least Crowded Channel: A lot of people get 100s of emails a day and dozens of calls a day.

Going somewhere, looking someone in the eye and making your case for a job is probably the least crowded channel in this knowledge economy.

So get your resume, your best clothes, some transport and hit as many places as you can face to face.

In order, from the least crowded ( in my estimation) to the most crowded job channels:

* Endorsements and recommendations from third parties.

* Face to face and Registered letters/ Fedex packages

* Normal snail mail

* Phone

* Email

8 ) Your Local Paper is Awesome: This is how I got the slightly-over-minimum wage job. The key here is to apply for jobs that you are qualified for as soon as the paper comes out. Calling a week later many times is as good as not calling at all.

You want to be quick on it. Also get a copy of the local paper from surrounding areas if you can handle the commute.

9) If You Have Qualifications, the Number of Jobs on Seek is Insane: Yesterday alone, more than 30+ pages of jobs were posted up on Seek. This is probably about 300 new jobs in one day!!!

You don’t believe me, head on over to Seek and just search for all the new jobs posted up today.

10) Always ALWAYS ALWAYS keep authenticated copies of important documents separate from where you are: You can use online storage services like Amazon S3 and Cache Fly or keep them in a box at home or a bank or a trusted friend’s house or wherever you feel safe but always make sure you have a number of authenticated copies of important documents including:

* All education transcripts and certificates

* Anything to do with citizenship, travel documents etc

* Anything that might stand in the way of your getting a job.

Trust me, as someone who worked as an aged care nurse for 2+ years but can’t get a new job in the industry because I have no certificate to prove it, you don’t want this to happen to you so stay safe.

I hope these tips are of use to you and yours.

If you have any questions or anything to add, email me

Be blessed and bless others,

Mwangi

Wambui Shares Tips for Anyone Moving to Seattle, Washington, USA

Mwangi — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:31:43 +0000

Mwangi’s note: Why on Earth they would confuse the world by having a place called Washington D.C. and then an entirely separate State called “Washington” I don’t know, but anyway enjoy this guest post from an old friend of mine, Wambui.

Mwangi asked me:

“What advice would you give someone that is coming to Seattle, WA.?”

Well carry an umbrella and a jacket. It rains often. You’ll need it. The weather here changes in a minute and most of the time it changes to rain. I’ve been here 3 years now and I am still not accustomed to how much it rains.

mamamusings

Get your geography right:

Seattle is in Washington State. Not to be confused with Washington DC. DC is in the East. Washington State is the Northwest. Seattle, WA = Northwest.

Get your documentation right

It is important to make sure you visit the necessary government offices as soon as you possible can to get yourself not started on the right path. Get an id card. Get a bank account. Get a social security card if you are allowed to get one. It really is much easier to get a head if you do things legally. Don’t over stay your visa and use your visa for the right purpose i.e don’t come on a visitor visa and then attempt to become a student or worker without getting a permit to do so.

Seattle is somewhat tolerant. But once people know you are not originally from here they ask questions. These questions are usually to find out your intention of being in Seattle and the US. Seattleites know their basic immigration stuff – they know about visas and how they work – they are not afraid to ask how long your visa is for and what you plan on doing next(using the word next is their polite way of saying when it expires) . They are also big on following the law… No easy shortcuts or hookups.

Get your money right:

Understand the value of money. Seattle is not considered a super expensive city, but it is definitely not on the cheap list. It’s very easy to get caught up in the Seattle’s art and culinary scenes. Its easy to spend in small doses here, However those small doses add up when you look at your balance and realize that the ten dollars (plus tip because it is expected and customary here) you spent eating out every week adds up to 100 bucks. Please live within your means. It’s a common problem with African immigrants here in Seattle attempting to show people that they aren’t “poor”. It really isn’t cool because most people can see through the façade. If you can’t afford it, don’ t do it.

Get yourself right:

You need to get in the mind frame of “me, myself and I”. Family isn’t always there to help and even if they are they may not be willing to help you. Friends come and go. So know who you are and where you are going.
You also need to have your emotions in check. Its gets lonely, it gets depressing, it gets hard, people question you and who you are. This is where self confidence comes in. You need to be confident in who you are. You’ll meet people out there who aren’t cool with who you are and the way you look or the way you dress.

Also you need to be happy with what you have at the moment. Always work for better things. But don’t ever let anyone get you down. One has to learn to feel good about themselves and the current position they are in while still working for something better.

Seattle is a huge melting pot when it comes to culture. People are from all over. However one needs to be aware that as much as it is a huge pot. People may not be open to understanding your culture or who you are. As friendly as the Seattle is it is a little cold c. Everyone says “hi” and they are excited to see you the first time around. Don’t be surprised if they meet you on the street next week don’t acknowledge you. Don’t worry though its not you. It’s just how they are. It is known as the “Seattle freeze”

Please don’t be shocked if you find people talking to you like you are inferior. A lot of people here while calling themselves tolerant are not. They will be opening to getting to meet you and having fun with you but its all superficial. They are not interested in what you are about or where you are from. As I said … don’t focus too much on this. It’s not you its just them.

Get to know the city:

Mag3737

You’ve got to learn how to get around. Remember, it’s just you. People can only help you for so long. Fortunately one doesn’t really need to buy a car if you live in proper Seattle. This is because Seattle has one of the best bus systems in the USA. The buses run on a regular schedule and they take you to pretty much any suburb in what is known as King County.

The faster you get to know the city, the faster it will be to get around and get things accomplished. It is especially crucial because people will always be willing to give you directions but they only know directions of places that concern them.

If you opt to get a car. Please do your research!!

My experience in Seattle that you need to know a few main streets ( Pike, Pine , Westlake, Madison, 3rd Ave, and Bell) Navigating through downtown is is a breeze once you know these.

Get your accent right:

Did you say you were from Africa? Great!

Well half of what you say will not be understood, the first few times. They’ll always tell you that they love your accent but it doesn’t mean they are understanding what you are saying. To this day, I’ve been here 3 years, I can’t really order a Hamburger at most restaurants, I have to get a friend to do it for me. Why, you ask? Well apparently the way I say it would be spelt out as “Hambagga”. Same applies for most words that end with “er”. Personally most people delight in the way I say “whatever” and they repeat it endlessly to whoever will listen. Oh and they love the way Kenyans pronounce the letters of the alphabet. Apparently we say “h” differently!

Get comp savvy:

Seattle is after all home to Microsoft and Amazon! Google and Adobe also have huge offices here. So please… don’t walk around seattle and not know how to use a computer. Or what a CPU is? It would be good too if u knew that C+ and Java are programs too because a good number of people you meet will be in IT professions.

What Does a Perfect African Immigrant Look Like?

Mwangi — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:05:50 +0000

Hey folks,

First of all welcome to all the new readers. I have been tickled pink by the fact that even though my writing frequency has reduced a little bit, the blog’s readership and subscribers have kept on increasing and so thanks to all of you and welcome to the new readers.

Following on from my last post about confusion and my podcast with Julia Sanna where I tried to put an african immigrant relationship manifesto together, today I thought I would go one step further and, with your help, try to carve out an African Immigrant Manifesto.

“Why What Is That My Good Man?” I hear you say

In a nutshell, its the answer to the question,

What are the characteristics of an ideal African immigrant?

After all, a man who aims for nothing is sure to get there. So what should we be aiming for? What should the end result be when you take all that Africa has created and leave it in the middle of the concrete jungles of the West?

And below I’ll list 9 characteristics (with a bonus) that I personally think are quintessential:

They Are……..

1) Goes beyond the limitations of his African community.

2) Expands the borders (whether psychologically, socially, financially etc etc) of that very same African community.

3) Takes advantage of the vast knowledge this land has to offer.

4) Materially secure and/or abundant (this one doesn’t tend to be too big of a problem for us)

5) Hard working (this one either)

6) Punctual when it counts (this one we do have a problem with)

7) Responsible parents (bringing children into secure, safe environments where they can grow up)
Able to adapt

9) Takes care of the body regardless of the plethora of temptation to do otherwise out here in the West.

What Should I Add to the List?

I have gone beyond my site and gone on the forum site, Mashada and asked the same question and you can find that thread here:

http://www.mashada.com/forums/opinions-advice/91763-what-would-perfect-african-immigrant-look-like.html

So either head on over to Mashada or leave a comment below, it can even be a one word response, and let me know (leave your first comment, you know you want to) what should an ideal African immigrant look like:

PS: As soon as I read the headline, I got a feeling that some of you want to leave the answer, “Obama”. I guess that’s alright, but if you do, state why………

When the Deal Is Too Good Think Twice

Mwangi — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:05:15 +0000

Hey everyone, I am absolutely ecstatic that Caroline has decided to do a second guest post here on tDA. For those who haven’t read her first guest post, check out Would You Play a Game of Russian Roulette. If you would like to share your immigrant story and use this blog as a platform (thanks as always to those who have already done this), contact me and I shall see what we can do. Mwangi here signing out and leaving the floor open for Caroline Atieno

When the deal is too good think twice…

By Caroline Achieng Otieno.

Have you ever heard of the English proverb ‘Look before you leap?’ Bet you have, it was one of my favourites as a child, however, most times I thought of it in terms of jumping into a muddy puddle if I didn’t look, so it was literal for me. Just before leaving Kenya years back, there was an interesting commentary in one of the dailies that came in weekly that bears similarity to ‘look-before-you-leap.’ It was tagged, “When the deal is too good, think twice…” It was quite interesting, to some extent hilarious and was a narrative of guys who had fallen victim to some of the conmen prowling the streets of Nairobi. Granted, things were pretty tough that time in Kenya, structural adjustment policies were taking a big chunk out of people’s pockets and there was a lot of hustling and jostling going on. While some folks were really trying hard to pull in that valuable shilling, other folks were busy trying to offload the same valuable shilling through clandestine means.

Now, gone were the days that conmen filled bags with newspapers and looked for desperados who wanted a miracle so bad they would close their eyes and give them cash that would double, triple or quadruple and get back to them that way. Due to hard times, and an audience that could see through their trickery, conmen had metamorphosed into skilful con-artists. Their modus-operandi was sophistication; not going solo but in two’s or three’s, not exclusively male- but of mixed gender; well polished, articulate and highly intelligent. If any response was needed to outdo these con-artists, it was to be as damn smart-ass as they were, fight fire with fire so to speak.

Scenario 1: I recall one time rushing from Kenyatta hospital where I had come from visiting a sick friend. A handsome well-groomed gentleman stops me. I enthusiastically returned his greeting, wondering whether I know him, and step aside to walk on. He waves a hand bearing a gold-watch, and motions for me to sit with him on the pavement.

Would he have a word with me? Sure, I thought, ignoring my rumbling stomach’s pleas to be fed. I listened to a long tale of how he came from a nearby country, and how he was stranded here, and about the love of God to His children. Well, as he is yammering on, in a conversation that has neither head nor tail, out of the blue a pretty damsel barges in and greets him with enthusiasm and acts like she hasn’t seen him for a long time. They carry a brief conversation before he motions for her to join us, she introduces herself to me and does so. Great! Now we are a trio. The conversation continues endlessly, going round and about in circles, and I finally realize that there’s something these two are after. They are by no means interested in my conversion to any religion; rather in how much money I am willing to part with. For the love of all things bright and beautiful, I don’t have squat on me. Not a penny. As soon as they hear me out, they suddenly and abruptly end the wonderful conversation, begging to be excused. They have an urgent matter to attend, and they leave like a harsh dog (Mbwa Kali ) was nipping at their heels. I shrug, scratch my head, brush off my skirt and take off to the nearest bus-stop. My tummy is rumbling twice as loud as before, I have to get home. It strikes me then, the couple are con-artists.

Scenario 2: I am accosted by two women on the streets of Nairobi, at the City Centre. They see something on my forehead and feel I need prayers as to avert some disaster ‘waiting-to- happen. I have to sow seed so that they can pray for me. I see their insistence. I go to the one ATM type in the wrong number, and get my card rejected. I signal to them that this ATM is not working, would they wait for me to get to another ATM. I hurriedly take off in the opposite direction leaving our sisters gazing into space.

Scenario 3: I now live in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I am house hunting and doing so rather desperately because the days are speeding on, and by no means would I like to be out in the cold harsh winter. I tell everyone I know, and place adverts in the supermarket, on the websites, you name it. Everyone knows I need a place to stay. A quick response comes in from a man who has read my advert on a site for English speakers in Amsterdam. He writes me a wonderful e-mail, he is a Russian engineer working in London, and has a one-room apartment here in Amsterdam that would be ‘just-right’ for me. The price blows me away; 1000 Euros is way above my budget. I carefully pen down a response that I cannot afford it but if he has alternative accommodation, I can pay for half the amount he has asked for. I add on my number as he has requested it.

Lo and behold the gentleman calls me the next day, “Have you seen the pictures?” is the opening question.

“Um, no, I haven’t, I have to get to the office,” is my response.

“You don’t have internet at home?” he asks sounding perplexed.

Feeling a little bit ashamed yet not daring to lie, I respond, “No, I don’t.”

He continues on and on, about the apartment. He can give it to me at the amount I can afford; all he wants is someone to take care of it.

“You see, my wife and child died, so the garden is in their memory,” he says, “It’s really not about the money, my contract is 1 year here in London, so I really need someone to be there in Amsterdam, and take care of the garden and house as I have already paid for it.”

“I can take care of your garden,” I respond trying not to sound very enthusiastic.

He asks me to call him as soon as I have seen the pictures.

The pictures of the house are beautiful; it really is a dream home.

I call back and say I’d like to take the apartment immediately, when can we meet?

That’s not a problem,” he responds. “I can ask my contact person in Amsterdam to hand over the keys, and you can send the money here, as I cannot come now to Amsterdam, I have just begun a new job-contract and I cannot leave until after six months from now.”

“Very well,” I reply, and hung up the phone, doing a little happy jig.

Somehow, I am not completely at rest. Is this an answer to my prayers? I don’t feel it in my inmost being. People say that you should always listen to your inner voice, the instinct or gut-feeling. Well, my gut is not feeling with this apartment, and eventually my communication with the Russian guy goes about in circles. He states that his contact person is on vacation right now, can I send the money for him to send me a set of spare keys? The next day, he’s talking about his wife; I think okay, his wife is alive now? Into the week he expresses his worry about the keys getting lost in the mail. At the end of the day, my dream house was really, “in my dreams!” A deal that was too good to be true. We always have to think twice. It doesn’t only apply to conmen, it may be a relationship where someone is promising the world, and failing to deliver, it may be a business partnership, whatever the case, Think twice!

I hope someone has learned something, I just did!

Carol.

Would You Play a Game of Russian Roulette?

Mwangi — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:04:15 +0000

Hello people,

My name is Caroline Achieng Otieno, and I am a guest blogger at the Displaced African, and a regular contributor to The African Bulletin – www.mediablackberry.com. Having lived in the Netherlands for the past seven years, and experiencing the good, the bad and the ugly, I must say that I have observed a lot going on in Europe. I feel sad for the many Africans, who escape war and other tragic situations, come into Europe through very difficult means (some even trekking the desert through Northern Africa) and when they get here, they face other hurdles in trying to build an existence for themselves and their families back home. What hurts the most is that the system set in place makes our African sisters do things they would not ordinarily do, just because of their legal status or the lack of it thereof. The following article is another version of the article I wrote for African Bulletin in the April issue, feedback is welcome…

Supposing you were in Russia, it’s war-time, early 20^th century. You are an aristocrat soldier and you are with your soldier friends. Feeling the loss of your status, money, family and country; you play a lethal game, perhaps to display bravado, perhaps you want to commit suicide. You spin the cylinder of a revolver so that the location of the cartridge is not known. You point the revolver to your head and pull the trigger. Bang! Well, probably you live, and unharmed and admired you walk away, or you die, and that’s the end, it’s final.

While many Africans living in Europe would not dare play the game of Russian roulette, no matter how much money they were offered, many are caught up in a riskier form of a similar game. There are few chances here; it is a ‘no-win’ situation. Young undocumented Africans, eking out a living in the big cities of Europe, find themselves alone in a foreign land. Many gamble with high risk sex, playing a game of ‘Russian roulette’ as it were. For the young African woman especially, illegality is a challenge. She is placed in a very vulnerable position. She may view being undocumented as having ‘no rights, no shelter, no access to medical care, no money, no food, no peace.’ If she is not well informed or protected, she falls into the trap of selling her body. In the big European cities, female migrants are caught up in a fast growing endemic of promiscuity, for no other reason than being illegal. On one hand, these may be women who are fleeing dangerous situations in their countries, where men have raped women as a weapon of war. Others have undergone traumatic and often brutal genital mutilations. Yet when these same women arrive in Europe, only to find their applications to stay in the country rejected, and out on the streets, the harsh reality begins to set in and sex becomes a strategy for survival.

Research done by SOA-Aids Netherlands in October 2006 among the heterosexual Black community, established that sex was used as a ‘salient exchange commodity’ by women. Men gave them money, and women in return took care of all their needs. When money begins to flow and the women are past survival, they find themselves at a point of no return and trapped in a life on the fast lane. Free-lance writer Zack Bigalke from Portland, Oregon writes, “Women, smarter than ever, have learned that their bodies are money-generating machines which can easily draw much larger pay-checks than most other jobs.” And that is the main problem, sex does sell, and many African migrant women get addicted to the business of having myriads of sexual partners.

There’s a mysterious pull to hang in there.

Probably it’s the bad company, or the lack of social skills, or the low-level of education coupled with the rush to make big bucks quick. Friends encourage some to join them, stating the fact that money comes easy in the business. Ultimately, there’s the attraction of the ‘invincible’ Euro, the demands of relatives back home, and the desire to mirror the lifestyles, the dress and the mannerisms of the of the characters played out by the beautiful West African actresses of Nollywood; keeping up with the latest designer fashions, smelling like a queen, and owning the latest gizmos at the drop of a hat.

There are risks involved, the risk of pregnancy and the greatest risk of all, that of catching a Sexually Transmitted Infection (S.T.I).

Let’s admit it, most men initiate and control sex, paying for it with their greater wealth.

However many women bear the burden of the consequences of sex. Due to the fact that a woman’s body is well structured to receive, a woman is eight times more likely to become infected from a single sexual act with an infected man than a man is likely to become infected from a single sexual act with an infected woman.

Not only is the likelihood for infection for women greater, but also infection can be present in and spread by them when they do not have any symptoms of the disease. The disease becomes a silent killer.

A breakdown of the most common S.T.I’s follows:

Gonorrhoea is one of the oldest known S.T.I’s. However, like the condition Chlamydia, most women who are infected by the disease frequently have no symptoms of it, especially in the early stages. Both of these diseases, left untreated destroy the Fallopian tubes and cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (P.I.D). This can lead to ectopic pregnancies or infertility. Another well-known S.T.I is Syphilis. It operates in stages, which can be in gaps over a period of many years. The last stage of Syphilis is most fatal. It can cause problems throughout the human body such as heart abnormalities; brain malfunctions leading to stroke, meningitis, deafness or blindness. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV), another S.T.I has long been known to be a cause of cervical cancer. Infection with the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) weakens the body’s immune system and increases vulnerability to many different infections. HIV at its’ final stage is referred to as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS, when full-blown, many infections overwhelm the body and this results to death. Treatment options exist for HIV-infected people that reduce the multiplication of the virus in their bodies thus delaying the progress of the disease to the final stage, which causes death.

Solutions are quickly needed.

Condoms may be useful in decreasing the spread of infections such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, but should be noted that they do not fully protect against infections such as genital herpes, HPV, syphilis and AIDS. Public awareness and education about STI’s and methods of preventing them is imperative.

African migrant women should be empowered and educated about their sexual health and reproductive rights. There is the need to practise good social skills that include the ability to negotiate safe sex, a better understanding on the working of their bodies and the risks of a promiscuous lifestyle.

Global agencies, international policy makers, African leaders and civil societies should push to make education for the Girl-Child in Africa free at all levels; such an action would encourage society in Africa to send their female children to school. Migrant churches and faith-based organizations in Europe need to address sexuality and behaviour change among both men and women.

It is my prayer that the article has helped someone in some way or another,

Blessings,

Carol.

Something That Happens to A Lot of Newbie Immigrants That’s Almost Never Discussed

Mwangi — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:02:46 +0000

I get the strange feeling I have written this article before: if I have, apologies but recent discussions I have had have added some greater depth to this topic area.

Growing up I have always had this sense that I was pretty alright. Even in my lowest emotional points, my self-esteem and honest belief that I had the potential to get out of it and surpass it has always been in tact.

This combined with my rather idiosyncratic personality and interests has resulted in many of my peers and superiors classifying me as shall we say, arrogant.

Now There are 3 Potential Reasons People Might Say That

1) Because people think I really shouldn’t be that confident about things so different from what they are confident about (after all, humility is not exactly a mark of the African personality so it can’t be a pure aversion to over-confidence)

2) I might actually be a little too confident and up my own posterior.

3) Reasons that I don’t know or understand

This is the story of how I realized that my self-confidence doesn’t really mean squat. Just because I think I’m worth something doesn’t mean other people are obligated to do so.

This is also the story of how this may happen to you when you immigrate overseas. Or if you are already here in the diaspora, this might be a story you have already experienced or heard about.

From Hero to Zero to Hero to Zero

I have told the story of how I came to Australia with a head big enough to fit its own Milky Way and how I went from the coolest new accessory in the country to about as desirable as a rash in the middle of the night.

But Here’s the Thing

As I was talking to people over the course of this week I realized: it has happened to other people too. Now give me a “Hell yeah!” if this has ever happened to you.

The Story

1) You arrive in a new country

2) You enter a new school, new place of worship, new sports group or any new social group within your host country.

3) That first week/month you make a bunch of new friends and you make great connections. You may even get telephone numbers and begin making plans for the future.

4) You are happy that you are in a new country and you are thankful that folks are so friendly.

When the Doody Hits the Fan

5) Might be your second week/month, third week/month or much later but it begins when you are passing one of your new friends in the hall.

You say, “Hi”

They say……………….NOTHING! They just pass you in the hall as though they never met you.

6) At this point you may get a little confused. This doesn’t happen to you. Where you’re from, when people were acquantances or friends, they at the very least acknowledge each other.

Rinse and Repeat

7) And then you get ignored again and again and again.
Before you realize it, you have lost most if not all of the new friends you made.

9) No one ever wrote the manual on how to handle the situation like this and so as much as you might try to feel otherwise you feel one, or a combination of the feelings below:

a) Worthless and not special at all.

b) Confused

c) Angry and spiteful at the people who have rejected you

d) Very very very alone.

If You Have Ever Gone Through This

Or know someone who has, feel free to leave a comment below and tell me all about it and tell me how you got over it.

If You are About to Immigrate Overseas

Especially Australia, be aware that this might happen to you. It doesn’t always happen, but from time to time this does happen. It has happened to me and this week, I met two other people who it has happened to.

So don’t be shocked, don’t be scared, don’t be confused, you are not alone, there are other folks who have gone through it two.

Immigrant Survivor Guide Newsletter

I have some tips for handling that situation in my free email newsletter: the Immigrant Survivor Guide Newsletter which you can sign up for by putting your first name and email address into the boxes below.

I Hate Spam, So I Won’t Share Your Email With Anyone.

Hope I have helped articulate some things that some of y’all have felt for a long time but have never had articulated.

For Some Added Depth

Check out the guest post that gal africana did where she added some flavour to this topic.

Be blessed and bless others,

Mwangi

Who Else Wants the Cheapest Flights to Africa?

Mwangi — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:01:32 +0000

To share this article on Facebook, click here.

Are you going to be flying to Africa later this year? Do you want to save as much money as possible on airfare?

Without too much build up, this page was created to be a resource list to help you get the cheapest flights to Africa.

I am writing this article from Australia, but a significant share of resources that I recommend are international and Internet based.

Request Line

I only have two humble requests:

1) If you know a cheaper or a better way to get airline tickets, please leave a comment below and let us know.

2) Should you decide to use one of the resources I suggest please use the links within this article, a lot of them (not all sadly ) are affiliate links and it’s a great way to support the site if I can get a little cash boost from your flying back home.

The prices are the same regardless of how you visit the site, but if you visit the site via my website I get a commission. No obligation of course, but if you can do that, thanks in advance.

The Resource List

I will list the resources in order, beginning with the most cost effective.

1) Student Flights

This one applies only to people in Australia and as far as I can tell you need a student card to use this service. HOWEVER, their prices simply cannot be beat. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and watch the video where I hired a VA to investigate cheap ticket prices and compare those results with the Student Flight prices….no comparison.

If you ever needed a reason to re-enrol in school here it is.

So pay a visit to the Student Flights website first if you are living in Australia

2) Kayak

Kayak is to airfare, what Google is to information, it is the search engine for the cheapest flights. Kayak is an absolutely phenomenal resource for a number of reasons:

1) They peruse through 450+ travel sites including Orbitz and Cheap cheap flights

2) They have a fantastic affiliate program

3) Outside of Student Flights, they have the cheapest prices I have seen thus far, even for flights from Australia.

4) Whereas Student Flights is restricted to Australia, Kayak is an international resource.

Therefore, regardless of where you are make sure you check out Kayak before buying your next international flight ticket.

3) African travel agents

This one is a general tip I have heard from other people who have traveled to and from Kenya. If you are going to buy a plane ticket, browse around and search for travel agents within the African country you are traveling too and buy from them. Apparently they are cheaper. If anyone has anything to add to this idea please leave a comment below.

4) Intrepid Travel

Classify this one under, you probably would never have heard of this company had you not visited the Displaced African.

I first heard about Intrepid when the founder of the firm came to my former business school to give a talk. As always I sat there jaw open and fascinated by how people can take intangible ideas and use them to produce tangible results. Anyway, I digress………..

The firm specializes in giving tourists and backpackers cheap, affordable glimpses into authentic native cultures.

If it wasn’t for the restrictive nature of the travel with this firm (you’re entire trip is scheduled by the firm beforehand) this is BBBBYYYYY FAAAARRRRR one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest way for someone living in Australia to travel back to their native country.

Don’t believe me? Check out the Intrepid Travel Website and compare their airfare rates with rates from any other firm. Never used this firm so I don’t know if there are any extras involved. Worth checking out anyway.

NB: No affiliate link for this website

5) The V. A. Experiment

As part of my 4 hour work week journey, I thought I would see what type of results I would get if I hired a virtual assistant from Rentacoder.com for $7 and commissioned them to find the cheapest airflight tickets they could for the year 2008 between Melbourne, Australia and my hometown of Nairobi Kenya.

I think the investment is so minimal that everyone should experiment with this. You will probably save yourself a few hundred dollars but sadly I didn’t get the huge savings of thousands I was expecting. The VA actually got their cheapest rates from Kayak. But still definitely worth testing out.

Check out the Rentacoder website by clicking on this link

6) You Tell Me?

Any tips, tricks, resources and ideas to share for those of us who want to save as much money and have as much fun and happiness during our trips back to Mama Africa?

Yet again my humble request that you please use the resources provided in this article….in some cases I make as little as $5 but in some cases, your buying a ticket using the links provided ( a ticket which costs the same regardless anyway) can be enough to pay for the domain hosting for this site for the next 5 years with enough left over to get me a brand new pair of shoes

To share this article on Facebook, click here.

Hope this is of service to you,

Mwangi

Final Part of Njeri’s Message to the Next Group of Afropolitans

Mwangi — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 16:05:31 +0000

Final section in the series where Njeri aka meek meek gives you the skinny on how she sees immigrant life. Make sure you read the articles from the last two days to read part 1 and 2. I come back from camp tomorrow. Yay! Finish your weekend right, Mwangi

8. Buy everything on sale…everybody else does…and if they don’t they are very dumb. Don’t buy anything at full price….I came to this country with about $5000 in savings. That lasted less than three months…between the designer jeans, shoes, accessories e.t.c…I spent it all. You can get everything cheap don’t go crazy and don’t be ashamed to be ’seen’ buying cheap stuff, first of all nobody is watching you and even if they are they probably will never see you again…my motto is ‘as long as it looks good get it’ ….I bought a pair of jeans for 400 dollars…. i don’t even like telling this story… i somehow forgot that that translated to 28,000 kshs… Hindsight is an exact science but please try and avoid doing this. Buy expensive food though, buy organic. Cheap out here when it comes to food is not better. I know it can be overwhelming to go to the store and actually choose…so many labels! but try. I actually believe that it helps not only nourish your body but your mind too. When you eat right you think better. Exercise is important too… Jog a little it helps clear your mind.

9. Avoid stuff thats fake, don’t get involved in any schemes that don’t seem right. Go online if it sounds tricky and ask questions. When i got here i used yahoo questions alot. I asked about anything and everything. I have seen alot of people get deported because they involved themselves in fraudulent schemes and i know many more who will. Its usually your friends who come to you and whisper about some brilliant scheme to make money, don’t fall for it… if they are actually your friends they wont turn their backs on you when you show your disinterest. I have taught myself not to starve at someone else’s expense, i have also learnt how not to get into trouble. Stay away from drugs and people who do them, because if you are caught in a car with someone who has drugs, more often then not they will claim those drugs were yours and just like the DWI thing i mentioned earlier its not easy to get yourself up after that.

10. People overlook Social Security and Credit. Take your time to understand these. Credit is very important, good credit is almost a currency in itself. You need to build your credit and eventually it will allow you to get everything you need. With a clean record [no arrests] and good credit, the opportunities in this country are endless. Do not overlook your taxes either. Do everything by the book. this is not Africa ‘deals’ wont help you here but if you do everything by the book you can eventually get anything you want from good loans, a big house to nice cars and great investments. This is why, if you are planning to come and live in the states, you SHOULD NOT come on a visitors visa….Because you will not get a social security card so you will not be able to build your credit or get a job or go to school or get an apartment or anything. I have been here two years and the best i could get is a shared apartment, i cant buy a car or go to school or get a job but i have two or three good friends and they have been there for me thats why i emphasize on friendship so much.

I have been reading this book by Dave Eggers, its called ‘What is the What’ He says something in the beginning of the book that i hold as true, he says ‘I am tired of this country. I am thankful for it, yes, I have cherished many aspects of it for the three years i have been here, but i am tired of the promises. I came here, four thousand of us came here, contemplating and expecting quiet. Peace and college and safety. We expected a land without war and, i suppose, a land without misery. We were giddy and impatient. We wanted it all immediately-homes,families, college, the ability to send money home, advanced degrees, and finally some influence. But for most of us, the slowness of our transition-after five years i still don’t have the necessary credits to apply for a four year college-has wrought chaos. We waited ten years in Kakuma and i suppose we did not want to start all over here. We wanted the next step, and quickly. But this has not happened not in most cases, and in the interim, we have found ways to spend the time. I have held too many menial jobs, and currently work at the front desk of a health club, on the earliest possible shift, checking in members and explaining the club’s benefits to prospective members. This is not glamorous, but it represents a level of stability unknown to some. Too many have fallen, too many feel they have failed. The pressure upon us, the promises we cannot keep with ourselves-these things make monsters of too many of us.’ This is by far one of the most well written books i have seen in the last few years… I believe however that the lesson is clear. Get a hold of this book if you can and read about a fellow immigrant, Also get ‘the infidel’ By Ayaan Hirsi Ali. These books have little nuances here and there that can help you understand what exactly you are getting into.

Alot of people will tell you be patient and swallow your pride and do whatever it takes to survive. I have lived here and i have been patient and i have done whatever it took to survive, but i will never sell my soul for a dream that wasn’t mine initially [the American Dream]. I have not done anything that i did not want to do. Do what you think is right. Always remember to be true to yourself. You really don’t have to stoop as low as they tell you to….you do have to stoop but to wherever you are comfortable. Before you come here you need to know what it is you want and how far you would go to get it. Stay out of trouble. I have a friend who i argue with constantly, his argument is the reason most foreigners fail when they come to this country is that they never fully commit to being here. At the back of their minds they are still convinced that they can always go back. I agree with him. If you fully commit to being here and you give yourself no choice but to succeed you will succeed. My argument however, is that if its not working after a few years of trying and if its not getting better don’t be afraid to leave, don’t wait until its too late. More that anything be analytical and logical don’t let your emotions influence your decisions.Those are my two cents…Good luck and God speed!!

Njeri’s Heart to Heart Continues

Mwangi — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:05:29 +0000

This is part 2 of Njeri’s 2 cents to the next group of soon to be Afropolitans. Please make sure you check out yesterday’s post for part 1. Be blessed, Mwangi.

4. Do what you came here to do… There is alot to see and alot to do but dont get sidetracked. Come, get a driving license, get an ID, get into school, get a job, get a car, get your own place to stay, start saving and then you can party all you like. Do not spend money on partying. I cannot justify spending money on partying and i have been out here almost two and a half years! Dont do it, its really not that serious. People will take advantage of you if you spend money on them in the club and when your broke they wont remember that you spent money on them at all. This place can be very cruel and lonely. If you keep your eye on the goal and you stay focused it will pay off in the end… but you dont want to see the bad side so stick to what your plan was and you wont ever have to. Im not saying dont go…just dont go and pay for it. Alot of people fail out here and misery loves company, dont fall for any of it. I have spent a good part of my two years out here having fun and i really don’t have much to show for it apart from the occasional really bad hangover, but it could have been worse. I have a friend who calls the states ‘ a concrete jungle’ i believe thats from a Bob Marley song but its true. You could go out and your drink could be drugged by your ‘friends’, this has happened to me on more than one occasion so i urge you to be careful. You could go to the wrong places and get shot, i have been at a club where the actually pulled out guns and started shooting. You could hang out with the wrong crowd, get really drunk, and drive yourself home only to be stopped by the police… that means a DWI [driving while intoxicated] which is a misdemeanor that means for the next year you will be paying for lawyers legal fees and court fines, these usually add up to about 12,000 dollars and alot of time spent on running around trying to find the right lawyer and so on. Thats probably the most expensive drink you will ever have not to mention that it will be on your ‘record’ and whenever you apply for a job it will show up and make any employer think twice about hiring you. Its funny how very few people mention these things when you get here, People will casually ask you to drive and you will think nothing of it until your sitting behind bars with nobody to bail you out.

5. Do not keep to your own, seriously, make friends with people from where you are going. More often than not they end up saving you in some way or other. I have a few friends out here who have been there for me more than any Kenyan has. I can tell you from experience that your own people probably sold their souls a long long time ago when this country showed them its cruel side, and they really don’t mind watching you suffer. Its almost like monolisation, they want you to go through it…. its initiation into westernization and you don’t deserve it, so make a few friends… white friends preferably [and i swear that was not a racist slur] I have this friend who has supported me through everything, without her many of the questions i had would not have been answered. I am friendly however so its helped alot, I got my first job through a friend of a friend of a friend so as i said it all boils down to how many friends you have and how much they support you. I also have my ‘big bro’ and without him none of this would be possible at all. Be at peace with everyone you meet because you might meet the same people down the line and you might need them. Dont burn bridges and of course do not come thinking everybody is bad there are exceptions to the rule.

6. Don’t get into a relationship, don’t do long distance, don’t have casual encounters, don’t… Somehow all of that boils down to money or severe emotional distress, so give it some time…. Focus on your goal. I’m dead serious, Focus, because any kind of relationship takes time out of your busy schedule and money out of your pocket and if you dont have either that makes you miserable…so be miserable, find a few friends that you can hang out with once in a while and just be miserable…lol eventually when everything you have been working so hard for comes to fruition you will be happy you waited. Be prepared to be very lonely because its very different out here. Be prepared to be shunned, ignored, stepped on… they told me i would get culture shock, i didnt really, i had moral shock instead, i couldnt understand how people could be so immoral and how nobody held themselves accountable…i wondered for a long time how a society could be so ‘mannerless’ [thats for lack of a better word but i believe its apt] i mean this literally, i think talking right, using youre knife and fork, being courteous, saying please and thank you; these things were all left in the ‘dark ages’ or at least thats how it seems when you get out here. Its not like what you see on ‘TV’. What you see on ‘TV’ is actually, more often than not, considered ‘ghetto’. There are exceptions to the rule but most of it is ghetto.

7. Get online. There is an answer to everything online. Immigration issues, school issues, work issues, maps, banks, everything is here. I dont know how i would have survived in the states without GOOGLE. Im serious. Anything you don’t know you can google and if all else fails ask me Get online preferably before you get to the states and look up everything you need to know. If you are coming to the states ask your fellow bloggers questions. No question is too dumb and trust me alot of people dont want you to suffer like they have.

What Everybody Ought to Know About Immigration and Njeri’s Guest Post

Mwangi — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:05:53 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen it’s the middle of June. A lot of wonderfully fresh, optimistic, naïve and open minds are currently making “the move” from Africa to the West. This series, is for all of y’all who are making this great trek. This is also for all the people who are already abroad and want to guide these new arrivals but don’t quite know how.

I thought I would list some of the blog’s articles that give you useful, actionable information to help you navigate the tough waters of immigrant life, especially in the early days.

Help a Brother or a Sister Out

So if you know someone is about to immigrate overseas and you want to help them out, email this article by clicking on the “Email this” link at the bottom of the article.

By the way, if you haven’t, please make sure you sign up for my free Immigrant Survivor Guide Newsletter which is to the right of this article because I cover a lot of the stuff below in the newsletter. Sign up by filling in your first name and your email address.

10 Resources to Get You Started as an Immigrant

For guidance on how to become an immigrant in the first place, I will recommend Mwalimu.com and Workpermit.com

1) What is it Like Saying Goodbye to African Soil ? I wrote a post which got discussion started on that a while ago. Please ensure you leave a comment and add to the body of knowledge.

2) For those of you immigrating to Melbourne Australia., listen to some opinions on Melbourne from:
a) A student who arrived in early 2008.
b) Myself
c) My younger sisters who are 14 and 11.

3) The One Thing they Never Tell You Before You Immigrate: Gal Africana from a search for sanity talks about the rarely discussed loneliness that comes with being “the only black face in sight”.

4) How to Immigrate to Australia Within a Week :I wrote a long, extremely detailed series to help you “get settled” in your first week as an immigrant .

The article helps you deal with things like accomodation, mailing arrangements, banking, employment, documentation and so on and so forth.

I wrote it with students immigrating to Australia in mind, but I think anyone immigrating can get value out of it.

Check out the checklist that summarizes the entire series here. For all you immigrant veterans out there, feel free to add information to the series by leaving comments on the various posts.

5) The Secret to Working Beyond the 20 Hours Per Week Work Limit: Things you must be aware of if you chose to go against the 20 hours work per week limit that exists in Australia and the US. Read that post in collaboration the phenomenal guest posts by:

a) Seinlife on 5 Mistakes to Avoid as a Foreign Student in the US

b) Acolyte from My Part of the World

6) A word of advice you’ll hear often that you may dismiss: It has two parts:

a) This place is full of distractions.

b) Know why you’re here and keep your eye on the prize.

Don’t dismiss this advice: it separates the winners from the losers.

7) Do you ever intend on immigrating back to Africa? Don’t leave this to chance. Be fully aware at all times of whether or not you will and your reasons why.

8 ) Coach Carol outlines 7 barriers to immigrant success.

9) My personal thing thrown in here: A lot of you will get irritated by statements like, “Wow! You speak such good English!” or questions like, “Is Africa a country?” Don’t be. Just how much did you know about the State of Iowa or the Federal States and territories of Australia before you left Africa?

10) On a lighter note, this is for those of you who wonder what interracial relationships are like.

Update on 26/6/2008: Also check out gal africana’s post on UK working-holiday visas for further guidance

Update on 6/7/2008: Something to think about: Why Do Our Accents Change When We Immigrate Abroad?

Update on 19/7/2008: Two Useful Resources for People Settling in Australia

Update on 31/8/2008: Something That Happens to A Lot of Newbie Immigrants That’s Almost Never Discussed

Update on 3/12/2008: Top 10 Things I Learned About Job Hunting in Melbourne, Australia

That’s Not All:Njeri’s Guest Post

What’s happening, I’m losing my mojo? Even I didn’t laugh at the few dry jokes I made in this introduction. This post comes from Njeri a.k.a. meek meek of intricately me. Oh well, enjoy. I’m Off to a camp to Chillax (more than relax) for the weekend. Make sure you also recharge your batteries this weekend: Mwangi

The grass is always greener on the other side…this is a statement that we often take for granted but how true it is. Everything abroad looks so inviting when your in Africa. It seems like they are eating better food, going to better schools…they even look like they have better friends. Its all perception really, its definitely not what it seems. Opportunity exists, it does, but only for the smart immigrant. Do not think you can just go to the embassy, get a visitors visa, get on a plane and figure it out when you get here. Thats what i did and it does not work trust me. If you actually really want to come and enjoy the bounty of endless opportunity, take some time to plan the whole thing. The worst thing you could do is rush into it and then realize that you didn’t plan well enough.

1. Get a work visa or a student visa depending on what exactly you want to do. If the company you work for has offices abroad, ask them to sponsor you… if not ask a company abroad to sponsor you. Please stress on the fact that your an immigrant and they will get all the necessary paperwork taken care of. Alot of companies actually want to send people abroad because they need to be ‘equal opportunity employers’ and that means that they look better if they have a few skilled immigrants in their task force. You need to be qualified though so line up those degrees, once you get to the states you can probably ask them to sponsor your school and you can go on to get your masters, if this works for you do not waste the opportunity. Its easy to get sidetracked but if you are a little patient, it all pays off in the end. If you want to get a student visa apply to a school and once you are accepted, if you can pay for your first few semesters or if you can get someone to sponsor you, schools are often happy to accommodate you [thats because your paying international fees which are much higher than regular fees] If and when you get a job, No matter how menial or degrading you may think it is, hold on to it for dear life because that is your meal ticket. Do everything to keep it and be patient eventually things always get better.

2. Make sure you have savings, and a good friend, and a fall back plan[preferably a good job] and youre family behind you because its always difficult in the beginning. You dont need one of the things i mentioned… you need all of them. I cant stress enough the importance of friends who have lived abroad for a while because not only will they help you go forward they will teach you how to navigate the system. The ’system’ is not something us Africans are actually used to and more often than not, we think that we dont need to be part of it. No you have to be part of it so you need some really intelligent people who are youre really good friends to help you. This help will prove to be more beneficial than money or anything else for that matter. Dont take that ‘intelligent’ thing for granted either because alot of people out here still havent learnt how to navigate that system, so you could get pulled in to the wrong crowd and it would take you years to figure out where you went wrong. You need to catch on quick, you need to soak everything up. Africans abroad are often heartless they will take advantage of you and tear you apart in an instant, when this happens, and i can almost bet it will, you need your family and the fallback plan.

3. Be curious….ask questions…. In school we used to say ‘kuuliza si ujinga’ (to ask is not stupidity) im not sure if this is actually slang or not but its true… be friendly and ask questions. Its a bit overwhelming in the beginning because you try talking to people and you think they think your accent is weird but you would be surprised how accustomed people are to it and anyway after a while they begin to understand you anyway so don’t be afraid to ask your question twice or thrice and don’t be scared to be laughed at. There is nothing wrong with asking a question that makes you look like your dumb, remember you are just different not stupid. The more questions you ask- the more you know- the sooner you know more- the better off you are. I have moved from state to state, different states have different ways of saying the same thing, people really dont mind it when you ask them about it. It gives them a chance to explain their loyalties. Its almost like asking a Kenyan to teach you a few words in Swahili, we are always more than eager to share. Remember this, tell people your foreign and ask questions, they will be more than willing to help.