MY CHALLENGING LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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My Challenging Life in United States of America
Since I was a small boy, I always wanted to go to one of the Diasporas in this world, see the nature and learn more of the western culture. One of the places that always rang in my head was the United States of America; where I anticipated meeting the people of the other race adapt their way of life just like I used to see in movies and cinemas back in my African country. I had little or no knowledge on the kind of culture I was anticipating meeting, but in my own view, I figured it out as the most fascinating life I could ever have in my entire life.
I studied so hard in my lower grade levels so that I could book myself a chance to get a scholarship in either of the western nations, an ambition which later turned into success when I later received a letter inviting me into one of the precious universities in US. I went to the foreign country at the age of twenty three, with a great vision to learn new concepts, enhance my ability and knowledge of medicine then later go back to help my fellow Africans. The new environment welcomed me with a mixture of surprises and sorrow, as things didn’t turn out like I literally expected.
Adapting a New life in a New Place
The first year was a bit harder for me especially when I remembered the mentality that I was still coping with the way of living there. My financial sponsorship had guaranteed me to get a nice suit in New York, where I attended my daily medical classes at a nearby college. The first challenge I encountered in Diaspora was the sudden change of culture (Hall, 2020). Unlike most of the students who got enrolled in those scholarships, I was the only one who was unaware of the kind of behaviors I could face from the white culture.
US, being one of the countries which have an ancient culture, has citizens who have great love and respect for their way of living, something which sounded so much different from the life I had experienced in Africa. In my originality, culture was respected, but freedom was not incorporated with culture whatsoever way. That statement meant that the western culture had offered freedom to anyone who is freely demonstrating his or her way of living, unlike at my place back home, (Clay, 2011).
One of the worst trait I disliked since my first step on the country was the behavior of asking too many question about an individual especially the visitors and scholars from other nations. Some showed a little concern on our culture, while another group despised the way of living by some visitors. The first week at my school was one of my worst moments ever, as a whole class usually turned me into a questionnaire. The college too, being an international one had all types and kind of races, something which gave the whites a chance to ask my African colleagues and I about any information concerning any aspect from our homelands
Rejection by the Citizens
The second and worst challenge I encountered in the foreign country was rejection. It could be clearly seen on the faces of some of the white students that they were not happy about our stay in their places, (Allen, 2010). Just like any other person could have felt, the whites felt like we had started to overcrowd in their home forcing them to share their original hand with the new visitors. According to my study o the general behavior of the Americans, their attitude towards the idea of Africans coming into their country of Africans invading their country was kinder personal, where they accused us of filling up their country. Emotionally, the idea of being a reject in a foreign nation was never mentioned before I got there, I got hurt all way.
Language Barrier
Language happened to be a barrier to me, to be honest, it is almost impossible for an African to speak American English fluent due to the local influence back in mother country (Hall, 2020). I really struggled to learn and speak like my fellow classmates, something which white students used to mock me. I expected to find welcoming friends, who could teach me how to speak fluently like the citizens of the country. However, things turned, I met people who always minded their own, and got less concerned with any other people especially from African countries.
Anyone who has visited New York will absolutely tell that it is a nice place. Being brought up in African conditions got me on surprises every time I walked through the streets of New York. The new buildings, decent and high mechanized way of living was completed different from the harsh life I used to face in Africa, a condition which made me take a lot of time in adapting the new life (Allen, 2010). The fact that I had no one to guide me on how to cope with some situations made the matter worse, a condition which made me regret coming to US. I had to endure the new lifestyle no matter what, as it was the only way I could have achieved my goals. At this point, everything I saw in movies about US was completely different. I found myself fighting my local way of living and turning to the trending way of living in the global.
Racism and Discrimination
Being a black in a midst of whites in a western country got me in trouble too. The students where racists, something which was acceptable by the administration but the group ended up mocking the Africans due to their complexion under the same set of rules (Hall, 2020). I encountered the first racism case on my admission day, where the administration wanted to give my room to another white student just because he had missed all the places and I was the only African in the place. Luckily, I retained my room miraculously, and focused on my studies till I finished.
United States is one of the nations which are highly developed, and whose economy grew a long time ago. Being in such state, the cost of living in the country was a bit high for a mere college student, as one was required to be in a position to pay for all the bills required for a living. Being a poor and ordinary student, I always found myself struggling to meet some bills in the country so that I cannot starve (Clay, 2011). I expected a cheaper life just like in my African way of living, something which was rare or completely unavailable in the states. I started looking for side hustles in my third year of the stay at the country so that I could gather some income to sustain the cost of living there.
Being in Diaspora means that one is in fear of any danger. Of all the states in America, New York is known for having a lot of activities, people and services running in all hours of the day. Being a black and a foreigner got me in a position where white cop got suspicious when he or she sees me, something which really got questions in, my, mind where we were being treated separately from the other. Violence and constant attacks became normal to me, until I adapted how to live like any other American.
My biggest flex was to get a job in the states immediately am done with my studies so that at least life could get a bit better than back at my place. Things didn’t turn out like I expected earlier. I finished school after my four-year stay at the college but still got myself struggling to get a chance at medical centers even after scoring high grades in the final examinations (Allen, 2010). I applied for jobs all over New York, until I got a chance at a small dispensary where the owner employed me just because of a little mercy she had for me. Since then, life in the foreign country taught me that freedom was offered at home; as it was the only place I had a legit citizen. I endured all the challenges I encountered in Diaspora in order to fulfill my goal of becoming a learned doctor and later go back to save my people.
Since I started staying in US, I got the information that I was not able to participate in any conditional matter concerning voting or any constitutional duty as I was not termed as a citizen of the foreign nation. The rule meant that I was not in a position to make any decision concerning the country’s administration, but I was expected to obey every rule. Lastly, as much as I enjoyed my stay at the country, I felt that the Diaspora should also consider helping people who go there to look for a living to be considered and their treatment made fair. O[oppressing the visitors due to superiority should be eliminated and avoided by such countries, and instead look for ways to help the people who pay such visits.
References
Allen, J. S. (2010). ‘In the life’in diaspora: Autonomy/desire/community. In Routledge Handbook of Sexuality, Health and Rights (pp. 475-483). Routledge.
Clay, E. (2011). Mediated science, genetics and identity in the US African diaspora. Media, spiritualities and social change, 25-36.
Hall, S. (2020). Cultural identity and diaspora (pp. 231-242). Routledge.
