Stella Dimoko Korkus.com: America Wonder -The Beginning Part 5

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Thursday, December 21, 2017

America Wonder -The Beginning Part 5

This is a series into how life in America could turn out.....How it turned out for the Narrator....Oh,America Wonder And The Different Types Of People you find there!!  Here are links to parts 1 2 3 4




My uncle and wife were not born monsters. Remember that in my first visit to them, they were very nice to me during my one week stay. They even begged me to stay back. I couldn't because I had a good job. If your visit is short, people would be nicer to you.

Most people in America don't want you to stay long in their houses. There are some related to you who wouldn't be comfortable sharing bills with you, but will keep complaining of increased bills. Others don't like you to outshine them. 



Others want their space. The best they can do is to frustrate you out. I understand. The people I don't understand are those who don't want you to stay long in America. Is America your property? Stop that nonsense. Even if you were born in America, it does not give you the right to claim sole ownership. The reason why most Blacks are comfortable in America is because of the sacrifices of people like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks.



There is the funny set of people whose spouses brought them to America. Not having found their feet yet, they would say, if not for their spouses, they would have preferred Nigeria. If these same spouses talked about relocating to Nigeria, they wouldn't agree. Who are you fooling?


There are others who discourage you once they know you have no papers. They forget they were once like you. My former customer, a Nigerian, told me to go back home to stay with my husband, because I came to this world to admire my husband's face. 


This man's wife was in Benin. He didn't give himself this same advice. Anyway, advice is sweeter when you are giving it to another person. I asked him for flight ticket and I never saw him again. You want me to go but you won't give me ticket, na wa o.

If you were not born in America but you have papers, it is either your employers filled for you like Bro Uche, or you married a person who has. Children who are filled for fall under this category. Most people come on a visit or for study, then they start their legalization process. It will be wrong for you to discourage another person when you fall under the last category. Why do you think someone else doesn't have what it takes to survive? Don't worry, Rochas Okorostatue will soon make you the Commissioner for Threshold of Pain.

I also met people who would want to take advantage of you because of your situation. In this case, no gender is free. Men suffer the same fate as women. I still owe you Sam's gist. Duro. Nwe ndidi. Personally, I have met people who assumed I was a single mom. They see me with a baby but assume she is manna( fell from the sky). Others want s§x even if you tell them you are married. S§x is cheaper than food in America.

Useless man: you are married. I am married. What's the difference?

Me: I have conscience. You don't.

Useless man: We are in the same class. Let's not bother about those in Nigeria. Do you even know what they are doing?

Me: I know what I am doing. That's all I need to know.

I have met people whom America has not changed. Most people who have helped me were total strangers and non-Nigerian. From my last cashier job, I have met Police officers, Immigration lawyers and good men and women. Two guys have offered to give me papers free of charge. With that, you have to be careful. If you are carried away, it may be a Greek gift.

In America, I have met Akata hustlers.

Akata: Hey beautiful. Nice hair. You look fly. ( maybe housefly or tsetsefly).

Me: thanks.

From the accent, he knows I am not Akata.

Akata: You need papers? I am a laid back guy. No drama.

My girlfriend talked with one and he said he charged $8000.

There are those from Nigeria who come to visit. They have no plans to stay. To go back big, they want to work, so they can make enough money to go back with. They don't really need papers to work. We take them to factories or blue apron jobs. Here, people use fake papers. No be Blacks dey print the papers o, na Oyibo Oluwole.At blue apron, you work in very cold temperatures. The cold will reset your brain. It's a standing job too. Twelve hours standing. There are short breaks in between.


I have seen two actresses, OAPs, better working class Nigerians, old men and women who do these jobs. Don't be envious of them when they say they spent three months in America. It was not easy. Some, cold entered their intestines.

When my friends ask me my opinion towards relocation, I tell those who have good jobs to come on vacation first. From there, you will do feasibility studies and find the answers you need. It's not wise to sell your car, house, kidney, quit a good job or hand over a good business to a potential crook just because you want to relocate. For those with infants, I advise them to drop the baby with trusted family members. If the baby is American citizen, s/he can always come back. If not, settle down first, then send for them.

Finally, if you are coming, drop your African mentality at the airport. It won't profit you anything.

Let me give you instances

At work, age is just a number. It doesn't get the job done. Most supervisors and line managers are very young.

"Do you know who I am" does not work here. Sit down. Be humble.

As long as you are doing a legal job, you are respected. One lady who visited lost her husband. She was not proud because he was a mechanic. She looked at him as the road-side mechanic in Nigeria, not knowing that mechanics here are in money.

If you have a spouse back home, always tell them of your moves. Mine knows everyone from Ababio to the one I will meet tomorrow. I also tell my girlfriends who are married to do same. You never can tell who knows you from Nigeria. It is also good to avoid misplaced emotions and lack of trust.

39 comments:

  1. i really love this post. the suspense is killing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lols
    I still want know how this story ends

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She just changed the whole story to summary, I bet the bashing didn't do her any good.

      Delete
  3. American wonder lady, na advice you dey give us so instead of we to advise you.

    Ngwanu kwontinue

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, please give us the main gist na,what happened after you left your cashier job? 👍👍👍

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very good but don't tell me the series is over, I want to read more and learn more from your experience.
    It's good your husband knows your every move , it builds trust.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what she says, how do we know the husband knows. She's trying to be defensive of ababio...poster you didn't have any reason looking for friendship online ok. Anyway

      Delete
    2. You are trying too hard @Adanne
      She doesn't owe you any explanation, you hear?
      Oya, carry your bitter self into the kitchen and start counting beans🙄🙄🙄


      Beautiful advice.
      Your writing is as usual, humorous, you must be a very jolly good fellow.
      I love you already.

      Delete
  6. Which kain suppense be this na poster?
    You dey do us longer throat for Ur story oh. Lol

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ride on Poster. We are listening

    ReplyDelete
  8. i like this america wonder post too much . i am learning from it

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow!.. Kinda wish you didn't leave your Job in naija.
    Now I see why most men won't leave their jobs here to relocate with their families.
    Pls let's know how it ended. It has too many chapters already

    ReplyDelete
  10. My uncle told me of a divorcee who landed US with 2 kids in search of greener pastures. She kept meeting one guy after another who would her they can help with papers. By the time she slept with the 5th guy, she relocated to another city. And each one took 2k, not going forward with the agreement after sex. You dare not go and report.

    My family friend told me about his friend who came and went to work in a k-leg place. Cos he was hardworking The manager asked him if he wanted papers, he agreed. She asked him to pay her phone bills for 5 years - she and her daughter. She didn't demand anything else from him and they've done 3 years now. He has his green card.

    Different folks different strokes ☺️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lucky guy. First one I met went with my 2k. Second one left with my 4.5k and to think an ibo guy set me up. if I had slept with any of them I for see fire.. I went naked to curse them cos I worked for dt money. Today them de see fire.

      Delete
  11. I dey enjoy your stories
    Pls give us more gist about how u survive

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good write up. I enjoyed reading it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Blue Apron Job is not child’s play,the cold there can kill faster... the factory work at menasha is something else ...God help us ... it’s not easy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my God. I worked afternoon shift for Menasha. I had back pains. I no go ever try that blue apron freezer job.olurun make.

      Delete
  14. I like your determination to survive. This life is just unfair.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow good advice, America no easy oo,i think Canada is better shaa, nothing comes Easy oo, Nne I will veli veli patience to read your sweet Stori to the end.

    ReplyDelete
  16. You've violated the visa contract as a visitor. You nor get working permit/ papers you dey work, it's okay, continue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Na true o. Abeg, you go fit help me call police.

      Delete
  17. Poster,keep the entertainment coming. I must see the end of this gist. I've really learnt a lot from your experience.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I always enjoy reading your post. Pls keep them coming.

    ReplyDelete
  19. @ poster, abeg keep the gist coming

    ReplyDelete
  20. Insightful. I love reading your stories, pls keep it coming

    ReplyDelete
  21. Pls poster don't say everybody in America,either gets there pali through shady means,there are some that came in with green paper.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Pls poster don't say everybody in America,either gets there pali through shady means,there are some that came in with green paper.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I will say it over and over again, takeaway the infrastructure, Nigeria is a better place than the US.it is not romantic not having a job or papers. The fear, anxiety, worrying about bills no be am at all.

    Loneliness nko? Dont let me go there.


    Poster is being unusually defensive and i understand her. Its a defense mode. She has a husband who is okay financially and would rather subject herself through this stress???

    I pray with all of my heart everyday that Nigerians get it right soonest.

    ReplyDelete
  24. My dear poster, You are irredeemable. I was enjoying your story from the beginning until you decided to deteriorate to this defensive mode. You don't have to. We don't know you personally.

    You know Yorubas say, A dog that wants to go astray will not hear the whistle of the hunter. What I don't get is why you have refused to return to your husband? You are saying is it his face you want to go and be looking at...really? Except there's more to this story, you're not saying.

    Instead of you to accept the constructive criticisms and re-evaluate yourself, you are throwing shade. You think everybody who lives here got their papers through shady means? Or you think everybody thinks America is the promised land, where they want to get to by all means?

    My dear, there are people here that if they had the guarantee of a good paying job,support, and the right infrastructure in 9ja, they'll move back to 9ja sharply especially if they have no attachments here, e.g no family here, no kids here.

    You are such a fortunate woman that you don't even realize what you had in 9ja, with your experience in the O&G industry yet you chose to come and defend a hustle that was unneccessary.

    Anyway, please continue your story, it is interesting.

    Stella please don't sensor my comment. Please. I just don't have time. If i send you stories of what some undocumented 9ja immigrants( especially those who had fantastic jobs in 9ja, but left everything to relocate here illegally) are going through ehn, you'll almost cry for them. But for their privacy, i'll rather keep it confidential.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I'm glad the poster said " how life could turn out". Please don't believe a lot of this "paper" hustle stories. That is the underground Nigerian potential deportee situation. If you think $10 cashiering job in retail is it then do the math before coming to marry that "Akata" and selling all you have in Nigeria. My suspicion is that the poster lives in one of the 6 or so major cities where Nigerians tend to go settle in the " little Lagos" where their friends get them an akata or buys "papers" for them. Those papers are sometimes social security cards of dead people or a shared card, where sometimes 5 or more folks use the same paper.

    Let's do the math, if you make $10 an hour and you are lucky your supervisor ( because you are an hourly employee) gives you 40 hours a week totaling 160 hours, that is $1600. The problem is that some Nigerians never stop thinking in naira even when here. A decent apartment in a non ghetto/crime ridden boarded area may cost you anything up to $800 to $1000 including utilities and trash collection all of which must be paid. That leaves you with less than $600 because Uncle Sam, the nickname for IRS will still tax you, you will still pay into social security that you may never collect as an illegal, pay Medicare tax and all state and county and federal taxes. How much is left? Maybe $450 if you are lucky because you are a minimum wage or close to minimum wage .

    For the commenter that said " take away infrastructure, Nigeria is better" I have news for you, infrastructure makes the difference between western or first world countries and third world countries as it helps create jobs that pay decently and helps create a social safety net for the poor.

    To the issue of people not wanting you to stay, some Nigerians forget this is not Nigeria where everyday is a vacation, I mean 4 days for every holiday and as we speak Christmas break has started in government offices. Here you may have 2 to 6 weeks a year paid time off if you are salaried or in a unionized hourly environment. I used to take a week off to entertain visitors from Nigeria. Guess what, their idea of vacation is daily mall visits with endless shopping and you as a free chauffeur and chaperon. They want pounded yam and goat meat which we here may not care for on a daily basis and I had a guest that left 4 apples as parting gift for my children after her free hotel, food, chauffeur etc! She didn't even bring ordinary crayfish of $5. As to why your relative also may not want you to stay, American homes are built to lock from inside not outside so if you are the nosy type you go around their home and if it's worse and you see a preapproved credit card offer they forgot to shred and you use it or take their kids social security card... the possibilities are endless. Even the kitchens are open floor plan, God forbid we entertain our enemies or unfriendly friends or a wicked relative. People love their privacy and are entitled to it.

    There are hotels at every exit on American interstate highways. If you have money stay at Hyatt Regency or the likes and order room service. I promise you you won't visit the mall everyday. If you managed to gather money together stay at Howard Johnson, Days inn or Red roof motel and if you are somewhere in between stay at Hampton, residence inn, comfort inn etc. For the joyful cashier, the day you stumble on that your former classmate making 6 to 7 times that is the day it will dawn on you that you are in a dead end job and have entered the underground American economic shadows and are stuck.This is my 4th attempt at commenting. Stella call your tech support and please publish this

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'm glad the poster said " how life could turn out". Please don't believe a lot of this "paper" hustle stories. That is the underground Nigerian potential deportee situation. If you think $10 cashiering job in retail is it then do the math before coming to marry that "Akata" and selling all you have in Nigeria. My suspicion is that the poster lives in one of the 6 or so major cities where Nigerians tend to go settle in the " little Lagos" where their friends get them an akata or buys "papers" for them. Those papers are sometimes social security cards of dead people or a shared card, where sometimes 5 or more folks use the same paper.

    Let's do the math, if you make $10 an hour and you are lucky your supervisor ( because you are an hourly employee) gives you 40 hours a week totaling 160 hours, that is $1600. The problem is that some Nigerians never stop thinking in naira even when here. A decent apartment in a non ghetto/crime ridden boarded area may cost you anything up to $800 to $1000 including utilities and trash collection all of which must be paid. That leaves you with less than $600 because Uncle Sam, the nickname for IRS will still tax you, you will still pay into social security that you may never collect as an illegal, pay Medicare tax and all state and county and federal taxes. How much is left? Maybe $450 if you are lucky because you are a minimum wage or close to minimum wage .

    For the commenter that said " take away infrastructure, Nigeria is better" I have news for you, infrastructure makes the difference between western or first world countries and third world countries as it helps create jobs that pay decently and helps create a social safety net for the poor.

    To the issue of people not wanting you to stay, some Nigerians forget this is not Nigeria where everyday is a vacation, I mean 4 days for every holiday and as we speak Christmas break has started in government offices. Here you may have 2 to 6 weeks a year paid time off if you are salaried or in a unionized hourly environment. I used to take a week off to entertain visitors from Nigeria. Guess what, their idea of vacation is daily mall visits with endless shopping and you as a free chauffeur and chaperon. They want pounded yam and goat meat which we here may not care for on a daily basis and I had a guest that left 4 apples as parting gift for my children after her free hotel, food, chauffeur etc! She didn't even bring ordinary crayfish of $5. As to why your relative also may not want you to stay, American homes are built to lock from inside not outside so if you are the nosy type you go around their home and if it's worse and you see a preapproved credit card offer they forgot to shred and you use it or take their kids social security card... the possibilities are endless. Even the kitchens are open floor plan, God forbid we entertain our enemies or unfriendly friends or a wicked relative. People love their privacy and are entitled to it.

    There are hotels at every exit on American interstate highways. If you have money stay at Hyatt Regency or the likes and order room service. I promise you you won't visit the mall everyday. If you managed to gather money together stay at Howard Johnson, Days inn or Red roof motel and if you are somewhere in between stay at Hampton, residence inn, comfort inn etc. For the joyful cashier, the day you stumble on that your former classmate making 6 to 7 times that is the day it will dawn on you that you are in a dead end job and have entered the underground American economic shadows and are stuck.This is my 4th attempt at commenting. Stella call your tech support and please publish this.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'm glad the poster said " how life could turn out". Please don't believe a lot of this "paper" hustle stories. That is the underground Nigerian potential deportee situation. If you think $10 cashiering job in retail is it then do the math before coming to marry that "Akata" and selling all you have in Nigeria. My suspicion is that the poster lives in one of the 6 or so major cities where Nigerians tend to go settle in the " little Lagos" where their friends get them an akata or buys "papers" for them. Those papers are sometimes social security cards of dead people or a shared card, where sometimes 5 or more folks use the same paper.

    Let's do the math, if you make $10 an hour and you are lucky your supervisor ( because you are an hourly employee) gives you 40 hours a week totaling 160 hours, that is $1600. The problem is that some Nigerians never stop thinking in naira even when here. A decent apartment in a non ghetto/crime ridden boarded area may cost you anything up to $800 to $1000 including utilities and trash collection all of which must be paid.

    That leaves you with less than $600 because Uncle Sam, the nickname for IRS will still tax you, you will still pay into social security that you may never collect as an illegal, pay Medicare tax and all state and county and federal taxes. How much is left?

    Maybe $450 if you are lucky because you are a minimum wage or close to minimum wage .

    For the commenter that said " take away infrastructure, Nigeria is better" I have news for you, infrastructure makes the difference between western or first world countries and third world countries as it helps create jobs that pay decently and helps create a social safety net for the poor.

    To the issue of people not wanting you to stay, some Nigerians forget this is not Nigeria where everyday is a vacation, I mean 4 days for every holiday and as we speak Christmas break has started in government offices. Here you may have 2 to 6 weeks a year paid time off if you are salaried or in a unionized hourly environment. I used to take a week off to entertain visitors from Nigeria. Guess what, their idea of vacation is daily mall visits with endless shopping and you as a free chauffeur and chaperon. They want pounded yam and goat meat which we here may not care for on a daily basis and I had a guest that left 4 apples as parting gift for my children after her free hotel, food, chauffeur etc! She didn't even bring ordinary crayfish of $5.

    As to why your relative also may not want you to stay, American homes are built to lock from inside not outside so if you are the nosy type you go around their home and if it's worse and you see a preapproved credit card offer they forgot to shred and you use it or take their kids social security card... the possibilities are endless. Even the kitchens are open floor plan, God forbid we entertain our enemies or unfriendly friends or a wicked relative. People love their privacy and are entitled to it.

    There are hotels at every exit on American interstate highways. If you have money stay at Hyatt Regency or the likes and order room service. I promise you you won't visit the mall everyday. If you managed to gather money together stay at Howard Johnson, Days inn or Red roof motel and if you are somewhere in between stay at Hampton, residence inn, comfort inn etc. For the joyful cashier, the day you stumble on that your former classmate making 6 to 7 times that is the day it will dawn on you that you are in a dead end job and have entered the underground American economic shadows and are stuck.This is my 4th attempt at commenting. Stella call your tech support and please publish this.

    ReplyDelete

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