My name is Jackson and I have been in USA for 10 years. I came to this country after winning a Green Card Lottery, and I was excited. But 10 years down the line,I regret.
My friend at work back in South Africa was encouraged by his brother who lives in America to apply for a green card.During application process, I thought it was good for me to try my luck-I used to hear that in America there is a lot of money. I just took my passport and details, filled the online form and sent it for shortlisting.
After 6 months, I received information that my application was successful-my friend was unlucky. By that time I was working as an administrator, earning R10, 000 per month and my career was on an upward trend.
Three months later, I resigned from my work and embarked on a journey to America, the land of honey and fat. Processing for a VISA was very easy since I had already received my green card.
Two weeks later, I was in America. The first thing that got me shocked was the fact that people were all along minding their business as I was wondering about my next move. It took me 6 good months to settle.
What shocked me more was the way my degree in business administration was treated like a piece of tissue paper. Unlike in South Africa where my degree was valued, here in America no one recognized it, in fact, the more I showed it to potential employers the more they rejected me.
After 7 months of hustling and moving from office to office in search of employment, I landed a “well-paying job” and my salary was $15 per hour-I thought it was a lot of money for me.
My problems started accumulating when I started paying bills, when I say bills, I mean it.The more I worked the more bills piled, until I reached a point where I wanted to move back to my country. The most irritating thing is not bills but lack of freedom to do whatever you want. Here in America, you can’t move aimlessly, if you do you will come face to face with security personally questioning why you are behaving in such a manner. Here in America, the level of socialization is low, people socialize online. The most shocking thing is that you can even spend a year in an apartment without even knowing who your neighbour is.
I have lived in America for 10 years but I miss my home a lot, I miss having fun with friends. I have sleepless nights in America, experience any normal being would try to avoid. I can’t see the money I always heard people talk about: in America, you must work hard to earn..and not a lot of money as you would think.
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