Is there any person in the world who never dreamt of going to travel or moving to another country? I guess there should be only few who haven’t. I made my pick of a dream-country in the age of five. It was Africa.”Forbidden fruit always tastes sweeter,” the Russian proverb says; for average person living in former SSSR that time the possibility of travelling as far as to another continent was equal to zero, especially, if the target of interest was a capitalist country. Otherwise one was supposed to be at least a diplomat, a political leader, a famous performer or just an incredible lucky one. (I apologise for the flashbacks to the history; it’s just an introduction to prove the reader what my point is.) Though we could hardly get the opportunity to travel, thanks to our government policy;Foreigners were allowed to our country. We saw them in the streets of our cities and towns; disciplined and polite, they seemed to be the perfect example of good manners and decent behaviour. Studying hard for their Medical and Engineering Degrees, they shared hostel rooms with cheerful and considerate Russian students... I loved to watch them walking always in groups, buying food in bulk from food shops hilariously greeting pretty sales ladies in broken Russian. There was a gracious vibe coming from those fascinating foreign people that made me nothing but keen to get to know them better .So the seed of temptation has been planted deep in my head for nobody to make me to change my mind.
“One day I will go there," I confidently told my Dad. He smiled hesitantly. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it till the time when I eventually got a Foreign passport and made my way through the cold winter night of Russia straight to Frankfurt and then to Namibia. My dream destined to come true. Besides, I didn’t stop there but had a chance to visit Botswana, Mozambique and to arrive to my final destination: South Africa. (No more flashbacks, thank you for listening!)Now it’s a time when I am going to share what I!
learnt from my experience and give my tips on immigration:
1. To begin with, Immigration is a good thing if it’s done properly. Before you apply, make sure you did enough research and aware of the fact that you will need to go through medical and criminal check-ups. You will also need to prove that you have enough financial resources to support you during the first few months of your stay. This is a Must!
2. Don’t forget, you are not a sponsored student (unless you are the one), so don’t expect you find the job, make friends and settle down easily. You are a foreigner and they are many in this country which means for you success you must strive to be better than others. To begin with, don’t be stubborn: if it’s required to learn necessary for the communication language, do not look for excuses: do it. You will only benefit from it. Remember, my memories of African students in Russia? Even broken Russian was appreciated. At least, you try...This doesn’t mean you should forget your own language, but you should know that nobody forces his rules in foreign countries.
3. Be interested in local culture, start loving local food, do something good for the community remember my conversation with a local man who was born in South Africa. He strongly believes that foreigners must bring something good from their country and use it for the new country benefit. True! Don’t be shy to introduce your culture: host the evening where you introduce your food, songs, dances; anything you want to share. Simply show your skills you learnt back home.
4. To be accepted in the new society or family, you should only demonstrate your good traits. Nobody likes outsider with bad personality. Be sweet; be nice, even if it’s not easy. I am not teaching you to be a hypocrite and approve wrong-doings of others, but remember: immigrants are always being watched, judged and blamed more than the local ones. It’s a human nature. People protect their home. Remember, foreign students I mentioned in the beginning? I referred to them !
as to polite and decent. So should be you too. Behave; it’s not your territory.