The beginning of the year is a popular time to reflect on the past while
\npreening for the future. I was doing that this January when I was overcome
\nby the emotion of this now 30-plus year odyssey in America. As I strolled
\ndown that memory lane, I was interrupted by a question a reader once asked
\nme: “If you knew then what you know today, would you have gone to
\nAmerica?” The key word is “today”. And the short answer is a resounding,
\n“YES”! As proud as I am of my Nigerian heritage, I am delighted I came
\nto America, all things considered. However, this article is not about me.<\/p>\n
Relocating is rarely smooth all the way. As Alayi people would say, “only
\nwhen one chews (not just drinks) water does one realize water has bones”.
\nLiving in a foreign land is not for everyone. Ask any candid person who
\nhas blazed this diaspora trail and that person will tell you it\u2019s not as
\neasy as it seems. However, “difficult roads [often] lead to beautiful
\ndestinations\u201d. If you have the dexterity, you too can make it.<\/p>\n
There are four concurrent challenges capable of bringing Nigeria to her
\nknees, if not to her demise: pervasive corruption, worsening sectarian
\nviolence, youth population and chronic unemployment explosions. Truth be
\ntold, both the ruled and the rulers have a hand in this mess. We all want
\na successful Nigeria but when the President\u2019s and Finance Minister\u2019s
\nrelatives and innocent citizens are victims of desperate kidnappers and
\nother heinous criminals, you know Nigeria is truly on the verge of falling
\napart, pun intended. Nigerian shortsighted leaders are target-fixated on
\nthe precipice at national expense. Would you blame anyone trying to escape
\nfrom what one feels is a burning house or sinking boat? This article is
\nabout that person in Nigeria who is eager to emigrate. It\u2019s for the young
\nman or woman somewhere today who dreams of relocating tomorrow for a
\nbetter life. If you are in that situation, this article is about and for
\nyou.<\/p>\n
Success in anything hinges on good health, a plan, hard work and luck. The
\ntop priority is to take care of Number One: Yourself. It means eating,
\nsleeping, exercising, and saving well. You will need your good health to
\nachieve your dreams. A healthy you is a wealthy you. Be sure to have both
\nhealth and life insurance, just in case. This essence is often lost in the
\nminds of young people who are swift in sacrificing their bodies for
\nshort-term gains without realizing the lifetime consequences of their
\nyouthful exuberance. Plan by reading biographies of people who have gone
\nthrough the journey you are about to embark and learn from their
\nexperiences. And follow up with hard work and determination.<\/p>\n
Go For It! Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by
\nchange, per Jim Rohn. The last persons you want to listen to are the
\nsociety fat cats who cannot relate to your plight. They tell you not to
\n“check out”. They preach the virtues of toughing it out at home while they
\nsend their offspring overseas for schooling and go abroad themselves for
\nmedical treatments.<\/p>\n
Sisyphean as it may be, don’t let anything (not even the love of country,
\nespecially the country that does not love you as much as she wants you to
\nlove her) dissuade you from pursuing your dreams. They tell you to stay
\nand perish in the toxic environment they have perpetuated. Heck no; rebel
\nand go for it! Yes, the love of country is a great thing; working to
\nbetter one’s nation is a noble pursuit. However, don’t be so desperate to
\nemigrate that you attempt to trek the Sahara expanse to Libya and get on a
\nraggedy boat or stowaway in airplane wheel well to reach the “promise
\nland”. Please don’t take that chance; it is suicidal. Nothing is worth
\nyour life.<\/p>\n
Come in legally through the front door, for example, by honestly asking
\nsmaller colleges for admission and scholarship, like Nnamdi Azikiwe did in
\n1920s. With the Internet you can apply to schools more efficiently. Seek
\nhelp from people in your circle of influence. Have something to offer in
\nreturn. Honesty is the key!<\/p>\n
Make Fear Your Friend Not Your Enemy: Fear can be a prudent regulator that
\nhelps you save yourself from yourself. Don’t dread it; accept it for what
\nit is: False Expectation Appearing Real. FEAR. It’s okay to be afraid of
\nmoving overseas or across town or country. Develop the courage to overcome
\nthat fear. Believe!<\/p>\n
Per Henry David Thoreau, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.
\nLive the life you have imagined”. You just might attain those dreams. Be
\nprepared to work harder than you ever imagined. Become your own
\nambassador. Spur others to judge you by the content of your character
\nrather than by the color of your skin or your national origin, to
\nparaphrase Martin Luther King Jr. Don’t inherit anyone else’s sins. And
\nfor your own sins, seek repentance and aspire for a better tomorrow.<\/p>\n
A Different You: You’ll never be the same once you leave. So soak in your
\ncurrent scenery, maintain your existing friends and family. Prepare to
\novercome betrayals along the road. If you are traveling abroad, know that
\nthere are people you will never see again and those that will not see you
\nin this life. You need to learn to accept this painful fact. As Max Lucado
\nstated, “to lead the orchestra [one] must turn [one’s] back on the crowd”.<\/p>\n
Follow Your Mind.
\nDon’t be like the professional caterpillars that mindlessly follow the
\ncircle of starvation when food is all around them, including inside the
\ncircle. In other words, dare to be different and don’t follow others
\nunless you want to be like them. No one has ever achieved greatness by
\nfollowing others. At times one might need to emulate others to get over a
\ntemporary hump but to attain one\u2019s true potential, one has to be unique.<\/p>\n
Passion and Work hard
\nYou have to immerse yourself in your sojourn prior to setting sail.
\nPassion cost a little but it buys a lot! The other side of the coin is
\ngood old hard work. Experts say passion plus hard work are the twin
\ningredients for success. You can’t have one without the other.<\/p>\n
It’s no small feat to move within town, state, country, continent, or
\nacross the world. It could be relocating from Nigeria to America or from
\nthe Bay Area to Austin or from Oakland to Pleasanton or from Atlanta to
\nHouston. Better neighborhood and career advancement are top two reasons
\npeople relocate. Whatever your reasons are, be prepared to pay the price
\nand reap the benefits of your decision. There’s no guaranty of a
\nsuccessful outcome. Granted that anything can happen anywhere or any time,
\nit still behooves us parents to raise our family in the best environment
\nwe can provide. If it takes moving, changing jobs, or adopting other
\nmeasures to improve your family’s future, consider making the change. If
\nyour children are keeping bad company, move them away from that negative
\ninfluence before it is too late. Your children may complain today but they
\nwill love you for it tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Relocation can be hampered by scarce resources and limitless challenges.
\nIn the endless quest to escape the current living condition, people often
\nforget the comfort provided by being home or in a familiar environment.
\n\u201cMove to a new country and you quickly see that visiting a place as a
\ntourist, and actually moving there for good, are two very different
\nthings\u201d, according to Tahir Shah of Travel with Myself fame. Or to
\nparaphrase Led Zeppelin, when you get there you would know all that
\nglitters is not gold. Still it could be your stairway to heaven. Steer
\nyour own destiny before someone or society does it for you.<\/p>\n
Don’t be fooled by the 419, credit card, and medical scams image or news.
\nNigerians are making positive contributions across the globe. According to
\nNew York Times, “Nigerians make up less than 1 percent of the black
\npopulation in the United States, yet in 2013 nearly one-quarter of the
\nblack students at Harvard Business School were of Nigerian ancestry; over
\na fourth of Nigerian-Americans have a graduate or professional degree, as
\ncompared with only about 11 percent of whites.” Some of these
\noverachievers abroad are the very ones Nigeria rejected at home. So if the
\nconditions in Nigeria are coalescing to extinguish your future, you need
\nto consider moving to a place that would reward your talent and hard work.
\nAfter all one \u201cwho fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.” You
\nhave this one life to live.<\/p>\n
Stay tuned for Part Two<\/p>\n
By Chuks U.C. Ukaoma, an Old Boy of Methodist College Uzuakoli.
\nAustin, Texas. U.S.A.<\/p>\n
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