3 REASONS WHY DIASPORA LIFE CAN BE DEPRESSING

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Life in the diaspora is not always a bed of roses, it can be tough, it can be depressing due to various reasons and circumstances. Here are some of the main reasons it can be depressing.

BECAUSE WE MISS HOME:

Even though probably one does not have all the material needs, the community life brought a lot of satisfaction, a lot of togetherness, a lot of oneness that you will not witness when you are in a foreign country. All this ends, and the different culture, the different way of doing things makes it so that even getting to know and understand your neighbor is an issue.

IT IS TOUGH TO ADAPT TO BEING A 2ND CLASS CITIZEN:

If there is one thing that is hard, is to come from your motherland, and all you have known is that you are a human being just like any other human being in world, and land in a foreign country where they treat you as if you are not supposed to exist in this world, that is hard.

You ever tried to be friends with people who do not want to be friends, or try to fit in a social grouping that you definitely you do not belong, the cold stares, the cold shoulders, people ignoring you, it is a tough life. Don’t get me wrong, this does not happen to everyone, and the cold shoulders are not from everyone, I have met many who have embraced me and others with full open arms.

However, as an African immigrant, one fits into 2 stereotypes that are very negative in a huge way.

1. You are black! There is no one time, back home I ever even thought about being black. It’s a new experience when someone judges you for your skin colour. From your first day in diaspora, to the last day, you will have to fight the negative stereotype of your skin colour. You will have to work twice as hard, to be as good as anybody else. You will face racism either in your face, or in a subtle manner, whichever way, you will face it.
2. You are African: If there is one thing that I have come to realize, is the low opinion most people have of Africa and Africans. There are many who will think you are dumb, and all you have witnessed in your life is death, destruction and disease. No matter how educated you are, as long as you are African, even someone who has not finished his high school will feel superior to you. This is partly due to the fact that, yes, there are many regions of Africa that have death, destruction and disease, but also because the African man has not put enough effort to make sure that the full facet of African life is taken out there to the world.

If as an African immigrant, you work in a field where brain work is needed, say a doctor, a nurse, analyst, engineer whatever professional field, you will always have someone second guess you in ever decision you make.

SOMETIMES DIASPORA LIFE IS JUST NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE:

There are very many out there who dream of life in diaspora, and see all the beautiful cities, picket fences, dream cars, dream life, and they drop everything in order to experience the life. You land in whatever country, whatever city you have always dreamed of, only to find that it is not exactly what you though it was going to be. The glitz and the glamour that is diaspora life, sometimes is just not what it’s cut out to be. You come here and if you are not prepared psychologically for the kind of life and jobs that are available.

The toughest challenge I find for most is the ability to adapt to new jobs and new working environments. The truth is, there are many jobs that are available at the entry level. Many require little training and are therefore easy to get into. UNFORTUNATELY they are jobs that need more of a CALLING than anything else

DIASPORA LIFE CAN BE MADE DIFFICULT BY YOUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN:

Am not going to lie. Some of the problems that people in the diaspora face come from the very people they call their own. It is sad, but it is something that happens almost every where.

For some reason be it being jealous of another, be it hatred for another, be it lack of love for one another, some people just make the lives of their fellow countrymen much more difficult than they should.

Some of them will:-

-Sell you out, especially if thy know you got issues with papers
-Will not help you in getting better jobs, better deals
-Will constantly send negative feedback/stories back home

It gets to some point where it is far much better to live life away from your community and only interact with them on the common community issues.

CONCLUSION:

When all is said and done, life is what you make it to be. If you focus on the negative, and never make an effort to make it better, then it will always be a sad affair. That is the same with diaspora life. You can choose to focus on all these negative aspects and without a doubt it will be the most depressing life you have ever led. On the other hand, just like many people out there, you can choose to focus on the positive, focus on what is good and your life will truly be a happier and more fulfilled one.

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