America like every nation (Norway and Switzerland inclusive) has it's own problems.

Wealth distribution could be skewed, apathy towards certain ethnicity could be rife making life unbearable for some.

However, after all said and done, the OP should acknowledge he is the offspring of immigrants (at least judging from his moniker).

This is point is moot because if nothing, it reinforces the perspective of not a few contributors; America has it challenges but these are evils many are willing to face. If the child of immigrants could make it to Cornell, it wouldn't be lost on a few that the potential for scaling life's hurdles exist for them, if only they could get there.

Ghettos and shanties are monuments of the modern society. As well we have the high-rises and semi-detached homes some with picket fence (the American dream) .

In the grand scheme of things, man wishes to survive and then thrive.

Try telling a man who's barely surviving that the American dream isn't for him.

Tinyemeka:
However, @Ozo Emeka, I must admit that if your intent was to show the true picture of things in the US, then your attempt was a biased one. The opening pages of this thread were filled with pictures of ghettos and the severe gaps between the affluent and the homeless, obviously living side by side.
You said the US is not all about gloom and doom.
Where are the success stories? The happy pictures (and I am not talking literarily)?

Where is the balance you talk about?

He has chosen to mainly present the gloomy side to balance out the "success stories" and "happy pictures" that many others have chosen to present.
Hope you see the balance that he provides to the overall discussion about American prospects for a Nigerian

ozo_emeka: smh. Are NLers above 7? It feels like I literally need to spell out

The objective of the thread is to BALANCE out the nuances of TV. I.e THe OBVIOUS delusions people have from TV. This is not a TOUR GUIDE to the US

Dude I know what to filter out when I watch TV. Not everyone is a dumb sponge.

Some borrow money, and like I mentioned in this thread an example, some save up to do that.
2. no

Tinyemeka:

The "glossed up" images I am aware of, are the flashy cars, houses and cash being thrown around when those Nigerians come home during holidays. Are they all fake? Aren't there much successful Nigerians in the US?
And must you be born there or have parents wealthy enough to sponsor you to Ivy League colleges before you can really make it there?

anonimi:

He has chosen to mainly present the gloomy side to balance out the "success stories" and "happy pictures" that many others have chosen to present.
Hope you see the balance that he provides to the overall discussion about American prospects for a Nigerian

The objective has been made clearer. I understand now. Thank you.

babyosisi:

And see what in DC ?
Majority of homeless people on the streets of down town America are drug addicts and chronic alcoholics
That is a fact
Majority of the ones in LA are runaways drawn to the lure of Hollywood
There are homeless shelters in America and some stay there and those who can't abide the rules of keeping off drugs cannot stay
Paint the real picture please.
The Nigerians looking to emigrate are usually college graduates not drug addicts and drunks
So telling them about homeless americans without showing them that majority of Nigerians here are doing well is being deceptive
That is what many are trying to get across
You are peddling lies and half truths

He is definitely NOT peddling lies!
However I might GRUDGINLY agree with you that he is peddling half truths to the extent that he cannot tell the complete story of American prospects for Nigerians.
That is not his duty nor his choice.
There are many other sources with the stories of "majority of Nigerians" doing well in the US.
To each his vocation/calling.
It is up to inquisitive readers to search widely and form an INFORMED, BALANCED opinion of what their options are.

Why is my moniker representative of my background? Assumptions?

I am RARELY ever called by my igbo name, only VERY close friends do so to GET MY ATTENTION. Since this is a Nigerian forum I used my Igbo not my english name, those who have emailed me know my english name

rusher14: America like every nation (Norway and Switzerland inclusive) has it's own problems.

Wealth distribution could be skewed, apathy towards certain ethnicity could be rife making life unbearable for some.

However, after all said and done, the OP should acknowledge he is the offspring of immigrants (at least judging from his moniker).

This is point is moot because if nothing, it reinforces the perspective of not a few contributors; America has it challenges but these are evils many are willing to face. If the child of immigrants could make it to Cornell, it wouldn't be lost on a few that the potential for scaling life's hurdles exist for them, if only they could get there.

Ghettos and shanties are monuments of the modern society. As well we have the high-rises and semi-detached homes some with picket fence (the American dream) .

In the grand scheme of things, man wishes to survive and then thrive.

try telling a man who's barely surviving that the American dream isn't for him.

babyosisi:
The Nigerians looking to emigrate are usually college graduates not drug addicts and drunks
So telling them about homeless americans without showing them that majority of Nigerians here are doing well is being deceptive

This is what I'd been asking for all along.

Tinyemeka:

The "glossed up" images I am aware of, are the flashy cars, houses and cash being thrown around when those Nigerians come home during holidays. Are they all fake? Aren't there much successful Nigerians in the US?
And must you be born there or have parents wealthy enough to sponsor you to Ivy League colleges before you can really make it there?

The issue is that word I highlighted- ALL.
He has not said all the glossed up images are fake. In fact if I remember correctly in his first few posts he talked about a couple (his relations) who are both doctors and have clinics in Nigeria apart from their work in the US.
The core of his thread is that there are quite a number of deceptions in the US for Nigerian immigrants that those who are YET to embark on the adventure need to be FULLY aware of.

Phew. BReath of fresh air.

anonimi:

The issue is that word I highlighted- ALL.
He has not said all the glossed up images are fake. In fact if I remember correctly in his first few posts he talked about a couple (his relations) who are both doctors and have clinics in Nigeria apart from their work in the US.
The core of his thread is that there are quite a number of deceptions in the US for Nigerian immigrants that those who are YET to embark on the adventure need to be FULLY aware of.

Abeg yall should just drop it..

If you want to come to the U.S., come na and enjoy your time...

nigerians will never want to agree that america is just as bad as nigeria, yes you can get a low income entry level job but for most other jobs its who you know i remember my first kaplan class for step 1 and the guy taking the class put contacts as the first three things you need to have even more important than your test scores or your university scores. You see dumb dr's get jobs because they are white and managed to scrape through medical school while the genuinely brilliant immigrant is left to drive cabs or become a janitor anyway like someone said let them come there is no point talking to a deaf person

babyosisi:

And see what in DC ?
Majority of homeless people on the streets of down town America are the mentally ill who refuse treatment,substance abusers and chronic alcoholics
That is a fact
Majority of the ones in LA are runaways drawn to the lure of Hollywood
There are homeless shelters in America and some stay there and those who can't abide by the rules of keeping off drugs cannot stay
Paint the real picture please.
The Nigerians looking to emigrate are usually college graduates not drug addicts and drunks
So telling them about homeless americans without showing them that majority of Nigerians here are doing well is being deceptive
That is what many are trying to get across
You are peddling lies and half truths

Help me tell am!

manny4life: Abeg yall should just drop it..

If you want to come to the U.S., come na and enjoy your time...

I guess you understand the issues here....
But for those who may be confounded, this discussion reminds me of a line from Bob Marley's song, Rat Race:

In the abundance of water the fool is thirsty.

Quite a number of the people who are STUCK as socio-economic EXILES in the US, but pride themselves as diasporans, would be better off in Nigeria with our vast opportunities if they apply the same effort despite the challenges in our environment.
The case of Majek Fashek comes to mind here. Hopefully his increasingly frequent return to base may help to stabilise him and re-ignite his creativity for enduring commercial success.
Just to be clear, this is is not applicable to ALL the Nigerian immigrants in the US.

No matter ow you want to put it I got family in the US and they way better off there than when they was in Nigeria. Got a 19 year old brother works at walmart makes 8 dollar an hour you do the maths that's way better than what some bankers make a month and way better than what am bin paid here.. Truth is its hard but anoda side of the truth is that its totally doable

manny4life: Abeg yall should just drop it..

If you want to come to the U.S., come na and enjoy your time...

Exactly!
Back to topic: you want to come to America! Do you really know America?
Answer: no! Maybe not!! But it's da.me better than naija! Period.

ozo_emeka: Why is my moniker representative of my background? Assumptions?

I am RARELY ever called by my igbo name, only VERY close friends do so to GET MY ATTENTION. Since this is a Nigerian forum I used my Igbo not my english name, those who have emailed me know my english name

That wasn't meant to be a diatribe.
I do take it you are 2nd, at worst third generation American .

If that is the case you are the offspring of migrants or people on a short stay. Surely, my assumption is not baseless.

But just like those folks who went to the US gave their kids the kind of sound education you have obtained, so we have many who desire to do the same here.

Thanks for pointing out the pitfalls. They are points well noted.

@op nice post
Very educative and enlightening. Those wishing to travel abroad please stay and develop your country , make other people envious of your country. Don't you feel embarrassed when you travel overseas and comeback to meet Nigeria the same way you left it. We give the whites opportunities to take advantage of us, whereas we can improve ourselves and our nation.

Yes! Changing Nigeria is not impossible, the country needs young minds like us to achieve that, since the present generation in power have failed to do so. All great nations you are seeing today started from somewhere. If we don't develop our nation who will?

Ozo_emeka these pass few days you've worked hard at exposing the myth surrounding America and you went about it hard.

Truth is I don't believe you're 21. Too much depth in your researched flows propably made up of the once bitten, twice shy regret stance.

You're at least in your late twenties.

No lele sha, nothing do you. Cheers.

Africans stay in your damn country and develop.i am American and i advocate the deportation of all africans ,asians and mexicans and extreme slow down of immigration.stop bringing your third worldness here.develop africa.

Dec 1991 calculate that

trae_z: Ozo_emeka these pass few days you've worked hard at exposing the myth surrounding America and you went about it hard.

Truth is I don't believe you're 21. Too much depth in your researched flows propably made up of the once bitten, twice shy regret stance.

You're at least in your late twenties.

No lele sha, nothing do you. Cheers.

I'll take that as a compliment.

Dec 1991 calculate that

trae_z: Ozo_emeka these pass few days you've worked hard at exposing the myth surrounding America and you went about it hard.

Truth is I don't believe you're 21. Too much depth in your researched flows propably made up of the once bitten, twice shy regret stance.

You're at least in your late twenties.

No lele sha, nothing do you. Cheers.

anylove100: Africans stay in your damn country and develop.i am American and i advocate the deportation of all africans ,asians and mexicans and extreme slow down of immigration.stop bringing your third worldness here.develop africa.

Lets deport those that can not compete in a society that award people with merit. I would advise the Justice dept to start by revoking the uninformed OPs blue p.

I am a Nigerian American and I am a success story.
If you doubt me come to my village in Owerri this December.

Education! Education!! Education!!!
A neurosurgeon who hails from Anambra state is regarded as the best in his filled in my city. White folks worship him and would only allow him do surgical operation in their brain. He was born poor, his parents could not afford him a school uniform while in secondary school, today he own Horses, live in a ranch and visit Anambra in a chartered flight.

anylove100: Africans stay in your damn country and develop.i am American and i advocate the deportation of all africans ,asians and mexicans and extreme slow down of immigration.stop bringing you
r third worldness here.develop africa.

. Too late buddy. Most of us are just as American as you are.

adeaugustus: There are three categories of Nigerians living abroad, and each of these categories has different view/perspective about America.

LOTTERY GUYS: This category are not prepared for anything, they got luck, borrowed some money and got shipped of to the US, most of them don't have a college degree, the ones that do are B.SC holders (FYI Nigeria first degree is total bullsh.i.t abroad, not only in US, it has value only if you desire to further your education) this lottery guys finds it difficult to survive, they pick up menial jobs, and work their ass off, the young ones work as hard as they can to earn a living, impress family back home, and probably go to a community college (that comes after 3-5years of hustle), while the older ones, with their Nigerian wife and probably two kids, find it hard to send their kids to school (this kids turn out to be a pain in the butt later on), monitor them and make a decent living, the wife take some courses and becomes a CNA (certified nurse assistant), the husband, well...often they start drinking, get involved in some bad stuff and I don't have to tell you how bad that ends, they eventually divorce their wife, forget their kids and damn the consequences.

Smaller percentage of them would consider going back to school, they attend classes with their kids age mate and at the end of the day, the find it difficult to secure a job (even in Nigeria, when you're older than 28yrs, entry level job is not available for you anymore) this category of husband would leverage on their foreign degree, come back home and become a politician or get hired by some company (you never can tell). take note that the scenario is not only peculiar to Nigerians, it's peculiar to almost all immigrants from developing or under-developed country. Some immigrant do make it, but check the data, only a small percentage of young, brilliant and vibrant immigrant gets their foot on the ground within a reasonable period of time.

THEIR PERSPECTIVE: They would tell you America does not worth it, they would go to any length to discourage you and stuffs like that.

MORAL: What we see is not always what we get. Never count on luck for success, although luck might come in one way or other, know for sure that proper planning and preparation is the major factor.

THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: Often this category smuggle their way into the country, they have no SSN, no address, no phone number, as far as the United States is concerned, they don't exist. They applied for visitors visa, overstayed the period on their visa and do other unimaginable stuffs, this category of people, end up in sham marriage, (VISA/PAPER THINGS), the supposed wife knows what they are passing through so she frustrates the hell out of them, at least until their paper is ready. They end up having kids they are not ready to cater for, take note that before they get their paper done, they're illegal and cannot work, so they find it difficult to feed themselves, these are people that have decent jobs back home, they choose to resign from their job and suffer in a foreign land.

Some get lucky, they get their paper done, divorce the "AKATA" and move on with there life (provided there is something to move on to), if they're older than 35, life is very tough for them, college degree = 0, no work experience, no family ties, no connection, just them (you can only imagine). Ok. If they're not really old, they can fit the pieces together, probably get a part-time job and educate themselves with tax payer's money (This is very annoying). It takes almost half a decade before this category of people get their act together, even when they do, they would look back and scream "had I know" when they imagine the kind of life they would have lead back home.

THEIR PERSPECTIVE: USA is bad, but if you can hustle, hustle like madt, then you will make enough to survive, but don't ever think you will make it big, never!!! just enjoy life while it last.

MORAL: It's good to make early decision about what you would like to make out of your life, if you have a solid plan, you would never change course at 30!! never, migrating when you're above 30 shows that you're not sure of your destination, before it used to be a fool at 40, bro and sis, now it's a fool at 25. So make hay while sun shine.

STUDENTS: Right now, US education is top notch, and don't EVER compare it to that of Nigeria, some people get lucky to attend US institution, if your parent is rich enough (especially as an undergrad), then you won't have problem, but don't ever think you can work your way through undergrad, am sorry, life would be more than difficult for you. The short version is: If you don't have enough money in your account, don't contemplate about studying in US, the non-traditional student i.e. those that come from foreign country, they are obviously in their 20's they get to meet more people in college, make the best out of their life (that is IF their father is not a politicians ooo), so they find it very easy to blend in into the civilized society after their degree, some get an employer to file for them, while other take some other route to become a legal resident.

They get a job, and live an average life (Average American live = Rich Nigerian Life). After some years, they get their act right and before you know it, they're doing well, contemplating about moving back home to do something big. For those that are in graduate school, they have a well defined goals, they don't find it difficult, often they get to stay back and struggle with the waves and it later becomes an happy ending for them.

THEIR PERSPECTIVE: This category would not complain about how "BAD" America is, they would let you know that it's hard but not impossible. frankly that's the best advice you can get, it's hard everywhere, and the world is for those that would attack issue as they come.


TO THE OP.

1. Everybody build or buy house on loan, so don't use that against America, you should rather be happy that some financial institution is ready to buy you a home and allow you to pay later on.

2. Car is more of necessity than luxury, if you need it you buy it, if you don't then no Poo

3. Don't rely on people, everybody is trying to survival, when life hit you hard, don't ever expect your "brother" to take the hit for you, no! learn to survive on your own.

4. Be positive and don't join the lazy black ass niggas, you're a Nigerian, rapping and becoming an NBA star shouldn't be your priority.

5. [b]GET AN EDUCATION.... THAT IS THE MARGIN BETWEEN THE BLACKS AND THE WHITE. [/b]check grad schools statistics, the percentage of blacks in grad school is nothing to write home about.

6. Be Yourself and forget about the "rat Azz accent"

7. Don't join "stewpid" community of Nigerians in US, don't choose abroad daddy and mummy, brothers and sisters, associate with them only if they're successful.

8. GET THIS INTO YOUR SKULL: Higher percentage of successful blacks don't want to associate them-self with you if you're not yet successful, don't be disappointed if you're not welcomed.

Honestly, you have spoken so well.
I took my precious time to know views of my fellow country men; YOU HAVE SPOKEN NOTHING THAN THE GOSPEL TRUTH.
Let me just add few thing to what this intelligent dude said

1). for those thinking of coming back to Nigeria; if you don't have political affiliation and connections(David Mark; Tinubu; iwela; madukwe; Obasanjo; Maku; Fashola Ameachi and co ) you story gonna be from grace to grass.
So ensure so save very well atleast 20million naira so you can set up a business when you return home.

2) For young nigerians aspiring, I'll never discourage you; stay focused; be ready to WORK ROUND THE CLOCK, and if God help you, you are kinda educated; you gonna hit your doe.
But for old folks (35+) I don't think it worth the stress because it's like starting from the scratch again.

Moral lesson, the difference between Nigeria and state is that you need connections for almost everything in Nigeria while in US you don't need to know any political affiliation

Lucasbalo: . Too late buddy. Most of us are just as American as you are.

No! you are a coward runaway,you should go help develop africa. you should implement what you have learnt here.if i were african i would be back home enacting change.i'm not even african yet i'm advocating for change in nigeria,you cowards should do the same

anylove100: Africans stay in your damn country and develop.i am American and i advocate the deportation of all africans ,asians and mexicans and extreme slow down of immigration.stop bringing your third worldness here.develop africa.

Which one are you ignorant European American or ignorant African American?

I love this thread,it is informative and i have noted some things down,as long as i am non citizen thn that will just be for visit and biz only.

bootlegaz: Education! Education!! Education!!!
A neurosurgeon who hails from Anambra state is regarded as the best in his filled in my city. White folks worship him and would only allow him do surgical operation in their brain. He was born poor, his parents could not afford him a school uniform while in secondary school, today he own Horses, live in a ranch and visit Anambra in a chartered flight.

I hope this success story neurosurgeon is giving back to his Anambra folks just as the white folks would do.
That is the way to make Anambra as good as America with abundant opportunities for the people to be educated irrespective how poor they were born.
I am sure the scholarship he received was from donations by sundry Americans who understand that:

No man is an island

One rich man among six poor ones, all seven of them are poor.