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$osisi (f)
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This topic is really an eye opener.
It's amazing that none of the "child hawkers" express any rensentment towards their parents.
They are now adults and not one person feels they were maltreated.
They had to do what they had to do
It almost seems like those humble beginnings helped in making them appreciate and value things the more when situations changed
Thankfully I came from a middle class home (by Nigerian standards),2 cars.
not wealthy,just comfortable.
Parents were civil servants and we lived in a nice home owned by dad,in a good part of town
we were what many people regarded as comfortable.
I had never known hardship in my life.
Maybe that was why I couldn't handle it when I first came overseas and got my first job washing dishes in a restaurant.
I cried every night
I couldn't imagine myself ,a girl who had all her needs met adequately who went to one of the best secondary schools and one of the premier universities with an enviable degree,condescending to washing dishes in a restaurant in London for survival.
I was devastated but I learnt a lot
I learnt humility,
I learnt not to look down on others .
I also cleaned offices for 4 pounds an hour,which was better than the restaurant dish duty.
And up till today,I make sure to place my trash inside the can not around it because I once was cleaning them.
Life has it's lessons indeed.
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michelin89 (f)
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@ osisi Start by removing that Tufiakwa from the poll!  |
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$osisi (f)
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@ osisi Start by removing that Tufiakwa from the poll! You're right. When I started this thread I had humor in mind and truthfully didn't expect that half the responders had actually hawked on the streets at some point but the responses are very touching. Can you take off the Tufiakwa from there,Ms Moderator,I don't know how to modify the poll |
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michelin89 (f)
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You're right.
When I started this thread I had humor in mind and truthfully didn't expect that half the responders had actually hawked on the streets at some point but the responses are very touching.
You see when I hawked I was too little to know what shame was. My grandma has helps but then maybe I did it for fun because my help was not very needed. When I got to my aunt's house, I realised what it meant to be used. I had to walk for miles to take cooked meat to her restaurant. Even though it was done once in a while and okadas weren't that expensive, she never gave me transport fees. I was just 9/10. Those are the days I that sadden me. |
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$osisi (f)
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It's funny now but I went through hell. Here I was,a graduate washing dishes by hand in the kitchen of an Indian restaurant being supervised by a high schooler whose father owned the restaurant and the stupid boy would just be commanding me up and down. There were times I felt like beating him up I would stand for hours non stop, The only place to sit and rest was on a toilet bowl when there were no dishes,the cooks will ask me to start peeling and slicing onions. The day I quit was when the small boy that called himself my supervisor brought all the cutlery I had suffered in washing and polishing with dish cloth and dumped all 200 pieces into the hot water because he claimed they were not shiny enough and they had water spots. I had enough. This was a boy that was younger than my last brother just humiliating me because of the chicken change they were paying me. |
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TOPE2000! (f)
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It's funny now but I went through hell.
Here I was,a graduate washing dishes by hand in the kitchen of an Indian restaurant being supervised by a high schooler whose father owned the restaurant and the stupid boy would just be commanding me up and down.
There were times I felt like beating him up
I would stand for hours non stop,
The only place to sit and rest was on a toilet bowl
when there were no dishes,the cooks will ask me to start peeling and slicing onions.
The day I quit was when the small boy that called himself my supervisor brought all the cutlery I had suffered in washing and polishing with dish cloth and dumped all 200 pieces into the hot water because he claimed they were not shiny enough and they had water spots.
I had enough.
This was a boy that was younger than my last brother just humiliating me because of the chicken change they were paying me.
WOW . . . . . I cant begin to imagine. |
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$osisi (f)
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WOW . . . . . I cant begin to imagine.
My first job ever in life was a nightmare. I was practically enslaved by the Patels for 3 weeks before I said enough is enough. Thank God I had that experience though It was a learning experience. After all that,I make sure to acknowledge any lower income workers in my work place or any where I go. waiters, aides,receptionists,cleaners etc. People treat them as though they are invisible sometimes. just saying "how are you today "? to that man mopping the floor at your office building goes a long way |
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oyinda. (f)
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yea it sucks to have to go through that. I bet u must have cursed that restaurant after u left. I would have
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bluespice (f)
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good lord osisi!
wow
thats all can say
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TOPE2000! (f)
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My first job ever in life was a nightmare.
I was practically enslaved by the Patels for 3 weeks before I said enough is enough.
Thank God I had that experience though
It was a learning experience.
After all that,I make sure to acknowledge any lower income workers in my work place or any where I go.
waiters, aides,receptionists,cleaners etc.
People treat them as though they are invisible sometimes. just saying "how are you today "? to that man mopping the floor at your office building goes a long way
True that It really must be a learning experience. |
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~Sauron~
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My first job ever in life was a nightmare.
I was practically enslaved by the Patels for 3 weeks before I said enough is enough.
Thank God I had that experience though
It was a learning experience.
After all that,I make sure to acknowledge any lower income workers in my work place or any where I go.
waiters, aides,receptionists,cleaners etc.
People treat them as though they are invisible sometimes.
It's amazing how just saying "how are you today "? to that man mopping the floor at your office building goes a long way
Life can be hell in the UK but i am glad you have grown above all that now. The Patels?  Buncha smelly rich Indians. They own everything in the UK. |
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davidylan (m)
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only 3 weeks? |
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TOPE2000! (f)
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U r such a LACIST  |
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~Sauron~
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U r such a LACIST I agree. . . . .I am a LACIST. |
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michelin89 (f)
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Guys don't derail. Be focused. This is a passionate thread!
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$osisi (f)
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yea it sucks to have to go through that. I bet u must have cursed that restaurant after u left. I would have
If the oracles heard me,that restaurant should have caught fire and burnt to ashes after I left kidding |
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oyinda. (f)
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My first job ever in life was a nightmare.
I was practically enslaved by the Patels for 3 weeks before I said enough is enough.
Thank God I had that experience though
It was a learning experience.
After all that,I make sure to acknowledge any lower income workers in my work place or any where I go.
waiters, aides,receptionists,cleaners etc.
People treat them as though they are invisible sometimes.
just saying "how are you today "? to that man mopping the floor at your office building goes a long way
I developed a friendly relationship with one of the custodials at my school. she comes in at midnight and doesn't leave until the morning. at the end of the school year we had a long conversation n she told me about her life etc. I was so overwhelmed by it n almost cried. she is sooo sweet i think she deservesss so much than her position. yea so i always acknowledge. now u just need to apply the same open mindedness to the many regular muslim families (not the terrorist ones o) out there oh and I read an article about patels on bbc as well. I read that they hold yearly reunions in UK where they try to match/ couple their young ones for marriage to keep their last names and riches within the family. i wouldn't generalize or judge their character though |
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$osisi (f)
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only 3 weeks? Yes,only about that before I got the office cleaning job at a university That one was more relaxed, no pressure at all ,we even had tea time in between vacuuming and buffing. That was the first time I saw a urinal ,I had never gone into a male bathroom I first thought they were sinks I was like haba How come the men have 2 rows of sinks and women only have one The only down part to the second job was the Nigerian students that went to that school and knew that I was a doctor cleaning classrooms. Thank God I got my American visa shortly after |
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~Sauron~
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O$i$i should write a book: Memoir Of An Immigrant. |
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$osisi (f)
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O$i$i should write a book: Memoir Of An Immigrant. You're right. Maybe I should gather stories from other immigrants and compile it into a book. I know someone that was a night watchman with his MBBS I know one who had a law degree but he sold ice cream from street to street in his early days I even heard of one that washed and prepared corpses in funeral homes |
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chiogo (f)
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Wow, $osisi, that's a touching story!!  I've heard worse stories though. You won't believe the things Nigerians go through when they first move abroad. Haha, no wonder people who work in restaurants be cranky. That's why I'm always nice to them, don't want anyone spitting or putting detergent in my food. It's happened to people, believe me. |
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oyinda. (f)
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That's why I'm always nice to them, don't want anyone spitting or putting detergent in my food.
that's disgusting |
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~Sauron~
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You're right. Maybe I should gather stories from other immigrants and compile it into a book. I know someone that was a night watchman with his MBBS
I know one who had a law degree but he sold ice cream from street to street in his early days
I even heard of one that washed and prepared corpses in funeral homes PRICELESS.  |
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$osisi (f)
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You see when I hawked I was too little to know what shame was. My grandma has helps but then maybe I did it for fun because my help was not very needed.
When I got to my aunt's house, I realised what it meant to be used. I had to walk for miles to take cooked meat to her restaurant. Even though it was done once in a while and okadas weren't that expensive, she never gave me transport fees. I was just 9/10.
Those are the days I that sadden me. She's lucky you were just a child an adult would have stopped on the way and consumed at least 1/3rd of the cooked meat before proceeding |
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chiogo (f)
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LOL @ Oyinda. . .like heck yeah. some people are crazy sha. I mean, work can be annoying but don't take it out on me. All in all, just be nice to them, rudeness just gets them more frustrated with their job.
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$osisi (f)
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I developed a friendly relationship with one of the custodials at my school. she comes in at midnight and doesn't leave until the morning. at the end of the school year we had a long conversation n she told me about her life etc. I was so overwhelmed by it n almost cried. she is sooo sweet i think she deservesss so much than her position. yea so i always acknowledge. now u just need to apply the same open mindedness to the many regular muslim families (not the terrorist ones o) out there oh and I read an article about patels on bbc as well. I read that they hold yearly reunions in UK where they try to match/ couple their young ones for marriage to keep their last names and riches within the family. i wouldn't generalize or judge their character though I don't want to derail this thread. I'll answer that in the appropriate thread  for now let's concentrate un how to wash 400 dishes/hr with their matching saucers too |
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woomie (f)
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Yes I definetly did to help my granny, here I am now fifteen year later american citizen. Thank God.
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davidylan (m)
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Yes I definetly did to help my granny, here I am now fifteen year later american citizen. Thank God.
it always amuses me the way people assume this is equivalent to living the dream. Success is not dependent on your passport. |
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$osisi (f)
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it always amuses me the way people assume this is equivalent to living the dream. Success is not dependent on your passport.
My brother that passport is powerful o Many places you can go that you couldn't otherwise |
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