lillaowow:



Is this a story you'd like to share...

What happened? How did you meet him.

PS: I personally feel like marriage fraud would leave red flags in the beginning and the USC would have noticed but ignored it.

Nope.
It was figured out early enough to end it.

Holocene:
I live in the midwest and it's crazy to note that most people especially in the rural areas are not used to seeing black people. Each time I visit those areas, I smile and mind my business so I dont get shot. Racism lives and thrive here but they wouldn't say it openly.
I think the West and East coast are less racist

I think that different parts of the country show it differently. For instance my family who lives in the deep south are used to the Confederate flags and open racism vs myself that lives in the Midwest where it is closeted. I call it polite racism. They will tolerate you and be polite but in their car will call you the N word.
I agree I think areas that are more diverse may be less racist but then these areas discriminate on the basis of class. Low class vs high social standing. New money vs old money

Nigerians and Africans in general shouldn't really complain about racism, especially in the absence of any violence. Within African countries and even in Nigeria, we continually segregate, fight and kill ourselves on the basis of tribe. I dont see the big difference here, more importantly, its a fact that people prefer persons who are more similar to them than others , so i wouldnt be too suprised if a caucasian chose a fellow caucasian over me, or worse calls me racist names. Even in naija, and here on nairaland, we have condescending names for different tribes.

That said, I havent experienced racism, and can not tell how it exactly feels, but tribalism is something i see and feel in Nigeria a lot. I really dont think i would feel too different meeting a racist.

This is just a mind set i would be travelling with.

Homguy:
Nigerians and Africans in general shouldn't really complain about racism, especially in the absence of any violence. Within African countries and even in Nigeria, we continually segregate, fight and kill ourselves on the basis of tribe. I dont see the big difference here, more importantly, its a fact that people prefer persons who are more similar to them than others , so i wouldnt be too suprised if a caucasian chose a fellow caucasian over me, or worse calls me racist names. Even in naija, and here on nairaland, we have condescending names for different tribes.

That said, I havent experienced racism, and can not tell how it exactly feels, but tribalism is something i see and feel in Nigeria a lot. I really dont think i would feel too different meeting a racist.

This is just a mind set i would be travelling with.

I will stay out of this one, for now.

Actually, I changed my mind. You need to read up on American history. Im talking Native American history, slavery, post slavery,Mexican American relations during that period, and civil rights era. You will see that tribalism and racism in the states are two different beasts. I agree on some of your points however.

Homguy:
Nigerians and Africans in general shouldn't really complain about racism, especially in the absence of any violence. Within African countries and even in Nigeria, we continually segregate, fight and kill ourselves on the basis of tribe. I dont see the big difference here, more importantly, its a fact that people prefer persons who are more similar to them than others , so i wouldnt be too suprised if a caucasian chose a fellow caucasian over me, or worse calls me racist names. Even in naija, and here on nairaland, we have condescending names for different tribes.

That said, I havent experienced racism, and can not tell how it exactly feels, but tribalism is something i see and feel in Nigeria a lot. I really dont think i would feel too different meeting a racist.

This is just a mind set i would be travelling with.

No you just can’t ignore it, sometimes it can’t be. It’s not just white against black , there’s also war between African Americans and Africans.

Backfornow:


I will stay out of this one, for now.

Actually, I changed my mind. You need to read up on American history. Im talking Native American history, slavery, post slavery,Mexican American relations during that period, and civil rights era. You will see that tribalism and racism in the states are two different beasts. I agree on some of your points however.

I think it would be an interesting read, but am sure twont be any time soon.

Babyvet : I understand that racism in the states is multi-faceted, but believe that Africans see themselves as superior to African Americans, hence, one shouldnt really be bothered by any tantrums they might throw.

These for me are just internal mental bolsters that i think should help an immigrant African in the US or Canada deal with overt or covert racism.I hope they hold up eventually.

Homguy:
I think it would be an interesting read, but am sure twont be any time soon.

Babyvet : I understand that racism in the states is multi-faceted, but believe that Africans see themselves as superior to African Americans, hence, one shouldnt really be bothered by any tantrums they might throw.

These for me are just internal mental bolsters that i think should help an immigrant African in the US or Canada deal with overt or covert racism.I hope they hold up eventually.

I have a question , do you live abroad or back home?

Homguy:
I think it would be an interesting read, but am sure twont be any time soon.

Babyvet : I understand that racism in the states is multi-faceted, but believe that Africans see themselves as superior to African Americans, hence, one shouldnt really be bothered by any tantrums they might throw.

These for me are just internal mental bolsters that i think should help an immigrant African in the US or Canada deal with overt or covert racism.I hope they hold up eventually.

Ok. I was just making a point that it is very ingrained and is more than just at a surface level.
The best things to do are; a. Be positve,, am optimistic attitude goes a long way. b. Be aware of your surroundings and the people you come in contact with Not everyone is your friend or wishes you well. C. There are good people on both sides, just like there are bad people on both sides. D. You can make it, if you apply hard work, patience, proper planning, and strong ethics.

Backfornow:


@Originalsy, NY or any DC friends here

Is this true? $19 an hour is barely minimum wage?
I mean US federal minimum wage is $7.25 or $7.50 per hour. I know that California was trying to get the wage up to $10 or $12. There are millions of Americans who would love the chance to make $19/hr. I could be wrong here, but unless you are living above your means, high rents, car payment, going out to eat for most of your meals, keeping the mall open, $19 an hour is doable. Im exempting, supporting a family on one income.
I would like to hear from people who are not making 6 figure incomes.

dude
it is not what your make
It all come down to your expense
If you have a salary of about $100k yearly and investment income of $130k yearly
Your have kids and divorce
You continue to invest
You will find out $230k is not a lot of money

nycdude:
Scrum Master, Business Analyst, System Analyst and Quality Assurance. Those are field you can get the right certifications and get a job that pays average of $40 per hour.

Please be very careful with this number.
who are you working?
Government- ur education, experience and your last pay check before coming to the gov matter
benefit --?
If you are a contractor likely make 150K but guess what?
You might not get paid on holiday, no contribution to ur 401k, retirement and might have to pay for ur medical
Your 150k is now $80k in value
If you are making 105k in government job that equal private section 150k
Number of annual leave , sick days, job security, match to 401k or retirement

GoodFaith:

dude
it is not what your make
It all come down to your expense
If you have a salary of about $100k yearly and investment income of $130k yearly
Your have kids and divorce
You continue to invest
You will find out $230k is not a lot of money

How did you come up with that is what I said, when my post and my similar posts explained income, expenses, and spending.
But feel free to to kindly send me $230 k, I will show you how to make it work.

GoodFaith:

dude
it is not what your make
It all come down to your expense
If you have a salary of about $100k yearly and investment income of $130k yearly
Your have kids and divorce
You continue to invest
You will find out $230k is not a lot of money

The ave person here is not making $230k, so just forget about that figure. Don’t be deceived about American income, you have to live here and understand the American lifestyle.

adesbaba:
Oga Franknetter ,av been following u since all this while n I like ur hardworking nature,



Pls ,someone I discussed dis my travel issue with told me he will contact his relative in USA DAT as spent like 20 yrs to send both of us invite cos he too plan travelling...that we will travel with it n then find our level wen we get there.....I think it will be visiting visa invite we will travel with and then sort things out when we land....


I don't want to do anything illegal cos of my future....pls is there a way I can convert this visiting visa to another visa that can allow me legally stay in USA,work and even in future relocate my family to join me in USA. ....


Note:am 23 yrs with bsc accounting, av 1yr post nysc work experience... n don't mind going back to skul wen I land in usa. ....pls


All other persons can reply too

Do you have a visa? Have you traveled out before?

adesbaba:
Oga Franknetter ,av been following u since all this while n I like ur hardworking nature,



Pls ,someone I discussed dis my travel issue with told me he will contact his relative in USA DAT as spent like 20 yrs to send both of us invite cos he too plan travelling...that we will travel with it n then find our level wen we get there.....I think it will be visiting visa invite we will travel with and then sort things out when we land....


I don't want to do anything illegal cos of my future....pls is there a way I can convert this visiting visa to another visa that can allow me legally stay in USA,work and even in future relocate my family to join me in USA. ....


Note:am 23 yrs with bsc accounting, av 1yr post nysc work experience... n don't mind going back to skul wen I land in usa. ....pls


All other persons can reply too

Just know it's illegal to work with a visiting visa... please be guided.. don't make it hard for genuine applicant to get U.S visa and mind you Frank got in with the right visa and he's using his permit legally. U.S is not Naija oooo

seyewest:


Just know it's illegal to work with a visiting visa... please be guided.. don't make it hard for genuine applicant to get U.S visa and mind you Frank got in with the right visa and he's using his permit legally. U.S is not Naija oooo

Please tell him ohh, frank got his green card through family , but he had to wait years to get that. The guy can not afford to travel abroad right now , that’s the truth of the matter. Things have definitely changed and are tougher now.

Babyvet:

The ave person here is not making $230k, so just forget about that figure. Don’t be deceived about American income, you have to live here and understand the American lifestyle.

America is hell
I will be the last person to deceive people regarding life in Canada or America
Please don't school me on Canada or America 32 year count
Not driving a new car, dude is project out and dude telling you he is break
I said salary and investment income sir
I am going to tell you something save lot of money 401k
Opportunity might come, you invest right that can create income for you
I remember telling child mom to invest it was a war getting her to do it
today income from her investment 60k
Guess what she drive in style
Remember ford motor was $1.90 in stock and AIG was about 60 cent
120k houses was 25k eight year back
it is hell to keep investing and do 90% in cash
AIG (NYSE) $52.99
ford NYSE: F 10.03 USD
House prices was 80% down
House price today 90 % up
I don't have cable
I have high end cloths, glasses and watches
the New BMW and Mercedes benz will come I still need one more year of hard labor

Backfornow:


How did you come up with that is what I said, when my post and my similar posts explained income, expenses, and spending.
But feel free to to kindly send me $230 k, I will show you how to make it work.

If you have investment income of 130k and salary 100k
You keep working on investment do cash investment
230k is not lot of money
lot of people here will not make $100k in their life

GoodFaith:

America is hell
I will be the last person to deceive people regarding life in Canada or America
Please don't school me on Canada or America 32 year count
Not driving a new car, dude is project out and dude telling you he is break
I said salary and investment income sir
I am going to tell you something save lot of money 401k
Opportunity might come, you invest right that can create income for you
I remember telling child mom to invest it was a war getting her to do it
today income from her investment 60k
Guess what she drive in style
Remember ford motor was $1.90 in stock and AIG was about 60 cent
120k houses was 25k eight year back
it is hell to keep investing and do 90% in cash
AIG (NYSE) $52.99
ford NYSE: F 10.03 USD
House prices was 80% down
House price today 90 % up

You stated $130k a year investment, where is that coming from? I will plan my future properly and ACCORDINGLY. I spend according to my pocket. I make decent money as a young person and I plan to make more but I have to be realistic.

Babyvet:


You stated $130k a year investment, where is that coming from? I will plan my future properly and ACCORDINGLY. I spend according to my pocket. I make decent money as a young person and I plan to make more but I have to be realistic.

Investment
save, it is hard
The economy might go bad soon or later
You can respond if you have save
I don't have cable
I have high end cloths, glasses and watches
dive 9k car good in gas - drive 160 miles to work
The New BMW or Mercedes benz will come I still need one more year of hard labor

GoodFaith:

If you have investment income of 130k and salary 100k
You keep working on investment do cash investment
230k is not lot of money
lot of people here will not make $100k in their life

I don't understand you. I will sum up what I was trying to say. It is very possible for the average person to live comfortably here in America without a 3 figure salary. Now that is excluding people who are trying to raise capital for business. Goals have to be taken into account here. But it takes having a decent income and managing well that said income. What I see often is that people will create expenses and spending habits first and then expect the income to adjust. No, you look at the income first and then adjust expenses, spending habits, and goals to fit within the income parameters. I do not make 3 figures but I do fine. I had to adjust my living expenses and spending habits so that I can reach the goals such as 401k and other saving goals that I have set for myself. It will just take me longer than someone with a higher salary. But it can and will be done.
That is all I wish to say on the subject.

Babyvet:


Please tell him ohh, frank got his green card through family , but he had to wait years to get that. The guy can not afford to travel abroad right now , that’s the truth of the matter. Things have definitely changed and are tougher now.

Exactly and it's not like Frank is waiting for his mom to feed him meanwhile a 21yrs old Nigerian Corper is tired of living in Nigeria. If you have nothing to offer Nigeria, I what you will offer U.S apart from working round the clock.

Babyvet:

The ave person here is not making $230k, so just forget about that figure. Don’t be deceived about American income, you have to live here and understand the American lifestyle.

You are very correct..

I have been studying and trying to understand what the average american makes as income and was shocked to learn the average income hovers around $50k.

About their lifestyle - recently I started following Dave Ramsey on YouTube and podcast and the experience/knowledge gained is eye opening and cannot be explained in words.

In summary, these people NO get money as we deh think.

Backfornow:


I don't understand you. I will sum up what I was trying to say. It is very possible for the average person to live comfortably here in America without a 3 figure salary. Now that is excluding people who are trying to raise capital for business. Goals have to be taken into account here. But it takes having a decent income and managing well that said income. What I see often is that people will create expenses and spending habits first and then expect the income to adjust. No, you look at the income first and then adjust expenses, spending habits, and goals to fit within the income parameters. I do not make 3 figures but I do fine. I had to adjust my living expenses and spending habits so that I can reach the goals such as 401k and other saving goals that I have set for myself. It will just take me longer than someone with a higher salary. But it can and will be done.
That is all I wish to say on the subject.

sacrifice do pay off. it can be very hard too
Save
The way things are looking the economy might likely go bad
That can be your break through
When the economy is bad is the opportunity for making money
I have not see my Nigerian neighbor for some time now
walk to the back of my house he was at his back yard
We talk about the crazy house price in Toronto
dude said if the market go bad
He will be right there to make money

MackyNaija:

You are very correct..

I have been studying and trying to understand what the average american makes as income and was shocked to learn the average income hovers around $50k.

About their lifestyle - recently I started following Dave Ramsey on YouTube and podcast and the experience/knowledge gained is eye opening and cannot be explained in words.

In summary, these people NO get money as we deh think.

I have learned alot from Dave Ramsey. Suze Orman is good too.

GoodFaith:

sacrifice do pay off. it can be very hard too
Save
The way things are looking the economy might likely go bad
That can be your break through
When the economy is bad is the opportunity for making money
I have not see my Nigerian neighbor for some time now
walk to the back of my house he was at his back yard
We talk about the crazy house price in Toronto
dude said if the market go bad
He will be right there to make money

I watch House Hunters and Love it or List It which is heavily Canadian based shows. I almost feel like I need an inhaler when these people just casually talk about how $600 k is not too much. Conversely I have the same reaction when the people in CA say casually "oh its just $300k". But the house is a 2 bedroom shack and they are so happy to get it. Where I live that money will buy a mansion.
Idk about your friend. He might need the patience of Noah and Job combined to see Canada's market fall anytime soon.

Backfornow:


I watch House Hunters and Love it or List It which is heavily Canadian based shows. I almost feel like I need an inhaler when these people just casually talk about how $600 k is not too much. Conversely I have the same reaction when the people in CA say casually "oh its just $300k". But the house is a 2 bedroom shack and they are so happy to get it. Where I live that money will buy a mansion.
Idk about your friend. He might need the patience of Noah and Job combined to see Canada's market fall anytime soon.

It happen in the USA, it might happen in Canada too
The Canadian crazy market is Toronto and BC
Yesterday evening I was in a high end store
One of the lady the work there sell houses full time
she told me to come do $350K deal
I told her hell NO
That I can do two deal for 125k deal for $1300 monthly
or High risk deal for 50K each still collect $850 monthly

GoodFaith:

It happen in the USA, it might happen in Canada too
The Canadian crazy market is Toronto and BC
Yesterday evening I was in a high end store
One of the lady the work there sell houses full time
she told me to come do $350K deal
I told her hell NO
That I can do two deal for 125k deal for $1300 monthly
or High risk deal for 50K each still collect $850 monthly

True.
But the one thing Canada has going for it is that is exports are greater than its imports.
It is the opposite for the US currently. In fact US imports heavily from Canada.
Economically a country can not sustain itself successfully long term with importing.
Now all this was what I learned in a Econ class a year ago so the info may be outdated.

Backfornow:


True.
But the one thing Canada has going for it is that is exports are greater than its imports.
It is the opposite for the US currently. In fact US imports heavily from Canada.
Economically a country can not sustain itself successfully long term with importing.
Now all this was what I learned in a Econ class a year ago so the info may be outdated.

One of the factor that I am looking at
that might not make the house market fall is the emigrate
emigrate will not let their investment in their house go
If the housing market get mess
and emigrate let it go they will so F it up, it will be unbelievable
Indians and African

GoodFaith:

Investment
save, it is hard
The economy might go bad soon or later
You can respond if you have save
I don't have cable
I have high end cloths, glasses and watches
dive 9k car good in gas - drive 160 miles to work
The New BMW or Mercedes benz will come I still need one more year of hard labor

What type of investment are you talking about ? It’s not easy to save money in this country and I’m not talking about people who live above their means. Please research on the average saving and average properties that people actually own in the Us.

MackyNaija:

You are very correct..

I have been studying and trying to understand what the average american makes as income and was shocked to learn the average income hovers around $50k.

About their lifestyle - recently I started following Dave Ramsey on YouTube and podcast and the experience/knowledge gained is eye opening and cannot be explained in words.


In summary, these people NO get money as we deh think.

Yep , I follow SOME of fave Ramsey teaching but some his teaching are not realistic. He was a young man in the 80’s where it was easier for you to get own place and take care of yourself . Now it’s harder for younger people to do that. The average apartment cost $1000 in my area cost that, I’m not sure how fresh 18 year old is going to afford that , even with room mates . Yea a lot of people appear to have more money than they have. Credit is very big here and people are able to get what they can’t afford. For example , if your make like around $1500 a month and have decent credit score, they can give you a Benz or bmw . Same thing with housing , there is neighborhood around me , whereby the houses were selling fast , average house around $400,000 the lenders there are very lenient and but most of people buying were 2 income .

Babyvet:


What type of investment are you talking about ? It’s not easy to save money in this country and I’m not talking about people who live above their means. Please research on the average saving and average properties that people actually own in the Us.

If it was easy to make money I would have had cable
do you remember 2007?
what happen to stock market and housing market
I have live the life
I know what the average salary are
Thank God for over 20 year i have not had to worry about making average salary
The first investment I made cost me about 27K
took loan from my 401k, my brothers sometime
Bi week repaying my loan was $600
for about nine year have not had fully check
I am only pay $95 bi weekly today
My first fully check will be December
I am glad I work for the government that I was able to take up to five loan at the time
Today you can only be able to take one 401k loan - ( opportunity)
If I have invested in the same location 270k back the time I made the first investment
my investment wolud have being over one million today
like my brother said we did ok
I gave up a lot it was hard and painful
I put all into it
eight year I sometime only have $5 driving 80 mile away and back from work total
I can't wait to put this year and next year behind me
Just live life watch my hard work paying off