2. Downsize! You have to start thinking that you cannot start in a new country with the same standard of living of your place of origin, unless you have unlimited economic resources or you are a person of exceptional knowledge and abilities, an even so, you have to be cautious. You can eventually get to your previous standard of living, after having been able to evaluate the possibilities.

3. You have to prepare yourself for many adaptations: at home, at work, with your acquaintances, in the way you use your time, and many more.

4. You have to be very patient; things may happen at a different pace that the one you are accustumed, and if one does not develop patience, one will tend to act hastily, thus not letting matters take their regular course.

5. You have to be creative, try to start thinking outside the box.

6. Leave the arrogance in your old home. Be humble. Do not think you know everything and have all the answers.

7. Try to start “getting” the way of thinking of the country you want to emigrate to. Remember it is not the same going to a place on vacation than emigrating there.

8. Find out which friends or acquaintances of yours have emigrated to the place you want to go and start reviving those relationships because, besides being very useful, they will mean company in those early moments when one tends to feel very alone.

9. Listen and hear. He who listens first hears, then asimilates and integrates it with previous knowledge as a new thought. He who only hears, does not learn anything new because he made the question without necessarily paying attention to the answer.

10. Be prepared to ask for help. It could be from family or friends and you should also think about paid consulting. The sooner you are successful the less traumatic the process is going to be.

11. Start going over your personal possessions in your current home to choose what you would like to take with you. Think about what you will need in your new place of residence and compare its value in both places; you will be surprised about the huge price difference some items can have. Some may be significantly more expensive (‘let me take it with me, repair it, buy it to take it”) or cheaper ( “let me sell it, leave it”). Key furnishing pieces and/or pieces with sentimental value may be very useful in the transition period, because they can make you feel “at home”.

12.Learn not to compare, accept it is going to be different (new contribution)

I think that, for an initial article, I have covered a broad scope. For me, these points are very relevant, but each person must give them their own importance. I would very much like for the readers of The Immigrant to participate in completing this guide to prepare for the “big step”. I am looking forward to comments, recomendations or suggestions. Click here to include your recommendation.

Felix Altaras

Before I say goodbye, I’d like to tell a few stories. Here we go: every birthday, my siblings’ or mine, my relatives come to my house from all over the world to celebrate because they are immigrants. When my siblings were born all of my relatives came and it was like a party. And when we went to Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, all my relatives also came.

I want to encourage everyone to read this article and write something even if you are not an immigrant. Write about your
parents and how they came to another country or state, even if you’re young. I am only 8 years old.

So bye and I might write another article if you like this one and please send comments.

Author: Niky

Niky is  8 year old. She was born and raised in NYC, US

All these preliminary reflections are just a pretext to talk about the immigrants’ identity, our condition of non-natives, foreigners, aliens, different. Talking about identity might sound somewhat philosophical, but this notion underlies all aspects of our day-to-day life. In “normal” circumstances, there is no need to think about it (the same way we are unaware of how we walk, unless that, for some reason, it becomes painful to move). No doubt, we have all experienced the feeling of being a stranger, when we visit a far away country as tourists. But, we know that the visit is just for a short time, and we are happy to feel different from everybody else (as it is when we put on a disguise for Halloween: when the dress comes off, the difference disappears).

For the immigrant, however, the feeling of being a stranger is not temporary; it does not disappear with a change of clothes. It becomes, rather, a change of skin…  At every step, we stumble and feel different: the food, the language, the landscape, the contact with the people around us or with the institutions where we must make arrangements or require assistance. 

Then, all of a sudden, we get used to our status: we start thinking that it feels good to be a stranger and we are comfortable with the idea of being different. This new identity of being an alien protects us, in a way, from having to comply with the all the social norms; there is no need to learn and follow all the local traditions. We start to be creative:  we mix parts of our own cultural practices with some of those that we adopt from the “natives”.

As time goes by, in a very gradual way (as all important things happen in life), without even noticing, we have changed. We have stopped being so different, we feel more at home in our new context. 

And, although we still hang on to our status of foreigners (just as the natives still keep asking us Where are you from?), we are no longer as different as we were before, we feel that we belong, that this place is home. In spite of the foreign accent, it becomes easier to say certain things in the language of our adoptive country than in our mother tongue. In spite of the fact that we still miss the country where we were born, it feels easier to find our ways in our country of residence. In spite of all our complaints and blaming our adoptive country for all our frustration, we know for a fact that returning to our country of birth would imply starting a new emigration process.

At this moment, we may have started to shed our immigrant skin and may have begun to get rid of our alien status.

Martha Shiro

When I was very young, the phrase that I used as a banner was: “The earth belongs to everybody”. Such naiveté made me think that there were no borders, that dividing lines were an invention useful maybe to the conquerors, those people with a horse and a spear who had been trained to enlarge a kingdom. I thought that those undertakings belonged to an other time, and were, to a certain point, long overcome. I dreamt then, many times, that the dividing lines had been kept out of habit, but that they were no more than abstractions, many times indefinite. I learned later, being an immigrant, that those lines represent sovereignty, and that sovereignty is closely related to identity. Who was I, then, in a soil where I had not been born? An alien, a stranger, an unknown person.

I also knew that being a foreigner was not only about moving to another country. Everything, absolutely everything, betrayed me: the accent, talking too loud or too low, in sum, I was really different to the community I wanted to be a part of ( and who isn’t?). That was almost a decade ago. The foreigner was welcomed in Europe. There was work; there were motives to be welcome.I remember the advertising campaign promoted by the Spanish State, encouraging integration. In that campaign the Latinamerican immigrants were present: in cleaning jobs, selling in a supermarket, guarding the Metro or smiling under the harsh  harvest sun. That was the integration. Maybe, the intention was to show that the Spanish people had to look at this wave of foreigners favorably, because their manpower was needed. And, I have no doubt about that, at that time, we were welcomed. The Mother Country needed us, and so did France, and Germany…….

But one day the stock-market plummeted and a worldwide economic crisis developed with the so called real estate bubble. The circumstances changed; there were no motives for integration any more, it had lost its sense, and sudddenly we went from necessary to expendable; the foreigner that had taken roots started to be viewed as the one responsible for the economic harshdship of the natives, and, even though many still had a right to some benefits, like a state lottery to acquire government sponsored housing, for a great deal of people the foreigner had no rights any more, not even the right to remain in his/her adopted land. The necessary immigration came to be, and is, even today, the damned immigration.

Woe those countries who had no immigration whatsoever! Who will be responsible for their misfortune? And if all  the immigrants finally leave, will all these countries keep afloat? Will the recovery be speedier? What is the Spanish State or the French or the English doing to show its citizens that integration is now, more that ever, essential? Do they even care? Or are we, also, for the political leadership, a mistake; the capital sin, the cure that turned into an epidemic?

Now, twenty years later, I think the earth does not belong to anybody; and the same conclusion can be drawn from my youth dreams.

Author: Josegry Peña

Images: Google images

A very recently published article on The New York Times has provoked an explosion in diverse opinions. The article “Before College, Costly Advice Just on Getting In” talks about independent college counselors and the job we do. However, the author, Jacques Steinberg, seems to have done his job partially, depicting the larger pool of educational consultants in the same manner as he would a smaller breed of unethical counselors, who most of us, have nothing in common with.

But instead of focusing on this incomplete piece, I would rather share with you some valuable insight. What are we to expect when seeking help from an educational consultant? How do we choose a consultant who will do the job right? What is a job well done in educational consulting?

Here are some true observations and information you should have handy when choosing someone to work with you or your family (son / daughter) in college admissions:

1-      Seek a professional with at least some experience in the admissions field. Someone who has worked as interviewer or within an admissions office, can provide an insider´s perspective on how admissions work. Also, this professional will probably have passion for the field, having demonstrated work experience in it, working with students and in academia.

2-      Find someone who is familiar in working with students. A professional who has been in teaching, education, who has gained exposure in working with teenagers will be able to connect with the student better than someone used to work with executives.

3-      Certifications exist! College advisers and Independent Counselors can get certified. At present, there are three certificate programs available, one provided by UCLA and called The College Counseling Certificate Program. This extensive online program not only demands hard work (usually takes over a year to complete), but it consists in seven classes, the last one being a practical course to be conducted in the college counseling office of a high school. It is a very rigorous certificate to complete. Same goes for the College Counseling certificate program offered by UC Berkeley, and the CEP – Certified Educational Planner, for which you can only apply after earning years of expertise in the field. Independent consultants can and should get certified. Ensure the person you are seeking advice from is!

4-      One step above a certification is having earned a master in education or in counseling. Several graduate school programs allow for more expertise in the field. Even an MBA can work when considering the expertise of a college adviser, however, not on its own. An MBA plus experience in the field and a certification can provide a great combination of skills, allowing the professional to have a background in marketing, easily applicable to candidates, plus keen interest in education.

5-      Membership to leading industry associations. There are several associations that group educational consultants, colleges and professionals related to college and graduate school admissions. Some of them are IECA, NACAC, SACAC, HECA and AIGAC. If you do not have at least three years of experience in the field, you cannot be admitted as a member. This means that professionals involved with these associations have to abide by certain rules and regulations that are hard to follow and comply with. These associations not only provide opportunities for continuing education, they also set standard laws for the industry which have to do with ethical and unethical behavior, what is expected and what is not allowed. A professional involved with these associations is one that you will be able to have more confidence that he/she will do the job ethically and responsibly.

6-      Continuing education through educational consulting associations. Professionals that keep up to date with the latest market trends, technologies and industry information are the ones that will allow you to continue progressing when seeking your goals. Continuing education is as important in this field of educational consulting as in any other.

7-      Crazy fees are not directly related to results. Some consultants decide to offer advice for tens of thousands of dollars, while others offer reasonable fees well below ten thousand. The ones that are able to provide more reasonable fees most of the times consider that the student should lead this process, working in their college admissions while continuing to be a high school student, teenager, sportsman, or anything else he/she desires to be. If college admissions will be the sole thing in the student´s life for months or years, the college adviser is not doing his job right. College counseling is a part of life, one we must dedicate energy to, but not devote completely ourselves to. Find someone who thinks this way and you will have one happy and triumphant teenager who feels good about him/herself and the next step they will be taking in their lives.

What do we look for in a great college admissions process? We focus on finding the right fit for the student academically, socially and in every single aspect of their lives. We seek an institution that will inspire the student to seek their maximum potential and provide growth opportunities like the student never imagined. This is the goal of college admissions and a truly great adviser, who is worth every penny of their wages.

Author: Claudine Vainrub   Eduplan

Images: Google Images

Immigrants using the name change as a way to blend into their new society.

In the month of August appeared an article in the NYT reporting that name changes performed by immigrants in order to help blend into the american society have dropped significantly, thus proving that this society has gone from being a “melting  pot” (homogenization), to become a “tossed salad” society (individualization), one in which the immigrants actually look to keep their original identity.

It is worth reading it.

Source: NY Times

This certainty enraptured me in a concert by the boundless –at least for me- Leonard Cohen. Arriving to the theater filled with people, the longing for the poet and singer matched the incandescent lights that covered the ceiling and some of the walls of the hall. All of us were speaking with our respective companions; all of us were placed in the reaffirmation of the “I” we want to be and own, all of us had a name, and also, a nationality. Half an hour later, the lights were extinguished, and with that the murmurs, the laughter and the noise died. At the back, a tenuous light illuminated the instruments and the applause began. The members of the band appeared then and, finally, the great Cohen joined them singing So long Marianne. At that point, who was who? All of us were being sweetly stripped of our identities with each song, and even though each spectator lived the performance in his/her way, there was no doubt that after every word, every chord, was forged the oblivion of our own self.

In facing art we are bewitched creatures whose urgencies and needs, suddenly, disappear for a brief time. Our identities pale, which does not mean that we are equal; nor I want to suggest that we hold some power over the work of art; it is art the one that, with precious shrewdness, steals us from ourselves, submerging us into a space in which everyone is a foreigner, and whose condition is accepted unanimously, with a smile, a tear or an applause, or everything simultaneously.

There are many philosophical works written about the power of art. I do not want to refer you to study them, just to remind you- and especially to remind myself- that when the bad solitude preys on us, there are fields that are waiting for us, not to heal us, but to find a momentary truce that links us with the good solitude and the healthy understanding, the one that points out that  our fellow men, even if they are living in their own land, have the same condition as foreigners as us, as well as the comprehension that there is neither a conqueror nor a colonizer or a warrior that can snatch from us this space, because nobody can set himself up as Lord and Redeemer: a book, a concert, a museum, a theater, all places that promise us a sort of freedom that may be fleeting, yes, but this does not make it less definite.

Author Josegry Peña

Images: Google

Part 2

Last time we were reflecting on the feeling of low confidence and displacement during a move……So, it is natural ask, “How does one deal with the feelings, and growing waves of emotions that are involved in the decision to and the move process?” Not easy, but acknowledging the uncertainty, and understanding that it is natural to have the doubts and concerns helps.  Dealing with the whole process of immigration, the emotional part and the practical part, can be handled with dispassionate execution when you have a plan and take control.

How do you take control of this move?  It is helpful to develop a list and a process, set dates and deadlines for getting things done, and most importantly communicate with all those who will be affected by the move.  Experience shows that there are several things one can do to mitigate the impact of such major change and reduce the level of uncertainty.

The #1 element which is the driver of all that follow is:   Establish a disciplined approach to the process. The second major aspect is to maintain open fact-based communication with all family members who will participate in the move.  Let’s briefly develop each point and add a few general ones of somewhat lighter importance.

Discipline:  Although it may seem that discipline and uncertainty are contradictory, they are in fact interdependent.  When the terms are used to describe controlled outcome they may be at different ends of the scope of alternatives, but if we relate it to the process then they are very close, strongly related and yes, even, interdependent. Once the difficult decision to immigrate is made there are forces that will propel it forward, and others that will pull it back. The way to assure that we have a sense of forward moving propulsion requires a disciplined and structured approach that creates the sensation that we are taking control of building our future.

How can this be achieved? Develop detailed lists of all areas of concern: Legal Immigration Status; Required Documents; Business Opportunities; Schooling; Housing; Trusted Contacts-networks; Financial Requirements; Exploratory Trips; Initial Professional Contacts; Assets to Divest. Under each heading a series of detailed questions, names, locations, characteristics and target dates will be entered; the key date in the whole process is the date of the actual move. The same becomes an objective; this requires that the whole list of subjects, topics and activities be carried out before the” D-date”. Lock the date in, buy your tickets and work “backwards” towards achieving the interim objectives. This will create a forward moving positive and energizing emotion overcoming a lot of the paralyzing uncertainties and the negative emotional doubts.

Even if you are not a “list-maker” or list follower, the above actions will be a positive step towards feeling in control. Now, it is rather clear that there will be set backs due to interim dates that cannot be met and unexpected difficulties in achieving some of the requirements due to their dependence on third party activities. At these moments of step backs we need to rely on our resilience, adjust the list and the dates on it, adjust and move forward.

As for the communication aspects we need to appreciate that the value of communication is to develop an open forum for concerns and questions and to stimulate positive emotions towards the immigration and move decision. Many of us have the tendency to reduce, almost minimizes the amount of communication to what we consider “need to know” because we want to protect our loved ones from the tensions and the complexities of the process. However, open communication ensure that every adult member of the family participating in the move knows the details of the process, can answer some questions and make decisions that may need quick responses, and  removes the mystery.  Reduce the speculation, join together and engage together in this as a new adventure.  Gear the discussions towards the motivational elements related to the move and see the positive aspects of it. This will assist in efforts to develop responses to the adversities and challenges that inevitably must be addressed. By communicating we invite our family members to become part of the solutions (and less of an obstacle) as we address the questions of immigration and moving to an unknown territory.

Thus, a disciplined and structured process combined with open communication, reduces the uncertainty and associated paralysis by taking control of the process and enriching the level of information associated with the process influences the emotions positively and allows a better process accompanied with reduced uncertainties and  increased satisfaction.

In a future note I wish to share some personal experiences about the preparation, the challenges and the Move.  I will share aspects of my moves relating to the legal hoops I cleared, the challenges of finding work, and the ups and downs of building a new community for a new life.  I look forward to your discussions and experiences with the topic of migration and immigration.   Sincerely—

Author George T Kastner

Images: NVTech

Associated Press published in October 2010: The Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday that all countries have the right to defend their borders and immigrants must comply with the laws and the national identity of the Nations that receive them.

Anyone has the right to emigrate in search of a better life, said the Pope in a message.

The papal message issued by the Holy See anticipates the Migrants and Refugees World-wide Day, that the church celebrates January 16^th.

 Pope Benedict said that, as societies become multiethnic and intercultural, people should seek dialogue and respect differences. States must respect the dignity of all migrants and give them access to their resources, and migrant “have the duty to integrate with the host country”.”

 Source: Associated Press

Video

When I emigrated I realized how comfortable I had been in my  “niche” and how little proactive work I had done looking for new relationships.

Lacking a social network makes it more difficult to adapt to the new reality, to fit in, find work, clients, etc. My impression is that this is one of the reasons in the failure or dissatisfactions when emigrating.

In my Latin country of origin very seldom one would think of establishing networks or friendships like a task or part of a resume; it was something natural as was to accept any immigrant who joined our workplace, our children’s school and all our gathering places. After emigrating, what Anglo-Saxons call “NETWORKING” has become a constant subject of discussion at work, college, among friends.

“Networking” (to establish social networks), is now formulated like a task, and it is neither easy, nor natural, or spontaneous, but it becomes necessary. On the one hand, somehow one wants to recover some of the groups lost whilst moving, and on the other, it presents practical advantages. Even though it is true that in the developed societies one climbs the professional ladder according to one’s own worth, it is no less true that, on equal terms, there is a better chance for a position in a corporation for somebody who has come with a  recommendation or that “knows somebody who knows a person ” in that corporation.

 Regarding the personal aspect, the social networks are essential for survival. Understanding that we have to leave our comfort zone and start building new friendships will help us fit in the new society. Of course, it is difficult, because our ways of thinking are different; we have to pull out from the closet all our charm and tolerance, in addition to being proactive, but, at the same time it will allow us to meet new, interesting and stimulating people. Personally, emigrating has allowed me to prove different approach methods and different group dynamics that have helped me interrelate with people of diverse cultures, ages and origins and, in the long run, it will help me grow and integrate into this new society to which I aspire to belong.

One source of networking are the religious communities. They are highly responsible, collaborating and very open about information. Often they go out of their way to help an immigrant in an emergency, in activities like finding jobs, legalize their status, legal aid, and search for a place to live.

In this age of the Internet, social networks, professional networks and specialized networks have been developed, that associate tastes, hobbies, religions, ,etc; used with precaution they can be a valuable source of networking.

The social networks help locate familiar people in the area where one has settled, to locate and meet individuals with similar ideas and tastes.

The professional networks help locate key individuals in organizations and facilitate access to them through those vehicles. Linkedin is one such an example; I call it  “Facebook for professionals”. It is an excellent search and connection tool; it allows one to find and locate a professional of a determined area, in a certain position. It works!!!

Like everything when emigrating, networking needs work and time.  

Author: Felix Altaras

Image: Google Image