Franca Mba and her children lived in Port Harcourt till 2019, when she joined her husband in the United States, in the proverbial search for greener pastures.
Hers wasn’t the common story of runarounds and stress for the visa for her and the children. “Visa was not stressful. I simply adhered to due process and we got them”, she says.
Her husband who travelled earlier got the residency in the US and filed papers for his family to join him. Legal residency made the process smooth and she and the children didn’t need to go through the proverbial eye of a needle and across many ditches to cross over.
Settling down was a challenge, though. “It was a new country with a new environment, new culture, new accent, new menu, etc”. But she was mentally prepared and made necessary adjustments.
The US lived up to reputation for her. Just as Nigerians would say that they didn’t come to Lagos to look at flyover bridges, Franca was a woman on a mission and didn’t come to the US as a tourist. She hit the ground running.
“After documentation of immigration information, a green card was issued and that gave me the authority to search for jobs”. Jobs, that was what she came for.
Her first job was in a pharmacy, as a pharmacy technician in training. The hourly rate ranged between $11 and $15. In an eight-hour day, that would amount to some $88 to $120. And in a week, could amount to $600, and $2,400 in a month. In today’s devalued naira, that would amount to about N4 million in a month. Handsome!
But then, her expenses are in dollars, which wipes off the naira illusion. She pays for transport to work, grocery stores, church, etc. She pays phone bills, health insurance, etc. At the end, she has next to nothing left. Fortunately for her, nobody makes compelling financial demands on her. “No one pressures me to remit money home. It’s voluntary, when available”, she says.
A young mother with growing children, school fees are a necessary part of Franca’s calculations. But the US system is very supportive for basic education. “Public schools are free for Grades 1 to 12. But private and missionary schools are a bit expensive”.
This young woman, whose idea of the dignity of a married woman is embedded in the double wrapper and skirt suit, ran into culture shocks in the US.
“Here, a married woman can wear any kind of dress, and walk the streets half-naked”. She just had to adjust to decadent America. Perhaps, that was the price to pay for the economic advantage that the land offered.
From the serious to the funny, she had to get used to the affections the Americans lavish on pets. “You cannot kill any pet; else you end up in prison”.
Franca was born in the 1970s, when Nigeria’s decay was well on the way. Unlike those born decades ahead, she never witnessed uninterrupted power supply before. “The high point of my immigration was the 24/7 electricity supply here”.
She also found the rule of law and order impressive. “Traffic laws are obeyed to the last letter and accidents are rare compared to Nigeria”.
But even the US has its low points for Franca. “The major low point is that you can’t freely visit family and friends due to different job schedules. Some work 7am to 3pm; some from 3pm to 11pm and some others from 11pm to 7am. You may not have the same resting time with family members and others”.
Little wonder then that Franca would love to visit Nigeria as soon as possible. “I miss the free social interaction, visitation, etc”.
