Searching for the dream:Page 8
Bhumika Ghimire
March 02, 2006
Year of Zero
2005. Numerically there are two zeros in this year, but for me 2005 has been year nothing but zeros, forget the two and five. I got my degree and a work permit which is valid for exactly 12 months, rest all it is zeros, nothing,blank. One bright sunny day of July 31, when I got my work permit I screamed by lungs out. I had full confidence in my ability and my degree that I will get good job somewhere and will get my H1B visa next year then I will be ale to bring my parents and brother to America and yes life will be good. It took just three months for all these dreams to evaporate.
I applied from banks to financial companies to even Wal-Mart. But never made even to the interviews(got an interview at WalMart). A month after the application frenzy and lots of prayers, I was called for an interview to a bank, but then they said that they do not want to get into any immigration hassles so I should drop my dream of getting H1 through them. Effectively what they said was, I will work with them for a year, after that I have to arrange a visa if I want to stay or go back to Nepal. There was no way that I would take that job, after all I have student loans to pay, a family to support, what I make in one year will not be sufficient even for paying off the interest on the loans. So I moved on. On and On, from one stop to another, filling out applications, proving that I am legally in USA, that I did not just jump a wall, run across a border to get here. Explaining to some what MBA means and what computer science students learn in school, but nothing. Somewhere I was over qualified, somewhere I was too much of a risk and somewhere I was too wired with black hair, brown skin and a funny name.
Just as my patience was wearing out and I was starting to think like a suicidal loser, I came across Avon's site. For a while I laughed at myself for thinking that I could sell makeup and make a living out of it. But then the frustration of being jobless and the feeling of being a loser struck me hard and I decided to make my own destiny and do my own thing. Invested $10.00 and became an Independent Avon Sales representative. The fact that now I have own business, I can decide my hours and how much I want to make gave me a sense of achievement. I had doubts though about my chances of being successful because I know nothing about this industry, was never trained to anything like this and certainly the fusionist type. Still I gave myself confidence by reminding that I have degree in management, I should be bale to do this. You must be saying, wait so why am I saying that this year is year of zero and all my dreams are gone and I am apathetic loser. Wait till you hear the whole story.
Ok I have my very own Avon business, a web office and a load of brochures and catalogues but where is the buyer. Having just moved from Florida to this new state, I didn’t know anyone. And this new place is so homogeneous that people stared at me when I sent for shopping. All they knew was in America you have people with white skin who speak English like the president, who go to church and who have name that you can pronounce. I did not fit any of these; I was weired, which made it that much harder to succeed as a sales person.
So hear I am with just one customer who bought a lip gloss of 99 cents, hoping to strike it big with my own business. You still say that this not the year of Zero?
(fictional account, any resemblance to a person is coincidence)
continued......
2005. Numerically there are two zeros in this year, but for me 2005 has been year nothing but zeros, forget the two and five. I got my degree and a work permit which is valid for exactly 12 months, rest all it is zeros, nothing,blank. One bright sunny day of July 31, when I got my work permit I screamed by lungs out. I had full confidence in my ability and my degree that I will get good job somewhere and will get my H1B visa next year then I will be ale to bring my parents and brother to America and yes life will be good. It took just three months for all these dreams to evaporate.
I applied from banks to financial companies to even Wal-Mart. But never made even to the interviews(got an interview at WalMart). A month after the application frenzy and lots of prayers, I was called for an interview to a bank, but then they said that they do not want to get into any immigration hassles so I should drop my dream of getting H1 through them. Effectively what they said was, I will work with them for a year, after that I have to arrange a visa if I want to stay or go back to Nepal. There was no way that I would take that job, after all I have student loans to pay, a family to support, what I make in one year will not be sufficient even for paying off the interest on the loans. So I moved on. On and On, from one stop to another, filling out applications, proving that I am legally in USA, that I did not just jump a wall, run across a border to get here. Explaining to some what MBA means and what computer science students learn in school, but nothing. Somewhere I was over qualified, somewhere I was too much of a risk and somewhere I was too wired with black hair, brown skin and a funny name.
Just as my patience was wearing out and I was starting to think like a suicidal loser, I came across Avon's site. For a while I laughed at myself for thinking that I could sell makeup and make a living out of it. But then the frustration of being jobless and the feeling of being a loser struck me hard and I decided to make my own destiny and do my own thing. Invested $10.00 and became an Independent Avon Sales representative. The fact that now I have own business, I can decide my hours and how much I want to make gave me a sense of achievement. I had doubts though about my chances of being successful because I know nothing about this industry, was never trained to anything like this and certainly the fusionist type. Still I gave myself confidence by reminding that I have degree in management, I should be bale to do this. You must be saying, wait so why am I saying that this year is year of zero and all my dreams are gone and I am apathetic loser. Wait till you hear the whole story.
Ok I have my very own Avon business, a web office and a load of brochures and catalogues but where is the buyer. Having just moved from Florida to this new state, I didn’t know anyone. And this new place is so homogeneous that people stared at me when I sent for shopping. All they knew was in America you have people with white skin who speak English like the president, who go to church and who have name that you can pronounce. I did not fit any of these; I was weired, which made it that much harder to succeed as a sales person.
So hear I am with just one customer who bought a lip gloss of 99 cents, hoping to strike it big with my own business. You still say that this not the year of Zero?
(fictional account, any resemblance to a person is coincidence)
continued......
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