The above symbol is an emblem of the defunct " Air Liberia." It has the "Pepper Bird" a national symbol; it has the star, which represents the first independent republic on the African continent; and the feather, which depicts flight abroad.
For many third-world students who endure the ordeal, the experience can be difficult and painful, to say the least. In some cases, the difficulties transcend the shortage of financial resources, and may embrace the intractable problem of race, the obstacles of immigration, the perennial problem of cultural adjustment, and the nuisance presented by xenophobia . I have experienced it, so have many Liberians who studied abroad.
The idea behind the publication of this page, comes from several Liberians, including a Liberian physician studying and working in the United States. Our plan is to publish the experiences of Liberians who currently reside in the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, and other overseas nations, so that those who come after us, will have an advantage in dealing with the adversities of working and studying overseas.
This is a spotlight on a young Liberian whose making an eminent name for himself in the United States. Above is the picture of Abraham K.S. Morlu, when he was 17 years-old. He is the son of Bettie W. Caine and Abraham Morlu. Abraham who was at the time a senior at Watauga High School, in Boone, North Carolina, was considered one of the best football stars on his high school team, "Pioneers". He played any position on the team, and was also a leading track star. In the last meet, he ran the 100 meters in 10.6 seconds; and the 400 meters in 48.5 seconds. (The world record in the 100 meters, at that time was held by Donovan Bailey of Canada, at 9.84 seconds; and the 400 meters record was held by Harry Renolds of the USA, at 43.29 seconds.) One of Abraham's goals is to one day represent Liberia in the Olympics, in track & field. This picture was taken by Joseph Tellewoyan, on October 16, 1998, on "Senior Recognition Night", shortly after Abraham and his team played an opposing team in Boone.
Abraham graduated in June 1999, and is attending college majoring in
computer engineering.
In this first publication, an anonymous Liberian physician presents his experiences, and a few words of counsel to Liberians who either plan to study in the United States for their medical degree, or are currently pursuing their medical education in the United States. Without further ado, I present to you our Liberian doctor
Like all foreign-trained MD's, I had to take the licensing exams (then separate for US and non-US trained graduates, but now unified by an Act of Congress in 1992, when persistent complaints of unfairness of the exams, in material content, were filed by many foreign graduates and their American counterparts), which I did, and then got on with looking for a residency slot as required by law, before one can go into independent practice. It was a rather difficult task for me, because of the inherent prejudices in the system. I discovered, that if you did not have strong letters of recommendation, including personal guarantees of your abilities, you met the regular response: "for fear of patient safety and potential lawsuits, we will be unable to interview you or offer you a spot. " Unless you were lucky, that was the routine response.
Despite these hurdles, I must say to those Liberians who are pursuing a medical degree in the United States, that--you must persevere. Go to the inner city hospitals where many American graduates do not want to work, because of the related urban problems. If you got into medicine for the love of people (and of course, reasonable compensation for your many years of hard work) and not just for the money, keep that goal ahead of you because it will be like your Northern Star. There will be moments when you wonder if it's all worth the hassle. During this period of self-assessment, you must always ask yourself, why you chose the medicine profession in the first place. The politics, petty jealousies, and racial prejudice (depending on which part of the country you end up in) are unbelievable, yet, they are part of life in the medical world of this country. A good rule of thumb is to work in a hospitals where graduates from your school and country have worked and have had experiences. It may sound silly, but when you have to deal with nurses, ancillary staff, and technicians who must implement your medical orders, but resent taking orders from a black doctor, that's when you come to the realization, that life in the medical profession for a black doctor, can be hell. Whatever you do, do not trust or believe anybody. Maintain a high index of suspicion. Do not confide in most people in the hospital. Discuss your problems with friends on the outside. Do not offer opinions freely about senior medical doctors, until you are sure that it is safe to do so. Many people watch each others back in the medical field. You probably have someone watching you, consequently, be careful in whatever you do or say. Make a note in the charts or on separate sheets of paper about any patient care communications from nurses, labs or decisions you make for
your records, especially when you are on call, because when the nurse writes "Dr. XYZ notified" and an adverse event occurs to the patient, and you didn't note any decisions, it will be counted against you. REMEMBER: IN AMERICA, IF IT IS NOT WRITTEN, IT WAS NEVER DONE. In other countries, you qualify as a doctor, and do your specialty training and begin to heal and save lives. In America, social implications of race, inherent inequalities, the politics and power play of medicine and its legal ramifications, render the medical profession a difficult undertaking for a black doctor, especially a foreign one at that . But you don't have to be swept away by that trend. Since most foreign countries (unfortunately for the most part) put the highest premium on American medical training, to the detriment of medicine in their own country, once you make the decision to come here, you have to stay the course. Keep your head up high, and fight with all your wits. Once you make it, try to work 3-4 weeks overseas (maybe in Liberia, other parts of Africa, or South America) either gratuitously or for a fee, to get your spiritual energy back.
For further readings, I recommend the following: GETTING INTO A RESIDENCY BY Kenneth Iserson; AN AMERICAN DILEMMA by Gunnar Myrdal; and GUNNAR MYRDAL AND AMERICA'S CONSCIENCE by Walter Jackson. I wish you the best of luck, and good fortune. Although you may feel that nobody helped you when you were struggling, think about the future of our nation, REMEMBER OUR PEOPLE........from an anonymous author.
Living and studying in the United States is as difficult and complex as the nation itself. The United States has enormous resources, challenges, and opportunities, which Americans called, "the American Dream." For the foreigner who has not face those challenges, what America has to offer seem boundless. Prior to coming to the United States, a fellow classmate who claimed to have attended a scout jamboree in the United States (we later found out that he never did) would us, "When you get to JFK Airport, you boy, the lights!" For many of us who had never left Liberia in our lifetime, we could only imagine dream about the glitter that was America.
IMMIGRATION
For many foreigners who are anxious to taste a piece of Americana, its the El Dorado, until they arrive at the port of entry. The first encounter for a foreigner arriving in the United States is an immigration officer. To all my Liberian friends who plan to visit, study, and work in the United States, the immigration officer, will be your perennial adversary, until you decide to take the plane back to Liberia, or until your status is adjusted to that of a permanent resident or a United States citizen. If you want to live in the United States permanently, my advice to you is to put everything aside and adjust your status now. Don't wait until tomorrow. Do it now. As a Liberian who has lived in the United States for over twenty years, take my advise---you can run from those federal boys and girls, but you cannot hide. Sooner or later you're going to have to face them.
I arrived in the United States in September, 1976 to attend graduate school at NYU. I completed my masters, and was in the process of doing my post graduate studies, when President Tolbert was brutally murdered in the 1980 coup. My source of support, the Liberian Government, ended that very day. I remember calling the Liberian Embassy in Washington, D.C., about one month after the coup, to inquire about my government scholarship. The response that I received from the person who answered the phone was, "My man, everybody on their own now oh!" It was the beginning of six years of hide-and -seek with the Immigration Service. I made all the mistakes that you can imagine. I even left the United States, (using my I-20, without getting permission from the INS) and went with a girlfriend of mine to party in Montreal, Canada. Coming back to the United States, I was refused entry by the United States Immigration Service, and spent the weekend behind bars, in Canadian Immigration jail. My school had to send my papers to Canada, before I could get back in the United States.
Why I'm I telling you all of this? It's for your own good. The first thing you want to do is to become a legal permanent resident, that is if you are not thinking of going back home right now. Do not play around. Without legal papers, you will be relegated to doing manual labor. I know I did. I had my masters degree, and had to work in a hardware store, and a delivery business. You think I'm playing? I know a friend who graduated from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Masters Degree in structural engineering, and she was working in a factory, doing hard labor. Why? Because she did not have her papers.
How do you become a permanent resident? If you have a parent or relative who is a permanent resident or a United States citizen, they can file for you. Your job can file for you, especially if you are a doctor or an engineer. If you are married to a United States citizen, that person could file for you also. This latter option must be proceeded with extreme caution. Marriage of connivance is illegal and could lead to your deportation. Getting married to a United States citizen or a permanent resident, just to get your "Green Card," is an option that you should stay away from. You should only proceed with this option if you genuinely love the person, and want to live with that person.
Utilizing the marriage option to become a permanent resident, is in itself too restraining. Even after you have receive your "Green Card," your sponsor, the person that you are married to could withdrew his/her sponsorship, at any time, and leave you "up the creek," unless you are a United States citizen. I know a friend who was married to this American woman, when the relationship went south, the woman went and withdrew her sponsorship. When the Immigration Service delayed his deportation to Liberia, she called the Justice Department, and told them that she was being harassed by her ex-husband, and that the local Immigration office had refused to deport him. Shortly thereafter, the guy was arrested on his job by INS agents, and handcuffed, right in front of his fellow employees, and sent to jail. His job saved him , by applying for permanent residency for him.
The bottom line is that if the situation doesn't work out for you in this country, go back home; unless your life would be at risk if you return. I wasted almost 16 years of my life in this country, because I did not have a legal resident status. I have seen too many young Liberian lives wasted because of a protracted stay in this country, as an illegal alien.
Applying for political asylum is not a viable option. It will only delay your deportation, and allow the immigration lawyers to "eat" some of your money. The final outcome is usually--negative! Amnesty is usually never granted except in extreme circumstances. If I may borrow from the political slogan of the Clinton campaign, "It's the 'Green Card,' stupid!" Whatever legal option you choose to become a legal-American resident, I wish you the best of luck.
ILLEGAL DRUGS:
I know so many Liberians whose lives have been destroyed by drugs, that all I can say is, "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" There are better ways to make money, and selling or dealing illegal drugs is not one of the options to success in the United States. If you try it, you could find yourself behind bars for a very long time. I know a young Liberian boy, who was so good in school, and a very good basketball player. Today, he's behind bars for a very long time, not for dealing drugs, but for being in the car with some friends who had crack-cocaine in their possession. I know so many cases of Liberians who were dealing drugs, in possession of drugs, or were just riding in a car with friends when they were arrested and sentenced to long prison sentences.
Drug use has partially destroyed a person very close to me. I have a relative, by marriage, who's a complete addict. We can't even get the guy to realize that he has a problem. All of his money is spent on drugs. A man who was once energetic, hard working, and ambitious, now looks and live like a complete bum. If you have a drug problem, there are many agencies who are willing to help you.
Racial Discrimination:
Racial discrimination is a fact of life in the United States. Just a little over three decades ago, there were signs which restricted the movement of African-Americans. Black people had to sit in the back seat of buses; they could not eat at the same lunch counter with whites; they had to use separate rest rooms. All of this is now in the dust bin of history; however, there is still institutional racism. You may apply for a job and not get it, because your potential employer just doesn't want to employ black people, period. Restaurants and hotels may treat you shabbily because you are black. When you face these problems, you must rise above it. You have a right to be where you are, and you must demand your right and some respect.
There are many good white people out there. The people who have helped me the most, since I arrived in the United States, have been white people. As a matter of fact, I have a white friend who helped me to get a job; and I, on several occasions had a loving relationship with a white women. Be careful not to interpret every rude or offensive action by a white person as racist. I remember working with this white woman, and I always thought that she hated black people, until I found out that she was happily married to an African-American, and had several beautiful children by him.
Dealing with Law enforcement officers.
Whenever you are stopped by a police officer, follow his or her instructions to the letter. No matter how demeaning or abusive you find the circumstances. Be calm and obey his/her orders. I'll tell you this story, to show you a hair-raising experience that I had with some officers in the 1980s. I was going out with this girl, who graduated with me from NYU, when I had a freighting experience with some police officers in the suburb of Richmond, Virginia. This friend and I usually spend the holidaies with her parents in a little town called Amilia, in Virginia. One Christmas eve, my girlfriend went ahead to Amilia to help her parents decorate the house; so I had to drive alone to Amilia. I was always warned by my friend to follow the traffic signs, to the letter. In the South, when the sign says 15 MPH, it means 15 MPH, not 20 MPH, my friend warned me. On this particular day, I rented an expensive car with a California license plate, and went storming into Richmond, as if I owned the city--not driving above the speed limit, but driving with that air of arrogance, if you know what I'm talking about. I looked around at every car that I passed, and there was nothing that looked as good and expensive as my car. I even removed some of the rental-car company labels, so that nobody could tell that it was a rented car. Shortly after leaving Richmond, and entering Powhite Highway ( some of the African-Americans call the highway "Poor White") two police cars began to followed me. After about a mile, the police lights began to flash. I stopped my car. It must have been about 6 P.M., and it was getting dark by now.
"Driver's license, insurance, and registration, please!" one of the officer said, in a Southern draw. I reached in the glove compartment and took out my little secret. Now they know that I rented the car, I said to myself.
The officer lit a flashlight into my driving papers, as another officer posed in front of my vehicle, like a cowboy in the movies, who was about to get into a shoot out with a foe. Another officer stood behind the car.
"I rented the car." I said nervously.
"Where did you get that name from?" the officer said, as if I had stolen my name. He was referring to my family name, "Tellewoyan."
"I'm from Liberia." I said.
"You're from Libya?"
"Oh no!" I responded quickly." I'm from Liberia. L-i-b-e-r-i-a." I said, spelling out the word. I did not want him to confuse Libya with Liberia, given the fact that the United States had just bombed Libya.
"Where are you going." the officer inquired.
"To Amilia. My girlfriend and her family live there."
"How come you're going this way. The exit to Amilia is right over there."
"I was trying to make my turn when you guys cut me off." I said, raising my voice, and getting a little bit out of control.
Rather then letting me go the way I knew. He directed me to another road further ahead. "You can't miss it." he said.
As I drove through the narrow country road, the two police cars followed me closely. Something told me that this was the end for me. In a little while, the high beams of the police car hit the back of my car like a torch light. My heart began to race, and hands began to get wet. After about a mile, the two cars made a left turn and went away.
Employment.
Looking for a job, especially one in your field, is one of the most difficult undertaking that you will experience in the United States. In the first place, you must understand that when you apply for a vacancy, there are others who are also applying for that job. Second, people who are competing with you for the vacancy may have higher qualifications. So what are your chances? In the first place, don't concentrate on finding a job only in your field. My specialization is in accounting and finance; however, I have worked in a hardware store and in the delivery business. I once read about a Lebanese lawyer, who arrived in New York and became a garbage collector because he could not practice law with the degree that he had. You've got to start from somewhere, and it might not be the job that you want. If you have not found a job over an extended period of time, try entering the temporary work industry. Many companies hire some of their employees from the temporary work pool. If you insist on looking for a job in your field, hire an agency that specializes in job search in you field. You might save yourself a few pairs of shoes, and a few bucks.
Job discrimination is a fact of life; and don't think that you will always get a fair deal even if African-American is involved in the decision making. Just because you are brothers and sisters of the same race, in many cases, doesn't mean a thing. I remember talking to a friend (He is an African-American, and works for the FBI) about the awful way some African-Americans treat people of their own race; and he said, "Your own black brother and sister will sometimes treat you worse than the red neck out there."
Relationships:
Be careful in what you say and do to your American girlfriend or boyfriend. Sexist remarks like, "A woman is suppose to do this, or a man suppose to do that," may not sit very well with your friend. There is already a negative view out there about the African people. Be careful. Don't make matters worse.
If you can, try to maintain a relationship with a Liberian. All the American girlfriends that I've had, do not like to cook. They want me to cook for them. I remember having a relationship with this Liberian girl, a couple of years ago, and she use to come from another state, and clean my apartment, and cook enough food for me to last one week; and before she left, she would say, : "When I come back, I want to see the apartment the way I left it." or when she was cooking, she would tell me: "Leave the kitchen, I don't want any man in my kitchen." Not that I don't cleanup and cook for myself. I do because I'm single. It's the compassionate attitude that was the bottom line for me.
I must point out that there are very nice American women out there. If you want to get in an earnest relationship with them, you must be open and earnest with them on day one. Don't try too hard, just because you want the woman. I remember, when I met this Virginia girl in graduate school, she use to come to my apartment every evening and eat the food that I had cooked. One day I told her to cook for us, and she said, "No way, Jose. I can't cook." I asked why she hadn't learn how to cook, and she said, "My mother never allowed me in the kitchen when I was a teenager. She always said that I should pick up a book and study, and that some rich man would marry me one day and I probably would never see a kitchen." I told her right in her face, while using laughter to soften the blows, that she would not eat my food again, if she did not cook. Thereafter, she bought some cookbooks and began to cook.
Generally, relationship with people of different cultural background can be difficult to maintain; however, some people like to find out the hard way. The group of Liberian women who came with me in 1976 to attend graduate school, told us Liberian men to get lost. They were tired of Liberian men and wanted to try out the American men. Six months later, the horror stories began to flow in. One Liberian woman who was going out with an African-American man ( the man was separated from his wife) told us that the man called early one morning, on the phone, and told her that the relationship was over. "Just like that!" she said to me on the phone. "No man. I know he will call back." The guy never called, even though she had introduced him to some of her family members. This does not mean that Liberians, both men and women, cannot have a loving and lasting relationship with Americans. However, the cultural divide makes it difficult. For example, having sex with a woman back in Liberia usually means that the relationship has been consummated; it may not lead to marriage, but something is there. Sex is not interpreted that way in American. It usually is just an experience, unless the person has very strong feelings for you.
I know that some of us, Liberian men, do have the reputation of being philanderers. But my advise to you Liberian men is to try to maintain a stable relationship while you are here. I know a friend who was murdered by his American wife, because she found out that a Liberian woman was pregnant for him.
CREDIT AND CREDIT CARDS.
Credit is the life blood of the American economy. Get one major credit card, and all the other major credit card company are ready to give you their cards. Remember, however, that when you use a credit card, the amount has to be paid to whatever company issued the card. If you don't, your credit could be ruined for years. Treat the card as if it is cash money. Do not allow a friend of yours to charge a ticket to Liberia on your card; it might paid back by your friend, and that might ruin your relationship
Where to live.
Try to find a decent neighborhood. If your resources cannot permit it, rent a room from a rooming house. Your life could depend on it. I was once held-up and almost got killed by several teenagers, while temporarily living in an inner city neighborhood that was noted for its high crime rate.
Dealing with the general public in the United States.
In dealing with the general public, self-control is the name of the game. If you have a dispute with anybody, either walk away, call the police, or take them to court. Never, never, take the laws into your own hands, unless in self defense. Remember that there are approximately 260 million people in the United States. The majority of the people are nice, caring, and will even help you if they can. But there is a small criminal element out there that you must protect yourself against. I have been the victim of armed robbery by a couple of African-American teenagers; I have been spat upon twice by two African-American teenagers; and a white American verbally attacked me on a subway. What did I do? I reported the armed robbery case to the police. When they came to take the report, they said that the project that the teenagers took refuge in was so dangerous, that they would not even go in there. "As you go up one stairs, another stairs is behind you, and you don't know whose coming down that side." the officer explained. In the case of the spitting, I told them to clean it off; In the verbal attack, I responded in kind when it continued.
While I had these bad experiences, I've also met some of the nicest people in the world, right here in America. When I was in desperate need to get my daughters out of war-torn Liberia, two white American friends assisted me; when I needed a job, a white American that I worked with assisted me; years ago, when I needed a place to live, an African-American who works for the FBI, opened his home to me. You have to make things happen for you. Be friendly and caring, and those qualities might be recompensed.
Whatever you do, I wish you the best of luck and happiness. Take care of yourself.
----Joseph Tellewoyan
This statement was copied from the website of the United States State Department.
"The concept of dual nationality means that a person is a citizen of two countries at the same time. Each country has its own citizenship laws based on its own policy.Persons may have dual nationality by automatic operation of different laws rather than by choice. For example, a child born in a foreign country to U.S. citizen parents may be both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the country of birth.
"A U.S. citizen may acquire foreign citizenship by marriage, or a person naturalized as a U.S. citizen may not lose the citizenship of the country of birth.U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one citizenship or another. Also, a person who is automatically granted another citizenship does not risk losing U.S. citizenship. However, a person who acquires a foreign citizenship by applying for it may lose U.S. citizenship. In order to lose U.S. citizenship, the law requires that the person must apply for the foreign citizenship voluntarily, by free choice, and with the intention to give up U.S. citizenship.
"Intent can be shown by the person's statements or conduct.The U.S. Government recognizes that dual nationality exists but does not encourage it as a matter of policy because of the problems it may cause. Claims of other countries on dual national U.S. citizens may conflict with U.S. law, and dual nationality may limit U.S. Government efforts to assist citizens abroad. The country where a dual national is located generally has a stronger claim to that person's allegiance.
"However, dual nationals owe allegiance to both the United States and the foreign country. They are required to obey the laws of both countries. Either country has the right to enforce its laws, particularly if the person later travels there.Most U.S. citizens, including dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States. Dual nationals may also be required by the foreign country to use its passport to enter and leave that country. Use of the foreign passport does not endanger U.S. citizenship.Most countries permit a person to renounce or otherwise lose citizenship.
"Information on losing foreign citizenship can be obtained from the foreign country's embassy and consulates in the United States. Americans can renounce U.S. citizenship in the proper form at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.
To obtain your copy please call toll free at:1-888-795-4274 or 215-923-4686, or write, Xlibris Coporation,
436 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa, 19113. Xlibris delivers through UPS, consequently,
PO boxes are not accepted.
To order online, please go to:
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My American Experience: by Joseph Tellewoyan
Links to the other pages associated with this web site:
Brief History of the Liberian People.
Dedication of this website
Links to other Liberian web sites:
Current News from Liberia, presented by "STAR RADIO."
STAR RADIO is an independent radio station in Liberia, which is managed by Swiss NGO Foundation Hirondelle, and financed by the United States Agency for International Development, through the International Foundation for Elections Systems. The station began transmitting news since July 15, 1997 on FM 104 MHz in English, Liberian English, French,
Bassa, Dey, Gbande, Gola, Grebo, Lorma, Kissi, Kpelle, Khran, Kru, Manndingo, Mano, and Vai.
British Broadcasting Service:--Focus on Africa.
Liberian Embassy, Washington, D.C.
Cuttington University College.
Ijoma Flemister's Fokpah Liberia Webspace
Liberian Connection.
Africa Online "chat room":Liberia
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