I Recently started a new job. It is not the job of my dreams, but in times of crisis it is good to know that at the end of the month one will have some money to contribute to the family expenses.
The job has some drawbacks, I have to get up very early in the morning, receive the minimum wage, and my colleagues speak all the time in their own language, Pakistani. This was very annoying at firs but It is alright now because I discovered that I can focus on my job and learn the process faster .
However , that doesn't mean that we have a bad relationship. On the contrary, they now call me Chacha Arnold, which means Uncle Arnold,in Pakistani, because I'm the oldest.
That friendly treatment began when I started to learn some words in their language.
In all the years living here, I have learned that the best way to build a relationship in an immigrant environment is to trying to learn, at least, a few words in your colleagues' language. That has always worked and it is working now.
I have also discovered that the majority of them are well educated. There are some people writing their PHd dissertation and my supervisor was a member of his country's national shooting team which is very impressive.
I still don't understand how it is possible that 70 percent of the shop staff are immigrants. The proportion is divided between a majority of Pakistanis and Indians and a few Caribbean Africans. The rest are European with only two British people.
This is surprising in a country where people are looking for work, shops and business are closing down and the unemployment figures are rising.
Maybe it is the survival instinct witch that drive every immigrant to work no matter what. Maybe that survivor instinct breeds dreams success.
This phenomenon not only happens in the developed countries but also in the developing countries where one can find specialist personnel from the countryside fighting to make their livings in the big cities.
So, despite right wing's comments and racist comments in some of the press immigrants labor are the backbone of this country. Does Britain need more of us?. Who knows?
