Yardies at Home and a Farrin (part16)

[finesse 3]

i remember us talking about this awhile back.. some of the ladies mentioned volunteering to beef up the resume i believe.. dont' know if that would be an option right now.. i think it was in part 14 or 13

volunteer where? What kind of places or organization accept volunteers?

TONS of places...humane society, food pantry, shelters, red cross, salvation army, habitat for humanity..

[StoneLove4Ever 0]

We had Andre's previous employer in JA write him a recommendation letter before he left JA. Put it with all applications and resumes.

Okay...good idea.

Yeah that is a good idea...that could help with the reference part cause i doubt jobs wants to call out to Jamaica...

Edited July 24, 2009 by StoneLove4Ever

[dancehallquana 5]

i remember us talking about this awhile back.. some of the ladies mentioned volunteering to beef up the resume i believe.. dont' know if that would be an option right now.. i think it was in part 14 or 13

volunteer where? What kind of places or organization accept volunteers?

well i know hospitals down here do for sure.. i just remember that being in the convo..anybody else have any ideas??

[J2A♥oasis 2]

Hey Quana!!!!

hey !!! so finesse preggers???

NO! i want to know how it go. can you help me?

Question - At work do you have your cell phone on silent or vibrate? Or let it ring out loud?

Both. It rings out loud and vibrates. I luv my ring tone.

[dancehallquana 5]

oh.. i see ya'll already stepped up to the plate.. thats what im talking about..

craigslist is a good place to look too kk, sometimes they are a lil more lenient (sp?) on qualifications cuz they need help..

on the volunteering.. it doesn't have to be necessarily his area of work, but just a reference that he is a good worker and was puntual probably will get him ahead in the job hunting..

[finesse 3]

kk - i think it is more about athe quality of the resume not the quantity you put out. i have always tailored my resume for the job applied for. if you are sending out the same standard resume for 10 different types of jobs, then you hubby resume is not going to stand out. take the time to customize the resume for each job applied for...

[phillyfashionista 8]

I really don't know how a mother in the position of deciding whether her child goes abroad feels.

But I guess, part of the Jamaican way of life is that mothers and fathers go abroad leaving their children and children go abroad to their mothers or fathers as soon as the parent gains a foothold.

It is an accepted an familiar occurrence. It is also something that is built up as wonderful, as kids we were all envoius of those whose parents filed for them and went abroad.

I think as well, as selfish as I am as a mother, if I realized truly the best thing was for the child to go abroad, that would ease the pain of parting.

My vest friend has been in England for almost 7 years, she hasn't seen her daughter for 4.

I cannot imagine how that feels. But she says she endures for the greater good.

So really, we should take out hats of to the mothers who love their kids dearly (yes I know it's often easier to think they don't love them as much) but make the choice for them to move away for a better life.

On another note...

Obviously I don't know your individual stories, but I do wonder why it seems the MAJORITY of people's SO's baby mothers are depicted as being incompetent/money grabbing monsters. In reality, I find MOST mothers are good mothers. Perhaps not good spouses, but LOVE their kids.

Story I wrote lol...

Some of you may have seen it already...

The Return

My earliest memories of her are faint. She smelt lovely, like oranges, nutmeg and mint all mixed up. She used to sing to me before I went to sleep and she would be there making my tea for me in the morning.

That was before she went ‘a foreign’. Then, I went to live with Aunt Pearl. She hates me Aunt Pearl does. I get a beating for coming in too late, for singing too loudly, for eating out the Milo, for walking too slow when she sends me to the shop…..

I wonder what my mother is like.

In Aunt Pearl’s dim front room beside the cabinet full of fragile plates and crystal glasses that we only use when Pastor Blake comes round, there are framed pictures of a light skinned woman, plump but nicely plump.

I don’t think I remember that face.

She has never called but every month the postman comes by on his bicycle and gives Aunt Pearl a blue and white envelope with foreign stamps on it. Aunt Pearl never tells me what’s in those letters, but she goes to market the day after she gets them, so my mother must send money. I know it’s my mother as once Aunt Pearl was in the bathroom and she tells me harshly to go collect the letter,. I turn it over and my mother’s name is on it. I say nothing to Aunt Pearl, as I don’t want a beating that day, she is not in a good mood, I can see by the way she snatches it from me.

I asked her once, after leaving a few weeks what was in it. Her face went dark as a thundercloud and she reaches for the strap.

“Is what a way dis dutty pickney fass doh?”

“Is nat enough seh mi feed yu an clothes yu outa di kindness a mi heart, but yu waa come fass ina mi business too??”

Later that night as I toss and turn, the places where the belt has bitten into my skin, I wipe the tears off my face.

I dream of the day when my mother will come back for me and take me to her foreign land. Whenever the children at school taunt me saying ‘Yu madda run gaan lef yu”, I reply, “Mi madda soon come fi me.” They laugh, but I hold onto the hope, after all what do I have to look forward to if not that.

Maybe she has left me for good I think. Why does she never send me clothes or toys like the mothers of other girls do?

She must know that I only have one pair of shoes, and those are for school. And only one blouse and skirt which I wash every evening when I come in from school and rise early and press before making Aunt Pearl’s breakfast in the mornings.

Maybe what Aunt Pearl says is true. My mother never wanted me, so when she got the chance to go to foreign, she jumped at it. Aunt Pearl says she was going to leave me on the roadside, but she as a Christian took me in.

That’s why I must be grateful for the things Aunt Pearl buys me. I must be happy that I sleep inside even if it is on an old mattress on the floor. I must be happy as I clean and polish the floor every Saturday and wash Aunt Pearl’s clothes. After all, I am almost a woman at twelve.

Aunt Pearl says my mother will never come back for me. She was just happy someone took me off her hands.

I shut my eyes, I have to sleep I need to be up at 6am to press my uniform and make Aunt Pearl’s breakfast before I go to school. I need to leave for school by 7am even though it doesn’t start until 8am, it is a long way and Aunt Pearl says there is no money for me to take the bus, a little walking never killed no-one.

I wake up. My limbs are stiff and sore, I must put some Vaseline on my skin, it makes it better. I hope Aunt Pearl won’t notice that I took some out, I am only allowed a little when I wash my hair.

I push the cloth hanging at my door aside and I unbolt the back door softly, if I wake Aunt Pearl, I will get a beating when I get in from school. I go into the outside shower and begin to bathe. The icy-cold water hits me and I hold my breath to lessen the shock. I lather my rag with my little piece of carbolic soap, Aunt Pearl says it must last me, she has no money to waste on pickney.

I long dreamily about one day when I will get to bathe in the creamy white bath inside with hot water like Aunt Pearl. But if I had a daughter, I would help her draw the water for the bath, not just let her carry the heavy zinc pan like Aunt Pearl makes me do.

I realise with a start that I have spent too long, I need to hurry if I am going to leave on time, Aunt Pearl is having saltfish, fried dumplings and plantain for breakfast. My mouth waters. Maybe if I’m careful, I can take a little bit for myself, I am tired of the cornmeal porridge that I must eat every morning. If Aunt Pearl realises I have taken any, there will be no school for me today.

I finish the breakfast and go to wake Aunt Pearl.

She lies there like a massive cow, snoring heavily. Her large oily face seeming out of place on her frilly pillow.

“Aunt Pearl, yu breakfass ready.” I say.

She snorts and blearily opens an eye.

“Mi a come. Mek sure seh mi tea dep pan di table an it well hat”.

“Yes, Aunt Pearl”, I say.

I go back to the kitchen to get her coffee. As I stir in the milk, I see a car coming down the road. I look curiously, who could be coming to see someone in our village so early?

The car slows and stops at our gate.

I can’t decide whether to go call Aunt Pearl or wait and see what happens.

A woman in a white dress and white slippers gets out. Her face looks familiar…..

My heart thumps in excitement, it is the woman in the picture, MY MOTHER!!

I drop the cup of tea and unlock the door, ignoring Aunt Pearl’s enraged bellow as she hears the mug shatter.

I run out to the gate, which the woman is trying to open.

“Mama?”, I say.

She looks at me, in my torn dirty nightie that was once Aunt Pearl’s and is hanging off my thin body and looks back at my face horrified.

My heart sinks, and I lower my eyes, Aunt Pearl was right, she doesn’t want me, she never did.

I hang my head down.

I feel her arms around me, squeezing my breath out of my body holding me so tight I can hardly breathe. She holds me close, I feel her warm tears of my neck, she is sobbing.

“My baby, oh my baby”, she says.

She rubs my back, and I flinch where she has touched a fresh bruise.

Slowly she holds me away from her and looks at me, her eyes take in my thinness, the shadows under my eyes.She lifts my nightie, I go to push away her hand but she continues, and gasps as she sees the welts and the scars of welts.

I hear a loud gasp, Aunt Pearl is standing at the door, the hated strap drops from her fingers as she stands rooted to the spot.

My mother turns to her with fire in her eyes.

“How could you do dis to mi pickney?”, she screams.

“Mi lef mi one gyaal pickney wid yu and send money every mont fi har an yu have har ya a beat an a starve like dutty dawg??”

Aunt Pearl says, “Myrna, calm dung, mi wi explain.”

My mother is past calming down. “Yu seh yu is a Christian, LOOK PAN MI PICKNEY!!”

She lifts my nightie and I am embarrassed as my underwear are old and discoloured and a crowd of people have begun to gather.

Aunt Pearl begins to sob loudly, and covers her face with her hands.

My mother is shaking with rage. The driver of the car gets out and calls my mother to come away and leave her to God.

Without a backward glance, my mothers pulls me into the car and begins to sob, covering my face with kisses.

Over the next hours, the story unfolds.

She had been given the opportunity to go abroad and being a single mother with no options available, she had had to go, even though she hated the thought of leaving me behind. She used to lie in her bed at night and cry, missing me and wondering if I remembered her. She religiously sent £100 a month to Aunt Pearl who told her how happy I was and how well I was doing in school.

She had planned this trip as a surprise, to see me and to thank her dear friend Aunt Pearl who was doing such a wonderful job of looking after me, while she was making a better life for us in London.

Things will be different she promises, I am coming back to London with her to live, we will never be parted again, no matter what….She holds me close and I inhale her wonderful smell, she smells like oranges, nutmeg and mint all mixed….She sings to me as she used to….I close my eyes, I am in heaven……..

Great Story JA Eng I really enjoyed this

[BunzTheMagicSnail 2]

Hey Quana!!!!

hey !!! so finesse preggers???

NO! i want to know how it go. can you help me?

Question - At work do you have your cell phone on silent or vibrate? Or let it ring out loud?

Both. It rings out loud and vibrates. I luv my ring tone.

mine is on a "work" ringtone, something soft

as a matter of fact its always on that ringtone which explains why i miss so many calls when i'm at home

[dancehallquana 5]

this was on craigslist kk, but i saw ALOT of them did ask for driver's license.. is he getting it anytime soon??

Company looking for production workers.

Must have clean background and reliable transportation.

Must be able to start 07/23 by 530 am.

Candidate must be ok working in a cold warehouse facility

If interested and can start tomorrow morning, please respond to this posting, and leave good contact number.

Location: Baltimore (Druid Hill Park area)

Compensation: $8.70

This is a contract job.

Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.

Please, no phone calls about this job!

Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

[IrieCat 2]

When looking for a job for Louis ... we applied for EVERYTHING! Grocery stores...whereever. Louis worked in TV back home and its just not the same as here. He is going to take classes to be more relevent here.

He got a job at the gardening place, but they laid him off after the busy season. Then applied at the harware store and got that job because my uncle knew the owner... that job was sooooo boring, and I think the owner's son had a problem with Louis (black people in general)... he always had a shaved head (wouldnt be surprise if he were a skinhead) and they were always making louis do the stuff no one else wanted to do. So he left there. I didnt blame him 1 bit! I search Craigslist, Sunday paper... everything. Now he is doing an odd job, construction job. He got that out of the blue, no interview, nothing! The guy had been to St Lucia 4 times and hired Louis becuase he is Lucian...

I think all his jobs have been "luck" really. Poor Louis isnt cut out for hard labor though, we have to get him in school asap!

[dancehallquana 5]

awww.. much prayers for u and louis cat..this is why i tell roger not to get his hopes up just cuz he get a EAD...

[BunzTheMagicSnail 2]

is it hard for an accountant to find a job in the us? a good paying job? considering the recession and all

[^KK^ 3]

kk - i think it is more about athe quality of the resume not the quantity you put out. i have always tailored my resume for the job applied for. if you are sending out the same standard resume for 10 different types of jobs, then you hubby resume is not going to stand out. take the time to customize the resume for each job applied for...

Oh I got the resume part down without a doubt. I like to call myself the job hunter!! I find jobs for all of my friends.

For him it's the qualifications that's holding us back right now. It will be hard in his field because he doesn't have DL yet. So that's a wash there.

[IrieCat 2]

is it hard for an accountant to find a job in the us? a good paying job? considering the recession and all

I have seen several bookkeeping and accountant jobs in this area. My aunt is a bookkeeper and is ALWAYS BUSY!

[J2A♥oasis 2]

Does anyone have any job searching tips for my hubby? How did you or your spouse go about getting employment with no experience in the US?

He has submitted so many applications. I want to know if there is something else we should try.

Are there any temporary employment agencies in your area? Great place to start for anyone just starting out really, they can hire for all types of industries with no experience/entry level positions which will gain then experience. Temp positions can also turn into permanent positions and even if they are only temp positions being registered with the one place with time can build a reputation of longevity in work history.