Immigrant Songs

"I clench cold fists in my Marks & Spencer jacket

and secretly test my accent once again:

St. James's Park, St. James's Park, St. James's Park."

-from "Immigrant" by Fleur Adcock

************************

"You know how it feels, to tell your friends and family back home you're a postman?"

-A Friend

************************

"What am I, what am I, what am I?"

-from "The Bunyip Of Berkeley's Creek" by Jenny Wagner

************************

Yesterday I called an employment agency to get their new address, as their office just moved this week. The chick on the phone said, "We aren't hiring AT ALL for the next two weeks or so though." and I never did get that address out of her. Funny enough, when Sean and I were walking in town, we saw the sign and decided to pop in. We were greeted as professionals and given excellent advice and personal email addresses and phone numbers. Please, email our CVs to these people, and phone them as soon as possible. They need us.

Why the discrepancy?

I'm an old hand at this: Never ever call. Go in. I learned this years ago, job hunting in the UK and the US. On the phone, jobs were suddenly "No longer available". As a walk-in to the same office, a miracle! Yes, the advertised job is certainly available, and free to YOU!

On the phone, my listeners hear "Hi, I'm an immigrant. Hear my West Indian accent?" But when I walk in, they see "Ah. Expat." My accent is suddenly interesting and funny, a "lovely lilt". My upbringing suddenly exotic, In A Good Way. Years ago, at ICL, I had to make calls at times to warehouses all over the country and because of my position at the time, I was respected on the phone. I had a great fan in Wales, who would always take my calls with a sigh: "Och, ah can tell you're a dark beauty!"

I never corrected him, of course, I just laughed. I can laugh. I'm one of the beautiful white people. But I cannot, I will never, be able to judge a person by their accent or colour; and I am always surprised when I am judged in that way.

*********************

"No need for greed or hunger,

A brotherhood of man.

Imagine all the people,

Sharing all the world."

-John Lennon, "Imagine"