September 2014
I arrived in London and was promised a job at Ove Arup. They asked me for my work permit. I was perplexed because your employer must apply for the work permit on your behalf. Everyday I badgered them. I had no alternative because my savings were running out ?..even McDonalds was becoming exorbitant. I for definitely was not going back to SA. An engineer at Ove Arup offered me some advice which was that I should go through an employment agency because no one asks any questions especially your employer and that is how he got his job. Wow it worked for me. Eventually I was employed by the oil industry who got me a work permit.
I decided then my next step was to get the hell out of London mainly because I would prefer to be depressed in a warm climate. I went to the USA embassy and inquired how could I get a green card. They gave me forms to fill out but I had already filled out enough forms in my lifetime. I started badgering the embassy until one day a lady approached me and said she had seen me often? was there anything she could help me with. I explained I was an engineer and trying to get a green card for the USA. She introduced me to a gentleman who was not at all interested in my accolades. He asked me if I was married and where were my parents born. He was not very impressed that my dad was born in SA but his face glistened when I told him my mom was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He advised me to tell my mom to get a greencard and then all unmarried children are eligible. So for the next four years I enjoyed my stay in London until I got my greencard.