The Good - Week 11

I was reading over the last few weeks of my blog and felt I could highlight the positives a bit more. This adventure so far has been harrowing but there have been some good bits especially now that it’s been 11 weeks. As we say in training speak – let’s have a recap…

1. I’ve actually settled into a personality that is authentically me. The ‘tough black amazonian’ perception is still out there and there is not a lot I can do about that. I’m fairly comfortable in myself and succumb much much less to the pressure to ‘belong’.

2. I’ve made some friends – mostly from amongst the Naija contractor community here –there are over 400 people on the project I’m working on and the only black people, 8 in number, on this project are us contractors – there are no black permanent staff. This Shilpa issue on BB has brought racism to the fore – but it’s being reported as ‘alleged racism’ because people don’t recognise racism is much more subtle than a bunch of KKK zealots with flaming torches in their hands.

Explain why the company I work for right now does not have any black people in management or why in the largest SAP implementation project in Europe so far, there are only a handful of black people and none of them permanent staff? When you work in such an environment, you don’t need to be told you are not welcome, you can feel it in the air – it’s in the way they operate as an organisation. I don’t think my senior manager Fran has ever said a voluntary word to me in the last few weeks. He happily responds to my ‘Good mornings’ or ‘Had a good weekend?’ but he does not greet me first or even ask of my weekend – and this was the person that was gushing down the phone during my phone interview as to how great the company was and how they will accommodate my family needs to ensure I’m not away too much from my son – does he even ask how the son is? No! Is this racism? prejudice? Well, allegedly eh?

This post was supposed to a chronicle of what’s been good so far… but you know what, no matter how good it can get here, I’ve had better. My friend Emma says, you can’t keep throwing in the towel anytime things go right, and I agree with here, but where do you draw the line? The longest I’ve ever worked anywhere was 18 months – and even that was a fantastic working environment – the rest started okay as they always do but have ended up being one crap situation after the other. At least I had the choice to work or give up some luxuries and stay home. Many ethnic minorities all across the country are stuck in their own BB situation that is their work places… who is saying STOP! This bullying, exclusion, name calling, career suppression etc… has to stop.

I started off wanting to write about the Good - but ended up writing about the Ugly that is working in the UK today.

Is anyone out there having a better experience? Honestly? What are the alternatives? Is working for church one?

By the way, I was bowled over by the respones to my Church work 'dimela' (I watched that episode of BB too) - no one is in the middle - most absolutely think it's the wrong thing to do and the others think it's a good thing...

I'm still not sure, I just have to pray about it some more.