The Move to Washington DC

When I got back to Clemson, my brother had some bad news for me.I was to leave South Carolina because of some immigration issue.After consulting with some of his friends, he decided that the best option was for me to depart for Washington DC.My problem could be better dealt with over there, where there was a large immigrant population.I called Enochong, a cousin of mine in Washington DC and he accepted that I should came stay with him in DC.I parked up my little belongings and boarded the greyhound bus from one of the nearby towns, destination, Washington DC.The journey was long, it took about 13 hours and I arrived at the Silver Spring station and called up my cousin.He came and picked me up and took me to his apartment in Takoma park.The apartment was shared with a lady, Mary Labole, I believe that was her name.They both lived as roommates, nothing more and they both attended the University of the District of Columbia(UDC).It was a school with a large Cameroonian population.The apartment was spacious and we got along with Mary very well.I got a job right away at a McDonald's, located in East-West highway in Bethesda,Maryland.The place was called the "Cameroonian McDonald's" because just about every Cameroonian who arrived DC had worked at the place, at one time or the other.The pay was around four dollars fifty cents an hour and you get a free meal during your work shift.It was not the best of jobs, but it was not bad also for your first gig in town.I pretty much worked during this period, which was winter while I tried to regularised my immigration status so that I could attend school.There was time to watch TV and make some new friends and meet old acquaintances.Peter Asanga, I schoolmate from Lycee Bilingue in Buea was around.Eric Yenika, also from lycee Buea lived nearby.My immediate cousins, Esther and Richard Tambe were all within the area.Peter was to be my close friend for a long time in the US.Eddie Nkwelle, a classmate from CCAS Kumba was around also.We had attended school together in kumba and he had also lived in Tiko, where my parents lived.So there was enough company right away and more was to come.My cousin had gotten married as soon as he arrived Washington DC.He had gotten his immigration status regularised and he could pretty much live where ever he chose to.He got admission into a school in Missouri,in the Midwest and decided to relocated there.I had to look for a different place to live because the rent at my present location was going to be too much for me.I talked to a couple of my co-workers, Wilfred and Nguni, and the three of us decided to rent a place and share the expenses.I did put up with a Cameroonian for about a month or two before we found a convenient location.We found a two bedroom apartment in Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring.We paid a flat rate for rent and all the utilities were included.The area was very convenient, since it was metro accessible.This is important if you do not have a car.You have to live in a location were it will be easy to get a ride through metro to work and to school.The metro system in most big cities are really good and they are also very affordable.Wilfred was to get a car latter, when he met and started dating Emma.She was to move in almost immediately.We did not complain because she came and help us with most of the cooking.Nice Bakweri girl, with a lot of drive and determination.Nguni was not too thrill with the arrangement and we were to split ways latter on.I, Wilfred and Emma found a different apartment at Langley Park,Maryland that we could afford at the time.The rent was decent, but the location was terribly.It was at area filled with drug dealers and you basically had to go passed them on your way home.The place was metro accessible though and we had to deal with living there for the time being.Life as an immigrant consist of patching up living arrangements with people that you have never met in your life sometimes.The good part is that everything is spelled out clearly.Everybody knows that rents are due by the fifth of each and every month.You knew you had to get a job, which everybody did and you knew you had to stay out of trouble.Anyway, during this period I met and dated Melvis,Cameroonian girl who was originally from the West Province of Cameroon.Emma and Wilfred got concerned about my lonely ways and introduced my to her.Lovely lady, hard working.We met when she was working at the McDonald's at East-West Highway and I had gotten a job at a Sports and health club.We got along very well for sometime before trouble set in.Relationships are sometimes tough to maintain when you are barely fighting for survival.Anyway, she spent quite a bit of time with me after work and we did have a good time while it lasted.While at Langley Park, Agbor and Shirley did visited a couple of times.They slept over after being to Kilimanjaro, the nightclub in DC ran by the guy from east Africa.They did advise us to try and look for a more convenient place to live.We promised to do just that, thought it was not going to be easy.Two keys words, "Credit History",a good one of cause, you need that to be able to do just about anything.Rent an apartment, buy stuff on credit, rent a car, get a good job, etc, etc, etc.If takes time to build one up.So we had to wait until we could find somebody with a good credit history to help co-sign for an apartment for us.It took us about two to three years, but we did find a kind fellow who at the time worked at the Cameroonian embassy in Washington DC.We find a third roommate, Wilson and got a place back at Sligo avenue, this time from across the street from 700 sligo avenue.The new address was 735 sligo avenue and we rented a three bedroom apartment.Wilfred lived with Emma, they had a very long-term relationship,Wilson had his own room, while I had mine.The location was good, the living room was large and we got a lot of praise about how nice our apartment was.We were to stay at this location for a very long time.I would say about five to seven years.At one time Wilfred and Emma left, but they were replaced by another couple, Charles and Maggi.I was to graduate from Howard University, made a party a the location before we finally gave it up.While I was at this location, I got a part time job at a place called Fantle's Drugstore.The place was located in Wheaton, Maryland and a lot of Africans worked there.Getting a job is networking, that is why at times when you come to a place, all you see are people from the same ethnic community.I spend some years at this place.Umi worked here, she was from Gambia,Barbacar, was from the Sudan,there was a lady from Nigeria and another lady from Gambia.I met Vera,who was from Ghana.She worked with us briefly before leaving for another gig.Herbella,a co-worker hooked us up and with dated for quite sometime.The lady from Nigeria used to say I and Vera were like two innocent people finding their way through life at the same time.Anyway everybody agreed that we were two innocent people.