Hi there, 

What is your name and nationality?

Hello, I'm David Caulcrick and I'm from Nigeria. 

Okay, so where are you based right now? And how long have you been there? 

I'm based in Dallas, Texas and I've been here for about eight years. 

Why did you relocate to the US?

I basically relocated for school, came out here for my University education. 

So what was the move like? 

The move was okay at first. I have been here previously,  so moving here, wasn't too much of a shock because I already had the shock the first time. The only stress that I had about moving here was the fact that I had to leave some of my friends and family, leave everything that I had behind, and leave a life that I had built because I was already going to school in Nigeria. So that transition was a bit hard for me. I had to make new friends, new people, new culture. 

What's the most shocking thing to you about where you are now?

I had to just stick with my Nigerian folks at first before trying to explore with other people because number one;  the language barrier. Your body language, the way you talk, the way you put sentences, it's not the same way as they do over here. You have to learn all that. So yeah, that's the only shock that I got about having to live here.

What do you miss the most about Africa, and your home country? 

I'll say the togetherness of the people, where everybody's related in terms of if you're going outside you must see somebody to talk to. In Nigeria, there's a lot of people around you that serves as a huge community, even if you don't have family itself. But over here, you're pretty much alone, if you don't talk to nobody, nobody is going to talk to you. Also I miss the food, the lifestyle, the parties and you know, just the fun of Nigeria itself. 

What's the kindest thing someone abroad did for you?

It's been a lot honestly. It's a lot of things people have done in the past, the major has been folks being there for me whenever I was down because there's been times where you know you literally have no money in your pocket so the folks that has being there and being that support system. 

So, any tips for anyone looking to relocate to the US? 

My first tip is when you come here, make sure you're financially set to fend for yourself for a while, make sure you have your plans planned out. Make sure you have somebody that's already here and can give you some sort of  orientation or else you're going to start from ground zero and that's quite the struggle. Also, be ready for all the differences in the culture, you have to change your mindset from whatever it was especially if it wasn't very progressive. Make good friends, try to be open, try to talk to people, tell them about your problems and not just keep a closed mouth.

Look for ways to advance yourself professionally,  get these specialized degrees and certifications and try to be better than the average folk because here there's a lot of competition and you do not want to be the one that stays away at the back, so just keep advancing yourself. 

Look for ways that you can make money legally because obviously everybody's primary aim abroad is to make money. It may be tough in the beginning but you are going to make, be it in six or seven months, you're going to be fine. As long as you were walking on the right path and you have God by your side, I think you're going to be okay. 

So those are my tips for folks are looking to move here. 

Those are some very insightful tips that will help everyone moving anywhere. Thank you so much. 

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