Back in October, Joe took an examination. He has to pass this test in order to advance in his chosen career. It would have been better to take this one during or right after he completed his Bachelor's Degree, but he grew up in another country, so he didn't have the opportunity to take it then.
Some of his coworkers knew that he signed up to take the test. In mid-December Joe found out that he did not succeed in passing it. He wasn't eager to share this news, so he kept quiet about it.
One day, Judy persuaded him to take a walk in the parking lot. She asked him whether he had received any results from the testing organization, and he gave the answer I coached him to give: "The results will take 8 to 10 weeks to be released, so I should know by the end of December. It might be as long as mid-January". Judy apparently was set up by someone else to find out whatever she could from Joe.
Hop over the jump for some history about Joe and his workplace....
Joe came to the U.S. the summer before 9/11 to attend graduate school. He's from a middle eastern country; as a non-Muslim he was discriminated against in his own land. So he knows about discrimination, and he thought that he would be free of it here in America. Because of 9/11, he remains reluctant, even ten years later, to reveal his home country.
He finished his Master's Degree, and got a job. The contract for the job ended, so he was out of work and went back to school to work on his Doctorate. The money got too tight so he quit before doing his dissertation. He got a job where I currently work, which is how we met. At our workplace, his supervisor decided he "wasn't a good fit for them" and laid him off. After five or six months, he got another job that lasted about a year, and was again laid off.
It took longer to find a job this time...so when he was offered a position in a mid-size city with the City government, he took it. It isn't in his field, and the pay isn't all that great, but it has benefits and a union to watch his back. From the beginning, he got lots of cracks about his country of origin and snide remarks about whether or not he really was a Muslim.
He is teased and called names because he needs more explanations about the work than a native English speaker, and it isn't his field of expertise. Colleagues start discussing the politics involving his country and the U.S., even though they are explicitly forbidden to talk politics in the office. Sally has been particularly venomous, belittling him and "tattling" on him to the boss for "offenses" that only seem to be a problem when he breaks the rules. No one else gets in trouble for looking at their private email at lunchtime, or using the office phone for personal calls. No one gets in trouble for sleeping at their desks or watching television during work hours, which he does NOT do.
He has spoken to his boss. He's contacted the union rep. Nothing has helped, and he's afraid to get very bold or aggressive about it because - he needs to keep his job at least until he finds another one -- we hope in his field.
So back to that important exam: He never mentioned it to anyone in the office again. Several days after the walk and talk with Judy, as he was leaving work, Sally hailed him in the parking lot. She walked over to him brandishing a bottle of champagne, and she said to him, "Here, I wanted to give this to you so that you and your wife can celebrate your failure in the exam!"
______ So.__________
His experience here in America has been somewhat brutal. Getting here just before 9/11 at least allowed him to get his degree; he wouldn't even be in country if he had tried a few months later. He hasn't been lucky (or maybe skilled enough) with his past work, so keeping this job is even more important. Although he feels like a complete failure because he is getting older and has nothing to show for all these years of trying to make it here, he refuses to give up.
He wanted to come here so much; he really believed all the hype that people in other countries seem to believe about us: Things are fair here, there's an equal chance for everyone who works hard, there isn't any corruption like he's seen in his country. Hell, the streets are paved with gold, right?
The Bush years were not kind to any of us, him included. We supposedly NEED people to do his kind of work, but the bottom dropped out of the economy and hiring dried up and still hasn't come back.
I'm unable to find words to comfort, help, sustain, give hope. I am appalled at the actions of his coworkers, and furious with Sally. I've never met any of these people, and Goddess/God help them if I ever do.
8:46 PM PT: First, just to be clear: The names in this diary are not the real names of the people involved, including "Joe".
Second, this made the rec list and I'm stunned. Insert obligatory gushing remark about making the rec list. Especially with my first diary. Huh. I might just try a second diary...someday.