Leaving your country is not always a dream, sometimes it is a necessity. Sometimes you move not because you want to, but because you have to. This is Tanja\u2019s story: a story of calling, loss, survival and longing that does not disappear with time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My name is Tanja \u2013 a very Afrikaans spelling, and difficult for the people here in the United Arab Emirates to read and pronounce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I moved to the UAE three years ago, and I still cry over South Africa as if I just moved yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf someone asks me what I do for a living, I still answer: I am a social worker in South Africa.\u201d In my heart and soul, I am still a social worker. In South Africa, it was meaningful \u2013 to me and to the people and children whose lives I was able to touch every day. I was a voice for children who could not speak for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But today, social workers in South Africa sometimes only get a salary when the department decides to pay it, and even then, it is small. It is simply not enough for a single person to live on. That\u2019s why I had to move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then a door opened that I still see as a blessing: a job at a school in Abu Dhabi as a \u201cspecial needs\u201d teacher. It is good. Sometimes it feels as if I can make a difference, but not in the same way as when I was a voice for children. Still, I am grateful: I am safe, I was able to buy my own car and even afford petrol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the loneliness \u2026 it is something no one can prepare you for. I am not married and do not have children \u2013 I am alone. The people here come from different cultures and languages. They do not understand what you mean by \u201cthe robot is red\u201d or what a \u201cbraaibroodjie\u201d is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then you try to motivate yourself with the thought: \u201cAt least you can build up a pension now\u201d. You are safe. You are more financially stable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But you are far away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Far from your people.
Far from your language.
Far from your culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I miss you, South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tanja\u2019s story reminds us that emigration is not always about adventure \u2013 sometimes it is about survival. It is about dignity, safety and the hope of stability. But it never takes away the longing.<\/p>\n\n\n