Dear Editor,
When expatriates leave their homeland to seek a future elsewhere, it is not very often that they return to resettle in the country of their birth. As they get older and become established, some plan their retirement by buying real estate somewhere warm, but avoid Guyana. Others stay where they have taken up residence and a small percentage look for opportunities to resettle in the homeland.
Restarting life in Guyana can be as simple as buying some land, building a home and living off of a North American pension. For someone who wants to reintegrate into the Guyanese working environment, this is another matter. It can be an exciting venture if properly thought out, but expatriates need to be open minded. Being brought up for decades in a French environment, I knew that integrating into the Guyanese working world would have its challenges. But first for me, the political landscape would have to be stable and, for years, I did not feel right in leaving my new hometown.
Earlier this year, Yacoob Ally, a Guyanese businessman, invited me, some of his friends and family for breakfast in Toronto. Little did I know that this invitation would change my way of thinking and open the door for a return to Guyana. It was the APNU and AFC fundraiser, an activity coordinated by Dr Van West-Charles and attended by diverse professionals, investors and key business persons. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to our soon-to-be President, David Granger and Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo share their thoughts on the future of Guyana and their intentions for the betterment of the country. I was blown away with how they embraced the idea of expatriates, including investors, returning to help develop their homeland. Their speeches captivated my interest and encouraged me to investigate ways to support the new administration. This was the driving force that increased my passion to continue working in my homeland.
As I used my foreign working experience on projects during the past year, there was something that stayed at the forefront in my mind; understand and accommodate the Guyanese working culture. An expatriate who feels that he/she is capable of just arriving and taking charge because of work experience and academic background, is doomed to failure. A cocky attitude of ‘knowing it all’ gets an expatriate nowhere and leads to an early exit and a ticket back to the last country of residence. Like any new immigrant, this person has to prove himself through performance and by being flexible with his employees, team-mates and clients. Also, without embracing diversity, he will have limited success in the land of many waters.
The knowledge and skill sets that expatriates bring to Guyana are beneficial and add value to any organization and government agency. The local workforce should understand that external work experience will assist Guyana to meet world standards and should facilitate their integration. But expatriates must be receptive to being retrained and be proactive with learning about the local working environment. They would also gain an advantage by doing research on the local products and services they wish to support, while investigating the competition.
There are many opportunities for expatriates to reintegrate into the Guyanese working culture and with the upcoming changes that I foresee, the future is bright.
Yours faithfully,
Keith Hernandez
Toronto