Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

i really dont take this shit that seriously no more. if we get it we get it and if they come for me, so be it.

i enjoy the camaraderie i share with u guys here, either when shit is serious or we just all fucking around.

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

Sorry for your loss. I'm in a similar situation as I lost my dad just a little over a month ago, and he passed away in China. I actually haven't seen him for 8 years, since he left the states to renew his Visa, but due to him being a few dates late after his visa expired, he ran into a host of problems and couldn't come back in. Good thing modern tech allows stuff like facetime/video call so we're always just a screen away no matter the distance. But still it sucks that I and my family wasn't able to care for him during his final moments and couldn't attend his funeral. Good thing he had a lot of family in China that help us take care of everything and all the final arrangements. I myself feel pretty shitty and guilt for not being able to care for him as his son, and wasn't successful enough to find myself a good girl and get married and help my parents adjust their status.

But going through this sure is eye opening, as it's giving me motivation to work harder in his honor and also to better car for my remaining parent, my mom. I got a few close friends who know about my status and my situation, so I got some support from them too. Support during this time does go a long way.

As far as traveling and other restrictions, in the grand scheme of things, it's a luxury, not a necessity. As others have said, you can easily travel within the states to other areas that feel foreign. I myself am not that big a traveler (maybe because I've never traveled too far before lol), but I do have things I want to do, and kinda let my anxiety get in the way of that last year with all the shenanigans in the gov regarding the stability of our status. But earlier in the year I told myself, fuck it, I'm just gonna do the stuff I want (getting a motorcycle license and motorcycle), but those plans are on hold now since my father's passing. I do plan to get back on that train, but right now I just need some time to myself and family to move forward.

As far as status, right now I'm just figuring out ways to overcome whatever employment obstacles the fate of DACA brings us. Currently learning how to become better at my craft so I can branch off into becoming a contractor/freelancer as an additional or contingent source of income in the off chance I can't be an employee anymore. There's always ways around things, it's just about being creative and asking the right people for help/ideas. I know some dreamers in here make 6 figs, and I have a friend who's family is undocumented and he's DACA himself, but through sheer hardwork, they actually saved enough to buy a house a few years ago. Both scenarios are probably better than 70% of actual citizens in this country. All they're missing is just some stupid paper, but that paper don't have to determine your success and happiness, but it sure does help a lot.

The point is, just take the necessary time to deal with things, and just keep going and moving forward. There's always light at the end of the tunnel, just that sometimes you gotta dig your own holes to reach the light. Stay strong my friend!

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

I'm sorry for your loss.

My whole family has been legalized except me. I see them travel all over the world and so I know how you feel. The way I force myself not to think about it is by focusing on my work. I am a workaholic and I really enjoy what I do and I try to do my best at it. I also try not to look at the news. Don't get in the habit of googling DACA every day to see if there is any new news. I can't say I'm always good about it. For example, I usually relapse whenever there is big news around. But mostly, I try not to read any articles about immigration, or else it will get me riled up. So yeah, I cope with it by forcing myself not to think about it, and surrounding myself with people who are not in the same situation. That way, at least it makes me feel like I'm normal. I know everyone has their own coping mechanism, and mine may not be the best. But you gotta do whatever works for you. You have to do whatever you can that insures that you keep going, keep working and keep staying strong.

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

Proton Pump Inhibitors my friend...

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

i'm too busy these days to worry about DACA. At the end of the day if I make enough money I can be in any country I want outside of the US.

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

These last two weeks have been the hardest of my life to deal with regarding immigration stuff, banking, etc. plus a few family emergencies to deal with. Something's gotta give.

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

All my relatives got their GC also, which is awesome for them, but cant deny I do feel some jealousy sometimes. Eh...C'est la vie. Just keep working towards your goals. Im presently focused on developing streams of passive income , so that keeps me busy most of the time.

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

I have seen you mention this a few times that the last couple weeks have been hard. I am here if you want to connect via inbox or phone. I have enjoyed your sane and level minded participation on this forum over the years.

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

Thank you. I've been dealing with things I have control over directly and just taking it one day at a time now and trying to not dwell too much on things I don't have control over. The problem is physically. We're all in this mess together lol.

Re: How do y’all stay strong when everything around feels so discouraging!!!
 

The rest of the world isn’t a bad place. You can be happy elsewhere if the worse happens. Live your life. Save some money out of the banks, learn a trade or consider how you might freelance what you do now or how you might monetize a hobby. An American degree has weight elsewhere. Get one if you don’t have one yet. Make or begin to make contingency plans. Travel. I travel a lot. I’m planning to visit Hawaii soon. I thought we weren’t able to go to Alaska but I’m hearing others have gone and I am definitely going. I survive because I know that I am able to succeed anywhere. In fact, the only thing that irritates me about my status occasionally is the constant reminder of how much I’m being held back right now because of it. I’m very ambitious. I have achieved much more than some american citizens my age and I didn’t get any help to do it. They like to complain that we are taking their jobs and getting assistance but the truth is we succeed even with our hands tied behind our backs while they seek baseless excuses for their failures and waste the opportunities they have right in front of them. Sometimes I want to leave because I’m getting older each year and I’m feeling like my talents are being wasted but I’m waiting a bit and in the mean time, I working and planning for contigencies and researching other countries. I’m saving a “Survive the birthplace for a few months” fund. Might even buy some land there and hire someone to care for it. I was hoping to fall in love and marry by now because I’m not doing the whole business thing but I’m not stunningly beautiful or thin and I have standards I won’t compromise even for “papers”, so I’m not betting on that avenue to citizenship. I’m moving ahead with the idea that I will either get citizenship through the passing of an act or leaving and getting residency elsewhere, not even gonna let mysef think even for a moment about getting married anymore. Not constantly thinking about that and hoping the love of my life will find me has released a lot of pressure and stress when the few dates I go on don’t work out. I didn’t realize I was so worried about that. Just live your life day to day and make contingency plans. Don’t cower and hide now. If DACA is taken then hide but right now take advantage of the freedoms you do have.