Because the Afghan war has not ended yet, refugees still search for a new way of living, and this may create many problems to arise when immigrants settle down in a European country. Walking down my street, for example, I see refugees from all over this earth, like Afghanis-tan, Turkey, Somalia Ethiopia, and West African countries, like Togo, Mali or Ghana.

Unvoluntarily, I am a witness of a darkening, deep colored surrounding. My neighbourhood has developed a melting pot effect, which it never had before. In the near future, here will be walking many more African and Somali women over the pavements, disguised with burka’s and scarves over their hair and dressed in long colored yellow and orange silk and cotton, buying their food on the local market place. Sometimes, it looks as if they are still far away in Somali and Darfur deserts. Seeing these women, almost directly accompanied by their two or three little Somali kids, following and walking next to her. At the same time, fellow citizens living around me usually walk with their dogs in the Park, in front of my house.

Less than a mile away from my house, quite cynical, a new comprehensive real estate project is being built. 150 Luxury villas for the upper middle class, while nobody walking around in these streets, can afford to buy such a property. These luxury houses with garages, 5 rooms, and lots of space, have a direct view on the desolate industrial 3 story-appartments  at the opposite side of the street. The building Company however does not make much effort to finish the project, because housing prices are at a historical low value, around 140.000 Euro and many of these luxury villas are still not been sold.

Considering the Obama politics, we should be grateful with these immigrants, wherever they are from, and there would be lots of opportunities for them, providing they want to work in their new country. The reality however, is sometimes quite a disappointment to many .

One should realize, having a view from my window, that we have here a real collision of black and white culture. This neighborhood can only survive, accompanied by strong behavioral political instruments of society, like Psychiatric Health care, Police and Fire Squads. If there were no strong control measures, the drunks, criminals, dealers and snipers would decide who’s to live and die in my street. When I turn on the TV, I always feel like being committed or getting engaged to the channel I am looking at. So I might watch a housing program, a crime story, a family comedy, a talkshow, or plain world politics.

And then I figure, what are these immigrants doing in their broken homes. Can we trust Channels like Al Jazeera to help these immigrants in the loneliness, poverty and despair, which confronts stubborn agnosts in their new, foreign country. Though I voted for President Barack Obama, people should realize, that American World Politics bring you lots of changes, especially in diaspora, and usually many refugees and their offspring in my town live their whole life paid by the social benefits they receive from the Dutch government.

WM Young – The Netherlands