In Chapter 7, the authors discuss the dilemma faced by sub-Saharan African immigrants trapped in the paradox and myth of going back to their native countries after graduation or “making it.” While other researchers on African immigration suggest that the major reasons for immigration are economic or conflict-related, most of the respondents interviewed gave education and family reunification as their primary reasons for immigrating. Furthermore, the myth of going back home shows that the pursuit of education was to position them for better job opportunities back in their native countries. The researchers reflect on the myth held by many immigrants in the United States: the hope of one day going back home after completing education or getting the needed resources:

You then realize first that you don't belong anywhere anymore. You don't belong back home because your mentality has shifted, your way of life has shifted. You come here and you are still traditional enough that you don't belong here either, your way of thinking is completely different. So, I think the word that comes to mind is alienation, you feel alienated no matter where you are, you just don't belong anymore. (Respondent) The reason why most researchers of sub-Saharan African immigrants describe the hope of returning to their countries of origin as a myth is because as time passes, it becomes more of a mirage than a reality for most of them. They get caught between multiple worlds that have conflicting expectations of them. Their coping strategies lose effectiveness over time, and they soon realize that succeeding within the duration they had set for themselves or that was embedded in the college program they had chosen is not realistic. Eventually, they adjust and decide to juggle school with economic pursuits just to survive. Some keep the “hope of return” by visiting their countries of origin as often as they can. The realization that they cannot fully return causes a dissonance while at the same time, it keeps their hopes up. They reason that they can at least earn a living in the United States and support their families back home, however limited that support is.