TRANSCRIPT
TRANSCRIBED BY Tara Dorje (x 5)
Are you ready to start?
Sure.
Okay, so the first thing I need to know is the city you departed from.
City I departed from… You mean, departed and took a plane ride? That city, or the city of my—
The city you lived in before you moved to America.
Oh, the city I lived in, okay. The city I lived in was Vadodara, V-A-D-O-D-A-R-A.
Okay, and then I need to know the city you arrived to when you got here.
Newark, New Jersey, N-E-W-A-R-K.
What was that?
Newark, New Jersey.
Okay.
N-E-W-A-R-K.
Okay. In New Jersey, I think that is?
New Jersey, yeah.
Yeah. Okay, and then what year it was when you got here.
Oh, a long time ago. [laughs] It was in 1990.
Okay, and how old you were.
How old I was? Okay, let’s see… That’s… [pauses] 32.
So, for the next part, I just need you to give me a basic story of what your first day in America was like.
My first day? Okay… Well, when I came, of course, that was my first time I took an international flight, from Bombay to Newark, New Jersey, so it was a long flight. Before that, only I had one time I flew in the plane. So that was my second plane ride, or maybe third, but this was the longest, and so of course, I was tired, sleepy when I got at the airport. So it’s two big, heavy bags—you know, when we come from India, we put all the stuff in, put all the spices and clothes and so… When I landed at the airport, it was all new to me. It was a big airport, so naturally the immigration and customs, when you come from overseas…
Was there anything surprising?
Yeah, well, it’s surprising for them and for me!
[laughs]
[laughs] They thought that maybe I was little walking clumsy or something, because I had a tight suit, which I don’t wear it usually, and tie and all this, which, I don’t know why I had it, but…
[laughs]
[laughs] Took me with my bags for search, which was like a big search, detailed. I wouldn’t say strip search, but they checked me thoroughly, by custom agents. For the day, it was for almost one-and-a-half hours. They checked my body thoroughly, and my pocket, and my bags. I think maybe they randomly selected. Sometimes they check, so I was the last person to leave the airport.
Oh, no.
Yup, and took me almost one-and-a-half to two hours. And they also gave the blade, to check my bags. Cut my bags from the side, and from inside, to make sure I wasn't hiding anything.
Wow. [laughs]
[laughs] Yeah. I’m sure they’re probably looking for something, drugs or something. And spices, sometimes, they don't know what it is either. All this flour, which is white, spices, turmeric, grounded turmeric is yellow, and that chili powder is red. So all this, they didn't have a clue what it was, some of the stuff, so I had to explain to them and all this. And, of course, if you come for the first time, you have some difficulty in communication. Not fluently. [laughs]
Yeah [laughs].
So when I come out, then my brother and my brother’s wife, they were waiting outside for me, and they were a little nervous, got nervous because I didn't come out. Everybody else left already, the airport, so then they had to announce overhead about my name and where I am or something.
That sounds incredibly stressful.
Correct. [laughs] I came out and I think, of course, we took a ride back home in a small apartment in New Jersey, where my brother used to live, at one time. By the time I came home, I’m sure it was in the evening. And then, looked around me. It was in June—I think it was in June when I came. And because of the weather change, temperature, I was still feeling it like cold, although it was hot here! [laughs] Because big drop in temperature when I come here, because India in May, in June, is pretty hot.
Yeah.
So when I came here, the weather was changed, the culture was different. Then, of course, communication. Although I studied in English medium—I didn’t have problem in understanding the written English language—the pronunciation, all this was different between mine and people who are here for a long time. And accent is… Anyone in here, different people or different dialects or accents, that was a little difficult. So that was my first day.
* The contributor of this story has asked that their name be withheld.
