DEPARTED FROM
Darbhanga, India
ARRIVED IN
Washington, District of Columbia
YEAR
1967
AGE
20
TRANSCRIPT
TRANSCRIBED BY Marichi Aria (x 4)
Hello and welcome. Could you tell us your name?
I'm Veena Garg and I'm from East Bay near San Francisco in California. Concord, California.
Great. Thank you so much for being here. Do you remember your first few days in the United States when you arrived? Can you share what it felt like and what were your first impressions?
For the first time, I came when I was 20 years old, and it was International Farm Youth Exchange program. I came when I was in Bachelor's degree I was doing. I came to U.S with a group of 17 people from India, from different states, and we represented India. First, we went to Washington, DC. Then, after orientation, everybody split. There were people from 70 countries came in that program. We were all together in it. I spent three months, first in Virginia, staying with five, six American families in Virginia, and then we split. We went to Columbus, Ohio for midterm conference that everybody from 70 countries showed up. We had ten days midterm point conference there. Then after that, again everybody split.
My second state was Minnesota. I spent another three months over there. Then after that, I went to see, on my own, Colorado Rockies. Then California. Came to San Francisco and LA because I wanted to go to Disneyland and Universal Studios, and also San Francisco Bay area. My first impression was very different, because I was just a 20-year-old and never went out of the country before. It was very big eye-opener. I knew English, but I was not very fluent because I was not speaking in daily basis, so it became very fluent when I came here. So that was another thing I learned.
Then the biggest difference was that I'm a vegetarian by birth, and the food at that time—that was 1968—the food was—everywhere they think that vegetarian food means, “Okay, veggies,” and they said, “How can you live only on veggies?” All of them used to fix the veggies for me, but they will use the remaining lard of their meat. First time they did, they fried the veggies in the lard. And I said, “No, no, no, I cannot eat that. It has to be vegetable oil or butter.” So I educated them—it was two way thing. I was educated on Indian things and my lifestyle, and that was the point of that exchange program, that I was teaching them about India and my lifestyle, and they were teaching me their lifestyle and how they are living. I loved the peanut butter sandwich there for the first time, the grilled cheese sandwich. I found lot of things, the pastries, so I had no less. French fries. I just loved all those things that time.
Great. What were some of the biggest cultural differences or cultural similarities you noticed?
Lot of dust, I said earlier. Also, there were some families, just with the kids and families. That was the biggest thing. We were living in a joint families over there, so that was the first big difference that time. That was the main thing. Then I also saw that the kids, they had more access to lot of other things that other activities they were doing. I went with them, the 4-H camp, for instance, and then some other camps. Those are the main things. I saw that as a kid, as like, 20-year-old, and they were learning about lot of classes about cooking, sewing, and all those kind of things. And those time we didn't have that much. We were learning at home from mom, so we didn't have access to all those things. That was the difference. But when, then, in 1985 we immigrated. Second time. That was just I came on my own. Second time we came in 1985 with my kids and my husband. My husband had come earlier, to look for place and for his work and all that. I came with my two girls later in 1986, and that was my second time around.
Great. Is there any specific memory that you're surprised you remember? Is there anything that makes you smile or laugh or cry when you think about it?
Oh God, we took some time—six months—to get settled. We were first in apartments. Lot of things to do for girls, to look for a school for them and get settled. But it was nice. We were thinking that we migrated from India to Australia, and then we lived in Melbourne, Australia, for six years. It was a big difference from Australia and here, because the pace of life in Australia was very slow as compared to U.S. So, when we came here, everything was really fast, fast, fast, and everything was big, so we had to get—We took little time to get settled with the family. Then, after six months, when we bought a house, we got settled and looked the school and all that. So, then we felt kind of settled.
That's great. Is there anything else you'd like to share about your first days, either when you first came, or when you came your second time?
First time, it was really nice eye opener. And very, very great. That is, I think one of my greatest experience, because I traveled a lot in India also, before, as a youngster with my father and family. But it was a big eye opener, also, because I come from a small town and from Bihar, so on those days, it was really a big difference for me. I really enjoyed and especially being the group of people of my age from all over the world. We spent so much time together and learnt each other's things. That was a big thing that I got to learn so many things from everybody, and know about their culture and language and teach them about us. Because I used to wear—most of the time for any function anywhere I go—I did give so many talks in ladies’ clubs, or kids’ clubs, or camps, or everywhere. I was wearing saree all the time—that is our native outfit for the women. Just because I was representing India, even though I was not wearing saree at home. But here, when I came representing India, I was wearing sarees mostly. And I put on all the families—When I went to visit different families, I put all my sarees to all the girls and ladies of the house, and they just loved it.
That's great. Thank you so much for conducting this interview.
Thank you for having me there.
