This is the story of my first day.*
INTERVIEWED BY Daniela N. Uy Kimpang


DEPARTED FROM
Mumbai, India

ARRIVED IN
Chicago, Illinois

YEAR
2007

AGE
10

NOW LIVES IN
Chicago, Illinois

FIRST DAY

TRANSCRIPT

Hi, my name is [withheld] and I’m an immigrant from India. I remember the first time coming to America to settle. It was the middle of March in 2007. And I had landed with my Mom and two sisters at O’Hare International Airport to meet my Dad. He had already moved in ahead of us and was waiting for the rest of the family to come. From the car ride home, I realized it was just like the movies. Everything was so clean, and orderly. One of the things that astounded me was the crosswalk; people follow rules on the street. Arriving to the one bedroom apartment that my father was living in, I marveled at the amount of space that there was. Little did I know…five people living in one apartment was not a luxury. And neither was eating a frozen pizza as your first meal in the States.



* The contributor of this story has asked that their name be withheld.

SHARE THIS STORY

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: