DEPARTED FROM
New Delhi, India
ARRIVED IN
New York City, New York
YEAR
1966
AGE
18
Two days after getting married in India, my husband returned to the U.S., where he was studying for his Ph.D. in nuclear physics at Boston University. It was 1966 and I was just 18 years old. I wasn’t able to join him until two months later and I was worried I wouldn’t recognize him at the airport! The plan was after he finished his degree, we would go back to India.
The day I arrived in America, I flew into New York City. Since I lived in a small town in India, it felt like I was visiting New Delhi or Mumbai. My husband met me at the airport. When the plane landed at JFK, the air hostess announced a message. It was from my husband for me, saying that he was waiting for me outside. After picking up my luggage, I came out and saw him.
I was very tired after being on the plane for 28 hours. We stayed the night in New York City with one of my husband’s friends who lived close to Columbia University. We saw a movie and a show at Radio City Music Hall. I basically slept through the movie as it was difficult for me to follow the accent, and I had jet lag. By the time we arrived at his friend's place, it was late in the evening. I remember I was so tired that I went to bed early.
What really surprised me in the US was the cooking range. You just turned the knob, and you had fire for cooking. In those days, we didn’t have gas stoves in India. When we used to go for groceries, seeing the meat section made me feel very uncomfortable. Also, to see people kissing in public was very awkward in the beginning. I had to learn cooking and so many new things.
Language was definitely a challenge. Even though I studied English in India, I found the American accent was very difficult to follow. The only person I could understand was news anchor Walter Cronkite.
I had no idea what was ahead of me in America. My advice to new immigrants would be to be patient and work hard.
