TRANSCRIPT
Pardeep: Very panic.
Tizarat: Very panic?
Pardeep: I was sick all the way up here. First I was like afraid of where I’m going. So, when we get landed at New York there our next flight was missed. For this reason..
Tizarat: You landed in New York first?
Pardeep: Hmm, they told us you have to wait for the next flight. The next flight was really late and we didn’t understand what they were saying to us
Tizarat: Who was with you?
Pardeep: Oh, the poor girl, it was her first time here too. She lives in Sterling Heights.
They had a party for Thanksgiving
Tizarat: You came around Thanksgiving?
Pardeep: Huh, 28th of November. It was very cold. Everyone ate food and left. Your dad bought me a bouquet of flowers to give to me and they planned to come together to the airport, so our flight got cancelled and we came around 11pm/midnight.
I would cry a lot because I didn’t meet the family and I didn’t know anybody or anything. The other thing I was crying all the way up here plus I was get so sick, because of the stress and the family left back home. I didn’t sit for one moment during the flight I was either sick or crying. There was an old man from New York on the flight that said “Child, take care of these documents of yours they’ll be really important during immigration. I’ve been taking care of them for now, but you’ll need them later and don’t cry anymore you are where you were destined to be; just pray now.” He asked me if I knew anyone here and I said no.
I felt like turning back once I arrived
Tizarat: When you landed in New York
Pardeep: Yeah
It was not a very like warm welcome like it was my first time here, it was okay. The home environment wasn’t warm, it was fine, but not very comfortable for me. So I would cry all the time. I would drink tea and make food and go upstairs and cry. Then your dad said, “If you crying day and night I’m going send you back do you want me to buy you a ticket?” I had to tell me mind to be patient.
So when I came here I don’t have money and I afraid, I never ask anybody since I was working for money. And here I wasn’t making relations like this was my family, why would I ask them for money to ask them for anything?.......Manai, why you started?..I still..
Tizarat: What?...I’m Sorry.
