DEPARTED FROM
New Delhi, India
ARRIVED IN
New York City, New York
YEAR
1996
AGE
26
TRANSCRIPT
TRANSCRIBED BY Jasmine Singh (x 4)
What do you remember from your first few days in the United States when you arrived?
So when I arrived, the first thing I went to visit was Home Depot. Can you believe that? That was my first day, when I landed. We straight away went to Home Depot because I was getting married in next two days. So we went to Home Depot to buy stuff. The panditji had told my husband to get those poles to build the [inaudible] for the wedding. So we went there, we bought all the stuff. And next three days, I was super busy because I had my wedding functions. I had my haldi, my henna, and then my sangeet night. So three, four days, it's just festivities, and then the wedding and then the reception. So it was just a roller coaster ride. I don't even know how I was operating that one first week. And then there were a lot of guests, families, friends. So I was just interacting with them, getting used to the U.S. life, coming from India, and admiring everything. But I did not like the fact that there was no greenery. Everybody used to say it's so green, green, green. And since it was March, it was all dry. I was like, “Everyone used to say it’s so green. There's no green, there are no trees!” So, yeah, I think I was overwhelmed with everything. I was seeing people. I was meetings lot of Indian friends. Families who had come from Canada, India, Australia, London. So meeting for the first time. It was fun.
And you came straight to New York City?
Yes. From Delhi to New York City. Yes.
Who picked you up?
My husband and his two friends.
So we already talked about what you did during your first week. But was there anything that you ate that was totally brand new to you that you hadn't had before?
The one weirdest thing, like in India, we used to have cereal in hot milk. Over here, when I came, everyone used to have cereal in cold milk. So that was something new. They took out the gallon, and they poured it in my bowl and have cereal. So that was absolutely new for me. And then another thing that I noticed, like when we went to the restaurant to have breakfast, they gave coffee and they gave orange juice. I was like “It's hot and cold. How you're supposed to drink both the things together?” That was a little different for me. And then I really love, from day one, bagel. When they told me this is a bagel just like bread, oh, I loved it. Until they— that's my favorite food.
Since I'm a vegetarian, so I don't eat meat, so that was a different story. I think everything was similar to what we used to. Like I said, we were busy with the wedding festivities, so all Indian food, basically the first one week.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about your first days in the US that you remember? A memory that you're surprised by?
Yes. So for the wedding, couple of my husband's friends, they wanted to attend the wedding. I'm talking 30 years back. And their boss said, “You can’t take day off” because all of them wanted to come for the wedding. And to my shocking knowledge, they all left their jobs to attend the wedding.
Wow.
So, every single friend of his was in the wedding and they quit.
Wow.
They said, “We want to attend the wedding. It's okay. You don't want to employ us, we don't want to”, so they left the job. They were in the wedding. They were dancing and they attended the reception next day. They took a day off, and day after they went back and he said, “Okay, you guys can join back” because he also didn't have the option. So that was so shocking for me that everyone left their jobs. And another thing that I was very curious. For my reception all his friends, they had got the stretch limo. So that was the first time I sat in the stretch limo. And I was so excited, riding this stretch limo.
Yeah, I guess that's about it. The first week, like I told you it was very exciting.
Thank you so much.
You’re welcome.
