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Life after 9.11

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The Immigrant Experience
by Nimit, age 17, Arlington, VA

It all started for me on August 16, 1984, in Ndola, Zambia (Africa). My dad, Mahendra, was enjoying life as the owner of a successful clothing factory. However, after a series of robberies, and as more and more riots were occurring in Zambia, he decided to leave everything, and start a new life in America.

The three of us, my dad, my mom and I, ended up at my aunt's house in North Carolina. My dad quickly saw the rough road ahead of him, and was on the verge of packing his bags and heading back to Zambia.

After friends and family convinced him to stay, my parents began working, and after a couple of months, we moved to my uncle's house in Newington, Connecticut.

For the next six years, my parents worked various 9-5 jobs, including jobs at McDonalds and Burger King, and even worked night shifts at times. I would rarely see my parents in the same room at the same time, as one came home and the other went to work.

However, in 1994, my family finally saw the beginning of "easy street." My dad became a manager of a motel in Crystal City, Virginia, and soon thereafter, also became the manager of a motel in Alexandria, Virginia.

Working both jobs, with the help of my mom, and to some extent me, the issue of money slowly disappeared. As a result, my dad was able to buy a hotel in Alabama. Simultaneously, he also began working on another project, building a hotel in Maryland.

Growing up, I have rarely felt the struggles that my parents faced in Africa and India. Although I may not have always received what I've wanted, I have always had the bare essentials, including food, clothing, and shelter.

However, learning the English language has probably been the hardest obstacle to overcome for my family. For me, it has caused me to struggle through school, especially English class. My parents had trouble understanding what others said, making it hard to communicate.

Although learning English is a big obstacle, it has not really been a burden to my family. On the flip side, it would have made life much easier to be fluent in it.

Another small obstacle has been discrimination, which has mainly come about recently. There was rarely any noticable discrimination while we lived in a friendly neighborhood in Connecticut; however, after the recent incidents, discrimination has been apparent. Fortunately, its not overwhelming enough to complain about.

My family has been 100% proud that they made the decision to move to America when they did. Even though life for my family has been very difficult at times, they feel that their hard work has really paid off.

My family knows that where we stand now is, by far, better than where we would stand in India, or even in Africa. When relatives hear of our opportunities and privileges, the freedom we have, and our stories of life in America, they want to move to America.

Recently, the government has begun to narrow the passageway to this great country. Although this may not seem very fair to outsiders, and even U.S., it seems certainly valid. Some people have come here to harm America and some have taken advantage of privileges, such welfare.

It would make sense to deny entrance to such people, but those who are committed to working hard and becoming successful should be allowed entrance. They essentially make this a greater nation.