I am a second generation immigrant. I was born here after my parents migrated here from India. My parents, however, were only able to come to America because of my dad’s sister, my aunt. My aunt came here in 1974. She chose to leave India because she had heard that nurses were in high demand in the United States. At the time, professionals would go out of country, to places like Moscow or Bangalore, so that they could get a good job and help support their families back home. The reason they chose leave India and go to the United States was because India did not offer many opportunities.
After coming to New York City, she found family members and with their help she was able to quickly stand on her own two feet. My father, who heard about the success his sister was having in America, wanted to migrate as well. He was tired of the simplicity and everyday routine of his life in India. He wanted a change. Through family reunification, my father came here in 1983. He followed his sister to New York City. However, he did not have an education past high school. As a result, he did not have as much success as my aunt had.
Back in 1997.
In 1988, he finally got a very good and stable job with the Metropolitan Transport Authority. With the newfound stability he had, he went back to India in 1989 to marry my mother and bring her over here. At the time, she was still studying to be a nurse. However, she soon completed her studies and became a registered nurse in 1990 and found a job with a nursing home. By 1990, my older brother was born, and by 1992, I was born. Throughout the entire time my parents were in America, they lived rent-free in an apartment with a relative. However, by 1995, the apartment was getting too crowded, and my parents bought a house in Floral Park, Queens.
More recently in 2009.
Since then, life has just gone on. My parents are working hard to make something of themselves so that they could provide my brother and I a pleasant life . Meanwhile, my brother and I are working hard to make our parents proud, by attaining an education, and doing all that we can to make something of ourselves.
Integrating into American society, however, has been challenging for my parents. The Indian way of life is nothing like the American way of life, and it is something that my parents are still getting accustomed to. They found St. John’s Marthoma Church, whose members are families like ours. This church provides my parentws with a sense of community similar to what they had in India. Also, their English has gotten significantly better, as my brother and I speak English around the house, and have them speak English back to us. Both of my parents have been here for quite some time now. And as time passes, they are learning more and more about American culture and norms, and they are integrating better into American society.
