Source: http://www.wordtravels.com/images/map/Pakistan_map.jpg
My father always reminds me that he started his life in America with nothing but the clothes on his back and a suitcase. He got off the plane, got on a train, and promptly started searching for a place to live and begin his new life in the United States.
My father and his brother came to New York City in 1987. My uncle had come here a year before, in 1986, and went back to Pakistan to bring my father here. My uncle went to medical school in Pakistan and had found a job as a medical resident in New York. My father, on the other hand, went to business school and found a job as an auditor for the New York City Police Department. After a couple of years, they both brought their wives and parents to America to join them. Both my mother and my aunt went to medical school in Pakistan and they also found work as medical residents. After a few years, my mother, aunt, and uncle finished their residency and found work as physicians. My mother went back to Pakistan and gave birth to me there. I later came to America when I was only two months old. My father opened up many small businesses such as convenience stores and gas stations. They all decided to stay in New York because they had secure jobs, there was a growing Pakistani-Indian community, and there was a very good public education system for their children.
It has been very easy for my family to get adjusted to life in America. First of all, everyone was literate and they all could speak, read, and write in English. However, at home we all still speak in Urdu, the native language of Pakistan. Also, most of the children who came with them were very young at the time and could only speak Urdu. We all had to go to ESL classes when we attended school, including me because I only spoke in Urdu at home and never learned English. However, after we had learned English, it became very easy for us to adjust to life in America and do well in American schools. In addition, the growing Pakistani-Indian community in New York allowed my parents and uncle to make friends that would help them start their lives in America.
Despite knowing English and having good jobs, there are a few difficulties that my family has faced as immigrants. For example, they still do not fully understand American culture. They cannot understand why Americans send their children away to college. Also, they do not understand many common expressions and idioms like “skeletons in the closet” or “jumping the shark.” Lastly, they are not familiar with American pop culture because they don’t listen to music by American artists or watch popular television programs.
Despite these challenges my family tries as hard as they can to be good American citizens. For example, all members of my family have acquired citizenship and vote in most of the major elections. We are not involved in any civic organizations or labor unions. However, we do pray at the local Islamic center, which we also donate money to. The center then uses the donations to make improvements that benefit many people.
It is difficult for anyone to move to a new country and start a new life there. It is difficult to leave the place where you were born and raised to go live in a foreign place. It is even more difficult to support and raise a family when you have nothing. In addition to these difficulties, immigrants also face the challenge of discrimination and assimilating into a new society with a culture much different than their own. However, my family was able to face these challenges and overcome them so that they could have a better life for themselves and their children. Today, we live comfortably in a nice home and I can say that my family has done a good job at integrating into American society.
