Ahmed Ashraf
It is said that very few things are dear to humans than their homeland and when they choose to leave that homeland, some extraordinary event is involved. Both of my parents were born in remote parts of Bangladesh, a small country in South-East Asia. Growing up, I found my parents to be quite satisfied of the life they were living and the role they were playing in that society. So, when, on a sunny day during the summer of 2010, my parents boarded the plane heading to the John F. Kennedy international airport in New York, it was evident that some other reason is involved than personal benefit. For my parents, as I have found out later, it was the hope of better education and life for me and my siblings. I have seen my parents, especially my mother, go through extraordinary difficulty for my sake and I am grateful for that.
This was not the first time somebody from my family came to New York City. In 1986, two of my uncles also came to New York in the search of a better living. Initially settling in Queens, they eventually moved into the Bronx area where they lived ever since. They initially worked very hard in small departmental stores while barely being able to support themselves. At the same time, they tried to support their families back in Bangladesh. Being industrious was one of the characteristics they developed in Bangladesh which eventually helped them in establishing their own businesses. Recently, another one of my uncle joined us in New York City.
I came to New York along with my parents. I was also born and raised in a small village in Bangladesh. My initial period in New York was not extremely hard as I already had families who anchored me, but leaving the place of my birth was quite difficult for me. Lots of memories were connected to that place. It was painful to leave all that behind, along with the people who shared those memories. I didn’t know how long it will be until I will be able to see these people I adore again. Though somewhat sad, I was ready to take on New York. During my first couple of months, New York surprised me every day. Since I lived in small village, I was not used to the high rising buildings, big roads and loads of cars in New York. I remember checking more than once that I am not being delusional. Another characteristic of living in a small village is that almost everybody knows you. Due to the vastness of New York, I found, people around you will barely know you or are too busy to care. The loss of that intimacy was troublesome. One of the many things I found fascinating is the City’s transit system and I am still not much proficient in that. The language barrier initially presented some threat, but I won that battle. Another fascinating thing was all the street arts around the city streets which represented different stories, different cultures and different times. I fall in love with them over the years. New York is the place where people of different origins come together to create a wonderful expression of the collective human experience. My parents wanted a better education and better shot at success for me and I appreciate all that I got from New York.
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