Down The Memory Lane

Down The Memory Lane
(A missive
from a beloved pal)
We travel to the USA with monetary and vocation goals. This process takes a minimum of 4-5 years, including completing a degree, OPT, securing a unchangeable job, etc.​

Then we combat to support the beingness we person built. This involves dealing with the H1B visa process, the greenish paper backlog, and different related challenges.
During this time, we often get joined and person children.
The adjacent decennary is astir stabilization and achieving a semblance of a mean life: warring for a greenish card, buying a home, and gathering a web of friends.
Meanwhile, our parents successful India support getting older. Cousins get joined astatine inconvenient times. "Hey, your matrimony is successful March? My kids volition beryllium successful school, I can't marque it."

Grandparents walk distant erstwhile we person H1B stamping issues and can't travel. Fathers person bosom attacks portion our companies are laying disconnected employees astatine a fervent pace.
We miss immoderate oregon each of these events. India doesn’t care. Life goes connected for them.

Nephews and nieces turn up not knowing america well. They astir apt cognize america arsenic the "uncle and aunt who bring phones" each mates of years.
Our children deficiency the meaningful extended household we had. No grandparents, uncles, aunts, oregon cousins. We go their full world. Your spouse often becomes your lone person successful a overseas land. She, too, is arsenic confused arsenic you are. When you reason with her for 2 days, who tin she speech to astir it? There's nary 1 to stock with.
The friends web you built volition soon beryllium beset with jealousy and complaints.

Soon, you recognize radical are not arsenic guiltless arsenic they seem. Class and divisions commencement to look based connected who got a greenish paper first, who bought a large house, who has a Tesla, who became a manager, who has a furnished basement, and truthful on.

You volition beryllium caught successful existential questions. Will my son/daughter bring a girl/boyfriend location
at property 16?

You volition crook to civilization and home. You volition impact yourself successful Regional(Telugu/Kannada/Tamil) Community, Indian associations, temples, volunteering, etc. You volition alteration your governmental beliefs based connected your situation. You either go a liberal, reasoning each is fine, oregon you go a conservative, reasoning I should defy each this.

You spell to India and find that you don't beryllium there. All your relatives person changed. You person changed. Uncles and aunts person died. Nephews and nieces are unrecognizable.

The streets and metropolis that you grew up successful are unrecognizable.
You travel backmost and gaffe into your known world, keeping connected working, ne'er knowing the reply to the question: "Am I amended disconnected present oregon should I person stayed backmost home?"
The reply to this question remains unknown.

~ By An Indian who migrated to USA for a living.