Living in the US: A Blessing or Curse?

chillibreeze writer — Somedatta

The desire to succeed in life and the thought and perceived smell of crisp green bucks bring a lot of people to the land of Uncle Sam.

A lot of these people work in Information Technology (which seems to be the most popular profession these days); some others come here to first donate money to Uncle Sam's coffers (through a means called "tuition") and then stay on to get that donation back in the form of US Dollar salaries!

The dollar-dream which beckons to these people is made of:

Increasing bank balances
Wonderful lifestyles
Roads made of chocolate, and
Dollar bills hanging from trees

These dreamers leave their near and dear ones (read "responsibilities") back home and say goodbye to their good old country (read the "land of limitations"), pack their bags and start the journey towards this beautiful dream. The flight out is made of all the good things that they’d always wanted in life but had in moderation or not at all.

Pretty girls at their beck and call (a lot of times, the exotic beauties of foreign lands) serving them unlimited liquor of their choice; the in-flight entertainment with all those serials which the national television back home does not show (since they are "R" rated) and that feeling of freedom that comes with from being in control (no Mom to report to or Dad to ask questions!)

And then, once the flight lands with a thud, so does the dream. The first people to greet the dreamers are the customs officials, more businesslike than friendly, poring suspiciously through the contents of their baggage (so, into the trash go the bottles of pickles that mom packed so lovingly).

The immigration lines are long and the counters are manned by businesslike officials studying them suspiciously, taking fingerprints, matching the passport photos with the person... all the while asking questions with an inscrutable expression. And then comes the 'first cab ride', a rite of passage that every dreamer goes through. And it ends with a sinking feeling as the dreamer arrives at the destination, looks at the bill and forlornly pays what used to be a month's rent for the nice apartment back home.

Eating out is the next step, since cooking at home takes time to get used to (back home, good old Mom did everything); and it also requires some time to set up (everything has to be bought and that is not an easy exercise to begin with since they have never done such a thing before!). Every food item's price once multiplied by the conversion quotient seems like a fortune to spend on a simple meal (and people thought MacDonald burgers were cheap!!). And to think that for that money, they are not even getting anything exotic (those air hostesses are forgotten pretty soon!!)

The next blow is when they realise that not only do they have to cook for themselves, they also have to keep house (how they remember Mom and the maid at home at this time!). That means cleaning, washing, laundry, etc. They have to learn to become mechanically savvy as machines best do all these tasks - a vacuum to clean house, a dishwasher for the vessels and the washer-dryer for clothes. It takes time to get used to this life of self-dependence, but it grows on them after some time.

When work keeps them busy, it is fine since there is no time to think of anything else. But any idle moment is bound to bring sweet memories of home vividly in front of their eyes. Now that they are so far far away from where visa rules and immigration rules are stringent, memories are the only things to live with. They can think of Mom but can't visit her the next day (or expect her to visit). Dad's advice on how to lead life no longer seems irrelevant, their ears actually yearn for his voice. The old places, old friends and old days keep coming back and haunting them.

Then, after a few weeks of adjustment, things become easier. The first US pay check (or cheque) falls into the salary account and voila! Things start taking a turn for the better. Now, they can afford the calling cards which will help them listen to the voices of near and dear ones (though they can't bring them any closer). They can buy that laptop, hook it up to be online all the time and chat with those they left behind. They can save some moolah and send it home (where it becomes a fortune thanks to the same conversion which made a MacDonald's burger seem like a kingly meal in home currency value).

Gradually, they meet more people who are in the same situation as they are and this forms a bond of friendship, born out of need, but progressing from there on. Slowly, the US dream starts becoming a reality; much more than the first day in the country.

Living alone and far away does not seem so bad anymore, because there are others to share the pain and there is some thing to look forward to as they begin saving to afford that annual trip back home. Along with this continues the saving towards buying gifts for everyone. Then comes the flight back home with dreams in their hearts once more: of meeting people long left behind and getting kudos from others for being "foreign-returned".

Once they reach the airport back home, something surprising happens. Customs officials, asking leading questions about the baggage and their contents, greet them. The immigration lines are long and the officials want to know how soon they will return to the US; the weather sucks, the infrastructure is poor and the poverty of the home country hits home.

Some of this old life is still great (Mom wants to take care of everything, even things she did not do before), everyone wants to meet them and invite them home for lunch/dinner, they are treated like celebrities who have "achieved" in life; and yet some things are not the same again.

The routine life of the US beckons............ the freedom (even at the cost of self-dependence) and the green bucks............. and the dreams of the return flight to Uncle Sam. Once they land, the homesickness strikes anew and the period of getting used to the loneliness of living with themselves starts again...............

The vicious circle continues and will always continue........... so, living in the US continues to be a boon which is cursed or a curse which comes with a boon.....................depends on how one chooses to look at it.

Is your glass half empty or half full?

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—About our writer:

Somedatta says, "NRI with her heart in India and her head in the right place and friends all over the world, Somedatta is a global entity. She likes to read, write, cook and have fun! Her dream is to travel the world and see as many places as possible."

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