I am Mrs.Suhasini Shrikant Diskalkar. I came to United States thirty years ago. My husband and I visited US as a tourist in 1978. We booked a vacation package from India and came to see America. My younger sister Archana Kulkarni was a well known physician in Montgomery,AL. She and her husband both were doctors and she invited me to visit US. She promised to process our green card if we liked this country. It was a 2 month long excursion trip. We saw many states and all the attractions from the East coast to the West. We were amazed by the land of opportunity. We liked America and asked my sister to start the green card process.
Shrikant worked as a Scientist in the government sector. He was posted in Bhavanagar,Gujarat since the time we got married. I was a convent school teacher in "FATIMA CONVENT" and used to conduct tuition's after school. We had a lovely and respectful life in India. Salil was 8 years old when we left for US. He stayed with my younger sister in Pune while we visited America.
Our green card got processed very easily and quickly at that time. We all decided to finally move to US. It was a difficult decision to leave our family and a well settled life back. There was a fear of how well things would go in a new country. We were welcomed by my sister and her family in Montgomery,AL. It is surprising how we still live in the same town even after all these years. My sister has three daughters. The oldest one, Manju was Salil's age. And the youngest one, Sona was a baby. My sister moved to the US in the 70's and always complained of not having family to help out. As they were physicians, they had to be on call 24/7. So it was nice for them to have us manage all the kids while they were out on duty. We lived together for 2 years. I was worried about how Salil would adapt to the new life style, but he awed us by how soon he got adjusted to the new ways of life. He was very responsible and focused on studies. Manju often helped him with projects and guided him in magnet school. Those two years were not easy. The US economy was pitiful and to get a job in a city like Montgomery, AL was very tough. I tried to get a teaching job but was faced with a lot of rejections as I did not have a US degree. I was forced to enroll in college to get a degree at middle age. My husband did not like the dependency factor. It is not easy to stay with somebody for 2 years even if it could be your own family. He got a job in Tuskegee University. He stayed away from us on the campus in the beginning as we did not have a car. I did odd jobs to pay for my college tuition. Salil, my darling boy was very responsible and started working from the age of 14. He saw that his parents were struggling to get their foot in this country. He worked very hard through out his high school and college.Those were some rough days.
After living with my sister for two years, we moved into an apartment. Salil's Dad moved back from Auburn and we started a fresh life on our own. I received my degree from University of Alabama. I was not very lucky to find a job in Montgomery,AL. So I took a teaching job in Tuskegee in a Private school. I was the home room teacher and taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade kids. I worked in that school for the next twenty odd years. Shrikant's job and my job was in Tuskegee,AL which is about 35 miles one way from Montgomery,AL. So we would drive together every morning and come back together.
There were very few Indian families in Montgomery at that time.We surely missed our family back in India and not to mention the cultural difference. Specially missed the festive season. All Indian families in Montgomery and nearby town would meet often and celebrate Indian festivals. My brother in law, Prakash Rao Kulkarni who was a Neonatologist, decided to meet once every month. He lead the community into buying a church which we then converted into a temple. We all still go to that temple every other Sunday and sing Bhajans and distribute prasad. Then slowly that group became a Temple group, and we started meeting often.Now there are many more Indian families than before. We celebrate every Hindu festival and sometimes call the priest from Birmingham. Well, my sister and her family moved out of Montgomery, AL in 1990. They are settled in Los Angeles,CA now.
I remember how difficult it used to be to get Indian grocery. We had to drive to the bigger cities nearby like Atlanta or Birmingham to get Indian groceries. Montgomery did not have an Indian store for the longest time. We would try to make our dishes with what we got in Walmart or Winndixie. We never had ready made Chitale gulab Jamun packets then. So we made GulabJamun and Pedhe with dry Milk powder and ricotta cheese. We would alter recipes to accommodate what we found easily available. Coming from Maharashtra, we like Cilantro (Kothimbir) in every dish. But getting cilantro was a task. We used to consume Indian groceries bought from Atlanta or so very scarcely. Watching Indian movies or Marathi dramas was like a treat at that time. POTLUCK, another American tradition was new to us and I would find it funny. But now we socialize every other weekend and have potlucks. American holidays like Halloween,Thanksgiving, Christmas were also new but we love to celebrate all that with a lot of pride now. Teaching in American schools for so long gave me a very good insight into American history. I am proud to say that I know American history just like I know Indian history.
We bought our first house in 1988. We were very excited. Salil was turning in to a young responsible man and helped us at each and every step. His communication skills were excellent and he used to negotiate in a lot of matter where people did not understand our accents. Tough times were behind and we had started enjoying life in US.
I remember how we wanted to go back to India in the initial years. We had a comfortable life style in India and we had to think about spending every penny here. Talking about communication with folks back home,we used to write letters, send greetings,or in case of emergencies, use the phone. It was very expensive to talk on phone then. We used to talk with a high pitch as the lines would not be clear. But just to hear the voice of your near and dear ones, would make us ecstatic.One thing was sure though,that life in America was smooth and progressive There was a tinge of unhappiness that was felt. But nobody showed it except when we met. Folks talked about it and expressed to each other what they were missing!
Things have changed a lot now. If you arrive in big cities, you are not going to miss any of the Indian culture. Internet has been a blessing too.
My Dad used to say,"Our children are like little birdies,we cannot cut their wings. Let them fly,soar high." I think that new folks who want to settle in foreign countries should perceive their dreams and progress.Culture and ties come automatically.
Everybody has different plans. Some come to stay here long term while some make money and go back to their motherland. Everybody has different perspectives. We should all follow our heart and be happy in what we do.
Saturday, May 19th
Last update:05:11:04 PM GMT
