America: a Country of Great Expectations

By Sachin Anand Balram

America is often called the land of opportunity, and for centuries the United States has lived up to that motto. People from all over the world come to these shores seeking a better way of life for themselves and their families. But often, adjusting to this new life is not easy. In America: A Country of Great Expectations, author Sachin Anand Balram provides a wealth of practical advice for those who immigrate to the United States.

Balram, who came to the United States from Fiji more than thirty years ago, uses his personal experiences to teach others who face the same hurdles and challenges. He explores issues related to citizenship, health care, education, and purchasing goods and services. He provides advice for finding a job, buying a car, and renting an apartment. He explains the functions of government agencies, the legal system, ideologies, and traditions and customs.

This self-help guide provides a big-picture look at what an immigrant can expect when coming to the United States. Balram shares his personal opinion, impressions, and perspective about his life in America, helping others to experience the American Dream of becoming prosperous and successful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781450284448

Sachin Anand Balram

Sachin Anand Balram emigrated to the United States from Fiji more than thirty years ago. He is a lawyer. He currently works for an insurance company as a claims consultant. Balram lives in Hayward, California, with his wife, Kamini. They have two children. This is his first book.

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PREFACE

During my three decades in this wonderful country, I have come across hundreds of immigrants from different countries who are still not quite sure what their rights are, where they should turn in times of desperate need, and how numerous major systems and agencies function. How can they get the benefits from their taxes? How can they reassert their rights with authorities? Some of them have been in this country for several years and still do not know how the health-care system operates and what to do if they do not have health insurance and become seriously ill. Some still do not know where to turn if the hospital sends them a hundred-thousand-dollar bill for a week’s stay. Some of them still do not know the difference between the Medi-Cal and Medicare systems—and the list goes on. This sort of ignorance, apathy, and lack of information and knowledge on the part of my fellow immigrants made me wonder how I could provide—in a simple way—the big picture of agencies, authorities, culture, traditions, etc., that any newcomer to this country can read and educate himself. This book can be read and analyzed before the immigrant departs his homeland, or it can be read during his leisure hours when he arrives in the United States or while he is in transit here. It can also be kept by the bedside as a self-help book. I hope that this book will educate the newcomer to become familiar with the way things are done in the United States and about the numerous agencies and their functions. I have tried to give my perspective of this country. I have mentioned the good things and the bad things. I have tried to point out the important things that will touch an immigrant’s life within the first three months in America.

I have tried to provide the big picture about things that are important to all Americans in making their lives easier since knowledge is power. This vision of providing the big picture to fellow immigrants is what has inspired me to write. The book can also be a good source of reference for the Native Americans as well.

Many US born native Americans have limited knowledge of their country and how its socioeconomic systems operate. I also try to depict the numerous challenges, trials, and tribulations that a new immigrant must face in order to establish himself in this country. I also provide some guidelines where help can be found and how it can be obtained.

I have attempted to provide some useful information relating to different systems, such as legal, health, and education, and have infused my own opinions about my adopted country. I have provided a few glimpses of my own experiences, discussing at length what I like about this country, what I dislike, what I miss about my old country, and how I have contributed to this wonderful country. I have tried to inject some humor in a few places and have provided some solid facts and figures along with useful hints, tips, and ideas for how to be cautious. This is so that the newcomer may avoid some hassles later on, such as how to rent an apartment and how to buy a used car. The quotations from prominent people I have used are pertinent and have a message to relay.

My intention is to reassure my fellow immigrants that they have chosen the best country in the world. There should be no second thoughts about migrating to America. At first, there may be lot of frustrations, struggles, and disappointments. There will be growing pains. However, with the passage of time, things will improve—provided one is willing to work hard and make many sacrifices. Millions of immigrants have come to this country and have managed to become wealthy and prosperous—and so can you. They live happily and have become model citizens. However, one must first get some basic facts and learn quickly as to how this country operates and how its democratic systems function.

The starting point of any new adventure should be to get the big picture and then plan how the adventure or the mission is going to be accomplished. I hope that this book will provide a starting point for the adventure.

I sincerely hope that, after reading this book, the reader will have more knowledge and a basic understanding of the different systems, agencies, ideologies, traditions, and customs that make the United States the greatest country on this planet. If one person can benefit from reading this book, I will consider my mission accomplished.

CHAPTER 1:

DESTINATION: SFO

My conception of America is a land where men and women may walk in ordered freedom in the independent conduct of their occupations. A place where they may enjoy the advantages of wealth, not concentrated in the hands of the few but spread through the lives of all, where they build and safeguard their homes and give their children the fullest advantages and opportunities of American life. A land where every man shall be respected in the faith that his conscience and his heart direct him to follow, where content and happy people, secure in their liberties, free from poverty and fear, shall have the leisure and impulse to seek a fuller life.

—Herbert Hoover, October 22, 1928

We arrived at Nadi International Airport, Fiji, on a hot, humid Tuesday afternoon on December 19, 1979. My wife, Kamini, and our ten-month-old daughter, Suhani, and I had three pieces of luggage. I had FJ$500 in cash in my pocket. Luckily, at that time, one United States dollar was on par with one Fijian dollar. I wore a safari suit, and Kamini was gorgeously draped in a white and blue sari. The suitcases with our personal possessions were all that we owned. A few friends and family members had gathered at the airport to bid us farewell. They all had the same question. Why do you want to leave your country and legal profession when you were doing so well both personally and professionally? Some joked that I had watched too many Hollywood movies and wanted to live life in the fast lane and predicted that this ambition would be my road to ruin. Some called me a capitalist pig and others seriously advised me that I had made a wrong decision and said that they would see me return in six months. A few others joked that, in America, all wives had two boyfriends on the side. Some opined that all American husbands were playboys. I listened, but did not know how to respond since I had never visited America. I had a very faint idea about what to expect. I knew that America was a country built by the immigrants. Millions went there, worked hard, and had lots of success. And, so could I.

I answered them diplomatically. I just want to be closer to my parents and siblings and want to become a full-fledged attorney in California. I did not tell them—and most of them did not know that I would have to study California law and pass the California bar exams in order to practice in that state. I knew in my inner being that I could and would pass the bar. I had read about it and knew that it would be another tough exam that I would have to study for.

The next thing I knew, the Pan American flight took off over the South Pacific Ocean bound for San Francisco. As it lifted into the clear blue skies, my mind raced with doubts about whether I had made the right decision to leave my homeland. What was my destiny and what kind of challenges would I face? I looked at my wife and daughter and wondered whether I was taking the right course of action for them. My face betrayed my anxiety and fear of the unknown, but deep inside, I knew that it was the best I could do for us.

The six-hour flight to Honolulu, Hawaii, was uneventful. During the two-hour layover, we took a stroll through the terminal. We bought two ham sandwiches and two Pepsis—and the bill came to nineteen US dollars. My wife and I looked at one another and thought that it was the most expensive lunch we had ever bought and wondered whether the prices were going to be the same on the mainland. In Fiji, the same lunch would have cost us less than eight dollars. My mind was bogged down by the idea that, because we were going to be making big money in America, a nineteen-dollar lunch would be just pocket change. I kept reminding myself that it wouldn’t be long before we could afford to live in a big luxurious house, drive a big Chevy, and have a big savings account. Little did I know that it would take years of hard work and a lot of sacrifices to achieve these material things and to live the American Dream of luxury and prosperity.

We got back on our plane and, in six hours, we arrived in San Francisco. My parents, my two brothers, my sister, and brother-in-law were waiting for us at the terminal. We exchanged hugs, kisses, and stories. We waited for our luggage, collected it, loaded into my father’s Monte Carlo, and were off to my parents’ home in Oakland.

They had a modest home decorated with American-style furniture—and lots of family pictures on the walls. My parents were overjoyed to see us after several years of only phone calls and letters. They were delighted to feast their eyes on their first granddaughter. We were welcomed with a chicken curry dinner and traditional rice, daal, chutney, and lots of other savories that my mother and sister had cooked earlier in the day. We had cocktails and thoroughly enjoyed my mother’s delicious food.

It was well after midnight before we went to bed. I got up the next morning and it was already ten o’ clock. The beautiful winter morning was cold, but the skies were clear and blue. It warmed up quite a bit during the midday, making me feel as if I had the made the right decision to move to the Bay Area. Watching children play in the streets was a first for me. In my old country, while growing up, we never played on the road. We always had plenty of space in our backyard or in neighborhood parks to play with our friends. The other first was the way that the roads and streets were planned, designed, and built. Everything—from houses to fences to driveways, and gutters—looked clean and showed pride of ownership.

I realized—to my amazement—that all the vehicles were driving on the right side. I started to wonder whether I would ever be able to drive on the right side, but after speaking with my folks, I was assured that it would be an easy transition. The other thing that took me by surprise was that I noticed an equal number of male and female drivers. At that point, I reminded myself that this was a land of equal opportunity. Women had equality—and enjoyed astronomical socioeconomic advances.

With each passing day, slowly but surely, the culture shock started to set in. Change and adjustment were the code words. Everywhere I looked—TV, roads, parks, shopping centers, and movie theatres—the demeanor and lifestyle and thinking of American people were different. They spoke differently, they dressed differently, and they had slightly different opinions about life and how to live it. I immediately realized that there were some things that I would have to learn in order to quickly adjust to American lifestyle.

Over a few weeks, it occurred to me that there were a bunch of things that I could read about, learn, and practice immediately. In doing so, my daily living—and my chances of obtaining my first job—would become easier. I sat down and made a list. The more inquisitive I got and the more that I watched the way others were carrying on with their daily lives, the longer my list grew. My father and brothers were my mentors and assisted me in compiling it. My list included:

1.   Obtaining a driver’s license. Without a driver’s license, it would be just about impossible to get a job. I had to get driving lessons and go for a driving test. Once my license was obtained, I had to get a decent, reliable car.

2.   Obtaining a Social Security card. Without one, I was told that no employer would want to even interview me. We went to the Social Security office and were told that the card would arrive in the mail in six weeks. It actually only took five.

3.   Obtaining health insurance. I was informed that medical insurance was also a necessity because, if one of us got sick, I would have to spend virtually all of my money on medical bills. Since I was a spiritual person, I prayed every day that none of us would get sick until I got a job and was enrolled in a medical insurance plan.

4.   Learning American English. I needed to quickly learn clear American English so that everyone would understand me. I had always spoken fluent English, but I had a strong East Indian accent. To remedy this, I tried to listen to more English radio stations and TV programs. When I was alone, I repeated sentences and phrases to myself. I was determined to get the American style of pronunciation. I was strongly advised to get familiar with some American slang. Some of the words that I quickly learned were:

•   Bent means angry

•   Bombed means intoxicated

•   Cool means good

•   Couch potato means lazy person

•   Dork means strange person

•   Dough means money

•   Grub means food

•   Screw up means to make mistakes

•   Sucker means a person who is deceived easily

•   Goofy means silly

•   Hang loose means to relax

•   John means bathroom

•   Make waves means to cause trouble

•   Flaky means unreliable

•   Faucet means tap

•   Cans mean tins

•   To