My parents emigrated from India to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1990. They had just been married and were excited to start a new life together in America. My father was especially excited to come to America because of the job opportunities he thought he had, especially since he received his degree in mechanical engineering two years before leaving India. However, when my dad arrived to the United States, he was surprised to learn that his degree did not transfer over. He was embarrassed that he left his well paying job in India to work odd, unstable jobs in America, which included fixing pianos and working in construction. Every time he called home, he lied about our financial situation. I still remember the day my dad received his first, semi-stable job at Photocircuits. He bought a textbook to brush up on his skills. It was titled “Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology”; it was glossy, new, and smelled like new books and hope. In the dull light of our cramped apartment, my dad and I huddled over the book. As a five year old, I had no idea what the complex diagrams I was looking at were, but somehow these diagrams made my dad happier than I had ever seen him.

– BR

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