Componentes de la energía potencial en un Campo de Fuerzas 42

characterized by two seemingly contrasting experiences. On the one hand, Vijay was surprised, happy, and somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer abundance, variety, and affordability of all

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things in the U.S., such as space and food in the grocery store. This was different from Mumbai where, in the early 1960s and 1970s, a strict rationing system was in place for everyday things such as gasoline and food grains. This often resulted in scarcity of these products and inflated prices. Vijay had to share his bedroom with his friend, but this was a tremendous improvement for him as he lived in a small apartment in Mumbai with more than ten people:

“Actually, if you live in Bombay, you live in one room apartment or something like that. So, considering that you know this was a big thing, you know. You had a separate kitchen, you had a living room, your bedroom, your bathroom. So, this was a big thing, actually. It was better. Like in India, if you live in chali3

system, you have to share bathroom, which is common for everybody while here you have your own bathroom and your own shower and stuff like that. So, it was big thing, you know. And you were happy that you were living in your own place. ”

To Vijay, even the roads and vehicles in Pittsburgh felt bigger and overwhelming compared to Mumbai:

“Actually in Bombay everything is crowded and a lot of people and scarcity of lot of different things while here it was altogether different. Plenty of things available to you, lot cheaper, lot less people and lot of cars and buses and stuff like that. While in those days it was difficult in Bombay.”

The same sense of abundance is encountered at the grocery store:

3 A ‘chali’ or a ‘chawl’ refers to a multi-storey building. Each storey or floor of the ‘chali’ comprises of very small, single-room residential structures with a small kitchen area usually made by partitioning the single room. Each storey has one or two restrooms in the common area which are shared by the residents of that floor. Traditionally, in Mumbai, these ‘chawls’ were erected close to numerous clothing mills for the purposes of housing the mill workers and their families. Although, these mills have been closed down, the ‘chawl’ system of residence

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“…you went to the grocery store and you see a lot of grocery and stuff like that and everything is filled up and there is no scarcity of anything. While in those days in Bombay you have to stand in a ration line and stuff like that and you have to get the rationing. So, that way it was a big, big change…and everything is available and the prices in those days, in my opinion were very, very low compared to Bombay.”

I wondered if he experienced this sense of abundance when he found a job within three weeks of his arrival with better pay than minimum wage. Overall, these early experiences offered a largely positive perspective of the U.S. to Vijay who felt bolstered by it and increased his confidence of achieving his goal of financial success and future prosperity for himself and his family.

On the other hand, Vijay missed his family and friends from home. He came from a large family who “(were used to) sleeping together and eating together.” He felt lonely by himself. He regularly wrote letters to his family to share with them that he missed them and even Mumbai. Another challenge during those days, for him, was learning to do all household chores. This was very different from when he lived with his family where usually it was the women who did these chores. There was no Indian grocery story in the area, so Vijay had to adapt to using local vegetables and spices. He coped by relying on his friend to “show me the ropes” and developing a routine to do different things, such as laundry, cooking, and grocery shopping. It also kept him busy, thus reducing his loneliness and homesickness:

“Because in those days we were strictly vegetarian (so) plus you have to make everything yourself. In those days there was no (Indian) grocery store. There was no section of, like

foreign groceries and stuff like that in regular grocery store.Actually, you cope with

making grilled cheese sandwich, mixing fruit cocktail in milk and buying like pizza shells from the store.”

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As an immigrant from India, the first ten years stand out to Vijay in light of difficulties such as not having a car, lack of Indian grocery stores and Indian restaurants, and extremely cold weather. Although Vijay acknowledges these contrasting experiences and challenges they presented, he makes sense of them by contextualizing them in the larger goal he had set for himself of doing everything needed to succeed in the U.S. and achieve his “dream.” Ultimately, he uses the language of choice to reinterpret the meaning of this early experience of migration: “You were excited to be in this country so all this did not come into picture and actually you came to U.S.A for that purpose, you know. Yes. So missing family, missing how you make the food and like that…that was secondary. Actually, you had chosen this place to, I mean, to come over here, right? So, you made a choice and there was no need of complaining. Even though you miss it…You have to bear whatever comes your way.”

Journey of Finding Full-time Job and Making Home

Vijay was working part-time but he always wanted to work full-time in the U.S. and immigrate here. In order to do so legally, he needed to apply for a green card. Just over a month after arriving in the U.S., he applied for a green card in November, 1969 and started looking for a full-time job. His green card was approved in January, 1970:

“…So, a lot of companies were not hiring in Pgh area and in those days U.S. Steel and Westinghouse, they were the prime employer in Pgh area. I applied to them, I applied to a lot of different companies outside and everybody replied, ‘No, no, no.’ Finally, I made a phone call. I was looking at Yellow Pages and if I see something electrical, I was calling them. So, I came across motor coils meaning, since it was coils, I call them. The lady answered it and she said, ‘why don’t you come down here for an interview and then we will see.’ So, next day I took a bus in Braddock and went to this lady who was taking

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care of the HR. So, I talk to her and she arranged for an interview for me with the chief engineer and vice president and finally they hired me. They offered me the job right away and actually they asked me about the salary and in those days I had a friend who had master’s degree and he was making $650/month so I asked and I had bachelor’s degree. I did not finish my master’s degree. So, I asked for $650 and they gave me $700. So, I was like on top of the world in those days. I got a job and I got a nice salary and everything. And they wanted me to start very next day, right away.”

Once he managed to get a job, Vijay left his master’s program half-way (after two semesters) and made arrangements for his fiancé, M. to come to the U.S. Initially, she came on a visitor’s visa to her sister’s home and then Vijay also applied for her green card. They were married in Pittsburgh in November, 1970:

“It (getting married in the U.S.) is a big deal. Actually a friend of mine, the friend whose place I went for dinner, he got married in Pittsburgh also, so there was some….actually some precedent. We decided to have the ceremony here in Pittsburgh and her sister came

over here…We called the priest from New York city and he was working at consulate,

New York consulate. That was his full time job, but on the side he was a priest. I paid for his air fare and everything. (Not having our families with us) that was kind of sad you know. But again you are excited to get married so you don’t think too much about being sad (laughs).”

Vijay’s family grew when he had a son and a daughter. Within the next few years, as Vijay became a U.S. citizen, he helped all of his four brothers to immigrate to Pittsburgh. He explained, “My goal was achieved.”

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