Ramju

=Ramju=

Interview with Ramju
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Geography/Biography
Ramju Dore was born in New Delhi, India (the capital of India) in 1970. He and his family lived in Mysore in southern India until 1991 when Ramju moved to America. His father was an ambassador and due to this he and his family have traveled throughout the world and in the process he received a green card into the U.S. which allowed him to have an easier process to become a citizen.

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. It contains a diverse landscape including the tallest mountain range in the world, plateaus, and jungles. They have a large climate range from icy in the Himalayan Mountains to the mild jungles to the dry deserts. It’s also has a religiously diverse community including Hinduism, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhism. India is currently one of the world’s fastest growing economies, a leader in spice exports, and one of the largest populations.

Leaving
By: Aaron Joy

I open my eyes, straining to read the clock. It’s 2:11 A.M. I’m so excited to leave this morning I can’t sleep. I go over what I’m going to do. Shower, eat, and say goodbye. Shower, eat, and say goodbye. Shower, eat, and…and…. I wake up again. It’s 3:46 A.M. Why can’t I stay asleep? I am so tired. The sounds I normally hear outside slowly silence. The…I…I… BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I’m awake. I’m awake. Okay 5:00 A.M. Time to get ready. I’m still so tired. I hope I can get some sleep on the train to the airport. It’s time to take a shower. Okay, all clean. I need to double check everything. Pants, shirts, shoes? Check. Extra pairs of shoes? Double check. Family photos? Check. Text books? Check. Oh, wait. I almost forgot my other computer text book. There it is. I’ll put it in my bag. I must have lost track of time it’s almost 6 o’clock. I need to hurry up and start eating breakfast. Mmmm. Something smells good. Mom must be cooking up my going away breakfast. “Oh, Ramju your ready. I just put the Idli on the table. Sit down and eat up. You have a very long day ahead of you,” Mom says. “Thanks,” I reply. After that Dad and all the family sit down we begin to eat. I drizzle til oil all over my plate and take my first bite. Mmmm. It’s so good I take another bite and then another. My Mom’s cooking is delicious. I eat Idli, rice, and many fruits. I eat more than usual. I don’t want to have to buy more food than I have to on a trip to the States. Once we’re all finished we paused for a second. I imagine that everyone is thinking about the good times we’ve had in the past few years. I turn and look at the clock. “7:20 already? I need to get going my train is leaving at 7:45,” I say. One by one I begin saying goodbye to everyone. I start with all my aunts that showed up and my brother. They all are happy to see me go and start my life. I come to my Dad next. He starts to tell me something but stops on the first word but he starts again and says “Good luck and be safe.” I give him a hug and reply, “Good bye Dad.” After that I walk to my Mom. She is standing there holding back tears. I know she is sad to see me leave but happy to know where I’m going. I’m not sure if those are happy or sad tears or even both. Either way I know I’m making the right choice. I give my Mom a hug and whisper, “I’m going to miss you” in her ear. “I will too” she whispers back. As we separate I hear, HONK! HONK! “That’s the cab I ordered. See you everybody,” I say. I open the door and walk out. I look back through the door way. I see everyone waving and saying goodbye. I wave back. I realize how long it’s going to be before I can come back. I get into the cab as I wave goodbye for the last time. The cab begins to accelerate down the road.

Bangalore Airport
I look out the window. I see streets crowed with cars, bikes, and people trying to cross the street. The cab screeches to a halt. “Mysore train station,” the cabby says. “917 Rupee,” he continues. “Thanks,” I say. I hand him the money and step out of the cab. I look around. I've been here before several times. It seems larger than it had before. I look at the large clock. “7:40 already? I need to find my train.” I think aloud. I start looking around. There are people moving everywhere and many trains to meet their demands. Okay, I'm on platform tw0 and I need to be on platform five. I see an employee and hope that he can help. “Excuse me Sir? Can you tell me where platform five is for the train to Bangalore?” I ask. “Yes. Continue that way until you reach the end of that wall and then take a right. The train should be right there,” he answers as he points behind me. “Thank you,” I say. As I walk to the end of the wall I see a sign for platform five. I begin searching for my train. There are three trains on the platform and I don't know which one is which. I study each train and find that each one is label for where it is going. It's 7:43 A.M. so I quickly move to get on the train. I walk down the aisle looking for an open seat. I find one within a minute. I place my suitcase in the overhead storage and sit down just as the train moves out. I move around and get into a comfortable position. I rest my head on the window. I can feel the hum of the engine. It's very relaxing. I stare out the window because I don't have anything else to do. The cityscape is moving by and slowly turns into countryside. My eyelids are heavy; I am still tired from not getting a full nights’ sleep and then having to wake up early. I...I know I can't fall asleep but it's so comfortable... When I wake up I'm back in the city. I'm finally in Bangalore. Let's see what time is it? Whoa! It's 11 already. My flight leaves at... I search for my ticket. Oh, here it is. It was in my jacket. My flight leaves at 1:00. “Hey!” I say as I raise my hand to call a cab. “Where to?” the driver asks as I get into the cab. “Bangalore Airport,” I reply. The cab ride lasts about 15 minutes through downtown Bangalore. It probably would have been shorter but I think we hit every stop light and took the longest way possible. “Bangalore International, that’s 850 Rupee,” he says without even looking at me. “Here” I say as I hand him the money. I open the door and step out. There are just as many people as there were at the train station, maybe even more. Now all I have to do is get to terminal one and get on my plane. I continue ahead until I reach a large line. I stand behind the last person and wait for my bags to get checked. After 30 or 40 minutes I was next. I take off my shoes, put my spare change and keys in the container and walk through. I didn't hear the alarm which was good because I don't think I have any other metal on. I put my shoes back on and grabbed my keys, change, and bag. Since it was only 12:00 I had some time to burn. I was getting a little hungry so I went to a snack shop and bought candy for the flight because I know that I will get an in flight meal so I don't need to eat now. Once I had my candy I sat down to wait to get on the plane to Bombay.

Halfway There
After hours of flight time I'm finally in Frankfurt. The flight from Bangalore to Bombay seemed very short compared to my last flight. I wasn't tired so there wasn't much to do and staring out the window got boring fast. The most exciting part was taking off and landing. Now that I'm off my flight I have to go to customs. I look around for where I am supposed to go when I realize it is right in front of me. I can't believe I didn't notice that I was in line for customs. I wait for what feels like forever until it is my turn. “So where are you heading today?” the man asks. “I am going to New York, New York,” I answer. “What is the purpose for your trip, business or vacation? If business what kind of business?” he asks. “Business, I'm moving to the U.S.” I answer. This goes on several minutes. He asks me similar questions like how long I'm going to stay and if anyone gave me something to carry. I answer them truthfully and he let me through. I continue through to get on my plane. I have to wait 45 minutes before my flight leaves. I feel so odd because my internal clock doesn't match the time in Germany. I know it's just going to get worse when I get to the U.S. I sit for a while and finally hear, “Flight 438 to JFK international is now boarding.” I grab my bag and start moving to my plane. I hand the woman my boarding ticket and enter the plane. I sit down knowing that going to the U.S. is the right choice.

Interview Transcript
Joy: Where were you born?

Dore: In India originally.

Joy: What City?

Dore: New Delhi.

Joy: How old were you when you left?

Dore: 1991 I came to the U.S. to study. In 1988 I got my green card so [I was] 18 years [old].

Joy: What did you come here to study?

Dore: Computer science in my masters.

Joy: Did you come on your own or were people forcing you to come?

Dore: I came on my own. Basically I had my green card so what choice did I have? If I didn't come here my green card would expire. So I came here and said I had to go to school.

Joy: Did you come alone or did anyone come with you?

Dore: I came alone but my brother was in New York at that time so he picked me up at there and stayed with him for a couple of months before I went to school. I had family so that was a good thing.

Joy: Where did you go to school?

Dore: [The] University of Dayton.

Joy: Did you enjoy you're studies there?

Dore: Oh yeah.

Joy: What did you bring with you to the U.S.?

Dore: A couple of books, and my degree, and my score card, GPA, and those kinds of things and a couple of clothes and that's it.

Joy: Did you bring any special items with you?

Dore: Like what?

Joy: Personal items you brought to remember.

Dore: Well you know some baby pictures, family pictures, photographs, and those kinds of things. Apart from that, nothing.

Joy: Do you plan on going back to India or are you going to stay in the U.S.?

Dore: Well it's nice to become a citizen so you plan to live here but I'll definitely visit India.

Joy: What was the toughest part about moving to America?

Dore: Probably being apart from family. Especially when you live with Dad and Mom for 18 years and suddenly you’re out the door leaving the country and coming to the U.S. Good news is I had my brother so at least I had part of my family so that made it a little easier but still it’s tough.

Joy: How much family did you leave behind?

Dore: [My] Dad, Mom, Brother, [and] all the aunts.

Joy: Do you think you made the right choice?

Dore: Well it was. I mean think about it. I always compare it to the animal kingdom at some point you have to leave animal mommies. At some point the lion or lioness or whoever it is, the cub believes in itself and starts its own family and begins his life.

Joy: Where did you come into the U.S.? What city?

Dore: New York, [New York]

Joy: Did you enjoy living in New York?

Dore: I lived in Connecticut so oh yeah it was beautiful. I mean a pretty nice city and nice place but I like Dayton though because I came from a small city in India so I like small places [cities].

Joy: From living in India was what you heard about the U.S. was it accurate?

Dore: Well the good news about me is I had a lot of [exposure to] the people from the U.S. because my Dad worked here before. Saying that, whatever it is its all true.

Joy: What kind of job did your Dad have?

Dore: My Dad worked for the U.S. Government.

Joy: What did he do with the U.S. Government?

Dore: He was an advisor for an agency for international government [or international relations]. It’s like a diplomat.

Joy: Did you have any struggles when you first came to the U.S.?

Dore: No. I was a lucky one. No, no struggles. I’ve seen people going through little struggles and the most important thing and the most difficult thing is the money because it pays for expenses. When I came in here we had money and I got scholarship and those kinds of things so no problem but other people don’t get scholarships and it’s tough to get loans because people will come here and they don’t have a green card, they can not get student loans, and they have to get a credit card to pay for things. It’s a tough process for different people. I didn’t go through that. However, a lot of my friends went through that. But they’re happy though. They basically got good jobs and paid off all their loans and they’re happy.

Joy: Did you miss anything from your home country?

Dore: Oh yeah. My Dad and Mom definitely. The thing is you don’t have any family to back you up. All you have is your wife and that’s it and friends a little bit. So if you need some family help or anything like that you don’t we don’t have that. We miss that.

Joy: Did you have a hard time learning English?

Dore: No we speak English at home. Indians back home it’s a second language. It’s like people here have friends who speak Spanish. You can take English as either your first language or second language.

Joy: So what was your first language?

Dore: [My] first language was English [and my] second language Hindi.

Joy: Are you still fluent in Hindi?

Dore: Oh yeah. I speak English, Hindi, and 2 other languages.

Joy: How many customs did you have to change when you moved to the U.S.?

Dore: Like what?

Joy: Did you change the way you lived or celebrate different holidays?

Dore: Oh no. I’ve been open. So if somebody calls me over for Christmas I’ll go celebrate Christmas. If someone calls me for an Indian holiday I’ll go celebrate an Indian holiday. So, no nothing. I didn’t change anything.

Joy: What is your favorite American food?

Dore: Oh, Pizza. Pizza is not American it’s Italian (laughs).

Joy: Where were you raised in New Delhi?

Dore: No I was born in New Delhi and I did my little bit of schooling in Afghanistan, Kabul and then went back to Mysore and I finished my college there. So I’ve lived around. So New Delhi I was born, lived in Afghanistan for a while, came back to Mysore that‘s in the south part [of India] and did my education there.

Joy: What all countries have you lived and worked in besides India and the U.S.?

Dore: Well I haven’t worked any [other] places but I stayed with my Dad for a while. I’ve been to Africa, I’ve been Nepal, I’ve been to Kabul, Afghanistan and India and the U.S.

Joy: Were you affected at all by the disagreements between India and Pakistan?

Dore: Well you always get affected, always. Back home you have loved ones they always fight and they always have issues but they have never got along for so many years so what’s new.

Joy: Compare your living conditions between your country and here. Are they similar or were they different?

Dore: For me? [They were] similar.

Joy: How were they similar?

Dore: When you say compare what do you mean? Do you mean nice house, a nice car, microwave, we’re talking about amenities right?

Joy: Yes

Dore: Yes. We had it. We were lucky to have all that. But if you’re talking about general transportation and roads and those kinds of things then the U.S. is definitely a better place to drive and move around. If you’re talking about living conditions and what my parents provided there was no difference.

Joy: How did you come to the U.S.?

Dore: From India right? Well I lived in a small place, Mysore, so basically catch a train to a big airport. That’s a four-hour ride to Bangalore and then from there you catch a flight to Bombay. That’s were I came from. I mean that’s how it used to be. Bombay to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to New York.

Joy: Do you feel any pressures from your family back home to come and visit them more often?

Dore: No. No Pressure. I’m basically putting pressure on myself. To see your parents getting old and you feel like helping more and you can’t do it because you’re far away. It’s more of a duty thing you feel but no they don’t pressure [me].

Joy: What kinds of fun things did you do in your home country compared to here?

Dore: You know for one thing I miss playing cricket, a local sport, and I used to play a lot there so I don’t play that anymore so that’s one of the fun things we used to play as kids and college. That was great. I used to miss that but I don’t miss it now.

Joy: Do you play any American sports now?

Dore: Not typically American but yeah I play racket. That’s [an] American sport.

Joy: Do you enjoy American sports or at least watching them?

Dore: Oh yeah. Football, I love football [and] basketball. I don’t like baseball. You talked about pressure and for me it’s different. In some people I’ve seen situation where Dad and Mom they take a lot of loan and send the kids to the U.S. and in the end it’s pressure for the kids who come here to repay all the loans because if they don’t do it their parents are on the street. Those kinds of pressures I’ve seen from other kids and that’s a tough situation to be in and I’ve seen situations when kids can’t pay the money and they seem obligated and they can’t do stuff and they can’t go visit home because they haven’t paid the money and I’ve seen that situation too. Not all of it is rosy but because people live here and come here they stay here and it’s a great story but you see the failures and those kinds of things and sometimes it’s heartbreaking.

Joy: Were you able to get a job soon enough to help pay off your loans if you had any?

Dore: Oh yeah. It’s not a problem at all.

Joy: So did you get a job quickly in the U.S.?

Dore: Oh yeah. Before I even graduated I had a job?

Joy: What job did you get?

Dore: [At] NCR I was a programmer analyst.

Joy: Did you enjoy this job?

Dore: It was a beautiful job. First job, great people.

Joy: Back to the food that you like do you still eat traditional Indian food?

Dore: Yes. I don’t eat meat. I’ve never eaten. So yeah we cook traditional food. I used to cook. When I was in college too I used to cook food and eat.

Joy: Is not eating meat a personal choice or does that have to do with your religion?

Dore: Both.

Joy: What religion are you?

Dore: Hindu.

Joy: What do you do in this religion that is different from others?

Dore: Personally for me I don’t. As long as I do good deeds that’s all that matters. I don’t do any specific rituals or whatever you call them. I mean I’m open.

Joy: Have you ever seen or experienced any prejudice or racial tensions against people from India?

Dore: No. One time in Canada I had a problem just because wrong time, wrong place but no. Everybody is good to me.

Joy: How was your transition to the U.S.? Was it smooth or did you have some trouble with it?

Dore: It was smooth because I had my brother who had already come in here and studied and went through all the things that I went through and he knew so he helped get a college and application so I’ve had a great backbone. My family support was great. So I would say it was easier than most other people.

Joy: How was the transition between the differences in culture?

Dore: I mean not that much. I mean you believe in certain things. Like for me personal for me I don’t drink and I don’t smoke. It doesn’t mean I don’t go to a bar and if I have a party or for something I go with people and enjoy with them. Personally I don’t go do those things so I was not completely off of it and I was not completely on it. So not much changed. Back home too there are bars and some stuff people go and for me with a choice I didn’t like it I didn’t go but here if you got to go you got to mingle with friends, talk and you can do that without drinking.

Joy: Did you have any hardships in your old country that made you want to leave or did something really draw you to the U.S.?

Dore: No. Nothing. No hardships. Thing is though I had this green card. At first I didn’t want to come here. I was happy at home living with Mom and Dad and living there was fine and great but at some point you got to go out and be a man and do the stuff you want to do. My Dad basically said go, get out of the country, and try stuff. If you don’t like it you can always come back but at least I want you to try how it is and see the experience and basically he was the one who said go give it a shot so that’s how I stepped out for myself because once you are comfortable with yourself you don’t want to try something else. So I feel scared. You want to get out and have especially Dad and Mom there and anything you have a problem you can basically tell them I have a problem and they solve it. Here you are on your own you got to solve your own problems.

Joy: Did this help give you life experience?

Dore: Yeah I guess. You grow up and you get responsibility and they gave my good decisions and to get confidence to feel you achieve something.

Joy: Do you have any hobbies?

Dore: Yes, I teach martial arts for U.D. and I swim and play racquetball.

Joy: You said you teach martial arts do you enjoy that position?

Dore: Oh yeah. It’s free. I teach for kids just free not for money.

Joy: What kind of martial arts do you teach?

Dore: It’s tai kwan do.

Joy: What do you do for entertainment?

Dore: (Laughs) Well, you know watch T.V. and movies sometimes and play with the kids and stuff to go watch anything. I love T.V. shows. You know like Seinfeld and those kinds of things. I grew up with Seinfeld. I watch T.V.

Joy: Did you watch American television in India?

Dore: Yeah. We used to. When I grew up we used to get the T.V. sets to watch certain sitcoms but there was no American television but now you can get every type of television back home.

Joy: How often do you return to India?

Dore: I go every year.

Joy: Do you enjoy going back?

Dore: Oh yeah. It’s a long trip. As you get older it gets tougher and tougher but the love is what makes you go back.

Joy: What is your favorite Indian food?

Dore: Anything my Mom cooks. I miss that.

Joy: You said you enjoy your mother’s cooking, what kind of things does she cook?

Dore: Any North Indian, South Indian [food]. I don’t know how familiar you are. It’s like chapatti, daal, and different ingredients and curry and those kinds of things.

Joy: Do you like the spicy Indian food?

Dore: Oh yeah. Not really spicy but yeah. Let’s put it this way. [I like] tasting Indian food and if there is too much spice you can’t taste it. So, it’s tasting the food.

Joy: I think that’s all the questions I have. I might call you again if I forgot something in the next couple weeks.

Dore: All right. No problem. Thank you and good luck.

Joy: Bye.

Dore: Bye, Bye.

**Analysis**

Based on the interview with Ramju Dore I would not agree that most immigrants have a difficult experience becoming a U.S. citizen. In our studies we reviewed situations of people from low income families and distraught countries. In these situations these individuals came with few personal possessions and only a small amount of money. We also found that many groups were discriminated against when living in the U.S. and based on my interview I did not find that that happens to most individuals.

In my research with Ramju I found that his father was a diplomat, which allowed him access to get a green card for unrestricted entry into the U.S. in 1988. He also received a college scholarship which he decided to use at a U.S. institution. Ramju’s brother was also already in New York, New York and he had attended an American college. These circumstances allowed Ramju to come to the U.S. with family already here to help him with college and to learn American culture. Before even finishing his masters in computer science at the University of Dayton he had a job as Ramju said “NCR. I was a program analyst.” This gave him a great start in the U.S. These situations allowed him to have a better chance at citizenship.

This research leads me to the conclusion that our studies were not conclusive and that many immigrants coming to the U.S. for citizenship do not have a difficult time.