Moving To America

Statue Of Liberty

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

My flight landed at EWR Newark Airport on a cold winter morning in 2015. I thought I knew how cold the weather will be, but I was not ready.. not by a long shot. When I opened the airport glass doors to get into a taxi, I experienced the meaning of the expression 'chilled to the bone'.

And thus started my bitter-sweet journey to my life in America. I was fresh off the boat.. figuratively. From the hot and humid tropical weather of Mumbai to the debilitatingly cold climate of New York. From not buying good quality warm clothes and not accounting for tips to the cab driver.. over and above the cab fare, I had an interesting journey from Airport to the hotel.

I wish to share with you my experience of trying to make an honest living in the US and the challenges I faced. I hope that some of you will probably find something in these experiences which will make your life easier or you won't make the same mistakes as I did. And for others, I hope you will resonate with my experiences and rest a bit easier knowing there was this other fool who made the same blunders as I did.

Please share your experience of your first day in this great country. Especially if you had an unexpected surprise.

Suvrat