Seizing Opportunities By Mesha Mumford

My name is Beina Hallman. I was born on April 31^st, 1968 in Surat, India. I was raised in Surat, India, but at the age of 10 I immigrated over to the United States. My father went over first to make sure we had a stable life when we came over. We had to leave my eldest sister behind, because we didn’t have enough money to pay for her travel. I was devastated that she wasn’t coming with us, and that she had to stay with our cousins back in India. I traveled to Mississippi, U.S. with my mother and my second older sister to meet my father. The reason we came over to America was for more educational opportunities. My sister was supposed to undergo an arranged marriage, but our father did not want us to be uneducated housewives. He wanted us to have all the opportunities available to us, so that we could become successful. My first months in America were not what I imagined. I was bullied in school; I was called names and my country was constantly criticized. I was bullied to the point that a girl pushed me down the stairs, but fortunately I had my sister there to defend me. I had studied English in India prior to coming to Mississippi, but my English wasn’t as good as most. The language barrier between me and my classmates was difficult and I imagine a breeding ground for my harassment. My biggest challenge was getting acquainted with the norms in society. I miss a lot of aspects about India, but it took a while to not incessantly miss seeing the beautiful farmland and the comfort in familiarity. Later I settled in Charlotte, N.C. I worked as a computer engineer and eventually was moved to company manager. I met my husband at work and we had our beautiful children Sarah and Jason. I feel sorry for my children because even though they have a good life, they missed the culture I experienced growing up in India. We don’t celebrate Indian holidays and traditions in our household. I tried to sign my daughter up for Indian dance class, but she didn’t want to. I feel that my children and in a way, myself have lost our culture. There are more opportunities in America, but in seizing them I lost a part of who I am.