sari is something that continues to haunt

me whenever I step into an international

terminal.

Just as their first challenge of getting luggage

beyond customs is overcome, Indians

coming to America for the first time are

faced with another more daunting task:

learning to ride an escalator. Although there

are escalators in India, elevators are still far

more common. Watching even an experienced

escalator rider take on the quick

moving metal stairs with luggage in hand,

still dizzy from the daylong flight, can be

unnerving. Imagine being the person who

has never ridden one. There are no instructions.

You are given the opportunity to

either jump on the escalator with the rest of

the group or risk being lost in America. The

thought of being separated from your family

at this very moment will inspire even the

most hesitant newbie to jump on the heap

of rolling metal for a ride to the top.

At last, you arrive at the home of your

family living in the States. Sleep on the first

night will probably come easily as the mental

and physical stress of the entire trip can

strip even the strongest from their power.

The next morning, they wake up in a strange

land, which is scary but also exciting. Then

again, if you are visiting someone who will

be working daytimes during your

stay, it might prove to be difficult and

admittedly extremely boring at times

with nothing to occupy you.

On day one you might be feeling

blessed for finally arriving safely in

America. You find incense and reach

for the matches, yet you find only a

butane, gas or laser lighter instead.

Lighting the incense might prove to

be another test of your willingness to

try something new. If you’re a nonsmoker,

it’s less likely you’ve experienced

one of these lighters first hand. So

you endure the chuckles of your

Americanized family when you ask for assistance

with the fire-making machine you’ve

seen used only in Bollywood films.

As your America-based family departs for

work, you feel lonely, isolated and may

spend all day just looking for things to do.

Washing clothes, doing the dishes, and

chopping vegetables are things that are

often done by a helper in India, but in

America you must do these yourself. But

sympathetic to the hardships those who live

in America must endure, visiting relatives

are more than willing to pitch in and help.

Each of these household tasks should

come with a manual, from how to operate a

garbage disposal and how to run a dishwasher

to how to use a coin-operated washing

machine. But these machines don’t. The

self-taught lessons are frustrating and may

further injure one’s ego as they are made to

feel so “behind the times.”

It is for this reason I decided to write

about my deep appreciation and admiration

for those who come from India, stay for

six months (or less) and manage to adjust to

the westernized environment during this

brief time.

Americans have become so good at independence

that we’ve become less able to

adjust to change and less able to adapt in

general. My in-laws’ first visit to the States

made me clearly see how adaptable Indians

can be. It has also made me want to make

personal changes to adopt a more flexible

way of life. Change is the only real constant

and I intend on learning from their example.

In the end, I know I’ve already learned so

many lessons on the amazing beauty in this

cultural exchange, and I personally encourage

others to properly appreciate their visiting

relatives as well. At the end of the day, it

might seem harmless to giggle at your

brother-in-law spending one hour trying to

start the microwave. Instead, stop and

watch him with admiration, respect, understanding

and love. These are life’s precious

lessons—don’t let them pass you by.