This portal keeps me alive

C

confu123

Registered Users (C)
In this gruelling process of getting Green Card under a not-so-congenial socio-economic environment burdened with Terrorism and Recession ... being treated as slaves by the recruiters (amazingly, they are Indians) ... we grow old fast... probably we become little bit cynic, paranoid.

5-15 years back, we were students - most of us studying in India - with dreams - living with books - under the sweet care of parents. Suddenly, in the 90s, to join the bandwagon of American Dream, we came over here. Those who came early 90's, those who studied over here --- got some time to get used to current overwhelmingly complicated life in US.

I am one of those who came in 1999 and started getting the heat of recession after initial brief okay period. Recruiter is treating me as slave, in the airport I am being sorted out for extra screening just before entering the aircraft, lawyer is trying to screw me up to squeeze out more money, in the workplace one H1 is also trying eat the flesh of another H1 to keep his job, people are trying to throw me out just to bring their nephew/niece in .....sometimes I feel I don't have any one to help me ... I forgot to stare at the clouds on the sky ....I forgot for what I am living.

Only this portal keeps me alive. I see so many friends are struggling so hard to survive, to fight back. If this portal was not there, I would have gone back home long back.
 
Nice Mail

Hi Confu123,

You have captured the sentiments very well. Without a doubt, this portal is very encouraging to us. You know, even I try not to think about GC and all the other things abou it. But somehow it comes back to haunt me albeit a day later.

Anyway GC or no GC life has to go on. Long weekend is coming up so guys go somewhere and enjoy life..

Cheers..
 
America!!!

When you sit down and ponder over these last few years, it seems like a long journey and a vast change.
I’m guessing, most of us come here with the objective earning in dollars and saving dollars and provide a better lifestyle to our folks back home. It is true that it is with the consent of folks back home we make the decision to come here. The logic behind the decision is that more savings would help the family rise up a notch or 2 as far as the standard of living is concerned.
There is also a sense of pride in saying that ‘my son / daughter is in America’.
What starts out with the simple objective of making more money gets so complicated eventually.
Agreed we have a better and bigger exposure here, the work environment is good and of course the lifestyle is great. Indians are not the only ones who are eager to get here. Europeans, Australians, South Americans, are as eager as we are to build a life here. This seems like greener pastures to many.
What happens down the road though is, we start getting used to this life and start forgetting our initial objective for coming here. We forget out old friends, don’t miss out respective cities back home any more as much as we did initially. Our parents get old and they get old without us being around them. We get married and our wives start living the American dream as well, the house, the car the vacations etc etc. With the laws being the way they are, you can bring your wife here and add her to your GC application, not your folks though. Going back becomes more and more difficult with the passage of time and we start having internal conflicts about where our life is and where we wanted it to be. Did we really intend to leave our folks back home alone to fend for themselves? Have we not made enough money and saved enough to live a comfortable life back home, and live with our old folks once again when they need us the most, (Though they will never express it). They want you to succeed, do well and be happy at the cost of their happiness.
The thought of leaving this nation gives us jitters and probably that thought does not even occur to a few of us. America succeeds in making us think ‘Materialistically’. That’s the battle we have to fight and win. We have to redefine and revert back to what we were made of before we got here and are we the types who are willing to pay what it take to be ‘American’.
There is absolutely no denying the fact that lifestyle here is better, however just like anywhere else the society here has it own share of issues, we are willing to it in our stride and deal with it. We aren’t however prepared to deal with issues back home, as the rewards aren’t as sweet as they are here. These rewards make us change and forget the price we are paying for all this. Everything has a price, but think of the price we pay for this life…….and think if it is worth it… share your thoughts with me as well as I am still trying to find an answer to it.
Hope I didn’t bore you with this, just had some free time and these thoughts that I felt like sharing.
 
I feel the exact same thing. This board sustained me and gave me, a hopeless person, some hope...
 
A small price to pay

when you seek rewards in capitalism. There is nothing minor or small about "materialistic" objectives. Once you set foot in it, you will be sucked into the vortex.
The parents want to take pride in announcing to those who care that their son/daughter is in America. For that they have to pay the price of being away from their children. In some instances, with no one around to take care of them when they are old or ill.
And the children, in their quest for comforts in life or a better standard of living, have to make similar sacrifices and overcome various obstacles in life. Like they say, there is no gain without pain.
If you start to question the fundamental desire that brought you here, you are one step closer to attaining nirvana. It is indeed sad to think that the wisdom of a civilization that is perhaps the oldest in this world is easily mocked and dismissed by people of more recent civilizations and, as if adding insult to injury, it's own too.
 
I check this board twice a day. It is more than just seeing who got approved right next. It is more to see what is going on and who is clawing at whose throat :D
You know being here and sharing my experience I feel like I am part of a society brought together with a common purpose.
A bit of this reminds of me and and some of it tells me to be thankful or angry at how better or worse off I am.
It's fun to see everyone arguing over a controversial topic which affects all of us but is seen from a different prospective by everybody.
 
Ditto with the parents thing. I was going to help them financially. Send them on a nice vacation. Of course, they've been over here two or three times, which really expanded my mother's view of the world. But I do feel guilty. Especially guilty
over my 86 yr old grandma, who was in hospital all last year. It's horrible
not being able to go back and see a family member in need.
I know I could have used AP etc, but with this economic, I do not want to
do anything to jeopardise my position. I have not taken a day of vacation in
almost two years.

Anyway, when I am sad, and blue, I just remember that I have a large echo
location device in my trousers. :)


Ardonnai, vaccu, barracus.
Gort! Klaatu, barrada nikto!
 
"They want you to succeed, do well and be happy at the cost of their happiness. "

I literally cried after reading the above lines.

I dont know what to write.
 
I literally cried after reading the above lines

"I literally cried after reading the above lines.

I dont know what to write."

The same thing I felt.

Expressing your thoughts is so beutiful... Its really God's gift to you.
 
I was a little heavy hearted myself, when I wrote that passage. Though the intent was not to make you feel low. Just wondering if maybe we should start a petition trying to get old depenents over for good to live with us.
 
Yes. You reminded me of someone who was a good speaker at IIT Delhi. I was curious if there are any IITians struggling here?
 
I know people to thank Rajiv Khanna and this site atmost at the end when they sign off saying they got their GC ..

This is little different over here and my thoughts and feelings are reflected above by you all


THIS SITE IS THE BEST, so is GREATY-K's RUPNET IMMIGRATION SITE
 
For a change

I see frustration is going away, emerging is optimism like a glow of light which comes after the darkness. People are not abusing any more, no F word or anything, instead romance is blossming like its Christmas already. WOOOW.



OK - lets get back to work - any approvals today or not?
:D :D :D :D
 
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