A Decade in the United States of America

Preface

I’ve penned down this article to acknowledge a decade of my life in the United States as an immigrant. I want to give you a peek into my journey of surviving, acquiring wisdom, achieving milestones, and embracing gratitude on this foreign soil that I now call home. Whether you’re a recent immigrant or someone who has been here longer, I hope this resonates with you. If you are not an immigrant, my journey will give you a better understanding of an immigrant’s life progression. My aspiration is that my story can serve as a guide or a source of motivation for the new generation.

First Observations

A decade ago today, on the pleasant summer evening of Aug 16th, 2013, two Indian students in a silver Chrysler 300 awaited to receive me at the Philadelphia International Airport. I was a young man, leaving my mother and country a day after celebrating India’s 67th Independence Day to learn the ins and outs of starting and running a pharmaceutical business at one of the Western world’s first and most prestigious schools — Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. A college that has nurtured the transformative minds of Eli Lilly (founder of Eli Lilly and Company), John Wyeth (Found of Wyeth), and many more pharmaceutical pioneers.

On the day of my arrival, Ashwin and Nikhil, two seniors from my college, came to pick me up. For Indian students arriving in a completely different world for the first time, it was common practice to connect with their university’s Indian community to help them settle in during their initial week in the USA. I had gotten in touch with Nikhil through an Indian student organization’s Facebook page a few months ago, and he had kindly offered me a place to stay for the first week until I could secure my own accommodation.

Frugality was built into me from the beginning of this journey. The conversion rate for Indian rupees (Rs) to US. Dollars (USD) was 54 to 1, and to give you perspective — with $3000 in my pocket in the form of a one-time charge card, I wanted to save $40 on my ride from the airport to Nikhil’s place. $40 at the time was Rs.2160 — which was 10% of my salary as a Manufacturing Supervisor making amoxicillin capsules and heparin vials at a pharmaceutical plant in Ahmedabad! With cost savings in mind, I even managed to move my 4 pieces of luggage without the $5 airport trolly. This frugal mindset is so engraved in me that, to date, I still think twice before paying for an expensive parking garage if more affordable street parking is an option.

I remember my first day in the United States as if it happened yesterday. Back then, my perception of the USA was shaped by Hollywood movies. I had images of Vin Diesel recklessly cruising in a 1970 Dodge Charger ingrained in my mind. However, after a decade of living here, it’s clear that the scriptwriters behind those Hollywood productions might have needed a reality check. There hasn’t been a single instance where I’ve witnessed anything remotely resembling a Hollywood movie playing out in real American life. Even if I entertained the thought of emulating a character from “The Fast and The Furious” for a brief moment, I’d swiftly find myself pulled over and handed a $250 speeding ticket.

Even through the fog of jet lag, I will never forget my first night in America — as I entered into this typical Philly house — I was situated in a corner room, taking over another roommate’s bed as she was out of town for a week, I started seeing people gathering to Nikhil’s house — Roohee, Neha, Ashwin, and many others who were from the USciences Indian community.

Being the extrovert that I am, I was very comfortable socializing and high on energy to meet new people. I was also delighted to see an abundance of Indian food left over from the Indian Independence Day party at the university a day ago. The best part of the night was when all these folks took me out to “Track,” the smallest, coziest bar right next to the campus and offered me drinks — coming from the dry state of Gujarat, this was quite an upgrade to be able to drink freely, play bar games, and sing karaoke — to my surprise — even a couple of Bollywood songs were quite popular there. This all made my transition to America a bit smoother.

In the next few days, I tried to figure out my new life, housing, and job situation. I learned, as all immigrants to the USA do, that having a social security number (SSN) is the key to surviving in this country, and you only get one when you get a paycheck. My first impression of the USA was, “This is an unusual country.” Abundance was abounding — people had placed fully functioning ACs, TVs, fans, and furniture on the street for trash pickup; any restaurant would give you a stack of paper napkins — good luck with that in India — you only get one.

At home, microwaves and frozen food replaced my mother’s home-cooked food. By far, the most challenging of all the adjustments was the dreaded toilet roll — I’ll save you the gory details. Still, some inspiration from Japan would be nice. I realized that I missed the comfort of my home in India and the presence of my family. On the contrary, life outside of a home in America was very comfortable — very organized, disciplined, with access to beautiful public places and facilities.

Life in the USA introduced me to AT&T, DMV, Walmart, Ikea, and Craigslist (what a lifesaver for this frugal-minded traveler — I would personally nominate the founder of Craigslist for a Nobel prize). I used to laugh a lot (I still do) when my friend complained about DMV wait times and how “bad” traffic was. I chuckle to think about how in India, there are Bollywood movies depicting characters delivering babies in the car because of how bad the traffic can get there.

Another observation I made a few years later when I moved to Boston and looked at half-empty T’s (metro trains) was that the entire Massachusetts STATE population is ~50% less than Bangalore CITY, my Pharmacy undergrad college city in India.

I soon realized that I would need to quickly get a job due to some rookie mistakes I had already made. I mistakenly was under the impression that I was being treated to some American indulgences like Starbucks and going to Dave and Busters (what a wonderful place). I could not tell why a couple of folks were being so kind to me that they would pay to include me in all this fun. I mean, the first night was ok, but after about 3 more days, it seemed like they were being a little too kind. That was when I learned about the app called Splitwise, where all of the expenses I had been accruing were being diligently tracked, and reimbursement was being requested from these folks. At this time, I had used 10% of my money, and I could not see a possibility of surviving if these expenditures continued to pile up. So soon, I started asking around for on-campus and off-campus jobs.

Early Learnings

As someone who came from a developing country to a country like the US, one of the big adjustments was to rewire my brain around the fact that I would have to pick up extra jobs just to survive here — something that I wouldn’t have to do or think about back home.

One such incident that stands out is from the time when I was putting in 20 hours every weekend at a grocery store just across from Zahav Restaurant. This Michelin star in the heart of Philly’s old city had well-dressed folks stepping in all the time. I’d watch them, knowing I couldn’t afford to eat there at that point-quite a contrast from my time in India.

It took me over 4 years to return to Philly, make a reservation, and finally have a meal at Zahav. The taste of that dinner, oh boy, it’s a flavor memory I’ll forever cherish. On the flip side, there’s a food tale from the opposite end of the spectrum. I longed for my mom’s homemade dishes-a challenge for someone like me who wasn’t exactly skilled in the kitchen. One day, my American-born Indian friend Karan brought me a meal his mother had prepared. As I savored each bite, tears welled up in my eyes.

While maintaining my deep connection to my Indian roots, I gradually began adopting the American way of life, with my friends playing a significant role in this transformation. One of my first American friends, Dave, helped me out by letting me borrow some MBA textbooks, which were exorbitantly priced. As our friendship grew, I learned from him how the American schooling system differed from the one in India. Rather than just committing course material to memory to spew out for an exam or paper, I was expected to learn the concepts and pretty much self-teach the topic and have a healthy open discussion of those topics during the class. What a contrast from the Indian education system! Dave also taught me how to type on a keyboard using all my fingers; he thought it was hilarious and was surprised at how fast I could type using the “hunt-and-peck” method. He also taught me how to say “Wens-day” and not “Wed-nes-day” and many more general quirky life lessons.

The rest of my college days were super fun, and my first batch of friends in the USA continued to be an integral part of my support system. The color of the American way of living was soothing to me. I learned that Americans are very diligent, especially with balancing household chores like cooking and cleaning with a full-time MBA course load on top of working part-time or full-time employment. The norm of waking up early and sleeping on time here became normal for me — While in India as an undergrad, I never once slept before 2 am or even woke up before 10 am.

Here, even though we would be up late working on assignments or having fun on a weekend night (which in college started on Thursday nights), folks would wake up as per their routine early hours and get going with their daily life. Although inspiring, this disappointedly reminded me that real American life and Hollywood movies have nothing in common.

With these new behaviors, I started settling into being an MBA student. I started acing my exams and assignments and managed to work 5 jobs to make money. After I had made enough money to be able to survive, I mainly worked so that I could go to this fancy jazz bar called “Time” in downtown Philly to enjoy a couple of drinks. To help self-fund the latter half of my tuition, I applied for and earned a scholarship that covered 60% of my tuition. I was even elected as the president of the graduate student organization on campus.

Getting the hang of American sarcasm was a bit of a ride, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a blast. I pulled my fair share of pranks on my American buddies, cooking up situations where I’d playfully act all surprised at the sight of a vending machine. And guess what? I totally got them to buy into the idea that I’d never laid eyes on one before setting foot in the USA. I remember one time when I managed to convince my friend Bianca that back in India, people would actually pay money just to witness the marvel of a vending machine spitting out food packages! When the truth behind the prank eventually came out, our laughter echoed for quite some time.

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend American family holidays with my friend’s family. It came as no surprise to me that families are pretty much the same across the world. My friend’s mom was genuinely excited to whip up vegetarian meals for me and dive into conversations about my culture. She’d throw in lighthearted comparisons with my friends’ quirks, making the talks all the more amusing. Through these experiences, I managed to forge deep emotional bonds with my friends and their families.

I learned many life lessons and skills in the foundational 2.5 years of my journey. To give a few examples,

• My friend Nur had to give me a crash course in laundromat basics. She showed me how those quarter-sucking machines washed clothes and how to fold a pair of socks so that I wouldn’t lose them — before that, I was always rocking two different socks.
• My Business school professor, Dr. Audet, taught me the most impactful skill — the art of delegation, which is instrumental in getting more things done.
• Being in America taught me the importance of a support network, which is critical to surviving on a continent where I initially knew no one.

The final lesson I learned from college was to never invite anyone (outside of your family and maybe your enemies) to your graduation ceremony to save them the boredom of listening to announcements of names of many people they do not even know. Your family can endure this boredom due to the wave of anticipation for hearing your name, and your enemies probably deserve the boredom. Seriously, graduation ceremonies are the most boring type of ceremonies I have experienced. I could barely sit through mine; I do not think I will ever get the courage to sit through another.

Survival

If I look back, I do not have regrets (well, with the exception of maybe two, but that’s for a later story). Still, I want to state that the last decade was full of ups and downs — life showed me a lot, and I grew tremendously in the process.

One good example of this dichotomy was when I got a placement in a leading competitive intelligence firm post-college. I moved to Boston from Philly and was excited to start my corporate journey. A few months later, I realized that HR had missed a critical component in the hiring process. I was later informed that the role could not support h1B sponsorship and was let go on the spot. For those unfamiliar with the process, h1B is a visa status for immigrant workers, and employment is a necessary component for staying in America with this status.

There I was in a new city, crying in the middle of the day in the lobby of this office, not knowing what I should do. Without employment per the visa rules, I am supposed to find another job within 60 days to maintain my legal status — otherwise, I would be forced to leave the country. To add to the situation, in the thrill of landing a job and without expecting an abrupt job loss, I had also dipped into the little cash savings I had earned from my campus job — savings that would have otherwise been set aside for unforeseen circumstances like this.

I was considering calling it a wrap, and the thought of returning to India came to my mind. At the same time, my self-esteem was unable to stomach the fact that the story of my return would be tainted by my inability to secure an American job, so I decided to stick around and get back on track.

In desperate need to get employed, I found an opportunity to get into a tech business process consulting firm that allowed me to sharpen my foundational business process and project management skills. Learning and talking about tech was not easy, nor was I passionate about it. The only ray of hope was that I managed to choose my clients as healthcare clients, which allowed me to continue building my knowledge of the life sciences industry that my Pharma & MBA degree prepared me for.

Another example of the up-and-down dichotomy was that I was very fortunate to work with great managers and mentors, many of whom became great friends; unfortunately, in most cases, these managers and mentors moved on to pursue other opportunities or life goals. I haven’t lost touch with most of these people, but establishing a rapport with a new manager and proving myself to them from scratch was always a bit of a challenge.

And just to spice things up, I’ve practically turned into a pro at the apartment shuffle, switching homes around 15 times in a mere decade. It makes me wonder — with all the stress I’ve endured during these 10 years, my hair seems to have taken a more adventurous journey than my 96-year-old grandpa’s!

During this time to manage my frustration, I traveled extensively. I’ve made my way to most US states, including a visit to Mount Rushmore (I would only recommend going there if you want to have the fun fact that you’ve personally seen it). I traveled to small cities and interacted with local Americans. I’ve traveled the world and visited ~17 countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. I also ventured into two start-ups and typically kicked off my workday at 4 am, carrying on with my regular job that concluded at 6 pm every day for a considerable stretch of time. Ultimately these start-ups ended, but I learned a lot and enjoyed being busy. I was also able to become a published author in a few of the scholarly publications relevant to the field of life sciences.

Thriving

At long last, I got a call from Deloitte offering me a solid business process consulting role. I remember my biggest motivation was to have a base office on the 50th floor of Rockefeller Center and a stunning view of NYC. As I accepted the offer, USCIS decided to bring some adventure to my plans by halting my visa transfer process to Deloitte for over a year. Remember when I said toilet rolls were my biggest challenge, scratch that; this was the hardest thing I’ve had to endure — the challenge was so intense that I sometimes felt like I wanted to give up.

It seemed that my hard work was not enough to overcome this challenge, but while it seemed hopeless at times, a blessing occurred. A close friend John recommended me to a life sciences company. Their recommendation was so well received that not only did I get the opportunity to interview, but the company offered me a position, and they patiently waded through the tedious visa transfer process to fill the position. I was so happy with this result that it brought tears to my eyes. I was filled with a sense of satisfaction and achievement; if I wanted to go back home to India, I could now do so proudly.

While I was finally able to taste the job satisfaction, I continued to feel the entrepreneurial spirit — I attribute this inspiration to my dad’s entrepreneurial endeavors — all his life until retirement, I saw him taking responsibility for not only his employees but also their families, it is so inspiring to be able to have such an impact in people’s lives. I remember a conversation where his biggest barrier to retirement was his worry about how he would navigate his staff into alternative stable opportunities — One day, I aspire to be able to serve at that level to people (employees or customers).

During this time, as if an act of God occurred, I attended a PA-BIO conference where the then GSK employee, now CEO of Code BioTherapeutics, Brian McVeigh, gave an excellent speech addressing the youth. I had the chance to chat with him about my dream of launching my own venture someday, and he shared some valuable advice. He emphasized that young people should exhibit the same passion at their jobs as they would if it were their own business. By doing so, corporations would entrust them with handling budgets and teams, similar to how they would in a startup. He pointed out that running a unit within a company is essentially like running your own business. This was a paradigm shift for me, and I now saw the opportunity to engage in my entrepreneurial passion while continuing to develop my professional career.

Deeper Understanding & Giving Back

While I managed to learn a lot from this country and its people, I also got curious about many things unique to this country. Being the go-getter that I am, I jumped into the grass root to answer my curiosity. For instance, I wanted to learn how the United States picks its presidents — and in that process, I ended up canvassing for Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston, to understand the mentality of people. I probably knocked on 200 doors and spoke with many unique personalities to get my answer.

Furthermore, coming from a developing country where poverty is an endemic issue on full display, I wanted to understand the challenges of young kids in America who have access to necessities like food, shelter, clothing, and access to the public schooling system. To find my answer and understand the issues, I began participating as a Math and English teacher for kids living in shelters.

Every day I try my best to give something back to the society that has given me so much. Whether it’s India or the United States, that keeps me up after my work hours to do things with non-profit community-driven organizations; luckily, even at work, I can serve the community.

Out of 10 years, I survived in the USA without a car for the first 8 years, and many times my friends drove me around — Now, even if sometimes it’s out of my way, I try to drop people off around me — It is important to pass forward good things that you received — that’s the least that I can do.

Professionally, I always try to hire an intern, I find it my moral duty to help a college graduate, and this is because my journey in the United States corporate world would not have started if Lynn Gormley, EA to Head of Marketing, Ariyapadi Krishnaraj at Iroko would not have pushed to get my first internship. Back then, I had no recommendation, no network. I was older than the undergrad students applying for the role. I was a young guy with a thick Indian accent, little experience of American culture, and no understanding of American corporate culture.

The only thing I had was my ambition, drive, and ability to have genuine heartfelt conversations with people. I feel these core skills/values work for me in the same way as graduating from an Ivy League school would work for many. I am grateful not only to Lynn but to all my colleagues and mentors, who took a chance on me and gave me a platform to showcase my capabilities. It’s gestures from people like Lynn that continue to inspire me today to assist young graduates and keep paying it forward. I consistently give priority to hiring interns, mentoring fresh graduates, or giving seminars at colleges to support the youth. To date, I always circle back not only with the vital corporate mentors but also with my grad, undergrad, and high school professors — they are the backbone of my present and future.

One of my more recent high points was when I got to spend 20 mins with Michel Vounatsos, the then-CEO of Biogen — it is not often that a CEO would take time to connect 1:1 with low-management employees of their organization. I got this opportunity by simply asking for it — it’s funny how many things we can access if we only ask for it from the right person. The 20 mins spent with him was a life experience I will carry with me for the remainder of my days. I gained a wealth of wisdom from him and learned about his values. It was evident how crucial family values, ethics, science, the younger generation, and patients were to him and how these aspects should be the focal points for any of us aspiring future leaders.

Speaking of family, the pandemic experience made me reflect on how much I have lost by staying away from my parents and family in India. Even though I made my own life here and a little bit of a social group in 10 years, it did come at the expense of my relationship with my family. I still call my mom and dad every morning when I am up, but before coming to the States, I was so much in tune with the extended family as well. Although love and respect, and family bonds still exist, to be able to physically be present to support them in happiness or in sorrow is something that has taken a big hit in the process of establishing myself here. In the coming years, I hope to get more opportunities and better ways to re-establish these bonds.

Reflections

I consider myself fortunate to have experienced life in both a developing nation and a developed country. I strongly encourage those who have the option to do so to embrace both these worlds. Looking back at my journey as a FOB (fresh off the boat), I am very pleased with my professional journey so far. I am excited and thrilled about how it will shape in the next decade. I have some solid goals and aspiring ambitions — and I will take all the knowledge, learning, skills, experiences, and people with me to do my best to achieve them — after all, working towards the goal is a promise that I can give to myself and as long as I keep my part of the promise the universe will do its part to help me get there in some shape or form.

Outside of work, I am very happy with how I invested my life in growing things I love, like establishing myself in the Boston area open mics for my poetry to the point where I got a chance to recite at Harvard. Learning creative courses like script writing and acting or focusing on physical activities that provide me pleasure, like playing tennis, boxing, or swimming. I am also pleased to serve the Jain community of North America by being on the board of the non-profit organization — Young Jains Professional.

As I reflect on the past decade, it’s crystal clear that I’ve soared to my highest highs and confronted my most daunting challenges. There were moments of disheartening lows, facing stark realities that shook me, some downs that felt like burdens to bear, and a few missteps that led me to introspection, realization, and acceptance. My journey has been a constant shuffle from one place to another, driven by the need for mere survival. I’ve grappled with existential questions and navigated feelings of being undervalued, unappreciated, and unsupported, all while searching for a place to call home.

Through all of this, this decade was also the decade of the most wins, most successes, acquiring some true wisdom, establishing and growing myself, forming the best relationships, self-reflection, and world exploration, achieving some significant milestones, and unlocking some bigger ambitions if I were to highlight key learnings from the past decade, here are a few to begin with:

• Realizing the Power of Self-Belief and Willpower: The most valuable lesson I’ve gained is the importance of resilience, fostered by challenging circumstances. Embracing setbacks has taught me to harness my self-belief and willpower, propelling me forward.
• Cultivating Meaningful Connections: Building a treasure trove of personal and professional relationships with those who genuinely care and support my happiness has enriched my life beyond measure.
• Maintaining a Positive Outlook: Nurturing the curiosity and optimism of my inner child is paramount. Like children, I’ve learned to ask questions, know what I want and ask for it without hesitation, and laugh in the face of adversity. Remember, the joy of the journey holds as much significance as reaching the destination.
• Being Open to Feedback and Constant Learning: Recognizing that growth thrives on feedback and continuous learning, I’ve embraced the value of evolving with each experience, remaining open to critique and improvement.
• Giving Back to the Community: Contributing to the community’s well-being is a core principle. By lending a hand, sharing knowledge, and helping others, I’ve experienced the transformative impact of collective progress.
• Embracing Limitless Potential: Had I not embraced diverse roles, from life sciences manufacturing to tech to business processing, I might have forfeited invaluable lessons that have shaped my present career path. I wholeheartedly believe in my capacity to conquer any challenge, transcending domains, armed with the mindset and skills to elevate people and processes alike. The scope is limitless. My role’s specific details are secondary. What truly counts is my ability to empathize with stakeholders, fostering trust that empowers me to resolve issues. Once this core principle clicks, the intricacies of any role become learnable over time.

Through sharing my journey of this past decade, I aspire to inspire you to take a moment this week and reflect on your own journey and story. I hope some of the emotions and experiences strike a chord with you and serve as a guiding light for some. If you find resonance in this, I’d greatly appreciate your thoughts shared in the comments — it truly means a lot to me. And if you’re open to it, please feel free to reach out and share your reflections on my journey or even offer a glimpse into your own story. I’m eager to hear from you and connect on a deeper level.

Ananya Jain | LinkedIn | Medium

*I express gratitude to God, my family, teachers, managers, mentors, colleagues, and friends for standing by me, placing their trust in me, and offering their support. In return, I commit to stepping up and contributing further to my world, family, friends, and my own journey in the coming decade.*

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.