Sanjay, the indian guy

As soon as I arrived in Brazil, the soap opera “Caminho das Índias” started. Unavoidably, it reminded me of Sanjay, my Indian classmate in English class, so I sent him the soap opera’s website link. His comment, which I was already expecting, made me really think over the way we occidentals see the nations of the other side of the world. “That website made me laugh a lot”, he said.

The reason is because of those videos that show elephants and camels on the streets. “This happens only in undeveloped parts. But of course if you want to bring your elephant with you to the street, no one is going to stop you”. What the video shows is definitely not a lie. But it can’t be considered the real India, as the “superior occidentals” I’ve seen around do.

Today we can say that young people like Sanjay Sureshbhai Rathod represent the white tiger’s potentiality. Born in Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, Sanjay is, at age 25, fluent in English, a graduate in Computer Applications and Law, a partner of an Indian construction firm and stock brokerage, and is at the same time, a student at the Southern States University in San Diego (USA), with his MBA certificate near completion.

In July 2007, he decided to go to the USA to join his brother, who he says he can’t live without, and explore a different way of life. “I’m very curious when it is about getting to know new people and a new culture. I love travelling. Don’t doubt it: I’ll travel the world before dying. And soon I’ll visit Brazil and Turkey”, he said. (He has already visited Dubai, Singapore and Canadá.)

With a only a student visa, Sanjay doesn’t yet have permission to work in Uncle Sam’s land. The money for his course (in which he gets mostly A’s), rent, food and entertainment comes from his savings acquired in his own country, without parental aid. As a licensed lawyer practicing in the High Court of Gujarat, he already held two government jobs, allowing him to accumulate a reasonable savings.

His life in the United States is going well. One of 3 million Indians on American soil, he says he doesn’t feel all the prejudice. “Sometimes I notice some, but I don’t care much”. In San Diego he says he finds a pleasant atmosphere, nice people, good infra-structure and less traffic. “It’s a cool place to live”.

This is, without a doubt, a large attraction. But staying in the US would only be a possibility only if he chose to build a career as a business man. “I’ve got some ideas about businesses and people I can invest in, but nothing is definite. I also think about going back to India to continue my activities in the law field and also do some volunteer work to help the poor”.

A friend of Mexicans, Americans and, of course, Indians, he considers India to be the extreme opposite of the United States. “Lifestyle, law, culture… it’s all different”, which doesn’t bother him (probably not. In the San Diego’s mix, the diversity is an enchantment and a lesson to those who really want to expand their horizons).

And would you stay in the US forever, Sanjay? “I don’t think so. Home is home. Home is that place in which you’ll always find true peace “, he says. Pride of his country is almost a trade mark. “It’s a privilege and a pleasure to be an Indian. This is the land where you learn what relationships are. I love being Indian. I never regret that in life. Some Indians are not proud of it, mainly those that live here in the US. But I really consider myself blessed and respect all the other nationalities. If I had the chance of being reborn, I would choose to be Indian for sure.”

Life in India
Sanjay was raised in a full house. Parents, siblings (a brother and a sister), cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents all live in the same residence. According to him, the family always lived – and lives – with comfort, in one of the best areas of the city, and always had properties, like houses and land. The good living conditions are related to the region they live, known as one that offers many jobs. (Sanjay said Gujarat is the industrial pole of India.)

His childhood was normal and marked by several family meetings. The routine was one of a normal joint family. A Hindu Joint Family, or Hindu Undivided Family, is a lifestyle practiced in India. Usually three generations live together under the same roof, sharing the same kitchen, praying in the same place, dividing income and expenses, and all the decisions are made by the boss of the family.

As part of Hindu culture, Sanjay and his relatives follow the principles of the sacred book, the Geeta. However, not everyone related to the family is Hindu. Many of Sanjay’s friends are Muslims who follow the Koran, but this doesn’t represent a problem at all. “Islamism and Hinduism are the main religions in the country. But there are many others like Christianism, Sikhism and Budism, which are also divided into casts, have their own beliefs, rituals, foods, idioms or accents and ways of dressing. In the Hindu social structure, for example, there are communities such as Tailors, Farmers, Gold Smiths and Black Smiths. The way I am able to handle all this mess is because of the way we see each other as human beings. Religion aside, we have a lot in common. Usually we don’t bring our religion into our relationships”, he explains.

Friendship
In India, part of his daily life was the Vishnu Pan Parlar, a place in where people gather together to talk, smoke and drink tea or iced drinks. Every night, after dinner, he used to meet about 25 friends at the Pan Parlor. “It didn’t matter how busy we were or how we were feeling. We always used to meet there to smoke (tobacco) and talk for hours about problems, politics, health, relationships, business, cricket, etc. I like this place because is far away from downtown and has beautiful green surroundings. Many other groups also go there with this excuse, once there are many young people that want to hide their smoking habits or other addictions from their families.

Today Sanjay’s group of friends is not complete, because some are in the United States, England or other countries. Even without the usual meetings, Sanjay says that everybody tries to keep in touch. In Orkut, the Vishnu Pan Parlar community was created just to keep them united, even though only virtually.

Recognizing India
Sanjay doesn’t deny the problems his country goes through. More than chaotic traffic, India suffers from a political structure which many believe doesn’t work. “Our politics has influenced, in a negative way, the development of the country and the lives of many. Corruption is routine. If you want things done, you have to pay bribe money. And sometimes you have to bribe straight to the person in command, the boss”, he says. “Another negative point is that many Indians don’t know how to read and write.

It’s impossible not to be reminded of Brazil hearing these things. Yes… “the undeveloped countries” on opposite sides of the globe have similar problems. The social abysm is still huge with the poor living side by side with rich entrepreneurs. Thinking about that is not difficult. Hard, is listening to westerners saying that India belongs to the other side of the world, that it has nothing to do with us, and that elephants are its main form of transportation. It’s the same situation if we consider that many people around the world think Brazilians live in the jungle and have little monkeys on their balconies.

The idea some people have that “everything in the east seems like it’s from another world” is totally erroneous. It’s a question of world geopraphy. Undeveloped, are those who still show prejudice and are unaware of the potential of the eastern countries, right, Sanjay?

Figura número 1: Gladys Rivera

Ella estaba limpiando el suelo en el momento en que la ví por la primera y, tal vez, única vez. “Puedo pasar?”. “Ajan”, ella hizo con la cabeza y sonrió. En aquellos ojos de quien ya vivió de todo un poco luego percibí un gran carisma.

No tenía cara de americana y no quiso conversar mucho, a pesar de haber mostrado bastante simpatía. Pero yo me quedé con curiosidad y resolví empezar un diálogo. Como es común tener mano de obra latina para trabajos domésticos en los Estados Unidos, no tuve dudas al arriesgar el español:

- De dónde eres?

- Soy de Colombia. Hablas español?! Pero pensé que eras gringa!

- No, no. Soy de Brasil.

- Brasil? Mira qué interesante. Los dos que están pintando la cocina son de Nicaragua.

Ahí listo! Latino con latino. Nosotros nos entendemos. Aún más allá, donde somos considerados, con algunas excepciones, los pobrecitos que no tuvieron oportunidad en su país – lugar en el que creamos monos y loros.

Y esa es parte de la verdad de Gladys Rivera, una colombiana de 50 años de edad que decidió abandonar la tierra natal Tunja (Boyacá) para mudarse a los Estados Unidos. La esperanza: mejor calidad de vida y dinero en el bolsillo para pagar la universidad del hijo en Colombia.

No fue una decisión sencilla. Un día la gerente de la oficina que limpiaba le dió a ella una idea: “por que no vas a hacer lo mismo que haces acá en Estados Unidos? Tengo contactos para ti allá”. “Esa noche no pude dormir de tanto pensar en estar en EEUU. Pero y mi hijo?”.

Ofrecer mejor educación al chico, y al mismo tiempo dejar atrás un pasado sufrido, pareció de repente como un sueño posible. Después de una niñez pobre a lado de los padres y siete hermanos; de un matrimonio que duró catorce años (“mis papas me decían que iba a quedarme mal hablada si me separara temprano”); y de trabajos que no pagaban los estudios del hijo y las cuentas, por qué no irse?

“Cuando le conté a mi hijo la idea, la respuesta fue: por que no te vas? Aprovecha la oportunidad”. Entonces, dos meses después la aventura de Gladys empezó.

Primer trabajo: casa de un diplomático, hermano de la ex-gerente colombiana. La visa de trabajo salió rápido y allá estaba ella, viviendo en la residencia de una familia que más habla inglés que español y trabajando 40 horas por semana. Sólo después de las dos de la tarde de sábado Gladys tenía descanso. “A las seis de la mañana ya estaba de pie, preparando el desayuno para despachar los niños para la escuela.” O por lo menos esa era la intención. “No conseguía cumplir todos los horarios y hacer todo el servicio de casa, porque ellos hacían fiestas todos los fines de semana hasta las cuatro de la mañana y yo tenía apenas dos horas para dormir”. Cuando Gladys intentaba una brecha de tiempo para estudiar inglés, la respuesta de la abuela de los niños venía inmediatamente: “vas a salir de casa por qué? Viniste para trabajar, no estudiar”. Frente a tanta simpatía, “me fui cansando, sabes? Resolví salir”.

Ahí surgieron problemas con los papeles y ella llegó a pedir ayuda para ser deportada.

Pero apareció el segundo trabajo: cuidar una señora. La casa era de hispanos. Pagaban mal, pero al menos ella tenía un lugar para dormir. Dos años después, la viejita se mudó para la casa de su hija en Florida y Gladys, una vez más, tuvo que buscar otro empleo.

Qué batalla, no? “Aaaay”, ella dice, torciendo la cabeza, levantando el frente y sonriendo. Pero una amiga que estaba embarazada e iba a tener que dejar por un tiempo las casas que limpiaba la recomendó por sus servicios.

Tercer trabajo: limpiar residencias. Poco a poco, se familiarizó con las dueñas y estableció una relación bien próxima. “Ellas me convidan para muchas fiestas. Y no es para que yo trabaje. Es para participar también. Me llevo muy bien con ellas”. Y es lo que Gladys hace hasta hoy, además de limpiar oficinas después de las seis de la tarde, ser niñera algunas veces y recoger platos en fiestas los fines de semana. “Ahora estoy pensando en abrir mi propia empresa de limpieza de casa”.

Gladys se lleva cinco horas en limpiar casas grandes y dos en departamentos. Trabaja de seis de la mañana hasta las 11 de la noche, generalmente. En las horas libres, le gusta a ella ir al mall comprar recuerdos para mandar a su hijo - un hombre de 27 años que posee dos graduaciones, sigue estudiando y no tiene empleo algún. “En mi país no hay trabajo”. (Pero ahora ella dice que él resolvió abrir una discoteca. “A ver”.)

Más allá de elegir regalos para él, a Gladys también le gusta ir a boites a veces y, principalmente, conversar por chats en la Internet.

Hace diez años que ella no ve la familia. Pero una de sus jefes la está ayudando a organizar los papeles. “Si Dios quiera me voy a Colombia ver mi hijo. Él se casó y ahora tiene una hijita de dos años”.

Y como es la vida aquí en Estados Unidos? “Siento mucho prejuicio de las personas por ser latina y porque no hablo inglés (pero entiende todo). Pero soy muy afortunada, porque mis jefes entienden mi inglés malo. 

Y estás feliz? "Si, en general, muy feliz. Pero quiero visitar mi país pronto. Lo adoro mucho!”.

Gladys Rivera vive en Baltimore, en el estado de Maryland, que queda próximo a Washington D.C., adonde ella va todos los días a trabajar. Paró de estudiar en Colombia cuando tenía 13 años, ya que iba a tener que repetir el año por las matemáticas. Hoy ella ya sabe un poco mejor como hacer las cuentas: por cada trabajo de limpieza recibe de 100 a 120 dólares (sin contar los otros trabajos). Trabaja de lunes a sábado y limpia aproximadamente ocho casas por semana.

El dinero que gana ahora es ahorrado. “Mi hijo ya está grande y casado. Ya cumplí con mi papel”.

Às figuras

Suddenly that thing appears: dirty tennis shoes and tatoos on the arm; business briefcase and cap; gray hair and a huge backpack; callus on the hands and smile on the face. A weirdo or just a different one? Intelligent and original? Maybe. But one thing can already be noticed: some people show on their faces that they have a good story to tell. And if so, why not listen to them?

That was what I did on my last trip. During almost six months I heard such good stories that they seemed to be books. That is why I came back with the wish to tell a little about some people that got my attention and, principally, to hear more stories from Brazilian people, American, Colombian, German, Japanese or Latvian.

It´s just because we´re 7 billions in the world, but we live so similarly and so differently at the same time... And as there are so many people with interesting experiences, I think it´s worthwhile to know and write about them. (I didn´t travel all over the world and I don´t travel that much. But the few times I did gave me the opportunity to find out a world inside each one and, above all, the curiosity to discover other stories, faces and pictures.)

Take your seat and listen to it. Because the people that will be on this blog are, at least, remarkable.