The Daily Prophet
$1.50
FROM THE ISLANDS TO THE
UNKNOWN
America, the land of the free
and home of the brave. To
many this nation is known for its
many opportunities and benefits
that other countries may not
have. I had the privilege to
interview the Nair family and
their experience moving to the
United States. From the small
islands of Fiji to the many states
of the US it was a big change
for this family of four.
The flag of Fiji
Kali, father of the family and
who was 39 when they moved,
recalls the thinking process that
took place as the family chose
why they were moving. We
wanted a better life for our
children. We knew the
opportunities in America far
exceeded the ones found in
Fiji. Life in Fiji for the Nair
family was fair and pleasant for
Fiji standards but they knew
they wanted something better
for their two daughters.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Waiting For a New Life
The process to come to this
country was somewhat difficult.
Kalis older sister was the first
one in the family to move to
America in the 1970s. Later,
Kali and Pushpa sent in the
application for their family to
immigrate to the United States.
It took roughly five and a half
years to be approved but they
were finally allowed to start their
new life. Everyone in the family Time For Change
was excited for their fresh start
In the month of September
in the land of freedom. This
1985, the Nair family packed all
would be their first trip to
their belongings and headed to
America as they have never
the airport. They sat on a plane
been before. I asked Janice
for ten and a half hours to their
Nair, who was eleven at the
new life in the States. When
time, what she can remember
finally reaching their destination,
feeling when she was told that
Kalis sister was there to
they would be moving to an
embrace them with loving arms
entirely new country, my sister
and bring them to her house in
and I were very excited to move
Concord, California until they
to America. We knew this was
were able to settle down and
going to be a good change in
adjust to this new country they
our lives.
now call home. They moved
many times throughout those
first few years. Mostly
throughout different cities in
California such as San
Francisco as well as different
states like Washington.

Life in Washington
Kali, Pushpa, and their two
daughters (Jeanette and
Janice) lived in Seattle for a
time. This was because Pushpa
had many family members living
in Canada and as such wanted
to live near the US and
Canadian border so they could
cross it and say hello to her
family. They would take many
trips to Canada while staying in
Seattle. It wasnt until It snowed
for the first time that they knew
they wouldnt live there for long.
Janice recalls seeing snow fall
for the first time as the
landscape changed to a wintery
wonderland before her eyes.
After two years of living in
Washington and deciding they
didnt really care much for the
snow they decided to move to
California where it was sunnier
and closer to Kalis sister.
A Childs View on
Change
Janice, the youngest,
remembers her thoughts on
changing and living in a new
country. Her and her sister were
excited to start this new life but
it wasnt until they were flying
that they realized how major of
a change this decision was.
They were leaving behind
friends, many family members,
school, and their house. This
brought her and Jeanette, her
older sister, to tears and
became very homesick.
(From Left to Right) Janice, Jeanette,
Pushpa, and Kali
It took me and my sister a
couple of years to adjust and
become comfortable with this
new change. One of the hardest
things we had to adapt to was
the food. All the food that was
here in America was very bland
and the spices we used in our
curries were never the same as
the ones found in Fiji.
When asked how hard it was to
adapt, buy a house, and get a
job Kali began to tell me that it
wasnt as hard as it seemed.
We are a very social family and
very outgoing. It might just be
the hospitality of the people of
Fiji but I could talk to the
American people perfectly fine
and made friends very easily.
He also stated that in California
it is a very culturally diverse
place and there were many
Indians to relate to and speak
with. Many Indians continued to
come to the United States later
on because of the dramatic
changes in Fiji. Two years after
the Nair family left Fiji for the
United States there was a
military coup that led to a strong
divide between native Fijians
and Fijian Indians as well as
harsher rules against Indians.
Differences in Schools Continuing to Live Life
Shed come home each day Towards the end of the
When finding out that Janice crying and sad that these kids interview I asked each of them
was eleven when she moved, I would make fun of her. She told the same question, would you
proceeded to ask the question her parents that she didnt want ever go back? All of them said
on the differences between to go to school in order to avoid no way. They love to visit their
Fijian and US school systems being made fun of by her fellow small little islands and visiting
and there were very intriguing students. It wasnt until she family for vacation but would
started to make friends and never go back to live
answers. One of the first
become more outgoing that the permanently. Kali and Pushpa
differences is in the way the teasing and bullying ceased are now grandparents to seven
teachers handled the and she began to want to go to children and have lived (and are
classroom. The teachers in Fiji school again. still living) very eventful lives.
were allowed to hit the students Janice is a flight attendant with
if they were misbehaving or not one son and three step children
who love her and her whole
paying attention. I remember
family as their own. Each
one time I misbehaved and as person interviewed can not be
such the teacher slapped my more grateful for their chance to
hand hard with a ruler. The leave the small islands of Fiji to
teacher had more respect in Fiji a land full of opportunities and
and everyone was intimidated to benefits.
give any kind of resistance or
talk back. Another difference is
that every school had a very
strict dress code that was
followed 100% of the time.
Coming to the United States
where you could wear anything
led to a lot of confusion the first
few months of school for Janice.
She also talked a little on some
of the rude and horrible things
that many kids said to her
because she came from a
different country. In the
beginning months of school
many kids would make fun of
the way in which she dressed
and the accent she possessed.