My father, along with my mother, arrived in the United States as a graduate student with a small amount of money and no immediate income. Even though my father was educated to nearly the highest degree in physics, he could not begin applying his knowledge and commence work right away. He started out as an unpaid laboratory assistant at Washington University, while also working for a low salary in order to support my mother and himself. He continued this until he completed his Ph.D., after which he began paid work for the university and started conducting his own research.

In 1990, after the fall of communism many eastern European countries suffered a painful transition to democracy and a market economy. Although the employment rate was not low, life was very hard because of food shortages across the region. The birth of my brother and me during this period caused my parents to begin thinking about a new life for us in America.

My older brother and I stayed with our grandparents in Sofia, Bulgaria until our parents straightened things out in the new world. Shortly following their arrival at the airport in St. Louis, they were accommodated at a friend's house until they could afford their own apartment. After working as a volunteer in the university during the day, my father worked a night shift at a local restaurant to save enough money so that my brother and I could join them in America. When he learned that he would soon be hired to officially work in the university laboratory, he decided to quit his evening job in order to concentrate on research.

"I am finished with my work for today," my dad told his boss with a slight accent. "As I said yesterday, this is my last day and I need to be paid."

"Okay," the restaurant owner replied, "but I am going to need you for a bit more tonight. Youre going to have to clean much of the building including the bathrooms since you will not be coming back anymore."

Without a blink my father said, "sure".

At about half past midnight, after finishing the work, my father returned to the office to consult his boss, "I am done, and I need to be paid now," requesting his paycheck for the past two weeks.

"Well, the accountant already left and I do not have enough money now, so you will have to come back another day," was his boss delayed reply.

Sensing what his boss was up to, my dad stood angered but calm and said, "I will not leave this place until you pay me the money I worked for!"

Not wanting to comply, the owner slowly disclosed the earned money from a drawer and handed it to my father.

His very first job after arriving into the United States demonstrates that one of the largest struggles is trying to assimilate with the language and culture. His boss may have treated him differently if it was not so obvious that he had recently arrived from a country that is still in the process of developing. Because my father was foreign to the American customs and had to initially work for minimum wage, he was passive and merely accepted these conditions.

My father spent more than ten hours each day on his research in the lab for the next eight years: first as a visiting graduate assistant, then as a post-doctoral fellow and as an instructor in research. With my mother's help, who in the meantime was busy with her Ph.D. studies, he saved enough money for a small apartment and for my brother and me to finally join them, two years after their arrival.

Even though the first two years in the new country were rough for my parents, life gradually stabilized for them, both financially and emotionally, especially with my brother and me by their side. One morning my father received a phone call from a prominent university that someone had read one of his published papers and was offering him a well-paid Assistant Professor position. This gave him the chance to work with many undergraduate and graduate students in his own lab. He has respected them, treated them well, and enjoyed their gratitude for the opportunity he has given them long after they have left his lab, since he had received the same opportunity not too long ago.

The tough years my father and mother experienced taught me important things. They allowed me to understand how difficult it really was for them to move to the United States. Their experience made me realize that some things in life are more difficult than they appear on the surface. It helped me to adapt more easily to later events and changes in my life, and has taught me how essential it is for a person to love and be dedicated to his family and his work in order to succeed. Most importantly, it has led me to become aware of the enormous opportunity I am given now and to use it to my best advantage.

My Portfolio:

Post Course Reflection

---

Email me!
Slav K. 2006

---

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws