By Andy Carrizales
When Krishna moved from India to the United States the only shoes she brought were already on her feet. For six months she wore those shoes every day. It wasn’t until Christmas that she got her first pair of American shoes.
“When I came to America I didn’t ask my parents for new shoes because they could not afford it even though they were working so hard. That Christmas, the shoes were the first thing I bought in the United States.”
The shoes that Krishna brought with her from India did not survive much longer. Rather than being upset for losing that intimate connection to her homeland, Krishna chose to see it as an opportunity.
Krishna realized that she could take care of herself when she bought her first pair of shoes. They filled her heart with hope about her future in this new country. She now has a job, pays for her college and has bought a car and many more pairs of shoes. She says the absence of judgment she has found in the U.S. is the most valuable freedom.
“I came from a small town where most people know my parents, so if they see me they say, ‘Your daughter was there, she was wearing that.’ If I’m here, no one knows, so I can wear what I want and I can buy the cheap things or I can buy expensive things, no one here to judge me!”
I’m really happy! I’m independent!”
