A Place of Fun

When has your life dramatically changed? I have thought about that. I will never forget when I had received a letter from the US embassy in Islamabad (Pakistan). That was an interview letter. All of my family members went for an interview early in the morning .Our interview was scheduled for 8:00 am. That day was very heavy rain. However we arrived there at almost 7:45 am.

I still remembered when they called my name for on interview. He was a white American. I was very nervous, but he said in my language “Tum Kasey Ho” means (how are you). I was surprised that he could speak my language also. At the end of the interview he asked me the last question,” Where will you be going in America. I felt shy and said, “Atlantic City”.

He laughed at me. “Yes I know Atlantic City, when you go there maybe you will be working in the casino or on the board walk or gas station”. He had lots of information abut Atlantic City. His comments about Atlantic City were that there lots of casinos, board walk, beaches, stores, and big crouds in the summer. He smiled and said, “My favorite casino is Taj Mahal, if you go there take some pictures and mail them to me”. People say, “Dreams comes true,” The pictures of Atlantic City I saw in my country were my dream comes true.

I was nineteen years old, when I came to Atlantic City. As I was entering Atlantic City my father showed theme Taj Mahal. I thought of the man who took my interview and told me about the Taj Mahal. When we came closer to the city, I saw the trees on the streets were decorated with lights. I thought I was in the heaven. They looked so gorgeous.

Later on, when I visited the Board Walk, the whole city looked like a monster to me. Everything was so very different then back home. I was going through a “culture chocked”. I saw pushing chairs and I thought it was very strange. I try my first slide of Pizza and I thought I could not survive on that kind of food, also it’s was very difficult to communicate since I did not speak English.

A few days later my father called a friend to look a job for me. He told him to bring me to the “99 cent store”. I was so excited because I had never worked before. My father took me to the board walk and showed me the entire store. I was so excited by the time, because I had never seen like these kinds of stores, chairs, casinos, small business, huge gatherings, and seagulls. My father left me in the “99 cent store”. When I saw the sign that said “Every Things on 99 sent “, I was shocked by the time. After introducing my self with the store supervisor he gave me a price gun and showed me to put price on the C D, s “Three for 99 cent”. I could not imagine that three CD, s for 99 cent.

The 99 cent store was always busy, because everything there was so cheep, like soda cans two for 99 cent, some candies were four for 99 cent, gums, books, food, toys, kitchen stuff, beach stuff, hats, and everything that needs in daily life. I worked very hard there, because every Friday delivery comes, then distribute to the right place and then put it on the shelf.

The 99 cent store as a place, where I started my life carrier, worked every day up to sixteen hours at a very low pay. I was very disappointed about that and decided to leave this job. The owners did not even care about me. I just quit the “99 cent store” job, and stay at home for a week. After week I found another job at a casino, but I missed that “99 cent store” very much, because everything I had learnt from there. That place I can, t forgets for ever in my life. It was the first place that gave me a sense of belonging.

--Anonymous