Interview with Sam Thompson
For this project, I chose to interview Sam Thompson with the help of his wife, Allison. I first had the privilege of meeting the Thompsons when Sam bought the Coldstone store that I worked at and became my boss. Getting to interview him and learn more about his incredible life was an amazing experience. Sam moved to the United States in 2004, intending to find a better life. Throughout this interview, it became clear to me that he moved here to become independent and lead a successful life, and he did just that. His community helped him get on his feet and lead him to his incredibly fulfilled life. He started his life here as a waiter, sleeping on the couch at a friend’s house, and he is now a successful business owner with a beautiful family, a house, and deep community connections.
Sam was born on November 13, 1979, in Nepal. He has three sisters, and they all attended different schools. After school, Sam would meet up with his friends to go swimming in the river, play football, and just hang out until it was dark. He fondly remembers his childhood as a time filled with friends and fun. “We used to do a lot those days; you don’t get that these days, you know, like meeting friends, no mobile devices, just like face-to-face.” His parents always had high expectations for him- to get good grades, hang out with good people, get a good job, and live a good life. Sam’s parents weren’t especially strict, but they did have certain expectations of him. He was expected to help his mother cook and serve dinner, help his father at his grocery store whenever he was free, and be home before dark to spend time with his family. Sam’s family has always been a very important part of his life, and leaving them was hard, but looking back on his life in America he is glad he did it.
Sam attended college in Nepal, where he got his bachelor’s degree in English. Before attending college, Sam had learned English through the few English books his school had. Most of his classes and books were in his native language, Nepali, but there were some English books available for students to learn from. His bachelor’s degree in English helped him get a job. For two years before moving here, he taught English to children in Nepal. A common issue for immigrants is a language barrier, so already being proficient in English took one stressor away for Sam.
Sam moved to America on March 29, 2004. When he first came here, he lived in Boston. He spent his first few days sleeping because of the jet lag due to the ten-hour, forty-five-minute time difference. He had a cousin and a couple of friends in Boston, which helped him adjust to his new life. When he first arrived, his cousin was supposed to pick him up from the airport, but he was unable to, so Sam was stuck there for several hours. Eventually, his cousin’s friend was able to come get him and let him stay at their house. The first couple weeks were hard for Sam, everyone he knew was busy with work, so he was left to figure some things out on his own. He wasn’t sure what he needed to do to adjust; he didn’t know the laws, he couldn’t find the food he liked, and this all worried him. But with his positive attitude and strong support system, it got better. “Day by day, it gets better. I met some friends, and they really helped me out.” In the first couple of months, Sam’s friends helped him get a job as a server and an apartment. Moving to a new country is incredibly scary and confusing, but having a good community and support system makes the adjustment process much easier. Sam did struggle at the beginning, but the friends he already had and the friends he made once he got here helped him adjust and build a life.
While Sam moved to America in 2004, he didn’t become a citizen until 2010. In 2006, Sam returned to Nepal to attend his younger sister’s wedding. There, he met Allison, his future wife. After meeting Allison, he returned to America, but he would come back to Nepal to see her and his family once a year to stay for about a month. In 2008, he returned to Nepal to marry Allison. But they still spent two long years apart before he was able to become a citizen and apply for her citizenship. Finally, in 2010, Allison gained her citizenship and was able to move to Boston to be with Sam. Many barriers prevent immigrants from gaining legal citizenship, and Sam’s six-year journey proves this. Sam discussed his difficulty adjusting to life in America, and the lack of resources and information for immigrants did not help. As a 24-year-old young man, he was essentially left to figure out an entirely new life on his own. And because of the difficult citizenship process, he and Allison were forced to be apart for over two years. Luckily, they were both able to gain citizenship before having their two beautiful children in 2011 and 2016.
Sam and Allison had their son in 2011 while living in Boston. By this time, Sam had managed to work his way up from server to manager in just a few months. He worked at that restaurant for almost eight years before taking a different path in life. He returned to school and studied billing and coding, which helped him get an admin job at a dermatologist’s office, where he worked for almost three years. However, Allison did not like the cold and snowy weather in Boston, so they decided to move to Richmond, Virginia. After moving to Richmond, Sam got a job as a mail carrier. He had to commute over an hour to this job in Charlottesville, and in the winter, the cold weather made this job difficult. Out of his many impressive jobs, this was the only one that Sam disliked. After eight months, he quit, and he and his wife opened a food truck. He enjoyed owning his own business selling food from his home country, but he decided the food truck was too hectic for him. Realizing that he liked owning a business, he visited his friend, Peter, who owned a Coldstone store in Savannah, Georgia. After the visit, he knew that this was what he wanted to do. “I saw the way he’s running the business, and I told him, let’s start here.” Sam and Allison began exploring their options, and they found a Coldstone for sale in Lynchburg, Virginia. “Luckily, we bought this store, Coldstone, in Lynchburg. So now here I am.” Looking back on Sam’s incredible career development, it is apparent how well he was able to integrate himself into this country despite any difficulties. He has been lucky enough to avoid any discrimination or unfair treatment. In Boston, everyone was so busy, rushing around, minding their own business, and in Lynchburg, people are nice and have never treated him unfairly. “I’m the kind of guy who can make friends easily, and that also helped me out, you know, not being involved in those things.” While this is not the case for everyone, Sam has been lucky enough to have an overall positive experience integrating into America. As a first-generation immigrant, he took his and his family’s lives into his own hands and built beautiful lives for all of them.
Throughout the interview, Sam made one thing very clear. He moved to the U.S. to achieve the American dream and build a better life than he could find in Nepal. When I asked him if he was pulled to America or pushed out of Nepal, he said, “America is like a land of opportunity. I would say pulling to America, you can do many things. Anything you want to do in life.” While he loved his life in Nepal, Sam recognizes that they were from a small country where there is a lot of competition for jobs and not a lot of independence within families. In Nepal, parents control the money and their children’s lives. Parents control what their children study and what they do with their lives. Sam and Allison value independence, and they are raising their children with this same value. When I asked about how they plan to raise their children differently from how their parents raised them, Allison said, “I want my kids to make their own decisions, and we’ll follow, we’ll support them. That’s what I want. The change we want to make to our children.” Sam remembers his happiest moments in life as holding his children in the hospital. “It’s like a big change, a big jump, another phase in life. Both my son and my daughter, that is the best part of my life.” He is also thankful to Allison. He credits her for her unwavering support, helping him through stress, trouble, and big decisions. Together, they have built a wonderful life for themselves and their children. Simply put, Sam came here to pursue the American dream, and he achieved it.
Sam mentioned two main things throughout the interview: his reason for coming to America and what helped him adjust. Sam came to America to explore more opportunities than he could find in Nepal. This is one of the main pull factors that bring people here. It is known as the land of the free and for providing a better life than people can find elsewhere. Despite this, moving to a new country is very difficult. It is so beneficial to have a strong community for people immigrating to America. Sam’s community helped him get a job, find a place to live, and eventually become a successful business owner. Sam’s success story is inspiring. It shows the beauty of immigration and how America brings success and happiness to many people. The many factors that pull people into this country and the diverse communities that people have built here are both extremely important parts of the immigration experience. Interviewing Sam and being able to connect concepts discussed in class with someone’s real-life experience was an enlightening and inspiring opportunity that helped me achieve a deeper understanding of the immigration experience.
[00:03:45] Eve: When and where were you born?
[00:03:48] Sam I was born in um, 11/13/1979 in Nepal. N E P A L.
[00:04:00] Eve: Is there anything about your childhood that you specifically remember about your home or your experiences?
Sam: I know, I’m eating, can you do yours? Did you record it?
[00:04:14] Allison: It’s going to be recorded, so you have to talk, like, can you hold, like, it’s gonna finish quick, like, can you eat after?
Sam: Okay, so go ahead again.
Eve: Can you describe your childhood or any events or things you remember about your home life growing up?
[00:04:30] Sam: I mean like, uh, when I was like a small age, we like, after school, we used to gather and go for swimming in the river. You know, that’s what I remember. Most of the time, and we used to gather for like, you know, we used to play football, and after that, we used to, you know, lay on the ground until the dark, and then after that we used to go home, you know, things that happened like in my childhood.
[00:04:59] Eve: Did you have a lot of fun growing up? Like hanging out and stuff?
Sam: Yeah, hang out with our friends after school. Yeah, we used to do a lot of those days, you know, you wouldn’t get these days now, you know, nowadays, but those days are like really fun, you know, meeting friends, no mobile device, nothing that time, you know. It’s like a face-to-face.
[00:05:15] Eve: All right. Um What values did your parents stress while you were growing up or what were their like expectations of you?
[00:05:41] Sam: They want me to like study well, you know, uh go to good college, and earn some money You know do a better job, things like that. Be a good person, you know like uh, learn good things, you know, hang out with the good people and learn good things and get a better life things like that.
[00:06:08] Eve: Were they like strict about certain things?
Sam: Well, my dad was really strict about after 7 p. m. nighttime, he wouldn’t let me go outside. He used to close the door and we were inside. So, no fun after, like you know, dark. Most of the time if he’s home, he doesn’t want, uh, he wants all the family to be together and he doesn’t want anybody to be out in the dark. He was really strict about that. Like, you know, specific rules.
[00:06:39] Eve: Did you have like chores or expectations for you to do things for your family when you were a child?
[00:07:00] Sam: Yeah. I mean, I wanted to, I have, three sisters. And then, you know, I was like we used to go to different schools. My sisters go to different and I used to go to different school. And I grew up with my sisters. So, I mean, I like being with them.
[00:07:06] Allison: And then, uh, uh, does he have any expectations for house chores? Like, maybe like he has expectations in like, household chores?
[00:07:31] Sam: Yeah, I mean, I used to help my mom for cooking for sure. Like, you know, dishing and cooking at the side. You know, helping her out. Um, if I get a chance, and my dad used to have a shop, a restaurant, a business. I was raised around the business. So, I used to help him in the shop, you know, selling his stuff and things like that, also when I was free.
Eve: What kind of shop did he have?
[00:07:59] Sam: Yeah. Like, um, what do you call a grocery kind of shop like here. So [00:08:00] sometimes I have to be in the shop and help him out, uh, you know, as a cashier, like, uh, if I get a chance to do it.
Eve: So when did you come to the United States?
[00:08:11] Sam: I came here in, uh, March 29, 2004.
Eve: Okay, and when you first got here, what were, what’d you do?
Sam: I mean, I, when I first got here, um, cause, uh, our time- time zone is really different, right now is like a morning time in Nepal. So, I slept for a couple of days. I didn’t even know when to wake up and things like that. Cause I was not used to that time zone. And I had a jet lag also. Been in bed like for a couple of days. And after that, after some weeks, and my friend helped me out to get a job. And I got a job in a restaurant as a server. And I started my career that way here in the United States.
Eve: And how old were you when you came here?
[00:09:03] Sam: I was 24 years old.
Eve: And were there any problems adjusting to life in a new country?
Sam: Yeah, I mean, uh, my cousin was supposed to pick me up, but he couldn’t come, and I was left in the, you know, um, what do you call it, airport for a while, and his friends came out and helped me out. And I had to stay at a friend’s place, so I had to find a, like, a room to stay, and I was new to this place, didn’t know what to do and all, and everybody was busy, so I was, like, uh, very confused, like, what needs, and what needs to be done, and then I was so worried about that. But day by day, it gets better. I met some friends, and they helped me out, the rules and regulations here is totally different than in my country. So, it was really a tough time in the beginning, uh, to adjust, uh, you know, new place [00:10:00] and our culture and our food also, like, uh, you know, food, I couldn’t find the food that I used to eat in Nepal. So, um, many things, uh, like, uh, suddenly, you know, changed, and then, uh, I had to, you know, adjust that for a while. It took me a while to adjust, you know, here.
Eve: How long did it take you to find somewhere to live? Like on your own?
Sam: I don’t know. On my own, uh, I lived at my friend’s place a month and after that, um, they helped me out, uh, helped me out to get an apartment and I found a one person he was living there before and then, you know, I got a chance to meet him, and then I started staying with him, uh, in that apartment. It’s like a small one-bedroom, two-bedroom apartment we have and I got a job, so, you know, it may help me out for paying rent and all, so. And that helped me out a lot. Uh, when I made that friend, I’m still in touch with that friend. He’s still in Boston. When I came in here, uh, United States, I came in Boston. So, this guy is always, he’s still in contact with me.
[00:11:11] Eve: Would you say like, when you moved here, you did have a good support system?
Sam: Yeah. I mean, uh, the roommate, my roommate, he helped me out ‘cause he was here a while ago than me, say, one year. So, he had to face the, yeah, he’s from also Nepal, and he faced those things. And I was lucky to get him and then he helped me out, you know, the rules, regulations and everything to settle down, everything he helped me out for that.
[00:11:40] Eve: So before you moved here, did you go to college in Nepal?
Sam: Yeah, I went to, I did a bachelor’s degree in Nepal. I used to teach elementary school also in Nepal. I taught kids there for two years.
[00:11:59] Eve: Did you have, where you went to school, did you have like a major?
Sam: Yeah, I did. I had to have a major course, so I did a major in English, because I had to do a lot of literature and everything, so I did a major in English, and that helped me out to get a job in the, you know, school also, because I had a bachelor’s degree in literature, so I used to teach students English, uh, used to be like an English teacher.
[00:12:32] Eve: Had you ever learned any English before going to college?
Sam: Yeah, we have like a, we have like one language to study, but we have a couple of books that is in English. So English is always there, English books is there, like in learning. But we have a secondary, another book for, you know, in English medium also. But most of them are in like our language. [00:13:00]
[00:13:00] Eve: What is your native language?
Sam: Nepali.
[00:13:07] Eve: And since you’re both here, how did you guys meet?
Sam: You mean my wife?
Eve: Yeah, you and your wife. How’d you meet?
Sam: Yeah. I went to Nepal in 2006, uh, to get my, uh, younger sister, uh, married, and then, and then I met her there. And, uh, we chat each other and then, um, uh, we just like, uh, fell in love. And uh, in 2008, I went, uh, back home, and then I got married.
Eve: So you got married in Nepal?
Sam: Yeah, in Nepal, and once I met her, I came here and we used to chat each other like, you know, talking on the phone and all, and after two years and I went back and got married.
Eve: So after you got married did you both move back here or did it take a while for you both to get here?
[00:14:00] Sam: We came here in um because she had to wait uh.
Allison: Like it’s like, um some immigration process we have to wait for, like he was here, and he wasn’t a citizen at the time, so it took like, uh, two and a half years for him to be a citizen and apply me. So after almost like, uh, two and a half years, I came after my marriage, I came here in 2010.
[00:14:22] Eve: So you were apart for over two years? Was that hard?
Allison: It was hard, but he used to go every year, uh, to visit for like a month or so.
Eve: And what year did you guys have kids?
Allison: Our first son was born in 2011. I came here in 2010 and after I came like, after like a few months, I got pregnant, and I had him in 2011. My first child and my second child is my daughter. So, I had her in 2016.
[00:14:51] Eve: So you were together by the time you had kids, like in the same place.
Allison: Yes, yeah, my son he was born in he was born in Boston like we used to live there, and my daughter was born in Virginia.
Eve: So, I know you came first to Boston so, where did you go after that? Like where all you lived in America?
[00:15:21] Sam: Well, many cities, a couple cities in Boston, and then after 2016 we moved here in Richmond, Virginia.
Eve: And what jobs have you had?
Sam: Uh, okay. I went to a medical college, like a medical billing and coding, things like that. I took the course like a, it was like a year course and after that, I got a job, um, you know, admin job in, uh, doctor, um, office. It was a dermatologist’s office. And I worked there almost three, uh, more than two years. [00:16:00] And after that, we moved to Virginia, and I worked here in the post office as a mail carrier, you know, like who does the driving the post office van and then drop the mails. I worked there, um, almost like eight months. And after, after that, I decided to do a business. So, I started a food truck after that.
[00:16:28] Eve: Well, you’re forgetting the most important part- Coldstone.
[00:17:00] Sam: Yeah, Coldstone. And after that, uh, oh yeah, after the food truck and, um, I was looking for a little bigger than that, uh, food truck was a little hectic for me, you know, um, and then I was looking for to start a business, and I met, I met this person Peter, um, and then I, he had, uh, he had a Coldstone in Savannah, Georgia, and I went to visit him, and then, uh, I like it, uh, when I went to visit him, I saw like the way he’s, uh, you know, doing the business. And I told him, let’s start here. And then, uh, I was browsing many places and then, um, luckily, I got to, we found out like one store was selling, um, here in Lynchburg. And then we started, um, I mean, like, uh, decided, uh, we started deciding, um, buying this one. And luckily, we got, you know, bought this store, Coldstone in Lynchburg. So now here I am.
Eve: I’m glad. Has there been anything about any of your jobs you’ve had that you’ve disliked or not become accustomed to?
[00:18:00] Sam: Oh, I mean, I didn’t like the post office job. Yeah, it was like, it was really cold in winter in Charlottesville, and I had to open that window and drop in the mail. That was like really tough for me. And I used to live in Richmond, and I used to drive one hour to do this job in Charlottesville. So, it was like one hour, 10 minutes going and one hour, 10 minutes coming back. It was like too much for me, and I didn’t like that. And after eight months, I decided to quit that job.
[00:18:14] Eve: Other than that, you’ve pretty much liked all your jobs?
Sam: Yeah, I pretty much enjoyed working in a restaurant when I started, when I came in 2004. I started as a server, and after a couple months, I promoted to the manager. I worked in that restaurant almost eight years and then- more than eight years I worked there. And then after I started going to the college for this um, course and I used to work in Target as part-time. I like it there too as a cashier. I mean, pretty much I like every job, but food truck was a little hectic for me. Uh, you know, like too much work there. Like you have to put food in there and you have to go out and sell it and come back, you know? And so, I wanted to have like one specific place to start a business. And then I decided to do the post room. But other than that, I love my job. Um, they helped me out, you know, to grow and everything. So, I have no complaint about the job at all.
Eve: So you’ve owned two businesses now. So, would you say that owning a business, you prefer that? You prefer being a boss? Versus an employee?
[00:19:20] Sam: Yeah. So, I, after I started doing that, uh, food truck, and I, I was looking for a job after that also, but I was thinking I couldn’t work under pressure or something, under someone, so I decided to move on with the business again.
[00:19:42] Eve: That makes sense. So, since moving here, have you experienced anything you’d call unfair treatment or discrimination or anything like that?
[00:20:00] Sam: No, nothing like that. I mean, we were in a city like Boston city, always busy. I mean, people are really rushing going to work. There was like a really busy life there. Um, but here people are like, uh, more kind of like quiet. I’m not, saying quiet, but they are nicer than the city people, I would say sometimes. Um, but other than that, no, I never feel that way, like, in discrimination or anything like that.
Eve: So outside of any, like, unfair treatment, or have you had any bad experiences that you don’t think you would have had in your home country?
[00:20:34] Sam: No, I don’t, uh, I don’t think I had any situation with anybody because I like people, talking to people, you know, and I’m always kind to them and never had an issue. Uh, I don’t think that I had any issue with anybody, but nobody treat me like unfair or anything. I’m the kind of guy, you know, who can make friends easily. And then I think maybe that reason also helped me out, uh, you know, not involved in those things.
[00:21:06] Eve: Oh, good. So, when you first moved here or any time since then, have you joined any like community organizations, any kind of things like that?
Sam: Um, nothing like a big one, but we have like our Nepali community here in Richmond. I used to be a small part of that, uh, you know, they will, they will do like, uh, cultural things, uh, a few times in a year, but I was part of that, uh, like Nepali culture, um, Nepali community group and all, but other than that, um, nothing else.
[00:21:45] Eve: And would you say that that community is like-
[00:22:00] Sam: Nepali group of people they, every state you go, every city you go, we have our own people creating a group, like, if there’s something happening that they will tell people, there’s something happening, you can go, you know, there’ll be a cultural dance, there’ll be like a program.
[00:22:05] Allison: I think she’s trying to say, have you done any kind of volunteer and volunteer community services? That’s what you’re asking, right?
Eve: Or just anything like within your community that’s kind of helped your experience?
Sam: Yeah, member of that I used to be a part of member of that, um, you know as a back support. But not like really I did volunteer anything or anything like that. I don’t remember if I had done that.
[00:22:29] Eve: So it sounds like you have like a good community, at least in Virginia. And would you say that that’s part of what brought you here? Or do you think if you didn’t have that community, you still would have come here?
[00:23:00] Sam: Yeah, I would still have come here. Um, the reason for the leaving Boston is my wife didn’t like the weather back there. It’s always snowy. It’s too cold. And she had the relatives, like uncle, living here in Virginia. And that was another support to be here also for us. So that was the reason. So, we moved here.
Eve: And would you say like your reason for coming to America was more of America drew you to America?
Sam: Moving from Boston, from one state to another one, I was talking about.
[00:23:23] Allison: She was saying, like, coming to America, like, what brought you here?
Eve: Was it more like pulling you to America or pushing you out of Nepal?
Sam: Oh, it’s like, uh, America is like a land of opportunity, you know. Yes, pulling, I would say pulling to America, and, um, it’s a land of opportunity, uh, I mean, you can do many things. Yeah. Anything you want to do in your life. I mean, it’s a, after coming here, I had a, like, a better life than there I would say. More options, more, more, more, a lot of opportunities here, I mean, to grow, we’re from a small country, you know, we have an opportunity there also, but like a limited, you know, like a competition and all, but here, like if you want to do anything on your own, you’re, you know, many options, many choices, many opportunities here, so, you know, It’s exactly, uh, I can say like a land of opportunity, you know, this place.
[00:24:19] Eve: Have you ever regretted moving here?
Sam: I mean, not regretted, but I miss my family. I miss my parents sometimes. Miss my hometown sometimes. So that’s why I used to go once a year. But, uh, other than that, I have a family here, my kids here. So, I think, you know, I’m, I’m happy here.
[00:24:42] Sam: Is there anything you can identify that you’ve come to value most in your life? Like any values you hold or anything like that?
Sam: Meaning, uh, could you specify a little bit?
Eve: [00:25:00] Yeah, like morals or anything that moving to America has made you like cherish or appreciate more?
Sam: Yeah, definitely. This place did. Um, yeah, I’m now, I’m happy to be here. Um, and once I came in, I knew that, um, before coming in, uh, this is the place, you know, where I want to be. I wanted to be. So, once I came here, I mean, I got a job quick, and I started earning money, and I started my, you know, career and all. This place makes you independent. Yeah, and the most, uh, most main thing is independence. You’re like, you’re on your own. So back home, like we used to, we have a culture that we live in one family. And parents used to own the money and the kids. I’m like, we’re not supposed to work and all until, you know, really grown up. But here, it’s totally different. You gotta, you know, own your own, and you have your own life. So, it’s totally different and then, like she said, like independent. This is the main key here. [00:26:00] You know, to grow up and do better things. But it’s stressful. Yeah, it’s like easy life. You gotta run for like work and all. But, um, but at the end, you know, it works out.
Eve: And, if this question is too personal, you don’t have to answer, but do you see yourself raising your children any differently than your parents raised you?
[00:26:29] Allison: I mean, we’ll make them more independent. Like, we are like, very, um, like the culture, like we’re dependent on our parents.
Sam: I want my kids to be like independent, like, like what I learned here when I came here, definitely I want them to be independent.
Allison: Like decision maker, uh, like we are not allowed to make our decisions back home. Like that’s our culture. Like, whatever our parents decide for us, we just follow that. Like, even if you want to, if you have like some interest in like some major, your parents decide what are you going to study? [00:27:00] If I have interest in math, they said, no, you need to read science. So, like, you know, like. But over here, like, it’s, it’s like liberal, we are liberal, and like, I want my kids, they make their own decision, and we’ll just follow, we’ll support them, you know, we’ll support them, whatever they decide, like, for a good decision, we’re gonna, we’re gonna support them. That’s, that’s what I want. The change we want to make to our children, yeah.
Eve: That’s a good thing. And, okay, I know you already own your own business and everything, but do you have any future goals for yourself that you’d like to see happen?
Sam: [00:28:00] Uh, I want to, like, add more, like, I love food business. Because when I came in these states here, I worked more than eight years in restaurant, and since then, I like, uh, you know, food business. So, I will see myself, uh, maybe like, uh, adding another store, and then I can handle, I mean, I can take care of both these stores, you know, uh, I just want to grow up like another business or maybe same kind or, maybe a little different, but, uh, yeah, grow the business.
[00:28:13] Eve: And since you’ve moved here, have any of your views about living here changed since you first got here? Lifestyle or just your opinion about living in the U.S.
[00:29:00] Sam: Yeah, I mean, totally. Like we said before, uh, is independent place, and then, um, you are a decision maker. You are the only one here. I mean, like your parents are far away. So, this place really make, like, a change in life cause I spent 24. 23 years I spent my life in back home, so I know how I’ve grown up and everything. When I came here, it’s a totally different life, but uh, I had my one choice, uh, what I need to do, and what is better for me, and you know, I used to think by myself, um, not like a whole family, I have to think about like, you know, I cannot do this and that, but this is, this is the place where I learned, uh, these things.
[00:29:17] Eve: Do you have any specific example of what’s been your happiest moment living here? Or honestly at any time in your life?
Sam: When I have a like first kid, that was like, you know, I mean both kids I have that was the happiest moment of my life, but when I had like a first kid. You know, it’s like a big change, a big jump in life, you know. Another phase of life. So that was the happiest moment when I hold, hold him in a hospital. So, I would say, both of my son and daughter, that is the best part of my life. I would say like that made me happy. And business also. I’m like, uh, I was, you know, looking to get a little bit bigger than a food truck. Luckily, I got this business, you know, I started, and then, uh, there was another moment, a big moment of my life also.
[00:30:09] Eve: So other than any of the questions I’ve asked you, is there anything you want to share about your experience, your life, moving to the United States, anything?
Sam: Yeah, you know, like in short, um, I feel lucky that I’m here. Um, I restarted my, you know, I spent my half-life back home and another half-life I’m running here. And I have kids and family here, I have best people, um, best friends, and people who help me out a lot, uh, learn so many things, uh, made independent, uh, and, you know, like, uh, so many things have changed since we’ve come here. So overall, uh, I, if I look my back, back, um, like, life back there, I started as a server, now I’m, I’m doing my own business, so yes, [00:31:00] definitely. This was like growing for me, and then I have kids, I have to think about them also when they’re grown up, you know, send them to a good school, good college and all. So overall, I’m happy to be here. And this is a place I love. So, I’m happy what I have now.
Allison: Are you thankful to someone?
Sam: Yeah, I’m thankful to someone that, you know, I got here.
[00:31:24] Allison: What, who are you thankful to?
Sam: I’m like, the people who helped me out, uh, you know, moving in here.
[00:31:35] Eve: Well, I don’t have any more questions. If you have anything else you’d like to share, you are welcome to.
Sam: I think, yeah, I mean, that’s all, like, uh, like I said, uh, I’m happy to be here. I want to grow more. And, uh, getting more, um, you know, business and all and give my child and the kids, you know, a better life. So that’s all I have. I’m like, you know, I want to do in [00:32:00] my life.
Allison: So, what about me? Like you never thanked me, oh my goodness.
Sam: Yes, she’s always there. She’s always if I’m, you know, in stress if I’m like, you know, in a big trouble or something, I mean, If I have to make a decision, she’s always there. She’s the one who, you know, I always go with a decision and her decision is the best. So, moving forward, like from Boston to here and Richmond to here, it’s not easy. I mean, like, you know, it’s really difficult with the kids and all your life is totally different. We want to step to another step, but we decided with, I mean, like she helped me out and then, so we are here now. So, I think big thanks to her also.
[00:32:44] Eve: Moving is hard. I can’t imagine as many times as you guys have.
Allison: And we just moved again. Moved from apartment to this townhouse recently, like a month we bought a townhouse and it still, we have like so many boxes to unpack. Yeah.
Eve: [00:33:00] Like since I’ve left, you’ve got a new house?
Sam: Yeah. And we bought a townhouse.
Eve: Aw congratulations! That’s exciting. Do you like it?
[00:33:05] Sam: Thank you. Yeah, thank you. Yeah. I mean better than a, I would say, apartment. It’s like, I don’t know, but it’s a big, uh, like a, it’s a nice community, um, and the school. Kids’ schools are really close by, I mean, they’re walkable. So, yeah.
[00:33:32] Eve: Oh, good. That’s exciting. Well, thank you for sharing everything.
Sam: All right. So, we are done?
Eve: Yeah. I don’t have any more questions.
Sam: Alright, thank you. Now I need to eat my, I need to eat my dinner now.
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