Patricia Mugure
Submitted to Upwardly global
"Letter Home" Essay Contest, Posted: Mar 31, 2005
Dear Cucu,
Hope you are doing well. Sorry I haven’t been in touch for awhile; between college and work, I hardly get a chance to shower. However, I am not complaining; I learnt quickly that hard work pays off in the US.
Well, I thought I’d write to wish you a happy New Year. I cannot believe that I just celebrate my fourth New Year in California. I feel like I just left Kenya. California is perfect for me, especially the Bay Area. The weather is like the weather there at home – sunny and warm. Though right now its raining like crazy. This area is also the most diverse place that I have been to in the US. I spent a few uncomfortable weeks in a small town in Massachusetts; I got many stares because sometimes, as I like to put it, I was the only “colorful” person in a store or bus. So coming to the Bay Area was like coming home. There are people here from everywhere. I have friends from Honduras, Nepal, Mexico, California, Texas… the list is endless. I feel at home because I’m surrounded by people who understand how it feels to be homesick. We have become each other’s family. When I miss Nairobi, I hop on a train and go to San Francisco. It is just like Nairobi - many people, many cars, crafty beggars, the smell of urea… I never thought that that smell would cause a nostalgic effect, but funny enough it does. I love the place. My only negative experience in California is that some people here don't make an effort to understand people who have foreign accents. They make you repeat yourself over and over, and pretend not to understand. This is quite frustrating especially when they then try to “teach” you how to pronounce the word supposedly in “American”. But I’m glad the current governor has a foreign accent, maybe some of these people might start to be more accommodating. The governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is another example of how welcoming California is. Only in California can a guy from Austria become governor- I'm still amazed.
I have adjusted quite well to life in California. However, there are some things I still have to get used to like driving on the right side and the massive highways in California...some even have six car lanes. I also have to get used to the word ‘like’. Many of my friends here use it after every single word they speak. It’s a California thing. Surprisingly, I have acquired the habit of using the word ‘Dude’. I find myself saying things like “What were you thinking, dude?” Among other habits, I now speak a kind of language called Spanglish, which is a fun blend of English and Spanish- I picked it up from my Hispanic friends. I have also become a coffee addict… sorry. I can’t help myself because every other shop in California is a Starbucks, which is a famous chain of coffee shops. They even have Starbucks shops across the road from each other. So I got curious and became hooked.
Being in California has opened up a new, wonderful life for me. I laugh when I remember how nervous I was when I was leaving for the US. But two things gave me comfort. The first, the blessing you gave me before I left. You read Psalm 139; verse 9 stuck with me “[LORD]…if I flew away beyond the east or lived in the farthest place in the west, you would be there to lead me and help me.” California is indeed the furthest place to the west. The second is: when I arrived in the US, I spent two days in New York with Njeri. She took me to see the Statue of Liberty, where I saw a plaque that had a poem, which I wrote down. The poem said:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
These two things even today still give me comfort that California is a place where I am welcomed and that I can make my new home. I think the Statue of Liberty should be moved to California.
Also, as you asked me to do, I found this wonderful church in San Jose called Cathedral of Faith. What more can I ask for! California is home. I can’t wait for you to come visit so you can see the place for yourself. You’ll love it. Please say hello to everyone there. I miss you terribly. God Bless.
Love, Mugure
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