CHAPTER FOUR
The Hindi word for life is jeevan.
Kishore shook with nervous anticipation as the plane carried him on his way towards his new life. He tried to calm himself by watching the on-board video showing scenic pictures of New Zealand. The unfolding scenes of the country’s landscapes, mountains, snow and rolling pastures mesmerized him. The narrator’s voice hypnotised him with words like, ‘the land of milk and honey’ and welcomed him, as it did all immigrants, to this diverse country where anyone could literally walk off the plane and into employment.
As the plane touched down in Auckland, one thought hit him pretty hard, in fact it was with such a jolt he felt like he had been hit by a train, ‘I am here, I have made it.’ He was excited and nervous in equal measure - he almost muttered out loud, ‘Well Kishore this is it, no turning back now.’ All he had in his wallet was twenty dollars. Telephone calls to Aunt Bhamini, immigration papers and his air ticket were terribly expensive but he was determined to use that one note as a stepping stone to a fulfilling future.
His first taste of being spoken to in a Kiwi accent was by the immigration officer as he asked to see Kishore’s passport. He had to listen carefully to understand what the officer was saying, his accent being very strong. As Kishore collected his luggage different words assailed his ears, of course he spoke English but the sound of people talking seemed so odd.
He walked into the International Arrivals area, searching for a familiar face. He grinned as his eyes locked onto someone beaming back at him. Akarsh, Kishore’s cousin, his Aunt’s son, had come to the airport to collect him. Kishore was relieved to see a recognisable face amongst the crowd. As the cousins approached one another there was a great reunion. They had not seen each other for years and by this time had grown into men. With big silly grins they slapped each other on the back and punched each other’s shoulder.
As they made their way to the exit, Kishore watched as people were rushing here and there – leaving to go on a journey or coming back. Friends and families meeting in Arrivals or seeing each other off in Departures and employees going about their business.
Once outside with Kishore’s luggage stowed in the boot of Akarsh’s tired looking white Vauxhall Viva, they climbed in. Akarsh told him to buckle up his seatbelt, something Kishore was not used to because it was not law in India.
Kishore spoke in Hindi, “Oh no, it is okay, I trust your driving.”
“The law is strict here mate, you have to wear your seatbelt I don’t want to get a ticket” Akarsh replied in English.
Kishore, for the first time in his life obediently buckled his seatbelt.
They left the airport and as they approached the motorway Akarsh indicated, manoeuvred into an empty lane, then pressed his foot hard on the accelerator pedal. Kishore was quiet, he was amazed at all of the greenery and cleanliness but surprised by the lack of other cars and people.
“Where are all the people?” he asked, again in Hindi.
Akarsh laughed out loud and replied in English, “You’d better start speaking in English mate. There are not as many people here as there are in India but today everyone is at work or school.”
Kishore smiled as he remembered a line from the video on the plane stating New Zealand had more sheep than people. Although Kishore knew Aotearoa’s - New Zealand in Maori language ‘land of the long white cloud’ first language was English before he arrived it made him acutely aware of the reality of his situation, he was now in a foreign country and had better start speaking in English as much as he could in order to grasp the strange accent.
He was also soon to discover the cultural differences were huge. The Kiwi accent was one thing but the clothing, mannerisms and the way society worked was another. He was to realise his greatest challenge was all things Kiwi. Words he had never heard before such as ‘mate,’ - his cousin had already called him ‘mate’ twice, chilly bin, fish and chips – pronounced ‘fush un chups,’ pavlova, stoked, awesome and the word ‘aye’ or ‘eh’ at the end of a sentence. Why would people use the word ‘aye?' He came to understand it was a term commonly used after asking a question, when you want the person to agree with you, such as, “It’s nice weather outside today, aye?”
As Akarsh drove, the needle on his car speedometer never wavered, remaining firmly on the speed limit of 100km per hour. Kishore, lost in his thoughts caught sight of the road signs on the other side of the motorway as they flashed past, Mangere, Onehunga...he wondered how on earth were those names were pronounced? He soon came to realise some words didn’t sound as they were written, which absolutely confused him such as: chemist, picturesque, island, knife, photo and pharmacy.
As they exited the motorway and entered a suburban area the car finally slowed to a more moderate pace. Kishore was intrigued at the pedestrians walking along the footpath. Men wearing wrinkled shirts and shorts with jandals which showed their splayed bare feet. Women with pink painted lips, squeezed into short skirts and tiny t-shirts. Kishore wondered why would people go out of the house looking so casual, immodest and why didn’t they iron their clothes?
Finally Akarsh drove into the driveway of Kishore’s Aunt’s home. He was happy to see his Aunt and Uncle but even happier that now the wheels of the next stage of his life could begin to turn. He had crossed the biggest hurdle, he was here.
He was surprised to see their house. It seemed so big. In fact it was a typical Kiwi house made of brick, with three bedrooms, a garage underneath and a big back yard. Once inside and after being shown to the room he was to share with Akarsh, he was eager to take on his next big challenge, to secure employment. Kishore, determined to find a position in accounting as soon as possible asked his Aunt for the Situations Vacant section from the newspaper. Aunt Bhamini said, “You must take a few day’s rest, Kishore, you may suffer from jet lag, get yourself settled first.”
But Kishore was impatient, his new life beckoned him, he wanted to get started.