Bengali American

In middle school I befriended many kids my age from a local mosque. The majority of those friends were from Bangladesh, the small yet densely populated country to the right of India on the Indian subcontinent. Bangladesh is a very young, Muslim majority country which gained its independence in 1971 from Pakistan and has been steadily progressing as a democratic nation ever since. However, poverty, crime and natural disasters are unfortunately part of everyday life for people living in Bangladesh (bcc.com). Through my friendships I've learned about Bengali culture such as the traditional way of eating certain meals with hands only, how important obedience to family is, and the male skirt known as a lungi that some wear. I grew to enjoy their cultural, partake in many Bengali gatherings and continued my friendships to this day. 

During the summer of 2016 I was introduced to a man from Bangladesh who soon became a good friend and someone I've learned a lot from. To keep his identity safe I will refer to him as Lebron. I was introduced to him by his cousin who is also a longtime friend of mine. Lebron has only been in the United States for about 4 years now. He can speak English enough to manage his job and hold conversations on most topics with a limited vocabulary. Due to our growing familiarity, it became easier for him and I to have conversations about anything after some practice. It's impressive to me how well he’s able to interact with costumers where he works as the head manager. He speaks the menu fluently and can interact with customers about their orders without any problems.

Lebron has mentioned how much he misses his home country despite not having much desire to go back. For the most part, he misses his friends and family he grew up yet he’s hesitant to visit due to the conditions there. As a child he was pressured into taking a popular Bengali drug known as yaba which is a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine (Thompson). Yaba is highly addictive and for this reason many dealers of the drug target children.

Since he's came to the united states not too long ago he's already become successful in his job and supports his family at a young age. Lebron lives the American dream by having the opportunity to support his family by working despite the odds being against him. His story reminds me that no matter where you come from or what you been through, there is hope and opportunity for everyone to find happiness and success.

Work Cited

Bangladesh country profile, BBC.com, August 13^th 2017, Sept 1, 2017

Nathan A. Thompson, Yaba addiction: The dark side of Bangladesh's increasing affluence, CNN.com, August 6^th 2017, September 1, 2017