Migrating from Sri Lanka to the United States with her family wasn’t easy for Sumudu Desilva, but she now feels at home in the Bay Area.
Acclimating to moving abroad at 40 is almost like falling in love. There’s a lustful initial novelty like in a new relationship, that steadily wanes as time wears on, and expenses and bills start to trickle in.
Disembarking from the plane six years ago, I was elated. A warm fuzzy feeling emanated from the pit of my stomach as I walked out of the Tom Bradley terminal at LAX with two kids, and six suitcases, to a fresh start in America, my new home.
Life in Sri Lanka had not been uncomfortable, but I wanted my kids to experience living somewhere else, just as my own family had made the switch from England to Sri Lanka when I was young. I had fallen in love with California as a newly married and wanted my children to experience the state I loved.
As routine sets in, so does frustration. I applied for so many jobs and was turned down so many times that I realized starting new also meant starting from the bottom. I found myself waitressing and valet parking with workdays stretching from the morning till 10pm and even midnight.