ABSTRACT
Only one plane flew out from Patna during the afternoon. There were very few people around at the airport. Through the small window in the plane, I watched the rest of my fa standing far back from the tarmac. They were all there to say goodbye to me, aunts and uncles; my mother in a new sari; my grandmother, who had been brought from the village in which she lived; several cousins and their spouses; my brother-in-law; and a young nephew. I was a little nervous-getting the American visa hadn’t been easy, and the fear remained that I would be turned back at any point-but I was also tremendously excited and happy.
