Sejal Patel Interview Essay

Interview of Sejal Patel

Introduction

For centuries the United States has been one big melting pot, there is no other place that has such a diverse population. The different ethnicities that have been brought here from different countries has helped shape America into what it is today. Sejal Patel and his family are a prime when it comes to example bringing their India culture into America and trying to keep the customs alive.

Sejal’s father is my mother-in-law, Ann, employer. I met him one day when I came to pick Ann up from work when her car was in the shop. He was born in South Boston, VA in 1983, however, his parents are originally from India. His parents, Sammy and Dipples, moved to Toronto, Canada and then in the early 1980’s move to South Boston, VA, where they bought a motel. Sejal lived in South Boston for eighteen years and then moved to Raleigh, North Carolina to attend college. He graduated from NC State University in 2006 and then decided to make Raleigh his home. He has worked in multiple industries and companies, but Sejal is currently a Senior Pricing Systems Analyst at a pharmaceutical company called Quintiles.

Interview

When I first ask Sejal to do the interview you could tell he was pleased to discuss his family heritage. His family is considered South

There were no temples close by to go worship or even any specialty India stores to go buy groceries necessary to make traditional Indian food. What many Indians used to do to incorporate their religion in America, they would build a miniature shrine or temple within their homes. Also, the Indian community started to garden at their homes. They are able to grow vegetables that were not available at the typical grocery store. These were initial barriers, but through the years they have become less since there are Indian specialty in stores now and even Indian temples in various