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Shayna Patel
My parents could write a combined memoir of all the obstacles they have overcome
throughout their lifetime, including how they ended up in the United States of America. As a
first generation American, I have always asked questions, interviewed my parents (and other
family members) for various school projects, and listened to the stories they tell at dinner
parties, and every single time I learn something new. When I asked my mum if I could interview
her for yet another education related assignment, she said “ask your dad, I bet you’ll learn
something new.” She was, in fact right. I asked questions that I hadn’t asked before and
listened as I heard my dad tell an emotional story of how he lived in three other countries
before ending up in the melting pot known as the United States of America.
My father’s name is Jatin Kaushik Patel. Son of Kaushikbhai Patel and Madhurika Patel,
brother of Bina Patel and Hema Moore, husband of Achla Patel, father of Shayna Jatin Patel and
Anika-Jade Patel. He is a business owner, an imagrant, and a friend to so many. At the young
age of 54, my father has overcome more obstacles than I could ever imagine.
It all started on the fourth of August 1964 in Nairobi, Kenya. My father was born as the
first boy to his parents. He was the youngest of three. My grandfather, Kaushikbhai Patel came
from poverty and was working hard as an accountant to provide for his family, and my grand
mother Madhurika Patel stayed home to raise their children. When my father was born, my
oldest aunt, Bina was sent to live with her grandmother in India because there was not enough
space for her in the tiny two bedroom apartment where they lived. At the age of three, they
relocated to Kampala, Uganda, where my aunt Bina joined them and they stayed for a very
short time. Uganda started to become very unsafe for Indian and Pakistani citizens, so my
grandfather saved some money and sent his family to England. My grandmother, two aunts,
Shayna Patel
and father settled by the beach in Brighton where the children received their education and my
grandmother worked in a factory on a production line. My grandfather stayed behind, in
Uganda to keep working so he could save enough money to join his family in England, but “in
1971, General Idi Amin overthrew the elected government of Milton Obote and declared
himself president of Uganda, launching a ruthless eight-year regime in which an estimated
300,000 civilians were massacred. His expulsion of all Indian and Pakistani citizens in 1972”
(“Idi Amin, History.com). The day Idi Amin took over, he gave all Indian and Pakistani citizens
24 hours to leave Uganda. My grandfather packed a bag and headed for England to avoid
becoming one of the 300,000 people who lost their lives. My grandfather and father both
describe this as the scariest day of their lives.
