Name: Nozim Bakhriddinov
Age: 36
Lives in: Brooklyn, NY
Ethnicity: Uzbek
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Pear and Melon

I moved to NYC to realize my dreams of getting an education in art and of speaking English. Moving to New York was really very fast for me. I made a decision and approximately one month before leaving, I sent a letter to my old friend from college, Aziz, with some questions about life in NYC. He said, “I don’t know, but let’s do it together.” At that time he was living in Cincinnati and planning to change location, too. He arrived in New York about three weeks before me, and we agreed that he’d meet me at the airport and let me stay in his apartment for a few days. But when I got here, I was surprised to learn that I needed to fill out an address of where I was going to stay during my visit or I couldn’t enter the country (I came here with a tourist visa and then changed my status later). My cell phone had no internet connection and I didn’t know how to ask about addresses. The immigrations officer said that he couldn’t let me in until I filled it out, but he called a colleague over to help me. The officer was young and thin with kind eyes. He gave me his phone and finally, I was talking with my friend. Now here I am studying English, working as a pastry chef, and making my art in Brooklyn.

Welcome to We the People, a column featuring stories and profiles of your fellow Americans because we the people of the United States need to meet one another. Click here to learn more.