Recipes for Living The Patel Family

In our family we have four people — my dad Pragnesh Patel, my mom Ketal Patel, my little sister Shailee, and me, Eesha. We have lived in many different places, because my family has moved around a good bit. Before we moved to the U.S, we used to live in Kenya, afterward we moved to Sandy Springs, Georgia and then Cumming, Georgia and finally we came to live here in Osceola, Iowa.

Life in Kenya was amazing, it was totally different in every way, from life over here. My grandparents were both born in Kenya, and they lived there all their lives, so my dad was also born there, and then after my parents got married, they too lived in Kenya. I lived in Kenya until I was about seven years old, and life over there was very different from what people think life would be like. Most people ask us "Did you have animals in your backyard?" We never had animals in our yard because we lived in a city, the capital — Nairobi, as a matter of fact. And most of the animals in Kenya were in the wild, or in national reserve parks.

Nairobi was a pretty big, developed part of the country, and it was filled with many businesses and business owners. Our family owned a business in Nairobi called Electro Centre, where we used to sell all types of electrical items to big businesses all around the country. In Kenya there was a big Indian community, so there would always be grand celebrations of Indian festivals and holidays, and there was always something to do every weekend. Everyone would always get together and spend time together on the weekends.

When we first moved to the U.S, we lived in Georgia. Back when we lived in Georgia, my parents bought and built two new businesses, and then they would run those businesses. At the time we lived in Sandy Springs, Georgia, the first business my parents bought was called Quiznos Sub, and it was a sandwich shop. Obviously Sandy Springs was much different from Niarobi. Sandy Springs was a big suburban area that was always bustling with many new businesses and different people, it was a great place to live. At first everything felt very much different from what we were used to, but we eventually made a habit of everything. We lived in Sandy Springs for about three years.

After a while of living in Sandy Springs, we decided to try something new and that's why my parents sold our Quiznos Sub and we moved to Cumming, Georgia. Cumming was another rapidly developing city, and in Cumming my parents owned a sports bar and family restaurant called Indigo Joe's. I remember that while we lived in Cumming, life was totally different from what it had been like before. We lived in an even bigger city than we had in Kenya and even in our old place — Sandy Springs. Cumming was always growing bigger and bigger, there were always many new people to meet and many more things to do. Our business was always really busy, too. My parents would always be really busy with the restaurant, we didn't get to spend much time with them, and it seemed as though they were always at the restaurant or doing something for the restaurant. After a while my parents sold Indigo Joes, and we moved up to Iowa.

When my family moved up to Iowa my parents bought two new businesses — Super 8 and Days Inn, and life up here was definitely the most different it had been. But it wasn't hard to adjust, because after living in big cities and suburbs, living in a small town was a change. Although life in Osceola, was the most different, it was also the most peaceful and relaxing. All of us love living in a small town. Life in Osceola may be the quietest we have ever seen, but it also has its benefits, like getting to spend more time with family, knowing everyone in town, and having a less hectic life. Just like all of the other parents in the world, Shailee and I are blessed to have great and loving parents, who always love and think for us, even if they make us move around a lot — it is for the better of us.

EESHA PATEL

When I was a little girl, I had always wanted a little sister to play and run around being a little monster with. After a few years, when I was five years old, Shailee was born. At first it was really boring having a little sister, because all Shailee did was eat, sleep, cry and poop.

At the time I didn't realize that all babies are like that, I always thought that Shailee just didn't want to play or do anything together, and it did feel really different having someone else who got all the attention in the family. Then as Shailee started growing up, I started having someone to play with and someone to bully!! So after Shailee could walk and talk, we did everything together. Even after we moved to the U.S. I remember staying in our apartment in Georgia when my parents owned the Quiznos Sub, and we would always do things like homework together.

At the time I did have difficulty in School especially Language Arts, because I was used to a totally different style of working and writing in Kenya, so I did have to adjust, and it did take a while to pull up my grades. Eventually with the help of my family, friends and teachers I started having an easier time in school.

As we grew up it felt good having a little sister, who always asked you for help or always took your advice, since we moved around a good bit, Shailee always talked to me and, although we did fight and argue a lot (still do) I always tried to make sure she didn't have hard time in school the way I did.

Now I'm a junior in high school, and I plan on studying medicine when I go to college, although I haven't decided what exactly I want to do yet. Shailee and I help our parents a bit on the weekends with both Super 8 and Days Inn; it can be pretty interesting at times. When we're not helping our parents, we usually ride our bikes together, draw and paint pictures, go visit our cousins, read a lot, hang out with friends, and play and listen to lots of music.

SHAILEE PATEL
Introduction by Fern Underwood.

I am one of several volunteers in the Clarke Community Elementary School. Volunteering is a wonderful opportunity to stay in touch with young people, whose knowledge and talents never fail to amaze and rejuvenate me. During the 2009-2010 school year I listened to Mrs. Tokheim's 4th grade class read, and became acquainted with and impressed by Shailee Patel. I noticed her particularly because she is so slender, stands so straight and tall, and is a beautiful girl. She reads very well and comprehends what she was reading. It is obvious she has a purpose in her life. She is in school to learn.

We always talk a little before or after the pupils read and one day I asked if she liked to write. She does! She told me she has written several stories. I told her I write, also.

I write people's life stories and I wondered if she would like me to write hers. She agreed but I wanted to be sure her parents would approve. I asked if I could see her father and she told me I could go to Super 8 and ask for the manager.

The week of March 15 to 19, 2010, the school had a spring break, so Monday morning, the 15th, I went to see her father. No one was at the desk when I went in but a sign told me to dial a number. A man answered and I asked to speak to the manager. He asked what about and I said, "Actually, about his little daughter." It was Mr. Patel who answered the phone. It took him no time to come to the desk and I met Pragnesh Patel, a very friendly, delightful young man. He gave me permission to do Shailee's story, and we agreed I would go back on Wednesday morning.

Shailee and I met in their conference room, newly mopped and sparkling clean. I had taken my tape recorder to begin the story. Shailee came prepared with notebook, note pads and pencils. I asked to see her stories and she showed them to me, written on their computer and printed. They were delightful!

I asked Shailee a few questions about her life, and was excited to learn about the Kenya connection. In 1986, I had attended a meeting of the World Methodist Council in Nairobi. It was a surprise to discover a very modern city. The meetings were held in a complex far more modern and more interestingly designed than had we held the meeting at Veterans' Auditorium in Des Moines. I found it fascinating to meet people in Osceola who had once lived in Kenya.

Shailee answered all my questions so very clearly and completely that as we talked on, it occurred to me it was foolish for me to write her story when she could do it herself. Shailee told a little more about herself and her family when we met on Wednesday morning:

SHAILEE PATEL

I was born in Europe on February 8, 2000, at 5:15 P.M. European time which is 11:15 A.M. Central time.

My father, Pragnesh Patel, was born in Kenya, in Africa. My mother was born in India. Her name is Ketal.

My father was going to India and my dad's dad's sister had them meet. They liked each other and got married. They lived in Kenya, and when my sister was going to be born, they went to London, then back to Kenya. Then they went to India and when I was born, they lived somewhere near London. My sister's name is Eesha. Now she is 15 and she is in 10th grade.

I was two years old when we came to Georgia in America. We opened a Quiznos shop which was like a sandwich shop where people can choose a cheese, then they put bread with cheese on it in an oven, and people can choose what else they want on it — pickles, lettuce and such things. This was in Atlanta. We lived in an apartment.

I remember I used to go to preschool. We used to leave at 12:00 to drop me off and I think I used to get picked up at 3:00. At pre-school we would have Show and Tell, outside recess, indoor recess, snack time, lunch time and craft time. We had volunteers to help us and we studied a little. Every day we made something, like we would sometimes do water colors, or we drew whatever we wanted to. We did art kind of stuff like drawing, coloring, or painting. We didn't have a very big class — maybe 10 kids.

Then we moved to a different place in Georgia called Cumming in Forsyth County. We bought a house and had another restaurant called Indigo Joe's. It had different rooms. A dining room with a pool table in it, and it had an upstairs with kind of a private place and people could watch TV like some people watched the Super Bowl, or if you wanted to watch — like cartoons, you would have to sit on a different side. There was a family place where you could go with the family.

I went to kindergarten and half of second grade. In kindergarten through second grade my teachers' names were Mrs. Beasley, Mrs. Moller, and Mrs. Farnam. Then after awhile we moved to Osceola, Iowa and started the motel business. The teachers I have had are Mrs. Wetterling, Mrs. Christian, and now I have Mrs. Tokheim.

When we came to Iowa, we went to my mom's cousins' sisters' in West Des Moines. We looked for some place to live and came to Osceola, Iowa, and my dad works at Super 8, and Day's Inn. I don't help my dad but sometimes I help my mom do laundry. We have to fold the sheets and towels.