Bala Thillainathan, originally from India, is a Technical Lead at Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies. He’s been in the U.S. for 20 years now, having initially come here for work. “It just kind of happened!”, he says.

Bala most enjoys the speed of access and efficiency of getting things done here, versus things that might take longer in his home country. The bitterness of the cold weather was most surprising to him when he arrived. Getting acclimated to the weather, culture and commute were a bit challenging.

What are his tips for someone new the U.S.? He says, “Comparing the U.S. to your home country is bound to happen; try to keep those comparisons positive. There will always be two groups of people wherever you go here, the ones that accept us and the ones that don’t, so try to be open minded.”

Well, I’m glad you’re here, Bala! Learn more about his work here.