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India Today
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
US woman who moved to India at 19 for a job writes heartfelt note to Mumbai
Eliza Karaza shared this picture in a now-viral post on Instagram. India Today Trending Desk A woman from Chicago moved to Mumbai at 19 without a job or living details She started as an art teacher and embraced Mumbai's chaos Her story resonated with many facing new city challenges A woman moved from Chicago to Mumbai at 19 without knowing her salary, school, or even where she'd live. A decade later, she penned a heartfelt note to the city that helped her grow up. In 2015, 19-year-old Eliza Karaza boarded a flight to India with barely any details in hand. She had never been to the country, had never held a full-time job, and had no idea what the role would pay, or even where she'd stay. But she was eager. 'Ten years ago, I went to Mumbai for a job. I hadn't spoken to the employer. I didn't know where either was staying when I got there,' she said. Ten years later, Karaza, a Syrian-American artist and entrepreneur, looked back at that bold decision in an Instagram post that felt more like a love letter to Mumbai than a story about career risks. 'I didn't know what my salary would be. I didn't know which school I'd be teaching at. I hadn't even spoken to my employer,' she added. None of that mattered to her then. 'But who cares?! I was 19 and excited!' she said, summing up the carefree courage of someone ready to leap without a safety net. Born and raised in Chicago, Karaza moved to Mumbai to work as an art teacher. Since then, she has built a creative life in the city. In 2020, she launched Harakaat, a fashion label known for its hand-painted denim jackets that merge South Asian art with Western silhouettes. She also co-founded Mehal House, a creative studio and lifestyle brand, with her partner. From being clueless about how she'd commute to finding her own rhythm in the chaos, Mumbai gave her more than just a job. It gave her roots. 'I love Bombay so much,' she wrote. 'I loved how easy it was to get around. I felt so free.' Take a look at her post here: Her post resonated with many who related to the unpredictability of moving to a new city. 'Woah!! I came to the US at 18 (didn't know anyone either), but I think I might have had an easier time than you,' a user said. Another user wrote, 'This is peace, that eventually everything will be okay one day, and we're here just to learn. I'm going through a similar phase, and this reel gave me reassurance that feels relieving. Thank you.' 'Bombay does that to people. It terrifies you, then teaches you how to live,' one of the users said. See the comments here: From not knowing where she'd sleep to building two homegrown brands in India, Eliza Karaza's journey has been anything but ordinary. She didn't just survive Mumbai, she let it raise her. A woman moved from Chicago to Mumbai at 19 without knowing her salary, school, or even where she'd live. A decade later, she penned a heartfelt note to the city that helped her grow up. In 2015, 19-year-old Eliza Karaza boarded a flight to India with barely any details in hand. She had never been to the country, had never held a full-time job, and had no idea what the role would pay, or even where she'd stay. But she was eager. 'Ten years ago, I went to Mumbai for a job. I hadn't spoken to the employer. I didn't know where either was staying when I got there,' she said. Ten years later, Karaza, a Syrian-American artist and entrepreneur, looked back at that bold decision in an Instagram post that felt more like a love letter to Mumbai than a story about career risks. 'I didn't know what my salary would be. I didn't know which school I'd be teaching at. I hadn't even spoken to my employer,' she added. None of that mattered to her then. 'But who cares?! I was 19 and excited!' she said, summing up the carefree courage of someone ready to leap without a safety net. Born and raised in Chicago, Karaza moved to Mumbai to work as an art teacher. Since then, she has built a creative life in the city. In 2020, she launched Harakaat, a fashion label known for its hand-painted denim jackets that merge South Asian art with Western silhouettes. She also co-founded Mehal House, a creative studio and lifestyle brand, with her partner. From being clueless about how she'd commute to finding her own rhythm in the chaos, Mumbai gave her more than just a job. It gave her roots. 'I love Bombay so much,' she wrote. 'I loved how easy it was to get around. I felt so free.' Take a look at her post here: Her post resonated with many who related to the unpredictability of moving to a new city. 'Woah!! I came to the US at 18 (didn't know anyone either), but I think I might have had an easier time than you,' a user said. Another user wrote, 'This is peace, that eventually everything will be okay one day, and we're here just to learn. I'm going through a similar phase, and this reel gave me reassurance that feels relieving. Thank you.' 'Bombay does that to people. It terrifies you, then teaches you how to live,' one of the users said. See the comments here: From not knowing where she'd sleep to building two homegrown brands in India, Eliza Karaza's journey has been anything but ordinary. She didn't just survive Mumbai, she let it raise her. Join our WhatsApp Channel
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
‘I love Bombay so much': US woman's love letter to the city that taught her hustle
Eliza Karaza was just 19 when she was hired to be an art teacher at a Mumbai school. Born and raised in the United States, Karaza packed her bags and moved to Mumbai armed with nothing more than her enthusiasm. In an Instagram post shared last week, the artist and entrepreneur revealed that she did not even know her salary or the location of the school when she first moved to Mumbai in 2015. Ten years later, she has learned much about life and hustle living in Mumbai. In her love letter to 'Bombay', Karaza opened up about her first time in the Maximum City. Eliza Karaza is a Syrian-American artist who was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. In 2020, she launched Harakaat, a brand known for its hand-painted denim jackets that blend South Asian aesthetics – such as Indian truck art, Mughal miniature painting, and Bollywood motifs – with Western streetwear silhouettes. She and her partner have also founded Mehal House, a creative studio and lifestyle brand. In her viral Instagram post, Karaza revealed how she moved to Mumbai 10 years ago for a teaching gig. She knew little about the city or the country - 'I had never had a proper job before. I had never been to India before,' she wrote. In fact, Karaza did not even know where she would be staying and had not even spoken to her employer. A post shared by 🌑eliza🌙 (@kweenkaraza) 'I hadn't spoken to the employer. I didn't know where either was staying when I got there. I didn't know how I would get to whatever unknown place they were putting me,' she wrote. 'I didn't know what my salary would be. Where the job was even going to be. It was a teaching gig but I didn't know which school it was going to be at. But who cares?! I was 19 and excited!' she added. But Karaza found a place for herself in Mumbai. She learned to speak Hindi - she is, in fact, now fluent in the language - she made friends and grew up in Mumbai. 'I love Bombay so much,' she wrote on Instagram. 'I loved how easy it was to get around. I felt so free.' 'Mumbai made me an adult. I had to grow up. I was in a country where I didn't know anyone, speaking a language I wasn't great at. But I made lifelong bonds with the people I met,' she said. 'I learned so much about life and hustle and work and figuring s*** out on the fly,' Karaza added.
Jordan News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Jordan News
Return of the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Syria After 13 Years of Interruption - Jordan News
Return of the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Syria After 13 Years of Interruption The Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Faisal Al-Miqdad, and the U.S. Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrett, inaugurated the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in Damascus, marking the official return of the U.S. diplomatic mission to the country after 13 years of interruption. اضافة اعلان The American flag was raised inside the residence in the presence of representatives from the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Embassy, as well as several diplomats and journalists. This step is considered a practical indication of the development of Syrian-American relations following the new phase the country is witnessing. The United States had closed its embassy in Damascus in February 2012 due to the outbreak of the Syrian crisis. Since then, U.S. representation in Syria was limited to indirect functions through neighboring countries. The opening of the ambassador's residence represents a preparatory step toward the return of the U.S. ambassador to carry out his duties from inside Syria, in the context of the diplomatic thaw following the formation of the new government headed by Ahmad Shara. A series of international measures have also begun to lift the isolation of Damascus and reintegrate it into the regional and international political arena. — SANA
Kuwait Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Syria agrees to help locate missing Americans: US envoy
DAMASCUS: Syria's new authorities have agreed to help the United States locate and return Americans who went missing in the country, a US envoy said on Sunday, in another sign of thawing bilateral ties. The announcement came a day after the United States formally lifted sanctions on Syria, ending more than a decade of diplomatic freeze. Relations have steadily improved since former president Bashar Al-Assad was overthrown last December. 'The new Syrian government has agreed to assist the USA in locating and returning USA citizens or their remains,' US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack wrote on X, describing it as a 'powerful step forward'. 'The families of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and Kayla Mueller must have closure,' he added, referring to American citizens who had gone missing or been killed during Syria's devastating civil war that erupted in 2011. Tice was working as a freelance journalist for Agence France-Presse, The Washington Post, and other outlets when he was detained at a checkpoint in August 2012. Kamalmaz, a Syrian-American psychotherapist, was believed to have died after being detained under the Assad government in 2017. Mueller was an aid worker kidnapped by the Islamic State group, which announced her death in February 2015, saying she was killed in a Jordanian air strike, a claim disputed by US authorities. 'President (Donald) Trump has made it clear that bringing home USA citizens or honoring, with dignity, their remains is a major priority everywhere,' said Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey. 'The new Syrian Government will aid us in this commitment,' he added. Americans killed by IS A Syrian source aware of the talks between the two countries told AFP there were 11 other names on Washington's list, all of them Syrian-Americans. The source added that a Qatari delegation began this month, at Washington's request, a search mission for the remains of American hostages killed by IS. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights meanwhile said that 'the Qatari delegation is still searching in Aleppo province for the bodies of American citizens executed by IS'. Two US journalists, James Foley and Stephen Sotloff, were videotaped in 2014 being beheaded by a militant who spoke on camera with a British accent. El Shafee Elsheikh, a jihadist from London, was found guilty in 2022 of hostage-taking and conspiracy to murder US citizens — Foley and Sotloff, as well as aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. The formal lifting of US sanctions also coincided with Syria's new authorities reshuffling their interior ministry to include fighting cross-border drug and people smuggling, as they seek to improve ties with the West. The lifting of sanctions paves the way for reconstruction efforts in the war-torn country, where authorities are relying on foreign assistance to help foot the enormous cost of rebuilding. The sanctions relief is on condition that Syria does not provide a safe haven for terrorist organizations and ensures security for religious and ethnic minorities, the US Treasury Department said. Trump shook hands with Syria's jihadist-turned-interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa earlier this month during a visit to Saudi Arabia. Al-Sharaa in Turkey Barrack's statement comes a day after he met Al-Sharaa, in Istanbul, during his third visit to Turkey since the fall of Al-Assad. The Syrian presidency said on Sunday that Al-Sharaa and his accompanying delegation met with Turkish officials in Ankara, including Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz and financial officials. Yilmaz said in a statement that they discussed 'deepening our economic cooperation in the new period', adding that his country will 'continue to provide all kinds of support to the Syrian people in their peace, development and reconstruction process'. As part of Syria's efforts to strengthen its institutions, the interior ministry appointed new security chiefs in 12 provinces on Sunday. It did not say how the chiefs were chosen nor did it share much information about them, but the list includes former security officials in Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the Al-Sharaa-led group that spearheaded the December offensive. The new authorities faced criticism when military appointments in December included six foreign fighters. After meeting Al-Sharaa in Riyadh this month, US President Donald Trump demanded that 'foreign terrorists' leave Syria. Damascus had previously told Washington in a letter that it would 'freeze the promotions of foreign fighters' and form a committee to review previous promotions, according to a Syrian source with knowledge of the letter. The source requested anonymity as they were not allowed to brief the media on the topic. — AFP
Leaders
7 days ago
- Politics
- Leaders
Syria Pledges to Assist in Locating Missing Americans: US Envoy
Syria's new authorities have agreed to assist the United States in locating and returning Americans missing in the war-torn country. This announcement marks a significant step forward in the evolving relationship between the two nations. The U.S. envoy, Tom Barrack, confirmed this development on Sunday, highlighting the importance of this cooperation. Recent Developments in U.S.-Syria Relations This announcement follows the United States lifting sanctions on Syria, ending over a decade of diplomatic isolation. Relations have steadily improved since the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Barrack described the Syrian government's commitment as a 'powerful step forward' for both countries. The families of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and Kayla Mueller deserve closure regarding their loved ones. Tice, a freelance journalist, went missing in August 2012 while covering the civil war. Kamalmaz, a Syrian-American psychotherapist, disappeared in 2017, while Mueller was an aid worker kidnapped by ISIS in 2015. Barrack emphasized that President Trump prioritizes bringing home American citizens or honoring their remains with dignity. The new Syrian government has pledged to support these efforts, which include locating missing individuals and their remains. A Syrian source revealed that there are 11 other names on Washington's list, all Syrian-Americans. International Cooperation for Reconstruction The lifting of sanctions also coincided with Syria's reshuffling of its interior ministry to combat drug and human trafficking. This move aims to improve ties with the West and facilitate reconstruction efforts in the war-ravaged country. Syria's foreign ministry welcomed the sanctions relief, calling it a positive step to alleviate humanitarian struggles. The recent developments signal a potential thaw in U.S.-Syria relations, with both nations working towards common goals. The commitment to locate missing Americans represents a significant shift in diplomatic engagement. As both countries navigate this new chapter, the focus remains on rebuilding trust and cooperation for the future. Short link : Post Views: 21
