TED@New York
Tania Luna: How a penny made me feel like a millionaire
Tania Luna: Kur nje cent me beri te ndjehem si milionere
Filmed:
Readability: 3.1
1,797,188 views
Kur ishte femije, Tania Luna u largua nga shtepia e saj ne Ukrainen e pas-Cernobilit per te fituar azilin ne Shtetet e Bashkuara. Nje dite, ne dyshemene e nje qendre per te pastrehet ne New York ku jetonte bashke me familjen, ajo gjeti nje cent. Ajo nuk eshte ndjere me kurre aq e pasur sa atehere. Nje meditim mbi momentet e embla dhe njekohesisht te hidhura te femijerise--dhe si t'i mbajme ato gjithmone ne mendje.
Tania Luna - Surprisologist
Tania Luna co-founded Surprise Industries, a company devoted to designing surprise experiences. Full bio
Tania Luna co-founded Surprise Industries, a company devoted to designing surprise experiences. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I'm five years old, and I am very proud.
0
786
3995
Une jam 5 vjec, dhe jam shume krenare.
00:16
My father has just built the best outhouse
1
4781
3559
Im ate sapo ka ndertuar nje banjo jashte
00:20
in our little village in Ukraine.
2
8340
2590
me e mira ne fshatin tone te vogel ne Ukraine.
00:22
Inside, it's a smelly, gaping hole in the ground,
3
10930
3549
Brenda, nuk eshte vecse nje grope ne toke qe mban ere te keqe,
00:26
but outside, it's pearly white formica
4
14479
4006
por jashte, eshte laminat ne ngjyre te bardhe
00:30
and it literally gleams in the sun.
5
18485
3628
dhe shkelqen ne diell.
00:34
This makes me feel so proud, so important,
6
22113
3557
Kjo me ben te ndjehem aq krenare dhe e rendesishme
00:37
that I appoint myself the leader of my little group of friends
7
25670
3040
sa qe vetezgjidhem udheheqese e grupit te vogel te shokeve te mi
00:40
and I devise missions for us.
8
28710
2780
dhe caktoj misione per grupin.
00:43
So we prowl from house to house
9
31490
2313
Keshtu, ne sillemi verdalle nga nje shtepi ne tjetren
00:45
looking for flies captured in spider webs
10
33803
3367
per te gjetur miza qe kane ngecur ne rrjetat e merimangave
00:49
and we set them free.
11
37170
2387
dhe i clirojme.
00:51
Four years earlier, when I was one,
12
39557
2308
Kater vjet me pare, kur isha nje vjec,
00:53
after the Chernobyl accident,
13
41865
1445
pas aksidentit te Chernobilit,
00:55
the rain came down black,
14
43310
2331
binte shi i zi,
00:57
and my sister's hair fell out in clumps,
15
45641
2200
dhe floket e motres time rane tufa tufa,
00:59
and I spent nine months in the hospital.
16
47841
2557
une kalova 9 muaj ne spital.
01:02
There were no visitors allowed,
17
50398
1552
Nuk lejoheshin vizitore,
01:03
so my mother bribed a hospital worker.
18
51950
4012
keshtu qe ime me i dha para nje punonjesi spitali.
01:07
She acquired a nurse's uniform,
19
55962
2731
Ajo gjeti nje uniforme infermiereje,
01:10
and she snuck in every night to sit by my side.
20
58693
4345
dhe futej cdo nate ne spital qe te rrinte prane meje.
01:15
Five years later, an unexpected silver lining.
21
63038
3060
Pese vjet me vone, nje rreze drite e papritur.
01:18
Thanks to Chernobyl, we get asylum in the U.S.
22
66098
4102
Fale Chernobilit, ne fitojme azilin ne Shtetet e Bashkuara.
01:22
I am six years old, and I don't cry when we leave home
23
70200
4219
Jam gjashte vjec, dhe nuk qaj kur largohemi nga shtepia
01:26
and we come to America,
24
74419
1051
dhe shkojme ne Amerike,
01:27
because I expect it to be a place filled with rare
25
75470
3748
sepse pres qe te jete nje vend me
01:31
and wonderful things like bananas and chocolate
26
79218
4180
gjera te rralla dhe te mrekullueshme si banane dhe cokollata
01:35
and Bazooka bubble gum,
27
83398
2441
dhe camcakez Bazooka,
01:37
Bazooka bubble gum with the little cartoon wrappers inside,
28
85839
4093
Camcakez Bazooka me letra te vogla filmash vizatimore brenda,
01:41
Bazooka that we'd get once a year in Ukraine
29
89932
3117
Bazooka qe ne mund te hanim vetem nje here ne vit ne Ukraine,
01:45
and we'd have to chew one piece for an entire week.
30
93049
4036
dhe qe nje cope na shkonte nje jave.
01:49
So the first day we get to New York,
31
97085
1806
Keshtu qe diten e pare qe mberrijme ne New York,
01:50
my grandmother and I find a penny
32
98891
2233
une dhe gjyshja gjejme nje monedhe 1 cent
01:53
in the floor of the homeless shelter that my family's staying in.
33
101124
3743
ne dyshemene e qendres per te pastrehe ku po rri familja ime.
01:56
Only, we don't know that it's a homeless shelter.
34
104867
1535
Vetem se ne nuk e dime qe ajo eshte qender per te pastrehet.
01:58
We think that it's a hotel, a hotel with lots of rats.
35
106402
3091
Ne mendojme qe eshte hotel, hotel me shume minj.
02:01
So we find this penny kind of fossilized in the floor,
36
109493
4582
Keshtu, ne gjejme kete monedhe paksa te fosilizuar ne dysheme,
02:06
and we think that a very wealthy man must have left it there
37
114075
2996
dhe mendojme qe nje njeri shume i pasur do ta kete lene atje
02:09
because regular people don't just lose money.
38
117071
2494
sepse njerezit e zakonshem nuk humbasin leke.
02:11
And I hold this penny in the palm of my hand,
39
119565
2557
Dhe une e mbaj kete monedhe ne dore,
02:14
and it's sticky and rusty,
40
122122
2662
qe eshte e ndryshkur dhe ngjitese,
02:16
but it feels like I'm holding a fortune.
41
124784
3031
por ndjehem sikur po mbaj nje thesar.
02:19
I decide that I'm going to get my very own piece
42
127815
2058
Keshtu vendos qe te blej nje cope
02:21
of Bazooka bubble gum.
43
129873
2067
camcakezi Bazooka per veten time.
02:23
And in that moment, I feel like a millionaire.
44
131940
3985
Dhe ne ate moment, ndjehem si milionere.
02:27
About a year later, I get to feel that way again
45
135925
1826
Rreth nje vit me vone, me ndodh te ndjehem perseri keshtu
02:29
when we find a bag full of stuffed animals in the trash,
46
137751
3243
kur gjejme nje qese plot me kukulla pellushi te plehrat,
02:32
and suddenly I have more toys
47
140994
1731
dhe papritmas une kam me shume lodra
02:34
than I've ever had in my whole life.
48
142725
2744
sec kam pasur ne gjithe jeten time.
02:37
And again, I get that feeling when we get a knock
49
145469
2385
Dhe perseri ndjehem keshtu, kur degjojme nje trokitje
02:39
on the door of our apartment in Brooklyn,
50
147854
1797
ne deren e apartamentit tone ne Brooklin,
02:41
and my sister and I find a deliveryman
51
149651
2489
dhe aty eshte nje shperndares picash
02:44
with a box of pizza that we didn't order.
52
152140
2553
me nje kuti pice qe nuk e kishim porositur.
02:46
So we take the pizza, our very first pizza,
53
154693
3189
Keshtu ne e marrim picen, picen tone te pare,
02:49
and we devour slice after slice
54
157882
2839
dhe i kullufisim te gjitha copat
02:52
as the deliveryman stands there and stares at us from the doorway.
55
160721
3389
nderkohe qe shperndaresi i picave eshte akoma te dera dhe na shikon.
02:56
And he tells us to pay, but we don't speak English.
56
164110
3000
Ai na kerkon qe te paguajme, por ne nuk flasim anglisht.
02:59
My mother comes out, and he asks her for money,
57
167110
2428
Ime me vjen te dera, dhe ai ia kerkon asaj leket,
03:01
but she doesn't have enough.
58
169538
1290
por ajo nuk ka mjaftueshem.
03:02
She walks 50 blocks to and from work every day
59
170828
3420
Ajo kalon 50 rruge cdo dite per te shkuar ne pune
03:06
just to avoid spending money on bus fare.
60
174248
2669
vetem qe te mos harxhoje leke per autobusin.
03:08
Then our neighbor pops her head in,
61
176917
1866
Ne ate moment afrohet komshija jone,
03:10
and she turns red with rage when she realizes
62
178783
2590
dhe behet e kuqe flake nga zemerimi kur kupton
03:13
that those immigrants from downstairs
63
181373
2346
qe ata emigrantet e katit poshte
03:15
have somehow gotten their hands on her pizza.
64
183719
4009
kane shtire ne dore picen e saj.
03:19
Everyone's upset.
65
187728
1556
Te gjithe jane te zemeruar,
03:21
But the pizza is delicious.
66
189284
3841
Por pica eshte shume e mire.
03:25
It doesn't hit me until years later just how little we had.
67
193125
5961
E kam kuptuar disa vite me vone se sa pak kishim.
03:31
On our 10 year anniversary of being in the U.S.,
68
199086
2314
Me rastin e 10- vjetorit te ardhjes ne Shtetet e Bashkuara,
03:33
we decided to celebrate by reserving a room
69
201400
2108
vendosem te festonim duke zene nje dhome
03:35
at the hotel that we first stayed in when we got to the U.S.
70
203508
2811
ne hotelin ku kishim ndenjtur kur erdhem ne fillim ne Shtetet e Bashkuara.
03:38
The man at the front desk laughs, and he says,
71
206319
2490
Burri qe ishte tek banaku qesh dhe thote,
03:40
"You can't reserve a room here. This is a homeless shelter."
72
208809
2797
Nuk mund te zini dhome ketu, kjo eshte qender per te pastrehet.
03:43
And we were shocked.
73
211606
2222
Dhe ne u shokuam.
03:45
My husband Brian was also homeless as a kid.
74
213828
4006
Bashkeshorti im Brajan ka qene gjithashtu i pastrehe kur ishte femije.
03:49
His family lost everything, and at age 11,
75
217834
3090
Familja e tij humbi gjithcka, dhe ne moshen 11 vjecare,
03:52
he had to live in motels with his dad,
76
220924
2753
ai duhet te jetonte ne motele me te jatin,
03:55
motels that would round up all of their food
77
223677
2933
motele qe ua merrnin te gjithe ushqimet
03:58
and keep it hostage until they were able to pay the bill.
78
226610
3680
dhe ua mbanin deri sa te ishin ne gjendje te paguanin faturen.
04:02
And one time, when he finally got his box
79
230290
2205
Dhe nje here, kur me ne fund ia kthyen kutine e tij
04:04
of Frosted Flakes back, it was crawling with roaches.
80
232495
3596
me Frosted Flakes, ajo ishte mbushur me buburreca.
04:08
But he did have one thing.
81
236091
1916
Por ai kishte nje gje.
04:10
He had this shoebox that he carried with him everywhere
82
238007
2461
Ai kishte nje kuti kepucesh qe e merrte me vete kudo
04:12
containing nine comic books,
83
240468
2646
qe kishte nente libra komike.
04:15
two G.I. Joes painted to look like Spider-Man
84
243114
3146
dy ushtare prej lodre te pikturuar si Njeriu- merimange
04:18
and five Gobots. And this was his treasure.
85
246260
3063
dhe pese robote. Dhe keto ishin thesari i tij.
04:21
This was his own assembly of heroes
86
249323
2995
Kjo ishte armata e tij e herojve
04:24
that kept him from drugs and gangs
87
252318
2203
qe e mbajti larg nga droga dhe bandat
04:26
and from giving up on his dreams.
88
254521
2796
dhe nuk e la te hiqte dore nga endrrat e tij.
04:29
I'm going to tell you about one more
89
257317
1048
Do t'ju tregoj dhe per nje tjeter
04:30
formerly homeless member of our family.
90
258365
2792
anetar te familjes sone qe ka qene i pastrehe.
04:33
This is Scarlett.
91
261157
1698
Kjo eshte Skarlet.
04:34
Once upon a time, Scarlet was used as bait in dog fights.
92
262855
3069
Me pare, Skarlet perdorej si karrem ne luftimet me qen.
04:37
She was tied up and thrown into the ring
93
265924
2416
Ajo lidhej dhe leshohej ne ring
04:40
for other dogs to attack so they'd get more aggressive before the fight.
94
268340
4036
qe te sulmohej nga qente e tjere ne menyre qe te beheshin me agresive perpara luftimit.
04:44
And now, these days, she eats organic food
95
272376
4240
Ndersa tani, ajo ha ushqim organik
04:48
and she sleeps on an orthopedic bed with her name on it,
96
276616
2527
dhe fle ne nje krevat ortopedik qe ka emrin e vet te shkruar mbi te,
04:51
but when we pour water for her in her bowl,
97
279143
4416
por kur i japim uje per te pire,
04:55
she still looks up and she wags her tail in gratitude.
98
283559
3989
ajo prape na shikon dhe tund bishtin ne shenje mirenjohje.
04:59
Sometimes Brian and I walk through the park with Scarlett,
99
287548
3218
Nganjehere, une dhe Brajan shetisim ne park me Skarlet,
05:02
and she rolls through the grass,
100
290766
2419
dhe ajo shtrihet e rrotullohet ne bar,
05:05
and we just look at her
101
293185
2401
dhe ne e shikojme
05:07
and then we look at each other
102
295586
1820
dhe me pas shikojme njere tjetrin
05:09
and we feel gratitude.
103
297406
4007
dhe ndjejme mirenjohje.
05:13
We forget about all of our new middle-class frustrations
104
301413
3631
Harrojme te gjitha problemet e reja te klases se mesme,
05:17
and disappointments,
105
305044
1875
dhe zhgenjimet,
05:18
and we feel like millionaires.
106
306919
2684
dhe ndjehemi si milionere.
05:21
Thank you.
107
309603
1150
Faleminderit.
05:22
(Applause)
108
310753
3993
(Duartrokitje)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tania Luna - SurprisologistTania Luna co-founded Surprise Industries, a company devoted to designing surprise experiences.
Why you should listen
Tania Luna has an unusual title: she calls herself a “surprisologist.” The co-founder and CEO of Surprise Industries, Luna thinks deeply about how to delight, and how to help individuals and teams thrive in uncertain circumstances and develop the bonds needed to get through them.
When Luna was invited to take part in TED’s Worldwide Talent Search in 2012, she expected to give a talk about surprise and the importance of not being attached to outcomes. However, she was inspired to tell a more personal story -- one many of her closest friends didn’t know -- about her Ukrainian family getting asylum in the United States when she was 6-yeard-old and arriving in New York with virtually nothing. She sees her work as connected to her upbringing -- in which a piece of Bazooka bubble gum, a thrown-out toy or a mis-delivered pizza was magical -- because it gave her an appreciation for the joy of little surprises.
Tania Luna | Speaker | TED.com