It was one of the most exciting moments of my life when i was issued the visa for pursuing my master's in United States in June 2004. It was like a dream come true for me and i eagerly waited for the day to come when i will be leaving for America from India ....
After spending almost two and half years of my life here ,now when i go back into hindsight I see the transition that i have gone through so far and how my experiences here in this country have enriched my thinking horizons and helped me rather still helping me shaping up for a better life ahead.
As I went to high school and college during the late 90's in india , a common shield from westernization that we indians used to have earlier was fading off during those days. Everybody seemed to be attracted towards the west, and if possible tried hard to get a chance to go to places like America, United Kingdom and Australia. Discussions among the students , peers for getting a chance to go to these countries were predominant topics followed by IT, IT - enabled services and call-center jobs.
As a part of the discussions , I also developed a charm towards America and American lifestyle , which prompted me to delve further into details about the complete process , stages involved and the opportunities available. Being a non -IT major during college , it was really difficult for me think of going to America with a Job . So eventually i ended up making up my mind to go to America as a student and explore life there as a student and enjoy those parts of student life which i missed or never imagined in India.
After a year of continuous effort and convincing , I finally came to America on Aug 08 , 2004. What I brought along with besides my luggage ........... expectations , dreams of attaining heights in my life and excitement of living in a free society life style.
I still cherish the excitement that i had when i attended my very first class in school . After a week since the school started this excitement was fading over and a sense pf worry was developing within me which was ---- " How will I support myself and what should i do for this ?"
Till that time i had heard students about working at different places with in the university campus , so the next thing that clicked my mind was how should i get one job like this ? Along with a friend , we started searching for a part time on campus job which would help us cover our living expenses and if possible save couple hundred dollars per month which we can use later on during the next semester to pay off our tuition fees if not awarded any assistanship or tuition waiver by the school. With those concerns and worries in mind , I started working as a student employee in Survey Research Facility where i saw fellow indian and american students working with me. Everybody would so anxiously wait for the payday and the paycheck and then use the amount to support their living and other related expenses.
Education system in India demands students to just focus on their studies only as all other things are mostly taken care of by students families. But its a totally different culture here in America where students have to work simultaneously while going to school. Its a totally different experience which enriches our moral values and helps developing respect for the work and labor , which is not so frequently encountered in India even now. While working as a student employee you start respecting the fellow students no matter what religion , caste, nationality they belong to. Besides working , one has to concentrate towards his/her studies as this was our main goal and intent for coming to this country. With the school in full swing after a couple of weeks it started off, you have to cope with fair amount of stress and balance your busy schedule of different classes , home works , quizzes with your work schedule. Here lies the hidden skill that we gain : Learning how to schedule and maintain a balance between your life student life, social life and as a worker. Now as we had started working , we develop our own circle of friends from different places and different countries which is a completely amazing experience and makes us step out of our comfort zone of interacting with fellow Indian students and people only.
By this time we already have encountered quiet a few cultural shocks and faced cultural differences , you learn the true american way ..... how american students interact , how they hang out and interestingly how they study. With each passing day , I had even learnt interestingly about the american culture , lifestyle, work culture and prepared myself to make some american friends and be a part of their society and be acceptable.
I personally never had to go through any such hardships as a student and as a employee in India which sometimes made me question myself .... Why I am doing all this ... why I am staying so far away from my family , my near and dear ones.... What eventually will i get of all this.......
The hope of reaching the bright side of the dark tunnel oneday always kept me motivated and on the move for acheiving what i want to ...... as after that you truly find yourself in a land of opportunties and then enjoying the frutiful outcome after passing through so much hardships, where in you can utilize your true potential and grow as a person and a professional in your life.
