1 Year in the USA as an Indian International Student
How will you survive alone? How will you deal with the cold snow-clad weather? Would you stop eating vegetarian food to counter the climate? Would you really forget your culture and adopt a new lifestyle? Will you ever come back? These were some of the questions posed to many as well as me. Let's take a look how I have faired so far!
THE JOURNEY
The inception of a new journey is always challenging, fun and thought provoking. Boarding an international flight for the first time and going overseas was something I had never dreamt of. I knew managing life overseas without any relative or close friend would be challenging. This was also the first time I was staying away from my parents, so I knew that the general Indian parent-to-kid pampering was coming to an end. I had to learn living alone in a foreign land, managing academics along with daily chores, being a good friend and student at college, continuing my daily practice of yoga and meditation, balancing technical work alongside my music projects and most importantly, learning how to cook!
The flight I had boarded was British Airways from Mumbai to London and the food, people were amazing. Surprisingly, I got Indian food and the plane crew members were so helpful to the extent that they got me a new pair of in-flight earphones so that I could enjoy Avengers Endgame, the movie. There were 100s of Indian students in the same flight and I had two contrasting wishes, the first one, I wished that the flight from London to USA would have some Indians as well. Secondly, I wished that there would be no Indians in the next flight as I wanted to experience this situation before landing in the states. The first flight landed at Heathrow Airport, London and I was amazed seeing the various cricket/football stadiums from the sky. The flight was delayed and I had to run to another gate to catch my next flight, the American Airlines. My second wish came true, I was the only Indian in that flight, all the others Americans! I was excited and also had a little bit of fear in my mind, but the adrenaline rush gave me confidence and I boarded the flight.
Landing in the US didn't feel something new and exciting enough, probably due to the movies we watch and the familiarity with the American airport culture. I forgot to mention this, I had skipped one of my suitcase to accommodate my Yamaha music arranger/keyboard, so much for my passion! A kind lady handed over my Yamaha keyboard to me and I, with my other 2 luggages, began walking towards the airport exit. I held the door handle, opened the door, and I inhaled a swift breeze of fresh, pure oxygen. To describe this particular moment in words is a crime, but then this moment made me realize I have reached the United States of America!
EARLY DAYS
After reaching my apartment, I took a long hot bath, ate the snacks my Mom had packed and went off to sleep. After waking up the next day, I opened the curtains to see the beautiful trees and scenic natural beauty around my house. I still was a bit skeptical to go out and roam around like a boss, and thought it would be wise to wait for my flatmate who arrived 3 days later. Initially, there are a lot of things to achieve, getting a decent WiFi plan, subscribing to a cellular plan, getting groceries from stores, learning how to operate the flat-top induction gas stove and oven and the funniest thing, I couldn't figure out how to turn on the shower for a week and had to use the traditional bucket system! Shopping for groceries, fruits and vegetables included late night Indian time calls to parents, asking for the right ingredients to cook a meal. The USD-INR conversion shock would rattle me up every time I got something at any of the stores, even while ordering a cup of hot coffee!
University orientation week was splendid, getting to know people from different countries and their mindset regarding education and life. I met some of the coolest professors who were talented and knowledgeable in their respective domains. Traveling to university classes would usually be via the college official buses, public buses or the expensive Uber/Lyft rides. In the early weeks of the semester, I took part in music jam clubs, outdoor sports such as tennis, cricket (it is present in the US as well, lol) and got to know some amazing people. Then kicked in the hectic academic schedule, completing assignments till late night, attending lectures every morning, getting better at cooking daily because outside food was expensive and also enjoying student life as a whole. The one thing I am proud of is that I didn't give up on my music and other hobbies even though there wasn't enough time to spend on leisure activities as a masters student.
WINTER IS COMING
In between breaks, me and my friends took a break from our laptops and visited beautiful places such as the Niagara Falls, New York state parks, Rochester City downtown area and enjoyed the new culture and ambience of the country. Surprisingly, it snowed on my birthday and it was a beautiful sight to watch. The fall colors were something else, green, orange, red and yellow at the same time and balls of white dazzling snow covering the streets and trees. The temperatures went down incredibly fast and soon, it was around -5 degree celsius daily. Waking up early in the morning in winter was a challenge for others, but not for me, as I have the habit of waking up to meditation. But, catching the university shuttle was challenging, walking on the snow-clad slippery footpaths in -10 degrees covered in heavy snow jackets and boots.
The semester ended well and then there was a 1 month break. Most of the students either fly home back to India and some of them go to visit their relatives in the states, I chose to volunteer at the Art of Living International Center, Boone, North Carolina. The experience I had in the beautiful green mountains of Boone and the opportunity to serve energetic, spiritual people was epic. It was this particular adventure which instilled the confidence in me to go around alone and live like a king. I had the wonderful opportunity of working as a research assistant under one of my professors and I made the most of that. The exposure of working and developing software for Bose audio frames was much greater than earning my first dollar. Then, came COVID and all the classes shifted online, till date!
MY TAKE
The biggest achievement is that I learnt cooking, something which was never in my bucket list. Managing daily chores along with studies elevated the entire graduate student experience. I think this is one of the many advantages of staying away from your parents, you become independent, not that living with parents is disgusting, but this gives a lot of positive courage and determination to the kid who has always depended on his/her guardian. People argue that going abroad is a sin towards your home-country, I believe that it is an option which a student who is passionate about higher education, opts for. That option can also include be pursuing a higher education from India which is a terrific alternative. But let's be honest, cracking an IIT or IIM is way more challenging than getting into a decent university abroad, and this trend has always continued. I do believe that the new education system brings in the best from the West, inculcates the rich Indian culture and makes Indian education system, a better option for shaping students on a holistic level rather than just spitting out IT engineers and unsure talented students.
For any incoming student, I would suggest to follow your own instincts and trail, rather than copying your senior or relative who is doing well in a big tech firm. Remain silent, stay calm, don't stress and enjoy the process of education rather than just scrolling through job portals and wasting unnecessary time. If you have a Plan A and Plan B, make room for Plan C and Plan D as well, the more number of options you have, the more flexible it would be for you to adjust your career goals accordingly. Aim for learning and taking away everything from whatever courses you get, good or bad, you never know, that one concept you learnt will always be handy in the future (happened with me several times). I think pursuing a masters degree is not only about getting expert in your domain or field of work, but the additional ingredients such as cooking, exercising, managing academic workload, maintaining relationships and lastly, keeping that golden enthusiasm and spirit with a big smile help to construct a solid human character which the world needs right now!
- Pralhad Konnur
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