Moving to India "What", I stuttered. "Yes Neeraj we are going to live in India", declared my Mom. "But", I said. "No buts", commanded my Mom. "Go back upstairs and pack your suitcase with necessary things, be thankful that we are getting your Wii", said my Mom. My whole world turned instantly upside down. Me living in India was the worst thing that would ever happen to me. Hot and humid nights with constant nuisance of mosquitoes, uhhhhh! The most horrifying part is that if a student makes a mistake, teacher has the authority to slap them. I then sulked upstairs and packed every single object in my room. Five hours later a voice announced, "Thanks for choosing Emirates, we will depart in the next ten minutes." At least I can watch a lot of movies because Emirates is famous for the number of movies a passenger can see. This is probably the last time I am ever going to watch an English animated movie. After a couple of hours we landed in India, one of the most active places I have ever seen. My aunt and my cousin came to receive us at the airport. My aunt said "Hi Neeraj welcome to India". "So Neeraj, you are going to have a fun time in India, US is so boring right?" asked my cousin. We helped our parents load the luggage and set off to our aunt's place. As we drove there I saw smelly old drainage sewers and it smelled horrible. I saw lot of street dogs and they looked fascinating because they have been able to adapt to the rough conditions in India. The dogs in US are rather delicate and sensitive. US born citizens have almost no chance of adapting to the conditions in India. "Mom it's going to take another half hour and I really need to go to bathroom ", squealed my cousin with an urgent tone in his voice. " Uhhhhh ... ... middle of paper ... ...ties of staying in India. I got closer to my grandparents because I understand more about them. I love India so much now! Two years later ...... Well, guess what, I am back in USA! My dad got promoted so he got transferred to the American branch of his company. India has really changed me a lot though and I bet I will never be the same. I am more tougher and smarter because of the intense education and sports in India. Even my accent is like an Indian one. Well in my English class in some book there was a rather interesting quote. It goes like ”The purpose of hardships is not the goal but how much you have changed by attempting that goal". This is exactly like my life and my goal was to master the daily life of an Indian. So if you are moving anywhere, don't fret or whine. You can learn a lot about that place you are moving to. So go out there and learn something.
close friends, and a stable job. Life was very easy and interesting for me. But living here,
Most people I knew were surprised by this choice. Mostly, everyone who comes to study, stays back. I could not bring myself to stay back because I realized that I simply did not belong in America. As much as I had enjoyed staying there, I wanted to go back home, and there was only one place in the world I thought of as home; India.
As I grew older, between the transition of a child to a teenager, I learned more about my family, its culture and background, and even some back story about how they came to the United States to the first place. Back at home, my parents are certainly not home for long and everyday we weren't
A few months before all of this I was pleased with my calm life in a local city of Taiwan. I settled there at the age of two with my family, and things were going well so far. Because I lived there for ten years, the longest time that I ever spent living in one place, I had made really good friends and was not looking forward to any significant changes although my mom had told me a long time ago, we might move to USA to settle with our uncle and grandma. My mom also told me that the other reason we move is for a better education and life there but I was not listening at that time. I thought she was just joking around because my brother and I have always expected to have a vacation to other countries. By the time I finished my first year of middle school I knew that this was nearly impossible. My family was already packing up, cleaning out the house, and reserving four airplane tickets to USA.
There are many challenges that one must face as we go through life. I have faced a few myself, however, none proved more challenging than moving from my country; Jamaica, to the United States and subsequently moving to the state of Wisconsin. Deciding to leave behind family and friends is the hardest decision to make, however, there are a few things that I was not prepared for that made the transition more challenging than expected. Moving away from all that is familiar culturally, socially and economically can be even more of a daunting task than imagined. There are things that are taught to us by our parents and others that are more dictated by our environment than anything else, so when I immigrated to the United States I had three major challenges to overcome.
It was a beautiful, sunny day in South Florida. I was six years old, playing by the pool with my new puppy. I loved swimming in the pool almost every day after school. I also enjoyed going out on our boat after school or crossing the street and going to the beach. My father came home one evening with some interesting news. Now, I do not remember exactly how I felt about the news at that time, but it seemed like I did not mind that much. He had announced that we were going to move back to my birth country, Belgium. I had been living in Florida for five years and it was basically all I had known so I did not know what to expect. I had to live with my mom at first, and then my sister would join us after she graduated high school and my father finished settling things. I remember most of my earlier childhood by watching some old videos of me playing by the pool and dancing in the living room. It seemed like life could not get any better. However, I was excited and impatient to experience a new lifestyle. I realized that I could start a whole new life, make new friends and learn a new language. Belgium was not as sunny as South Florida but it has much better food and family oriented activities. Geographic mobility can have many positive effects on younger children, such as learning new languages, being more outgoing, and more family oriented; therefore, parents should not be afraid to move around and experience new cultures.
This autobiographical narrative is a collection Bharati Mukherjee’s experience returning to India with her Canadian husband who is also the co-author. They both separately wrote about their experiences in the country and the daily life for it’s people. The book focuses on these two contrasting points of view and cultural backgrounds ("Days and Nights in Calcutta , Bharati Mukherjee”). It is rated four stars out of five on Amazon.com.
We got off from plane and headed towards the exit. My cousins and my family case worker were already their waiting for us. I was so shocked and the same time I was so happy to meet with my cousins after 6 years. This days too when I went to airport reminds me of that day. We collect bags and headed towards my cousin’s house, I was so hungry and I asked my cousin “what kind of food you made” she knew that we love Nepali cosine so she had made Nepali cosine. We ate food after that I went upstairs to rest. I was so excited and little bit scared to be here and start my new life in USA because I knew that USA life is different than Nepalese life style, however that day was my best day ever in my life. I felt like my dream came true. I had a lot of things going through my mind. Like what am I going to do, what is best for me things like
Mrs. Sen and her husband, Mr. Sen, moved from India to America, and the property they purchased happened to be next to a boy, Eliot, and his mother. India was a cheerful, exciting place to live, everyone was friends, there were festivals, just about everything that is absent from America. In the US, neighbors aren’t always kind to each other,
My mother turned around in the front seat, and my ten year old eyes took in the confusion muddling her features. I understood. She didn't realize the importance of where we were going in that moment. We were heading to a wedding. Which meant we were in our Indian clothing. Which meant, by default, that going to the grocery store was an act similar to suicide after a childhood spent trying to assimilate.
Living in another country is always accompanied by change. It would illogical to deny the fact that living in another country-in another language and culture, principally leads to personal development. The different aspects of personality suspend and one takes on the mannerisms, qualities and opinions that define the people in a foreign country (Kohls 9). Nothing is wrong with the change. In the first place, it is a major reason why the individual moved to the new country-they wanted to evolve by putting...
Bharati Mukherjee’s story, “Two Ways to Belong in America”, is about two sisters from India who later came to America in search of different ambitions. Growing up they were very similar in their looks and their beliefs, but they have contrasting views on immigration and citizenship. Both girls had been living in the United States for 35 years and only one sister had her citizenship. Bharati decided not to follow Indian traditional values and she married outside of her culture. She had no desire to continue worshipping her culture from her childhood, so she became a United States citizen. Her ideal life goal was to stay in America and transform her life. Mira, on the other hand, married an Indian student and they both earned labor certifications that was crucial for a green card. She wanted to move back to India after retirement because that is where her heart belonged. The author’s tone fluctuates throughout the story. At the beginning of the story her tone is pitiful but then it becomes sympathizing and understanding. She makes it known that she highly disagrees with her sister’s viewpoints but she is still considerate and explains her sister’s thought process. While comparing the two perspectives, the author uses many
I lived in India for 15 years, since birth. I am not surprised that I was brought up in a rigid country. I was born in Patiala, a city of Punjab which is usually known for its antiqueness. Though I was born in Patiala, my upbringing was done in another town close to my birth city. My town was small but had a miscellany of people. One could find every kind of person in there. The first few years were not that hard; I used to go to school and then come back home. I enjoyed my life’s first few years but as it known that a coin has two sides my life was not totally a “Party all night”. I always had a bad gall bladder; it remained filled with urine all the time. My being shy always serves a great disadvantage for me. I had a hard time asking my teachers to use restrooms in case of urination. A teacher is not an omniscient who would know when I have to go to loosen myself. It would not be a surprise if I say I did it in my skirt all the time. Yes, I used to do that often and usually become a trouble maker for my teacher and the child care ladies who had to clean me. “She is a kid.” That us...
Sitting in the car looking out the window, houses pass by like the wind. Listen to my relative talk makes me happy but also sad at the same time. I wondered at that time if I will be able to listen to them talk anymore after this ride with them. Arrived at the airport, getting out of the car with my luggage in my hand. Going toward the airport and ready to check in soon, looking back at city view makes me want to stay and not go anywhere. Me and my cousin hugged each other with tears in our eyes, I try to not forget the feeling of hugging them for the rest of my life. Going pass the gate and into the airplane taking a seat, looking out the window and feeling the take-off of the airplane. We are ready to leave my country and go to where my education will be better and let me full fill my dream. Taking flight after flights, finally arrived at the destination, seeing my dad waving at us at the gate. He helped us put the luggage in the back of the car. I was surprised that there’s a car in front of me, it was my first time seeing a car that actually belong to us
When I first arrived in the United States My family stayed with my uncle here in California. His house welcome us to stay here for several months while my parents look for our own. It has only been two years since I migrated, and the first months and days I do not really wanted to stay any longer, but my relatives (uncle and aunt) encouraged me to become a stronger person and explore new things so that I would not feel being homesick. Adding to that, those first days were my favorite, though I am still adjusting. It was quite an experience since I did not really know his family until just now, it felt strange, but I somehow managed to get to know them, hangout with them, and shared memories with them.