Two wolds, one soul: looking back

It was raining when I boarded the plane at midnight at New Delhi for New York. It was a long flight of fifteen hours. My first time ever in a big plane! I had thought that I would enjoy the flight, but I got tired sitting upright in that cramped up seat. When I landed, it was sunrise in New York. There was a bright red sun rising up amidst the sky scrapers. New Delhi and New York- what a world of difference!
Growing up in a corner of India, and studying in some of its major cities nevertheless never prepared me for what I saw in Chicago. I came from a crowded Calcutta where people are constantly jostling for a little space, and on the deserted pavements of Loyola I felt lonely. In fact, before I set out on this journey, many had warned me of a cultural shock. Well, I would not call what I encountered a shock. It was rather a pleasant surprise. When you spend most of your growing up years in one place, you kind of tend to take things for granted. You don’t realize that there are places and people different from you. Maybe this was my first learning.
I enjoyed walking on the beach of the lake with a couple of friends. It was easy to get friends, especially some who came from a different culture like me. We walked around the campus. It was stunningly beautiful. My first visit to the Information Commons was a revelation. It looked majestic and serene with great possibilities. The way freshmen were welcomed, the move-in crew, the family mass - it was all well organized and showed the hospitality of Loyola. I started feeling at home in this alien land.
I was advised to be in close contact with the office for the international students and this was the most consoling experience. The programs organized by the office helped me to come across many students from abroad, including some from my own homeland. They also introduced me to the ways of America, about carving pumpkins and Thanksgiving Day turkeys. Seniors from India offered advices on keeping away flu, and combating the cold weather. I felt like a child learning the first lessons of walking; just as open and willing to learn.
The academic setting was very different from anything that I had experienced in India. Registering for classes through the internet, getting notes on the blackboard, and posting assignments online were all new and spooky. But the classes were really good. In the beginning it was difficult to be completely involved in the dynamics of the class room because of my problems with pronunciation. (And I thought my English was one of the best in the place I came from!). But soon I got used to it and I really started enjoying the interactions in and outside the classrooms.
I think the greatest privilege of being here is the feeling that I am a world citizen. I am far away from home, but I have many who care for me - people who are very different from me in terms of culture, faith, language, and ethnicity. And I was never made feel inferior about my culture and background. I am in fact encouraged to share the richness of my background, and it surely gives an added perspective to every discussion in the class. It’s great being an Indian in this campus.
I enjoy being here. And this experience has surely changed my perspectives and world view. I sure hope to go back to India after my studies, and I think the Loyola experience will surely help me to bring some hope to the hopelessness of the work situation there. When I went for the visa interview the officer asked me if I would like to continue to stay and work in the US after my studies, and I was sure that I would return to India. The Loyola experience does not make me forget my roots. It makes me realize that there are many possibilities in any situation. I just need to keep looking for it.
It’s great being here. And I sure hope to make the best use of my stay and work here at Loyola. There is surely a lot of work to do. But there is also a lot of fun. I will just soak in everything, and try not to lose myself. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!