Mood: Motivated
Listening to: Diljeet of course.
So as I have mentioned on some other blogs - I've started a business. I won't bore you with too many details in this forum, but part of our strategy is social media and blog posting. I'm sharing a blog here that we are posting as even though the situations aren't matching identially, I feel many students coming in for studies can relate.
Long ago, and indeed very far away, a very much younger me was laying in my bed, mind racing; My then-husband and I had decided to relocate to India (where he is from) for a while. Of course our motivations weren't anything to do with studying, but motivations hardly mattered at the moment. I felt brave, fearless, and terrified, all at the same time. How would I manage? Would my kids be ok? Would I make friends? What was the infrastructure? Would I be independent? These are just some of the wild thoughts racing through my head. I felt like I was on the cusp of something great and terrible. From my current vantage point years in, my original theory was correct. I can definitely imagine a student staring out the window shortly before departure with many similar questions and concerns.
This was before the days of conveniences like Ola, Zomato, Amazon, and Zepto existed in India. Before the days when ChatGPT had answers to all our questions. As I wondered what life would be like, my mind came up with a lot of wild ideas - I'm truly sorry for my American mindset, all of India is indeed not villages. We had lots of Indian friends, exposure to Bollywood, and some cooking skills. Honestly, I did do research but it wasn't overly effective. At the time, I had no idea what I didn't know. As much as America exists in cultural contexts in the news in India, it doesn't give anything close to a portrait of everyday life or accurate culture for students to go on.
To make a long and drawn out story much more simple, it was nothing like I had imagined. To be sure, it was damn hard. Those original wild west days without a consistent support system saw a good deal of tears, frustration, and an intense desire to run back to the comfortable, cushy life I was used to. But I do not concede defeat easily.
Eventually things got easier, as they tend to do. After a while, life got really good, especially with the advent of the conveniences I mentioned above. After living here (and I'm still here!) for such a long time, India in fact became home. For my own reasons and purposes I'm kind of a weird cultural mishmash of things, and India is a chosen home, even if it doesn't choose me back. I raised my kids here, started a career, went through a divorce, bought property, and got remarried.
Whether it was great, terrible, or both, that moment laying in bed lead to many other choices that have shaped my life in ways I never could have anticipated. I try not to spend too much time thinking about how my life would have been different had I chosen a different path. Sometimes vague curiosity, but otherwise I don't find it too useful as I've never regretted that choice.
Looking back, what I really could have used in those initial days was a friend or support to help with the adjustment to a totally different place, mindset, culture, and political scenario. I know that moving from the US to India and moving from India to the US are not identical or even particularly similar events. But moving to a completely different environment with the hopes, fears, and opportunities ahead of one is a universal experience.
This is how Acculturis came into being. Not only have I had this experience, the dedicated folks that work with me in Acculturis have as well. We've all been there and our mission is to help people integrate, settle in with help, and and build their tribes. Ready to find your tribe without the tears and frustration? Visit Acculturis.us to learn how we can help you with your smooth landing.
~Becky~
