Moving to another country

Moving to a new country or city away from home is exciting, but for each notch of excitement that takes over one’s mind before the big move is a touch of apprehension, however, it is a life changing experience. I could relate to this because, I moved from India to the United States just a few years ago. It was not easy to leave the place where I spent my childhood and most important family and friends everything behind and head towards a fresh new start. In the beginning I was apprehensive with just the idea of moving, but in the end god had better plans for. Moving from India to the United States allowed me to experience many different aspects of life, which helped me grow as an individual in a better way.

The first and foremost crucial requirement in order to live in the United States for any immigrant is language barrier. My first language back in india was Hindi. The main problem I had to overcome was my own thinking, I was not that comfortable while interacting, I always had a thoughts about what if’s, what if I am speaking incorrect or what if the other person is not understanding what I am saying. I used to stay quiet most of the time, then I thought it was holding me back from expressing thoughts. I decided that I, myself have to take the initiative to improve so I took public speaking and English classes , which helped me a lot in overcoming my problem. However, I overcame this problem quickly than I thought I would and adapted to converse better and fluently in English as I had English as a second language back in school in India.

The biggest aspects that helped me grow as an individual were accepting the cultures and traditions and overcoming my own prejudice that Americans lives and interacts the way it is shown in the books, movies and shows. I was surprised to encounter different people, their values, cultures and opinions. Everyone was different from the other, yet everyone was so open minded about the other’s cultures and values. As I started college and interacted with more people and made friends, gradually, I started to accept different people, their opinions, values and cultures. Now, I actually think that the diversity is what makes this place so welcoming.

At the end, people move from one place to another to explore new opportunities, yet it takes a lot of effort, hardships and sacrifices to stand firm and grow as an individual. It was one of the toughest decision of my life, but my efforts and hard work made it the best decision of my life. It feels like home now and I am on my track to achieve my goals in life. I am currently in Laguardia Community College and planning to transfer to a four year college for higher education. Now, I think if I could overcome this big change in my life, I could definitely achieve my goals, I just have to be firm, hard working and never accept defeat.