Inundated in two cultures from childhood, moving around the world, experiencing different cultures and discovering new horizons has always been my thing. My growing years were filled with the discovery of new places, finding new people, making fast friends, interacting with people from far off places, and adopting a little piece of everything and anything that appealed to me in my mannerisms that later formed my quirks.
Thus, I stepped foot in American soil with hopes and dreams of not just excelling in my academics but to explore Milwaukee to its fullest and accepting the traditions and culture of the German-influenced town as my own.
On Jan 13th 2020, I arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport with my I20 stamped and waiting for me at the baggage claim were members of Center of International Education, I was the first of my cohort to arrive and they were thrilled to have spotted the first panther in the midst of the crowd that is Chicago’s famous airport. The entire journey of getting to the states was more than 20 hours long with immigration, security checks, biometrics for identification thrown in, despite that I was bright-eyed watching the snow-covered terrain pass as we made our way from Chicago and Milwaukee.
What followed after finally arriving at my destination was settling into my new apartment meeting the flatmate that I had only spoken to over the phone, Shopping for the basic needs such as a bed, lamp and groceries. University held an orientation that explained to us the dos and don’ts as well as helped us understand the culture of America a bit better. A week later our classes started and I threw myself into learning the subjects that are dear to me in the American perspective.
The first few months was so packed with snow and things to do that I barely had time to hold onto things, I vaguely remember the threat of COVID-19 that was present in the early months of 2020 but they were limited to China and thus we continued our plans unbothered by the troubles. As spring break was approaching closer the main concern was whether to spend spring break at Disney land Florida or going to Niagara Falls. I was waiting to see the snow-covered blanket finally lift of Milwaukee and welcome summer. For everyone promised me that the cold will make way for festivals and outdoor concerts, bubbling brooks and, of course, the blooming greenery that can be found at every turn. Biking and hiking with trails plenty to take on.
One week into spring break and we received the news, COVID-19 had promoted itself from epidemic to a pandemic, what did that mean for us? For one all our planned adventures have come to a halt as a result of Complete Lockdown, the classes were to be held online. Instructors had to deviate from their standard teaching practices in creative ways to keep the students engaged in order to minimize our restlessness and loneliness. I being among the international students had to adjust to the isolation and the absence of interaction from the new friends I had made. I was among the many students who expressed their disappointment that the long-awaited ‘American experience’ has been altered and expectations lost because of social distancing and shutdowns, My fellow students who understood what it is like to be away from their home country in this dire time helped me a lot.
My inbox was flooded with reassurance and updates from university, CIE and the chancellor’s office letting us know the preventive measures that were taking place along with the much- needed changes. Soon Binge able and worthwhile content was listed and spread amongst WhatsApp. Local Indian delivery stores began the process of home delivery, the mask became a common feature and sanitizer came forth as a life-saving potion.
If truth is to be told, the lockdown hasn't been that bad, I find myself with a lot of spare time in my hand, much of it is spent on discovering and creating new recipes from across the world (SAI’s weekly cooking sessions on Instagram live, are life-saving), sketching and rereading my favourite books. My leftover time is devoted to talking to my parents for hours, which was impossible before, as due to COVID-19 my family is split into three different countries.
So far the journey that I have been on was not what I expected it to be, my nature never has allowed me to be constrained to a place, but people around me have been accepting and have tried to make this transition as comforting as possible. And besides, the most beautiful thing about the journey is that it is never-ending. There's always going be growth, improvement, adversity; you just got to take it all in and do what's right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.
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