Choices induce changes….changes give rise to challenges, and how you face these challenges gives each person an identity. Surprisingly, I experienced all three in a short span of one month, which got me wondering how I have evolved as a person. Were my choices right? Did I accept the changes in good spirit? Did I rise up to challenges?
One of the biggest choices of my life up till now was the decision to pursue a Master’s degree. It was a choice that took me away from my comfort zone, the protective cocoon called home sweet home. It was a choice that took me away from my family, my best friends, my favorite coffee places, my city and of course from my country. Far, far away…..My father told me, “Fly, I will give you wings…”….and he did. My parents, the single most driving force in my life whole heartedly supported me in this choice. It was their encouragement, strong motivation and the staunch belief in me that played the most important role as I readied myself to take off.
A choice, it was an aspiration to study ahead, to focus my career…and changed my life it did! It was a change from the most trivial things like the brand of detergent, cookies instead of biscuits to bigger things that really matter. It was a change in the way of life, change in people I live with. I suddenly found myself in this whole new world! It was a new country, a new city, new people, a new culture. It is a culture where ‘me’ and ‘myself’ are the most important words. Close friends, casual outings are few. But it is a culture where ‘freedom’ is also a very important word. Every person is free to choose his way of life, free to choose a career path. It is a culture which allows you to break free from the stereotypical way of life that we are so used to living.
Challenges become the way of life here. Right from when I first kept foot on American soil, every day has been a challenge. It is a challenge to get out of the ‘homesick’ mode, making friends, consolidating relationships with new people, building a support system for oneself and finally making your house a home…..The course throws up different types of challenges- learning on your own, being curious, having that thirst for knowledge, struggling with assignments. There comes a time when the feeling of helplessness, frustration creeps in. It seems like there is a void in your life. Overcoming that, is a challenge too. In this short span of a month, I went through all this. I have now begun to see things in a different perspective. I can feel that it is slowly reflecting in who I am as a person. I believe learning and accepting that is a challenge too. But at the end I would like to say, just like the way Bollywood masala movies end, all is well…….
