I moved to the USA as a girl in her mid twenties 14 years back. Now after all these years, I am still the same person who loves Indian food, Indian music and our culture, but the core me has taken a 360 deg turn. The lack of a social belonging here, has kept me intact in many ways as I haven’t evolved socially as much as I would have done, if I had stayed back in India.
How has this country changed my thoughts and my true self ? This was a question that echoed inside me on my 14th year exile anniversary…
- A huge cultural shock: Having been displaced from a middle class background from one of the conservative towns of India to California, one of the most liberal places in the world, I was in for a huge cultural shock. The attitude, attire, beliefs of those around me was rather unfamiliar to me. Being amidst them, I learned to open my eyes to see and understand a world so different from the place I grew up in.
- There is no right or wrong, only perspectives: I learned in the course of time to appreciate and respect the differences among humans. What has been taught to me as “right” in my culture, was deemed totally “wrong” in another culture in an other part of the world. One sees the world through biases that has been inculcated in him or her by the society one lives in. If we remove the biases, there is only perspectives; No absolute right or wrong!
- A higher sense of self: As I reflected on myself in this strange country, I eventually managed to separate my real self from the personality I am, due to my cultural upbringing and influences. I had the space and time to connect with myself to recognize my passion, my source of happiness and what I really wanted from life.
Sometimes the sense of loneliness turn out to be good for you when you use the time to reflect on your inner self and try to connect with your true inner being!
