Looking back

Its been five years since I came to the United states in the hopes of pursuing my MS. Being just another "Desi", leaving home for the first time, trying to make my mark in the land of opportunities, I vividly remember all the events that led up to my first day in America. I remember my parents sending me off at the airport reminding me at least 8 times to secure my passport in that upper left pocket of the Jacket. I remember my uncle explaining the nuances of air travel including the landing and take-off procedures. I also remember the first breath of air I took as I walked out of O'hare international airport. It was mid January and the peak of winter and the cold air clearly hit my lungs and took me by surprise. I was both scared and excited at the same time to have stepped out of the comfort my home and to have stepped into a whole new country.

As I look back into those five years, I realize how much I have changed and how much more there is to change. Life in the United States has been a great learning experience for me. I have been fortunate enough to have met the people that I have met here. The friendships and bondings that are made when you are away from home are the strongest and the most meaningful ones. Living with plenty of roommates over the course of my Masters', has taught me to accept different kinds of people. I believe it has also helped me open my mind up a little bit more. To be open, and be receptive to ideas and criticisms from people and their actions and probably more importantly how to have fun and live the life. Life as graduate students will probably be one of the most memorable years of all of us who went to school together and suffered the same pains and enjoyed the same pleasures.

Although I have spent most of the five years in Chicago and only recently moved to Madison, I think I'm starting to learn a little bit more about myself only now. Having lived with roommates through those years in Chicago, I never got a chance to reflect and think about myself. This is truly the first time I have lived alone. Living alone sometimes brings boredom and many a lonely days (I'm still a bachelor), But it gives you an opportunity to step back, slow down and think about yourself.

Stepping out of my home has been a big and important step for me and I hope the next five years will give me an opportunity to learn even more and change for the better.