Where am I from? Sri Lanka.
Does this relate to any Asian kid? YES.
Does this relate to any kid from any country? DEFINITELY YES.
Growing up I wanted to be a doctor, then a teacher, then a marine biologist and lastly a psychologist. However there was nothing in the world that pleased me more than being on stage and having the lights reflect off of my skin. Spending months with a cast, and sharing a stage with a cast created my childhood, and definitely became a huge part of my life. It was soon time to make important decisions. I couldn't swim to save my soul so marine biology was definitely out of the question. So what then?
If you ever had to make the tough decision of choosing between performing arts or going with a traditional career path, this would resonate quite well with you! Don't worry, your parents won't find out!
Timeline of being an International Student (who chose Performing Arts).
1. Firstly, if you're an international student, you spent your 13+ years of school studying with the same people and you loved them endlessly.
2. Your options for a career: Science or Business.
Although you really had no idea how gravity worked or why Newton had to sit under the apple tree but Bill Nye knows how you feel.
3. Then you graduated. What are you going to do without the 95 friends you grew up with and saw 5 days a week?
(It's okay, hold tight, pull yourself together, for now!)
4. Now you really have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life!
5. You meet your family for a great big dinner and they ask you: Doctor, Lawyer, Psychologist, Businessman/woman? You've already decided that Performing Arts was the final answer, but it wasn't an option at the time.
6. You decide to tell your parents. Although at this point you've already wet your pants about it. They look at you intently, and question every minute of your life for the next 25 years.
7. AND THEN THEY SAY YES BECAUSE THEY LOVE YOU AND THEY WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU AND THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOUR FAMILY HAS TO SAY!
8. You audition, you get in to college, and it's time to leave. Obviously your judgmental family wants to bid you farewell and wish you all the best! They say "we're so happy and proud of you! We want you to be happy!" They also want to know what you're going to do with an Arts degree and how much money you'll be making per annum.
Meanwhile, your reactions...
9. Bye Felicia! You leave to take on the best years of your life.
10. You're at college, with like minded people who love being on stage as much as you do! You have the best time of your life. Until, you meet that one person who goes "Are you Indian?"
*apply any stereotype which fits your experience with this point*
Walk away. Let them know where you're from, with pride, but walk away!
11. But you love school and you love where you are!
One more .gif for good measure.
12. It's Thanksgiving break and everyone's talking of going home and eating all the turkey. Everyone's so excited they won't shut up. Meanwhile you're nodding because it's fine. You've got Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime etc...
13. Boom, first year's over! Time to go home for Summer Break! Man oh man have I missed home, my bed, my dogs, my parents and my mom's food!
You're still so mad at your family for not believing in you that first time, but it's so good to be reunited!
14. Occasionally, you don't get to go everywhere you want to go and do everything you want to do, because YOU'RE HOME.
Bye mom! See you in a few hours. 2 minutes later - 25 missed calls.
15. 3 months gone. You realize two things:
a) Where are all those friends from highschool?
Ahhhh. Right. 5 days a week was the trick.
b) IS MY FLIGHT TOMORROW? Got to pack!
You're back in school. Missing home, your bed, your parents, your dogs, but your parents don't forget to keep you motivated by calling you every night. Why?
Because they know this will be you!
All my actors, dancers, musicians, painters, sculptors, designers, photographers, videographers etc...
SHOW THE WORLD WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF.
Good luck.
