When I was 11 years old, I moved to India. And of course I had been to India before to visit, but I had never lived there. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. I had moved around before, but at least it was in America! My whole world was here, and I promised myself I would not enjoy it there because it couldn't possibly be better than my old home.
I broke my promise to myself.
When we got to our new apartment (since most Indians live in apartments), it felt more like a hotel than a home. Our neighborhood was fancy, and I didn't like it. There were no front lawns, no trees, nothing. Well, there was a pool, and I wasn't complaining about that part. But overall, it just felt cold.
School was... different. Instead of learning in thousands and millions, we learned in lakhs and crores. My teachers pronounced things differently than I did and of course, the uniform. There was another strange part of our school— houses. Yes, I do mean Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin kind of houses. We ate Indian food at lunch instead of pizza. I had never felt more out of place in my life. How could this be my life now? But little did I know, my cold neighborhood would become my escape and my school would become my family.
Slowly but steadily I started noticing the little things about India, the things that made it so special and so fun. Things that made me grateful for what I had and things that made me open my heart up for other people.
I saw poverty on the streets outside my house and prayed that they had food and water and thanked God and my parents for what I had. I saw the humble way small shop owners lived, and I became a little more trusting. I saw how family was so unbelievably important to those who didn't have much and I told my parents and my brother I loved them every day. And just like that, India stopped being so different, and it started to become my home.
We didn't get our coconut water from the grocery store— we got it from the stand that sold actual coconuts with straws in them for 20 rupees (30 cents). I didn't get my school supplies from Target— I got it from the humble store owner who knew my family. I started going downstairs to play and became friends with the other kids in my neighborhood. We started dancing at events together and celebrating together and eventually they became my best friends.
We played Holi (the festival of color where you basically throw water and colored powder on each other) together, we lit diyas for Diwali (festival of light) together. Every day, without fail, we played together and the community that was so cold to me before became one of my favorite places on Earth.
I learned to stand up for myself through my school. Some of my friends were such badasses when someone treated them badly so I thought, 'Hey, I should be able to do that.' I stopped being so sensitive and taking everything so seriously. If someone was mean to me, I could take it and I wouldn't be who I am today without that. Those friends taught me to stand up for myself and I had so much fun with them. I stopped stressing so much and started actually living my life.
Sure, I had some bad times and I got in trouble a lot but it was all worth it. I wouldn't give up my experience in India for anything becuase it taught me more than 10 years of school has. And to my friends reading this in India, I miss you guys. Thank you for giving me the best two years anyone could ever ask for.
