Exactly one year ago, I came to the United States of America. It was a dream come true, probably the most important life-changing event of my life. I was amazed, dazzled, eyes-wide-open kinda excited on seeing a world so different from where I come. And all of this was just when I came out of LAX and heard the screeching tires of four-wheeled mechanical wonders being driven with purpose on the freeway, 10 lanes on either side. I had finally reached America, I exclaimed like an explorer.

The 'finally' in the last line has more significance for me that you'd deem important. The road to America had been a bumpy one - passport expiry, GRE delay, late arrival of the i20, visa delay, cancellation of flights - I felt like a victorious warrior the moment I landed here. It was indeed a long battle won. But as soon as I stepped on American soil, I realized that my real journey had just begun.

Unlike several stories I hear, I did not come here to escape being slotted by religion, caste or class. I came to the States as an ambitious student, looking for better opportunities, an unforgettable experience, and to see what it was like to live the so-called American dream. After I came here, I realized I had never really, literally, enjoyed studying so much before. No more was it something that had to be done, it was something I wanted to do. (Below : a regular day studying at the Leavey library)

I noticed stark differences in the academic culture. The American system was so much more liberal, focusing on cogitation rather than rote-learning, actual assignments rather than...well..the ruddy useless assignments I did (or did not) during my undergrad. All of this made me conscious of where we lacked, where there was so little scope for so much more talent. 

So far its been an amazing journey. I have traveled to the most beautiful places (San Francisco, New York, Miami, Las Vegas and of course LA), had the most exquisite food, met some strange but colorful people and studied my a** off.  I miss my people though, my family and friends back in India...but I'm pretty sure the time will come when that will be fixed too.