By viralid
In many ways, communities define your experience in a new place. They help you orient yourself to your surroundings and make sense of the new world and your place in it. My host community is one that I love. When you know something is temporary, you’re sort of forced to value it or at least consider it differently. Lucky for me, my study abroad experience thus far has been mostly positive, and I feel extremely grateful for the people and places that have made it so. Here are the five aspects of my community here in Hyderabad, India.
- Chachi and Chachu: While I’m here, I’ve been fortunate enough to live with my aunt and uncle, whom I call Chachi and Chachu. They’ve made the experience amazing for me, have made Hyderabad feel more like home than I think would’ve been possible without them.
- CIEE Arts & Sciences Hyderabad: My study abroad program is comprised of sixteen students, all from the U.S., and four staff who have gone above and beyond to make our time in Hyderabad the best it can be. It’s amazing how quickly strangers can become close friends, and there’s nothing like travel to remind you that the world is simultaneously vast and scary, and yet small as well.
- The University of Hyderabad: I’ve learned so much from simply being at this university. While my classes have added to my academic knowledge base, I value my professors and classmates even more for what they’ve taught me about India, the U.S., and life in general than I do for what is covered on my exams. And the students I've met here are so incredibly friendly and welcoming. I'm so grateful for them, and their kindness makes me question and reconsider whether we as American students are equally inclusive of the students at our universities.
- India and my connection to it: My relationship with India is complicated and unique, and I am reminded every day of how this is home and yet I don’t truly belong. Even when it’s hard to be here, there isn’t a moment where I want to be anywhere else.
- Hyderabad: Despite the face that I was born in India and have visited nearly ten times since moving to the U.S., I’d never been to Hyderabad before studying abroad. But as the weeks pass, this city feels more and more like home. Although I don’t always miss it when I travel during the weekends, I’m definitely happy to return.
