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Big Howdy event reveals that home is where the heart is

Written by Deepika Sanon, The Shorthorn guest columnist

Thursday, 28 January 2010 04:25 PM

Study abroad.

The buzzwords ring in many expectations and concerns.

Anything ringing yet? I’m in a new country, a new education system, adjusting to new weather and atmosphere, meeting new people and adjusting to them, college life, freedom, fun and learning.

When I decided to pursue higher education, I was making a change that would affect my whole life.

I uprooted myself and adjusted to a new soil. But when I came here, I was not the only one overwhelmed by what I saw.

There are so many international students, and each one is dealing with the same dilemmas while learning everything, going through changes — sometimes good and sometimes not so good.

But I guess every learning and adjusting process was made more easy by the staff at UTA, who helps every student however they need. There was a fun element involved in learning this new culture as well as comparing it to what we were used to in our home countries.

Being an international student, I often worry about leaving behind everything I knew, but let me share a story that happened at the Big Howdy event.

There were so many people around and all over the world. It was so much fun, dressing up for the party, meeting peers, dancing and eating free food. But there was a common feeling to mingling with each other, trying to get to know the new culture and making new friends.

I could feel the fun and frolic in the atmosphere with people dancing and getting a chance to just be themselves.

I stood there enjoying all sorts of world music then I heard Indian music. Slowly a small group started forming and people started dancing to Bollywood music.

I was amazed by the people of this country. Not only Indians, but people from all over the world were dancing to the same tunes that I danced to in India.

And while the disc jockey played the hottest tracks, one American guy asked me, “Is this a Punjabi beat,” and I said “Yes.” He knew so much about Punjabi songs. I was delighted as I explained what the song was about.

As a friend and I were eating, an American girl started talking to us. She had gone to India to study Indian music and she spoke flawless Hindi, my native language.

She missed my home country more than me. She loved my country, the warmth and hospitality that she received while she was there.

The feeling was mutual. I feel the same for my new country. Talking to her made me so nostalgic and I started wondering — am I out of my country, or is my country everywhere?

I realized then that I am part of huge family called UTA. The world is shrinking and we all are sharing same platform for learning and growing.

For me, no matter what country we belong to or what language we speak, we can always be one and stay in one place and be a big, happy family.
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Comments (4)

1 Written by moinuddin, on 01-29-2010 11:41
There were so many people around and all over the world. It was so much fun, dressing up for the party, meeting peers, dancing and. eating free foodl
.
Indians will alwayz be Indians.

.
For me, no matter what country we belong to or what language we speak, we can always be one and stay in one place and be a big, happy family.

This is the best part

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2 Written by Nisarg Dave, on 01-29-2010 13:50
a good article describing the feelings of many students...
and the best part," one big family..."
Yes we are a one big family..
good work..keep it up..

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3 Written by D, on 01-29-2010 17:20
Welcome to USA.
nicely done.

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4 Having fun dere :-)
Written by Aditya Narayan Dubey, on 01-30-2010 19:38
proud to be an indian...
Its seems you started njoying your study life there...
Have a good luck..

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Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 January 2010 04:47 PM )

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