After high school graduation, I was left with a lot of time to think about future. Many of my colleagues had already thought what they were going to do. I figured it wasn’t really an appropriate period since the tortures of high school were just over, so I went on vacations and visited many places. I went to visit places of India like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haridwar and so on. It was based on a religious tour with many oldies so it was kind of peaceful and spiritual trip which really helped me to be a calmer and a friendly person. Then after visiting places of Nepal, it felt like the right to start thinking about future. I always wanted to study Electrical Engineering and become a person who fixed problems such as a power engineer or a plant supervisor. And then a new chapter begun.
There was a portion of my friends and relatives who advised me to study in my home country because they thought I just graduated from high school and was not simply old enough to handle the responsibilities that came with studying abroad. In a sense, they were right because I never stayed apart from my home, from the beginning to the point when I graduated high school. Our community is based on that manner so I didn’t really have a say on that subject. Moving on there was a portion who advised to study in neighboring countries like India, Bangladesh, and so on. They were excellent options, and a good number of students went for that because by adopting this advice we could do well in a perfect environment, a good university or college, and be near to home. So, it was a win-win scenario for a student who wanted to study abroad at the same time didn’t want to be homesick. But I wanted more, as in I wanted to be literally exposed to everything there is in this world. All those years where my script was already fixed, and I was forced to study as the society wanted and obliged to do as others wanted me to have taken a toll on me. Personally, even though I like Republicans, I am a very democratic person when it comes to freedom because I believe freedom is something everyone gets as their birth rights and literally no one can steal it from them. So, they should be only guided and not be forced to live their lives in a way they don’t want. That’s why in a search for a sense of freedom, to study in a well-recognized university in an education system which would take me to the highest level I kept the United States in mind.
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| The American Dream Was About To Become A Reality |
I went to the capital and enrolled in some of the classes to know what’s actually required for going to the United States. We need to be proficient in English so, there was this test, TOEFL which evaluated my English. For scholarships and other academic requirements, I had to give SAT exams. I took the tests in October. I got 101 on TOEFL and 1300 on SAT which was not really great though. Then I submitted my scores to a couple of universities and filled out the application form. After a couple of months, I got my acceptance letter and I-20’s. From the advice of my friends and families, I chose to go to the University of Texas Arlington because it was an outstanding university with a diverse community and excellent research opportunities. And so, I booked a date for my Visa interview on May 8, 2017. It was a long time to wait till then. Trust me, I always prayed every morning so the days passed quickly and my interview will come soon, but it never happened. Eventually, the moment came, and I appeared for my interview, I got my VISA, I was delighted, and then I booked my ticket for July 28, 2017. I will talk about the entire VISA interview process in my next post including some happy and sad moments I was forced to witness.
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| Flying from Home |
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| Transit in Seoul |
After the interview, there was nothing but joy in everyone’s faces because not everyone gets a chance to study in the United States and while the number of students getting the visa may contradict my statement but its ratio of the total number of applicants will prove it. After that, I went back home to my family. I spent my days casually playing, sleeping, eating, working occasionally and so on. The only thing I did which mattered was that I took the driving course because knew I had to know how to drive because everyone in America drives so I learned it, and it was a pleasant experience. Again, this is another story for me to tell in my next posts guys. And then I started shopping for clothes, shoes, stationaries and other important things I needed to have with me while going to the States. And then the day of the flight came. My friends and families were sad because I was leaving them for a very long time at such a young age, but I assured them that it was for a good reason and when I return I will have grown up to be a man they all wanted me to be. I had two other siblings with me going at the same time. My flight was on 7:00 pm I guess. It was my second time flying on an international flight, (the first happened when I was about 6 years old, so I don’t really remember) so I was excited. All those new faces who were traveling with me and the flight attendants made me feel awesome for a while. It was a Korean Airlines flight, so my transit was in Seoul city and trust me on this one guys, it was the best Airport I had ever seen. It was so vast and beautiful that I literally had goosebumps the entire time the flight landed. The meals were delicious, and my trip was enjoyable. Within a day we landed at DFW airport, and it took me a while to realize that, I HAD LANDED ON THE UNITED STATES. It was a dream come true, and I was very excited.
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| Landed on DFW Ariport, Dallas-Texas-USA |
It took a while to wait for my turn in the port of entry, and after that, we had to go under several tests which were mainly for security purposes. I was sent to the Agriculture department because I had brought some foods with me, so it took some extra time. By then we had already contacted our relatives who were to pick us up at the airport. They were very excited as well because all 3 of us passed thousands of miles together from home and arrived in the States. The exit door opened and the first thing I realized was it was scorching in Texas at that time. We loaded our luggage on their car’s and were off the airport. I was dazzled with the road of Texas, how beautiful and how crowded they were. It was about 20 mins drive to home, but it felt like only a couple of minutes because of all the excitement, and my body was tired as well. And so, a new chapter began as we set foot in the apartment. It was a wonderful journey.
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