Things change, and we must adapt or get lost in the change.
Picture this, you were born in another country and lived there for six years before you were to get on a plane and move to a country where you couldn’t even understand the language half the time. At the age of six, many things are in your mind. However, this chap is different. He wasn’t even aware that this move would be his new future. Rather, this guy was wondering if he could watch his favorite show in this new country. Spoiler alert, he couldn’t for the time being and would eventually move on from it.
First Residence
In any move as usual, there is a transition period. When this guy was at the temporary residence that his parent’s company provided for all their employees on visits or moves, he was shocked by many things. It started with him realising that most houses in this country don’t have bidets, which were something he was accustomed to back in his home country.
First exposure to schooling
When he started school, he met a kid who would be considered the modern day equivalent of a “snitch”. When that kid was saying, “I’m telling on you!” He would reply with, “No, I’m towing on you.” Whilst it occurred to be humorous to his teachers, it would be a minute problem for him at that time. His teacher had him take an English Proficiency test, which showed many problems with his schooling back in his home country. Jeffrey Passel at the Pew Research Center stated “Immigrants from Canada (97%), Oceania (82%), sub-Saharan Africa (76%), Europe (75%) and South Asia (73%) have the highest rates of English proficiency.” Clearly this guy was part of the 27% of immigrants from South Asia who struggled with proficiency and had to take an ESL course, which he finished quickly.
Changes after the move
Now after nine years of living in this new country and visiting his home country three times, he has lost his ability to read his mother-tongue, he also has had continuous gaffes while speaking in his mother-tongue, and has now developed the accent that is common to the country that he lives in. However, he has managed to get used to the norms of the society of the country he now resides in. While this shows signs of acculturation, there are other things that have also changed for him.
This chap, I tell you, has gained interest in politics, mainly in regards to his home country, but doesn’t mind looking into other countries as well. I know one more thing about him, his tastes in music changed after 2023, he stopped listening to European artists and started putting his attention to music from his home country. Safe to say, he is in love with that now but still keeps his taste open to explore new artists. The other day, he was vibing to some Russian songs, and he knew the meaning of it.
His friends’ perspective
On a humorous side of things, some of his friends have thought he was a spy because of the way he walks, talks, and just behaves. One of his friends has said “Dude is like a variable, you don’t know what he will do or say. That makes him interesting.” Recently, he had gotten really pissed at a friend of his because he blew an outlet out with a bit of wire. That day, a friend of his said “He literally might have ascended to a new form in which he was both angry and calm, and it scares me.”
In the end
If you haven’t already figured it out, the person I have been talking about is me. Yes, I moved from India in 2016, when I was six. I struggled to adapt, but in the end, got used to it. The way I got acculturated to this country was by playing the long game of watching and repeating. My story serves as a catalyst to show that getting used to something new isn’t a bad thing and that it can help your quality of life. So please, if you know someone who just moved or is struggling to adapt, help them. I still have more to go, and so does everyone else. Best of luck in your future endeavors!
> A bit about the author.
Eklavya Sharma is an aviation geek who likes to experiment in flight simulators and travel around the world. He is currently in 10th grade and is attending Livermore High.
Sources
Passel, Jeffrey. “What the Data Says about Immigrants in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 27 Sept. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/27/key-findings-about-us-immigrants/.
