Happy to be home
The Young Student – At Home and Abroad
“Home” is a miniscule four-letter word, but contrary to its size, it has no miniscule definition. For every individual, it consists of a plethora of distinct elements and variables, some alike and some differing on the basis of a person’s cultural, familial or socio-economic background.
A significant number of Indian students are keen on shifting abroad to pursue further education, but their enthusiasm is hardly based solely on educational prospects. The idea of life independent of nagging moms, pressurizing dads and spiteful siblings seems perfectly gratifying. When overseas, these young, complex algorithm-solving children realize that they are unable to indulge in modest household chores due to their opulent and happy-go-lucky lifestyles back home. After sitting through hours of arduous university lectures, students yearn for delectable home-cooked aloo paratha, fresh and comfortable bedding, spotless dishes, clean hallways and unsoiled laundry, all of which they must now handle themselves.
Students miss the blanket of warmth, comfort, security and strong familial affection that descends upon them when they are in close proximity of their family. Things that seemed to magically take care of themselves, like bills and transport costs, appear from the void and now pose an additional burden to the exhausted student, who must also face pressures from the educational and social spheres of his life.Students are overwhelmed by a sense of homesickness; the environment is devoid of features present in a joyful bustling Indian household.
Gradually, the students make their transition, from old home to new, from dependence to Western independence and self-reliance. Their personalities evolve as the elements presented to them within their homes change and develop, with aspects of their traditional heritage remaining forever embedded in their hearts.
