In the middle of fourth grade we decided to move to London, United Kingdom as my dad was deputed by Government of India for a research project. I did not take kindly to the fact that I would be leaving Delhi, the only place I had known as home. Much to my chagrin, we moved, and so the journey began for a frightened kid leading to the unknown.

We stayed a year or so in London and it wasn’t as bad as I had expected. Acculturation was easy but perhaps that was due to the innocence of a small child. The world was just black and white to me. Making friends and adjusting to a new place is a breeze when you are a kid but relatively much harder as you get older.

Four years of my childhood, since fourth grade was spent in London, although we had returned briefly to Gujarat in India for a year. That again was a new experience altogether. I had grown up in Delhi and had never realized that there could be so much of a cultural difference between two places in the same country. Adjusting in Gu

Initially I was pensive and wanted to be back home, with my friends and family. At the time, I viewed my experience as being shipwrecked on an unknown island: far away from home, wary and unwilling to adapt to my surroundings. For the first few months, I hid behind books, spent free time in the library, sat at the back in class and tried level best to make myself invisible. I was so busy cursing my fate that I didn’t realize what I was missing out on. During the summer before my sophomore year, I realized I had to break out of my shell and make the best of what I had. So I entered school in September with a better outlook. It was tough breaking my first impression on people and others surely didn’t make it any easier but gradually I was accepted into the system.

jarat was not so easy as I had grown a little older with perhaps a few strong views on life. However, adjusting didn’t take too long. On reflection, befriending in London was much easier because there was no communication barrier. Learning Gujarati was a challenge but was rewarding since apart from its own worth, it also helped me make friends. After a year or so when I started feeling comfortable and attached, we had to move back to London.

I would be lying if I said I was not worried about moving to Chicago but I knew in the end everything would work out, as always. The only difference this was,

Some topics in this essay:
Learning Gujarati, Ohio Initially, Chicago Illinois, Government India, USA Obviously, Adjusting Gujarat, London India, Gujarat India, United Kingdom, fourth grade, , chicago illinois, move london, black white,