Personal Letter
...arrier confronted me. I had elementary skills in Hindi, which is India’s national language. Therefore I had to gain an adequate level of skills in reading, writing, and speaking Hindi. As time progressed, I became fluent in Hindi. I was impressed at how easily I was accepted by my classmates, who were fascinated by my American background. They admired me solely because I was American, and I saw this as a challenge to win friendships. I wanted to make friends on the basis of my personality, and not my nationality. I strived to compete and excel in all fields. I actively participated in athletics including inter-state relay competitions. To balance my extracurricular activities, I worked hard on my academics and ranked first in my class. However, my brothers had difficulty adjusting to the new environment and yearned to return to the United States. Thus, my father and elder brothers returned to the States. I felt a deep sense of emptiness within my family. Two years later, I was faced with a dilemma. I had the choice of either staying in India with my beloved cousins and friends, or move to America so that our family could be reunited. My loyalties were divided because choosing one meant that I would have to sacrifice the other. As a devoted daughter and sister, I chose family and we returned to California, which is my birthplace. In high school, I was initially afraid of how others would perceive me. In America I was looked upon as an Indian, while in India I was looked upon as an American. The entire school system was new to me and I found it hard to adjust because the system was strikingly different from India. I experienced societal and personal changes at the same time. As I entered adulthood, I had to behave in accordance with the norms and beliefs of my religion. Nonetheless, I made friends easily and gradually adjusted to the atmosphere. As a responsible daughter, I was expected to come home straight from school in order to help my mother with the household chores, a...