Sanjay Thoppil: What it Means to Be a "Big"
I was born in India and moved to the US at age nine. As a first generation immigrant, some of the challenges I faced were dealing with the new kid syndrome in school and to top it off, being of a different ethnic background. I had trouble in school initially till I was able to speak English properly but then started to have trouble at home because I was starting to become "American". My parents like many others who came to this country to give their kids a better life didn't imagine their kids would become Americanized. I love my culture and my country very much but I also live in this country and was raised in this country. This has meant that I have to play a dual role, one for my friends and one for my parents. As I got older I realized that my siblings and myself had to educate my parents on American cultures and what that meant for us and what that should mean for them. My parents have become more understanding of my "Americanism" and I have become more understanding of their needs to have their children remain "Indian". Amit and I have spent the past couple of months getting to know each other and I know already that we will both learn a lot from one another. Similar to how I was when I came to this country when I first met Amit he was very quiet. My hope is that I can help him become a more confident young man.