A Decade of Resilient Experience - How Studying Abroad Transforms You?

Unlike every other day, an unusual question popped up on my chat window today. So many people from my native place were reaching out to my family to check if they could get a few minutes of my time to receive "Valuable advises from Praneetha" on questions related to studying abroad.

As impressive as that line sounds, it made me pause for a second and retrospect on the decade of my roller coaster journey here in the States before I gave them my 2 cents -

"Studying Abroad - is Totally Worth it! It just comes with its own black space of challenges"

As much as everyone loves to look at the big picture, getting everything in a one-page executive summary and capturing life's metamorphosis is challenging and happens through phases of a cycle. So, throughout my article, I focused on the 4 crucial and essential stages of the complete life cycle of the features of studying abroad via the Caterpillar-Butterfly resemblance.

So let's get started!

Stage 1: The Egg Phase

Did you know something? Not all butterflies lay their eggs on every other plant. Few of them are very specific about the selection process, as it is the plant that provides all the necessary nutrients and protection to grow for the eggs to develop into the beautiful butterfly it is going to be.

So, as they say, a solid foundation is vital for enduring powerful storms.

Likewise, when I completed high school at the prestigious CHINMAYA VIDYALAYA HYDERABAD and Narayana Group, I never knew that my nearest and dearest, the strong influencers in my family, would be from that category of challenging caterpillars making me embark on a whole new journey. Honestly, I never thought of studying abroad at that time. And so, It was not a digestible decision for someone as shy as me, who has never spent a day far away from home. But I still remember those magic words I got to hear from my family, from my grandfathers who traveled around the world for their work: words that echo in my ears to today:

"Studying abroad will give you an experience and an opportunity you will never forget."

Well, it was a statement I did not resonate with at that time. But today, I cannot agree more.

There it was - the first stepping stone of my life. Accepting to move to a new country at the age of 16 to start a new life course.

When I came to the United States, my first time at the Boston airport, I still remember of how shy, naive I was. So shy that I got lost in the streets of Boston one day, and thankfully few cops out there helped me in getting back to my dorm. (Not a story I tell every other day)!!

Stage 2: The Larvae (Caterpillars) Phase

What is the most exciting part of this stage of the butterfly life cycle? They can change their color or pattern in response to their surroundings. There lies the reason why some butterflies are brightly colored; they serve as a warning to predators, while others are camouflaged to blend with their surroundings, making them a challenge to spot.

It is precisely what happened with my onset into a new culture, environment, and life altogether. Was it easy? No, not really. It was a very resilient environment with unique challenges. And I bet every new international student faces this at some point in their lives when they arrive in a new country:

Challenge 1: Language -

I keep getting questions from many of my American friends and colleagues on why don't a few Indians not on the same page as them when all we share is the common language of "English." Well, my dear friends and colleagues, it is because as much as English is the premium language of instruction worldwide, "Indian English" is a hybrid mixture of "British English" and its own nativity and very much differs from the "American" style. The best examples for illustration are:

A biscuit (Indian English) is called a Cookie (American English). Brinjal (Indian English) is called an Eggplant (American English)

In addition, I did a year of my undergraduate studies in Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, followed by Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne in Florida, and then finally graduated from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. Went on to pursue my healthcare profession in Atlanta followed by my MPA at JHU in DC. The beauty of each place I have lived in taught me that each place within one country, there are so many differences that people live with - with differences in slangs, cultures - differences you ought to understand to live in and be immaculate in these respective areas.

Something you acknowledge, accept and embrace the challenge of learning new things when you are at new places!

Challenge 2: Understanding Cultural Nuances -

Understanding cultural differences is another fundamental challenge one has to ace to have a successful life in whatever place one opts to study.

For instance, a situational analysis: Eye contact is exceptionally welcoming and vital in a country like the United States, showcasing a commitment to the conversation and a willingness to engage. However, in countries like China, Japan, and India, making eye contact with a random person is weird and unwelcoming to the extent that it becomes disrespectful when you make constant eye contact during conversations.

Do you understand now what I mean by cultural nuances? I bet you got it!

Challenge 3: Education System differences

Do you even want me to get started on this? I can write a book or an article on the educational system differences between what I have observed during my journey in the United States vs. India. Even with many provisions highlighted in the RTE Act of India, the teacher to students ratio is still at a whopping 1: 50 and sometimes goes up to 1: 80 or 1: 100 in India. Also, I forgot to mention that plagiarism is not really a thing in India, you see! In fact, until I was studying in high school there, I was told to memorize concepts and deliver the same as the textbooks to get a good score on my exams.

However, it wasn't the same when I arrived in the States. Here, there never went a day where I did not think deeply about my homework, assignments, exams, and research papers. It always felt like a new business deal that we go through to understand the underlying concepts and scope, to generate ideas to output unique and original content. It felt like while being in school itself, we were being equipped to face the global challenges of the world every single day.

And that is exactly what we need as well. So, glad that I got my magic portion prior to entering the real world of global challenges.

Coming to a new generation in India, these foundational differences in the education system are changing, something I have been eagerly looking forward to for a long time. Therefore, I will create a new article focusing on this section sometime soon.

Challenge 4: Health care System differences -

Honestly speaking --> If I were in India, and I got a non-threatening disease or a common fever, I would be able to immediately check with a specialized private doctor for probably $24 a checkup appointment and get prescribed the medications that cost as much as another $10-$20 at the most. Sometimes, there was no necessity to even visit a doctor with most of the medications available over the counter for a very affordable cost.

But, I only knew once I came to the United States of how much a country that is regarded as the top most in the world suffers in providing health equity to all, access to care, and access to prescription medications. My life was much better as an international student with health insurance covering for most part. But just imagining about a person from middle class working and having some basic insurance out there...how is he going to survive?

I went to an emergency room one day, and DO NOT ask me the cost I was billed!

Sometimes a question arises on what these regulations are for if they cannot help a common person? (Although regulations are needed! I am not disagreeing on that. But on the cost of what?)

Moreover, the most daunting challenge the U.S. healthcare system currently faces is "access to care" for many patients – be it prescription medicines or cutting-edge solutions from clinical trials.

While many efforts have been established (thanks to the years of work and efforts put forward by various offices, presidents, government officials, international organizations, public and private partnerships) to ensure that insurance is offered to most Americans, cost and access remain the most significant barriers in the system, even for those with insurance.

Holistically, a system that provides rich content (top clinical trials, researches and drugs) but is not accessible to its own citizens... Hmm, lets just say US has its own problems with the healthcare system to deal with!

The topic on which country has a better health care system needs analyzing on the trade-offs that is itself a vast 100 pages of an article. So, I will cover in my future articles specifically to this topic.

But coming back to our original topic:

As you see, the most exciting part of this stage is going through the systematic differences you observe in the new environment and changing your colors according to the best of the two worlds - one you come from and the other you currently reside in.

In other words, it takes the best of the two worlds to create a better you for a promising future! That is the experience that counts and is vitally needed!

Stage 3: The Pupa - The Transition Stage

For those outside looking at us, it may look to you like nothing is going on with us. But trust me when I say significant changes happen inside the individual in question during this stage.

It is when the individual starts to understand, dot pieces together, and tries to devise a game plan that includes trade-offs of each of the best and worst sides of the two worlds they come from.

One reason I keep mentioning that international undergraduate students are the most significant assets you will ever have for your organization is because they go through the differences of the various systems at a very young age, even before becoming an adult and stepping into society at large.

It is the most crucial skill set required for any new business development and expansion in the international arena. So think about this the next time you are hiring for unique positions.

Stage 4: The Transformed Beautiful Butterfly

This stage is where it gets evident of the transformations you see in individuals who start to showcase the skills they've learned to the broader world, either establishing startups or growing up with thought leadership in their chosen careers.

The primary life skill this transformation teaches us is that - life is an ongoing learning journey. Therefore, it is a good time for each of us to hang upside down from a twig like a caterpillar (get out of our comfort zones) and spin ourselves into a silky cocoon of differential learning.

At the end of the day, no matter which stage you are at, developing and practicing the right skill set for the next step you want to move up towards is the only way forward.

Today, I am glad that all these experiences are what have made me into the person I am today. And that is the beauty of this experience I have gone through of living my life in two worlds -- two countries that are nearest and dearest to me!

A Quick Snapshot of the best things you will experience throughout your international journey:

• A better understanding of international issues
• A better understanding on Foreign affairs
• Immigration issues of each country
• Unique cross-cultural experiences
• Celebrating and understanding on new festivities and their significance
• Remove the language barriers
• Sampling new cuisines
• Traveling to visit different countries
• An opportunity to embrace different interpersonal and communication styles
• Becoming active listeners and critical thinkers
• Opens a whole new world of personal and professional connections benefitting you for life!

To conclude, Acknowledge the old system you come from and the new system you go to, Accept the differences and Embrace a whole new world of possibilities! Utilize these skills and life experiences to solve for Global Challenges of the world!

[1] https://www.goodrx.com/healthcare-access/drug-cost-and-savings/why-are-prescription-drugs-more-expensive-in-the-us-than-in-other-countries