Interview with Gaytri Sharma
Introduction
When I was choosing my classes for this semester I was just looking for a sociology elective, and I came across the sociology of immigration. Immigration has always been something that I have been curious about and have wanted to learn more about. I don’t have a close personal story about immigration, so I have always felt very ignorant when it came to immigration. I decided to enroll in this class to learn more and have a better perspective on things. Immigration policy is a big political issue in the United States and this class has allowed me to go deeper into the lives of immigrants and become more knowledgeable about something that I could possibly have an impact on.
Going into this project I had no idea who I was going to interview. I had no family members or close personal friends who were immigrants. Until, my mom told me about one of her coworkers, Gaytri Sharma, who immigrated from India to South Korea and then to the United States. Gaytri graciously agreed to let me interview her. At the time of immigration, she was 26 years old and came to America with no support system. Gaytri admitted, “I had to take that decision to move to South Korea, it was a little apprehensive for me and even when I decided to come to the United States, there were there was always a barrier in my mind that you know I that I was like I was a little apprehensive.” It wasn’t an easy decision for her to make at the time but as she said, “I think I took risks and somewhere it was very enriching for me.”
Education
Gaytri came to the United States for her graduate degree and attended the Miami University in Ohio. At the time of application, she was in Korea for her undergraduate already. She had heard about Miami University from a friend at the time and a professor there was working on something she was interested in.
Coming to the United States for educational purposes is a common reason for immigration. Gaytri, like many others, was on an F1 visa at the time of immigration. An F1 visa is a student visa that allows students from other countries to live in the U.S. for the period of their schooling. This gives students the ability to come to America and create an established lifestyle here without worry of deportation. Then post-grad they are able to either apply for a work visa or, in Gaytri’s case, through marriage. She got married during her time getting her master’s.
Education is a big pull factor as a reason for migration to the United States. Students immigrate for new educational opportunities and the U.S. allows that. Through F1 visas students are allowed to have a continued education in the U.S. at prestigious and opportunistic universities. It also gives many immigrants a way to start a life in America, once they finish their schooling under an F1 visa they can then apply for a work visa and continue to work in the U.S. and take advantage of the opportunities their education allows them.
Gaytri talked about her experience going to different schools in different countries and how there are different cultural manners applied. “So when you see your senior or your professor coming in, you stand up and you bow and kind of things like that. It’s like Japanese Asian culture,” she said. There are many cultural differences that come along with immigrating and especially in the education system. Gaytri told me about her experiences going from university in Korea to university in America. She said she had to, “wire my brain, you know, according to the space.” Having to relearn what manners are appropriate in a new country is a common experience for immigrants. She said apart from school she felt that things weren’t too different for her. “It’s just the same people everywhere, same feelings everywhere.” No matter where she was she felt that people were people and everyone had similar cultural aspects as humans. In sociology, we learn that as a basis we are all people and have similar ways of learning, but every culture is different. Immigrants have the hardest time adjusting because of these differences and trying to relearn what they had experienced growing up.
I asked Gaytri about the differences in the education systems in the 3 different countries she lived in. She told me that the main difference she noticed was, “It’s more a project-based learning here, whereas we used to study textbooks.” Many countries have different ways of applying the same concepts in school, but in Gaytri’s case it was relatively similar. As I mentioned before, Gaytri told me about some of the different cultural aspects when it comes to respecting a professor. “Like when you drink from a glass and you do not show your bottom of a glass to your professor and things like that, which I picked up later.” In other cultures, it is customary to show certain levels of respect to a professor or teacher that aren’t usual for America. “But when I came to the United States when I was in grad school, if professor is walking to me, I stand up. So you know, it was kind of awkward for them and somewhat. The professor, he told me, hey, you don’t have to get up.” In this situation, she was trying to show the professor respect, which she had learned to do in Korea during schooling, but it was a bit awkward for the professor. Relearning these kinds of things is hard and can take time, but is also a very common experience for many immigrants.
Attachment
It can be hard to let go of the place you grew up in. Immigrants remain attached to the place they grew up and still very much consider it home. Gaytri had that same experience, “I’m very much very much attached to that place and you know, people there. My family is there, so it’s totally normal for me.” She regularly goes back to India to visit her family. Even after establishing a life here with her husband and kids, she has a special bond with India, but it’s no longer her home. “So when I go home in India, it’s good for some days, but eventually I wanna come back here. You know, this is my home. This is my place.” It can be hard to fully feel at home in America because there will always be a sense of attachment to the place they grew up and where their family is. But, for Gaytri once she was settled outside of student life this became her home, “And yeah, eventually everything is settled. We moved to Virginia. We have two young girls now, so it’s, it’s all, it’s home now.”
Language
Language can be a major barrier when immigrating. It can make coming to a new country that much more difficult for immigrants. Gaytri told me that language was a big barrier when she immigrated to Korea. This can make going to a new place very intimidating and add the fear of not being able to understand those around you. But she said that language wasn’t a huge barrier when coming to the U.S., other than some issues with slang. She told me a story about how she went to the post office and tried to ship something, when asking how much it was there was some confusion. “She said 150. And I was like 150, that’s like 150 bucks. I don’t have that much. She said no I mean dollar fifty, I said OK $1.50.” Even with little to no language barrier it still takes time to pick up on grammar and slang phrases in a new country, especially America.
Conclusion
Immigrating is a difficult process for so many people. It’s not an easy decision to make and can be incredibly scary since most don’t have a support system when coming. Even though it was a hard decision to make for Gaytri she said she would do it all over again because of the experience it gave her. “And at the end I would say like East or West, people are people are, people are good, people are everywhere so.” Even though some have a negative immigration experience, Gaytri met people along the way who supported her and she wouldn’t give it up. She said, “it is something that you cannot express in words, but when you meet different people, different culture, when you see different cultures, it is, it is really enriching.”
Abby Gannon 0:05
So I’m Abby Gannon. And you can go ahead and introduce yourself.
Gaytri Sharma 0:11
Hi, I’m Gayatri and I’m a scientist and I work at West Rock company.
Abby Gannon 0:20
OK, where are you from?
Gaytri Sharma 0:23
I’m from India.
Abby Gannon 0:25
OK. What was your life like in India before immigrating?
Gaytri Sharma 0:30
Umm, it’s just normal. I was good at studies. I was studying and then I did my,I did my engineering and I my bachelor’s in chemical engineering. I worked for a while. I traveled to South Korea for some time and then yeah, after that I came here.
Abby Gannon 0:51
What was schooling like there comparatively to like how you think it’d be here?
Gaytri Sharma 0:57
Hmm. Interesting question. Uh, I feel like, uh, I did my school in India, it was very similar like I can compare to what my daughters are studying right now. I the contents is same pretty much the same. It’s just like, you know, the history part is a little different here. But you know, maths, science and the other concepts, they are technically the same. The method is slightly different here. It’s more a project-based learning here, whereas we used to study textbooks and I’m talking, I’m talking like when did I 97? I did high school, so yeah, I’m talking about, you know, 90s time and then. Yeah. And then after engineering in the and engineering, I think, yeah, it was more hands on experience as well as your theoretical classes. So it was that and I think I found very similar that trend here when I was doing my masters at Miami University. So I would say it’s very similar here as well.
Abby Gannon 2:13
OK. How old were you when you immigrated to the US?
Gaytri Sharma 2:19
I was 26.
Abby Gannon 2:22
OK. What was your immigration process like?
Gaytri Sharma 2:28
I applied to a university, so I was starting this Korea actually. So one of my friend was at Miami University. She asked me to apply to Miami University. So and I applied I got scholarship. So when I was granted scholarship, they will send me an acceptance letter. So based upon that, I would apply for a visa which is called F1 visa and then when I got that I came to Miami University in August 2006.
Abby Gannon 3:04
Wow. That’s like a really interesting way to find out about, like Miami University, just having a friend there.
Gaytri Sharma 3:06
Yeah. Yeah, but unfortunately, by the time I came here, she gave up. And she left the course. She was already gone.
Abby Gannon 3:23
So my next question is what caused you to want to move to the US? Obviously education, but anything else?
Gaytri Sharma 3:31
I think that was it. Education was my primary mode motive when I came to here, I was in Korea. I was working on uh, catalyst development project that Koreas school of research and development and after that I looked at the, you know, different work the different professors were doing at Miami University and at the bottom the professor was doing very similar work. But in you know the paper industry, it was the development of catalyst, but to help people industry. So I was interested in the work that she was doing. It was more related to environment science and things like that and I yeah, reached out to her the and I, yeah, she accepted me and I came here.
Abby Gannon 4:28
Nice. Where did you first move to in the US? Obviously for University of Miami, but then after that?
Gaytri Sharma 4:37
So I was, yeah, I came to Oxford, Ohio as that’s where Miami University is.
And after that? Uh, while I was doing my masters, I got married. So and then my husband, he got a job in Cleveland, Ohio. So I moved to Cleveland after that.
Abby Gannon 4:56
Interesting. Nice. Umm. Did you have any family members other than or friends other than the one at Miami University here?
Gaytri Sharma 5:06
No, no, no relatives, no family.
Abby Gannon 5:09
What was that like coming here without having any sort of like support system originally?
Gaytri Sharma 5:15
Umm, it was fine actually, because when I first went to South Korea for my undergrad, that was a little intimidating because it was, it was a whole lot of different world, there was no similarity in food culture. Language was a big barrier. Ohh. You know, even weather was very severe, so that was a big change. But I think it was a it was a good, enriching experience for me, but when I was coming to the US I did not have any apprehension about food language and then you know, so it was it was OK.
It was not bad.
Abby Gannon 5:59
That’s good. That’s good. Yeah. So the language barrier wasn’t too bad here?
Gaytri Sharma 6:04
No, it wasn’t. Yeah. Umm, I would say. Obviously there’s some slangs that it took me some time to catch on. Ohh, I’d tell you why. The funny incident, like the first day I went to post office with my friend and I had to get something shipped to someone and I asked OK, how much is the price? So, she said, dollar fifty. You know? No, no, she said 150. And I was like 150, that’s like 150 bucks. I don’t have that much. She said no I mean dollar fifty, I said OK $1.50. So yeah, those kind of small, small things, it took me some time, but yeah, it was fine at the time.
Abby Gannon 6:51
That’s good. Have you been back to India to visit your family? Are they still there?
Gaytri Sharma 6:57
Everybody is there. Everyone is there and I do meet them very often like every other year. I do try to go back. I’m going in December as well.
Abby Gannon 7:06
Nice. Is it always kind of like weird coming from like going from the US back there or is it pretty like normal for you now?
Gaytri Sharma 7:14
Yeah, I grew up there I I yeah, I’m very much very much attached to that place and you know, people there. My family is there, so it’s totally normal for me.
Abby Gannon 7:25
That’s good. What were some, like cultural differences you noticed coming from India to the US or even you said South Korea, what were some major ones?
Gaytri Sharma 7:37
Umm there is I, I met good people. I would say in South Korea and in United States and university and my work places. So I did not see a major difference except umm for example when you go to South Korea. Umm. Whenever some you know, it’s like a hierarchy thing there. So when you see your senior or your professor coming in, you stand up and you bow and kind of things like that. No, it’s like Japanese Asian culture. You even bow and you can say hello and things like that. And Korea was really different. Like when you drink from a glass and you do not show your bottom of a glass to your professor and things like that, which I picked up later. But when I came to United States when I was in grad school, if professor is walking to me, I stand up. So you know, it was kind of awkward for them and somewhat. The professor, he told me. Hey, you don’t have to get up. He just said. Like OK, I have to wire my brain, you know, according to the space. So but apart from that, I think. I’ve not seen much cultural difference. It’s just the same people everywhere, same feelings everywhere.
Abby Gannon 9:11
That’s good. That’s good. Did it help once you were married to also kind of feel more adjusted and at home here too?
Gaytri Sharma 9:20
Yeah, definitely. Student life is fun up to a point, and then when you get married you have someone with you to share everything your joy or your, you know, apprehension. So. So yeah, I think that was really good start here. Looking for an apartment and then settling a new home. All those things are very exciting. And yeah, eventually everything is settled. We moved to Virginia. We have two young girls now, so it’s it’s all it’s home now.
Abby Gannon 9:57
That’s good. Did you like feel like it took a while for it to kind of feel like home here and like you still felt like India was home to you?
Gaytri Sharma 10:08
No. So, uh, I feel like this is this has. So I was how do I frame it? So definitely India is some, uh India is where I grew up. You know, my family is, so I will have always that affection with it. But here I have spent really long time now. So this is the place where my work is. I have grew as a person. You know, when I worked with different people. I have you know set up my connections here so I feel like now this is my home. So when I go home, in India, it’s good for some days, but eventually I wanna come back here. You know, this is my home. This is my place.
Abby Gannon 11:00
So it feels like you’re more like visiting like family in India rather than like going home now?
Gaytri Sharma 11:06
Yeah, absolutely. They have moved on in their lives too, so they my brother is there. He got married and now he has his own family. So you know, we just go there for a short time.
Abby Gannon 11:20
Yeah. I think that’s really all I have to ask you. Do you have anything else you’d like to add?
Gaytri Sharma 11:29
Uh, no, I think I would just like to add that it is definitely when I had to take that decision to move to South Korea, it was a little apprehensive for me and even when I decided to come to the United States, there were there was always a barrier in my mind that you know I that I was like I was a little apprehensive. You know, should I go? Should I not go? But I think I took risks and somewhere it was very enriching for me. So if someone asked me would you send your daughter to another place where, like I went? So I would definitely say yes because it is something that you cannot express in words, but when you meet different people, different culture, when you see different cultures, it is, it is really enriching. Yeah. And at the end I would say like East or West, people are people are, people are good, people are everywhere so.
Abby Gannon 12:42
That’s good. I’m glad that you had a good experience and I know that’s a really hard decision to make, but it seems like you took your best risk and it paid off well.
Gaytri Sharma 12:53
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Well, and then good luck, Abby. Good luck for your work, and if you have any questions, just feel free to reach out to me.
Abby Gannon 12:58
Yeah.
Gaytri Sharma 13:04
Absolutely.
Abby Gannon 13:05
Yeah.
Gaytri Sharma 13:07
Take care.
Abby Gannon 13:08
You too. Bye.
Gaytri Sharma 13:09
Bye.
Recent Comments