Interview with Vrushti Joshi
Introduction
On November 25th, 2022, I interviewed a good friend, Vrushti Joshi. Vrushti and her mother, father, and brother immigrated from India to the United States. Vrushti was born in the city of Vadodara. In November 2005, Vrushti was three when her family immigrated to first Canada and then the United States. They immigrated first to Canada because it was much easier to immigrate. Then a few months later, in 2006, they immigrated to the U.S. and moved to Pennsylvania and then Virginia because her uncle resided there. Hearing Vrushti’s story has shown me how important an immigrant’s story is. Everything Vrushti has been through has shaped her into a brilliant, beautiful young lady with many opportunities in her future. Vrushti and I have been friends for a long time, and she was always one of my most sincere friends. I am so happy and honored I was able to interview her and am able to share her story. Every immigrant’s story is so important because it’s never the same and shows how they adapted to coming to another country. Vrushti has emphasized the importance of staying true to where you come from due to not having that atmosphere around you.
Differences in Culture
The American and Indian culture is much different from one another. In the U.S., families typically live only with their immediate family. While in India, a given household is more of a joint family, for example, living with other children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. This allows for more of a close-knit family and building relationships with everyone. Also, it gives a community where everyone looks out and cares for one another. The lifestyle in India is much more fast-paced, and everything is within walking distance. Also, animals tend to roam the streets and it is very common for the locals to feed them. Having a community-like environment is a significant factor in India. Vrushti talked about how even though she was very young when she left India, the people of Vadodara still remember who she was and are always so happy to see her when they visit. Religion was a tricky topic for Vrushti because, in India, Hinduism is the main religion, while in the U.S., Christianity is the main religion. Vrushti said, “Christianity is a super big part of the American culture and even if you’re not Christian, you like know a lot about it.” She still identifies as Hindu, although she took the time to learn about Christianity because she felt “the basis of Christianity was just expected.” The primary language she and her family speak at home is Gujarati. I loved hearing that they speak that over English because it shows they are still staying true to their origins. Vrushti still has family back in India, and she talked about how hard it is not to be able to see them. Her aunt has been trying to visit her family for over ten years, and she still has not been approved. This has been hard for her family because before they became citizens, they couldn’t go and visit them, so she didn’t see her family in a very long time. Vrushti mainly learned English by going to school and was typically seen as very quiet because she didn’t speak much. A story she remembered was when she was at school, her teacher sneezed, and in India, when someone sneezes, they say, “Sri ji bawa,” and she said that to her teacher, while everyone else said, “bless you.” This is one example of the different terms/sayings the American culture uses that she had to learn.
Growing up in America
Growing up in a country you are not from can make an individual feel like they don’t belong. Vrushti spoke about how she often felt like an outsider and how she stayed to her roots. The area Vrushti grew up in America is not very diverse. That brought many challenges because she was not surrounded by people who looked like her, which was a factor that led her to feel like an outsider. Although she has family in New Jersey, her cousins are surrounded by more of an Indian community, allowing them to seek Indian culture and traditions. This brings Vrushti more confidence and appreciation for their culture, family, and languages. Vrushti’s grandparents prefer visiting her cousins in New Jersey rather than Virginia because of the community. New Jersey has almost more of a homey feeling because of all the other families and grandparents around. One thing that stood out to me was that her cousin’s schools have international nights and really value embracing different cultures. Overall, her cousins in New Jersey are proud of where they come from. On the other hand, her cousins in Georgia almost feel ashamed. They have mainly white friends, don’t know how to speak Gujarati while their parents do, and are barely surrounded by the Indian culture outside their home. While Vrushti understands their feelings because she felt the same way, she tries to help them embrace where they come from by speaking to them in Gujarati and helping them become more aware of their origins. Vrushti’s mom insisted on not letting them let go of their roots growing up. Because of this, they only spoke Gujarati in the house and celebrated every holiday. Vrushti has been dancing her whole life but not typical American-style dancing. She is on the Ross team and dances a type of style that comes from Gujarat. Within the collegiate level, Ross is very popular in the United States, and almost every college has a Ross team. Joining this team has allowed her to embrace where she is from and gain more of a community. She gets to hear traditional songs from India and be surrounded by other people from Gujarat. The environment at competitions gives Vrushti a sense of home because she is surrounded by individuals from where she is. 
The Process of Naturalization
It is essential to understand the naturalization process because it grants individuals U.S. citizenship. It took about 14 years for Vrushti and her family to become U.S. Citizens. Theirs was considered an expedited process, while typically, it takes 20 years for a green card. Not being a citizen can cause many obstacles, and a huge one for Vrushti was applying to colleges. When applying, she was not a citizen, although she became a citizen before the decisions came out. Because of that, she had to provide much more paperwork to prove that she was a citizen, or else she would be classified as an international student. She emphasized that universities have little exposure to this kind of situation, which makes it much harder for individuals to have equal opportunities. A powerful comment from Vrushti is, “And that makes it super like it, honestly, like still like to this day when I’m applying for internships and stuff and I can just click yes, I’m a U.S. citizen. That just brings me such a sense of relief, knowing that I can just do that and everything’s fine, like no questions asked.” This phrase really opened my eyes to the fact that U.S. citizens never have to hesitate or worry when it comes to clicking yes and don’t have to fear the unknown for clicking no. Conclusion Overall, moving to a new country is a life-changing moment that comes with many obstacles and grants many opportunities. Vrushti had to learn to adapt to American culture while embracing Indian culture. Every immigrant has a unique story, and Vrushti would not change anything. All the obstacles and advantages of growing up in America have shaped her into the person she is today. She has learned how important it is to stay true to your origins while learning a new culture. Vrushti talked about her naturalization process, and it is crucial for individuals to know the process of naturalization because it is more complex than one might think.
Conclusion
Overall, moving to a new country is a life-changing moment that comes with many obstacles and grants many opportunities. Vrushti had to learn to adapt to American culture while embracing Indian culture. Every immigrant has a unique story, and Vrushti would not change anything. All the obstacles and advantages of growing up in America have shaped her into the person she is today. She has learned how important it is to stay true to your origins while learning a new culture. Vrushti talked about her naturalization process, and it is crucial for individuals to know the process of naturalization because it is more complex than one might think.
Amanda: Hi Vrushti, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me. I’m going to ask you to state your full name and where you immigrated from and where you settled in the United States.
Vrushti: Okay, perfect. Uh, thanks for having me, Amanda. I’m Vrushti Joshi, and I lived in India before I immigrated to the United States where I currently live in Virginia.
Amanda: Okay. and when did you first settle here?
Vrushti: Um, so I lived in India until I was three and we didn’t move directly to Virginia first. We, I lived in Canada for six months and then we moved to Pennsylvania and then we moved to Virginia just because I had an uncle living here at the time. So, about three to four years old when I came here.
Amanda: Okay. And what led you to first move to Canada?
Vrushti: Um, I’m not too clear on the whole [00:01:00] story, but I just know we went to Canada first because it’s easier to immigrate into Canada than it is the United States.
Amanda: Okay. And then did you have family in Pennsylvania?
Vrushti: No.
Amanda: Okay. So, you would say that your uncle here was definitely like a push pull factor into you guys coming to Virginia?
Vrushti: Yeah, definitely. And he lived in a house with three other roommates, and we lived in that house with him, me, my mom, my dad and my little brother who was not even a year at the time. So, my parents, me and my little brother and my uncle, all in the same house with his roommates.
Amanda: Wow. Yeah. Okay. And so, you said that you were three when you came to Virginia, or you were three when you came to Canada?
Vrushti: I was three when I came to Canada. I’m not sure how old I was exactly when you came to Virginia, but I was, we didn’t stay in Canada or Pennsylvania for that long. Just a few months each.
Amanda: Okay. [00:02:00] And so before coming to Virginia, or I guess like the United States overall, did you visit your uncle?
Vrushti: No, he visited us in India.
Amanda: Oh yeah. Okay. So, when you guys like first came over, like none of you had been like to the United States?
Vrushti: No.
Amanda: Okay. Interesting. And so, do you remember much of India?
Vrushti: No. I was very young when I used to live there, but I do know a lot of, stories of like me growing up there. And I still go back fairly often. So just like me growing up in India, I know like it was just very like close-knit environment. I grew up with, my grandparents raising me. I grew up living in like the same house as my cousins and my dad’s parents. And my mom’s parents lived very close to each other, so it was a community like environment. And still when I go back, like all my [00:03:00] neighbors in India who I don’t remember, like they all remember me. Like they all have like fond memories of me and like them helping raise me. So, I do know that it was a very, like much more community like environment than it was here.
Amanda: Okay. What would you say regarding the difference in culture?
Vrushti: I think there are a lot of differences in culture and definitely the community was one of them, I think. Um, like obviously language is one of them. I didn’t, really speak English before coming here. And other than that, culture obviously Hinduism is the primary religion there, which was super confusing for me. Moving here I feel like obviously Christianity is a super big part of the American culture and even if you’re not Christian, you like know a lot about it.
Amanda: Mm-hmm.
Vrushti: And like, I didn’t know anything about it at all and I still feel like I don’t. So that was really different. And I think just the role that there was like more defined roles [00:04:00] within like a family, I think. Like it was a lot more, like women tended to stay home while like men. Men had jobs and were out the whole day. So, it was more of like a traditional, I guess, environment, like home life.
Amanda: Okay. So, going back to the religion, would you say that you are you still learning about Christianity? Would you say you lean more towards Christianity now that like you’ve been like in the United States for longer or still believe in Hinduism or you don’t know?
Vrushti: I’m still definitely Hindu and I felt like I wanted, um, well, I felt like I needed to know more about Christianity because even when learning, just like history in high school and stuff like that, it felt like knowing the basis of Christianity was like just expected. Um, and I had no idea about any of it, so I felt like just in order to excel in school I needed to have that background. But I wouldn’t say like my personal religious views [00:05:00] have swayed.
Amanda: Okay. And what is the primary language that you and your family speak in the household?
Vrushti: We speak Gujarati at home.
Amanda: So, do you speak that over English at home?
Vrushti: Yes.
Amanda: And then, is that what you spoke in India?
Vrushti: Mm-hmm. let’s say I spoke growing up. I also know how to speak, um, Hindi. Is fairly similar, but I just learned that, on my own, like from watching movies and stuff and I learned English from just going to school.
Amanda: Okay. And is it hard like visiting your family back in India or just knowing like they’re in India and like you’re here? Like do you sometimes wish you had grown up in India compared to the United States?
Vrushti: Yeah, I definitely hate the fact that I’m so far from my family. I think it’s really hard, especially during times like right now, like family, like holiday seasons and stuff. And how people can grow [00:06:00] up so close to their cousins and I really can’t, like, um, my dad’s sister still lives in India and it’s really hard for some people to get a US visa to visit the United States. So, like she’s been trying to come and visit us, but she hasn’t been approved like for years. She’s never been here. Which is like super hard because it’s like my aunt and like my cousin and like my uncle. And I really want them to come sees where we live and like for me to be able to show them around here. And for the longest time, like with my grandparents, it was the same way. Like my dad’s parents couldn’t come visit us for over 10 years. They just weren’t able to get the visa and at the same time, because we weren’t citizens, my dad couldn’t leave his job because he couldn’t risk losing his job because that’s like what we were all dependent on. My mom wasn’t allowed to work based on her visa status either. For 10 years. Like we didn’t see my grandparents and my dad couldn’t see his parents. And my brother had never [00:07:00] seen his grandparents before, after being born, but he was like a few months when we left. So, it was just like, it’s really hard, like being that separate from your family and also not having the option to see them, which I’ve always thought is super weird that you could like, deny people the ability to like travel. Because there’s like the notion of okay if you give them like a travel visa, they’ll just stay here.
Amanda: I don’t know if you know the answer to this question, but if they’re given a travel visa, how long is it for.
Vrushti: They are six months.
Amanda: Okay.
Vrushti: So, if you have a travel visa, you can’t stay here longer than six months.
Amanda: Wow.
Vrushti: And like the time that’s valid is like super varied. Like they can give it to you for like 10 years. Or they could give it to you for a year and like within the next year, you have to use it. So, like it’s so weird because it’s like you feel so arbitrary. And like they have interviews and stuff and like, you don’t know what to say in the interview.
Amanda: Yeah.
Vrushti: And to be able to get it, to be able to not get it. So, it almost makes you like wonder like, what am I supposed to say? Like one thing over the other, because if I don’t say the [00:08:00] right thing, like, will that take time off of. I remember one example of my grandparents, one of the times when they tried to get a visa to come here. They wanted to, because my aunt was pregnant, so they wanted to come be able to help her out with the baby and then their response was, no, we have nurses here, like you don’t need to help her. And it was just so weird. Cause it was like obviously nurses play a different role than like your own family coming to help you. But it was just things like that.
Amanda: And that also goes to show because you said like where you grew or in India where you grew up, it was very community based. I think that almost goes to show that yeah, the United States isn’t very welcoming and that family values in the sense of like the importance of family and being like with family whether you’re a citizen or not. Yeah.
Vrushti: I feel like that is a super different thing in India. The concept of a joint family is super common. It’s like where you don’t just live with like your mom, dad, brother, sister, like you live with like your uncles, your aunts, your grandparents, like you all live in the [00:09:00] same house. And here it’s like, that’s very much like unheard of and you live with just your family. And that’s like just very much like your whole.
Amanda: Yeah.
Vrushti: And I almost feel like living with your uncle, aunt, grandma, like all of them. I mean, almost brings you closer together.
Amanda: Yes definitely.
Vrushti: And allows for like that bond of like family and like just being with one another because like sometimes I wish, like my grandma lived with me. And so, I think that’s really important. And I wish like the United States would start, wouldn’t see that as being like weird or I think here it’s very, the sense of like, people have a very big sense of individuality and like being their own person and like having their own space and like having your own room and like stuff like that, which is super, great. Like I love having my own room in my own space, but it’s just like when you go back, like it’s not really her heard of obviously. Like I’m sure like population has to do with that. Like family size has to do with that, [00:10:00] just like poverty levels, but it’s just also the culture itself, you’re just like with other people.
Amanda: Yeah. So, kind of going off of that how would you explain your process of like naturalization?
Vrushti: Yeah. I feel like the naturalization process is something that like a lot of people don’t know much about and it’s a really complicated and long process. I’ve lived here basically my whole life and I only became a citizen when I was, 17 years old and that was still considered very like fast. That was still considered very like expedited process. When you look at it in comparison to like other people who wait over 20 years for like a green card or a citizenship and like a green card is what comes before your citizenship. It means guaranteed citizenship within the next five years. I think that’s what a green card means. But yeah, the naturalization process is super difficult and like very hard and [00:11:00] and I feel like a lot of people don’t know much about it, which makes it really hard first of all, like you can’t have a job. Most of the time if you don’t have a citizenship or like some kind of permanent residence. And it was really hard for me when applying to colleges because at the time when I applied, I wasn’t a citizen, but I became a citizen before the decisions came back. I had to change all my forms and stuff, but in a lot of places, like I was put down as an international student despite having been here my whole life having gone to school here my whole life and being a permanent resident. But it was just like a mistake on their part because they had like such little exposure to like people who aren’t citizens, and they just think it’s one or the other. So, for each and every single college that I applied to, I just call them and send additional papers and stuff to prove. I lived here and like I went to school here, and I had to go through so many extra steps just for me to be like considered an in-state student or like a US [00:12:00] student. It’s also harder for international students to get into colleges and stuff. So, I didn’t want that to like work against me, you know, like I wanted the fact that I went to school here to like work in my favor.
Amanda: Especially because you grew up your whole life here that way.
Vrushti: Yeah. No, I definitely am not an international student by any means. It was just, when people don’t know about things, it’s just hard to have to deal with that. It Was just really stressful, which I’m really glad I don’t have to deal with anymore because I am a citizen now. And that makes it super like it, honestly, like still like to this day when I’m applying for internships and stuff and I can just click yes, I’m a US citizen. That just brings me such a sense of relief, knowing that I can just do that and everything’s fine, like no questions asked. You know, like I am just like on the same page as everyone else and I definitely don’t take that for granted.
Amanda: Now, when you became a US citizen, is that the same time that your brother became one?
Vrushti: Mm-hmm.
Amanda: And your parents too?
Vrushti: Yeah, because I was 17 and my brother’s even younger than me, so he [00:13:00] was, 14 at the time, we were both minors. So, we both became citizens when my parents became citizens. They had to take the citizenship test, but if I had been 18, I would’ve had to take it to
Amanda: Oh, wow. Okay. I know you live in Loudon County. How would you describe the culture and the people you’re surrounded by, like do you wish you were like still in India and surrounded by that culture? Are you happy that you’ve been experienced? Also, the American culture and living in Loudoun County, like would you rather live in a different state?
Vrushti: Yeah, so, since I grew up here, I definitely don’t wish that I grew up in India because I feel like it would’ve been super different and I’m like grateful for growing up here and having the opportunities that I did growing up. I think Loudoun County specifically, and like our specific area, I know like we went to high school together, and it wasn’t a very diverse high school and [00:14:00] like growing up in a not very diverse area did have its own challenges, which I wish I didn’t have to go through. So, like I am glad that I grew up in the United States, but it would’ve been nice to grow up in a more diverse area just for myself to see people who looked like me and for me to have grown up, like appreciating where I came from rather than feeling like I have to hide it and like feeling like I have to be like other people. But obviously I’m not ever gonna be like someone I’m not at the end of the day. But it was just like me trying to hide who I actually was for the longest time until. Could grow up enough to appreciate it. When I do see like people who grow up in more diverse areas, like my own friends, my own family, I do feel like they have a higher sense of confidence and like appreciation for their culture, their family, their languages.
Amanda: Do you wish you had that?
Vrushti: Um, and I would’ve wished that I had that.
Amanda: Okay. And. Going off of like that. [00:15:00] So other than your uncle, do you have any other family within the United States?
Vrushti: Mm-hmm. I have family that lives in New Jersey. My dad’s sister and her family live in New Jersey, and my mom’s brother and his family live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Amanda: So, would you say, they almost have more of a community of just the culture.
Vrushti: Yeah, so it’s kind of funny because, it’s not always like this, but honestly like going down with the geography, like you see it kind of transitioning where my family in New Jersey has a lot, has a really big like Indian community surrounding them. And even when my grandparents come here, they love going and staying with my family in New Jersey because like all the other grandparents are there. And for them it just feels really homey, even though they’re not obviously in India. So, there’s like a lot of like Indian restaurants there. Like when you go to school there’s like a lot of like Indian people. Like they have international nights at their high school. Um, just like really cool things, which I see like from [00:16:00] my family growing up there, but then my cousins down in, in Georgia, they only have like white friends, like my cousins living there. They do not know how to speak Gujarati. I see kind of like what I saw growing up in myself. Like they like feel ashamed of the fact that like their parents speak another language and like they try to like to hide that. They’re really young, so like they will hopefully grow out of it, but because my cousins in the two states are the same age, it’s like really easy for me to like to compare them.
Amanda: Mm-hmm.
Vrushti: And like, I can see like my cousins in New Jersey being so proud of where they come from and like being so open to learning new things and watching like Indian TV shows and wanting to learn more about where they come from. And my cousins in Georgia feeling like they have to hide it and like feeling like they have to act like they’re not from here or like they’re from here.
Amanda: Yeah. Would you say like, almost talking about it with one another has kind of helped them feel like they don’t need to hide it and [00:17:00] like you, enjoy hearing about your cousins in New Jersey, like what they experience on an everyday basis and like just the community they have. Like it’s helped like you because I know you said you had challenges just like with your challenges where you’re like, currently living.
Vrushti: My cousins are all very young, so both of them are the exact same age, but they’re both, like, the oldest ones are 10 and the youngest ones are like seven so they’re super young. I just kind of like, grew, grew not out of it, but as I grew up, I tried to accept more of where I came from, and hopefully I’m taking on the role of trying to pass that on down to them. Like whenever I do see my cousins, I try to talk to them in Gujarati. I, you know, try to tell them that like, you know you’re beautiful, like just the way you are. Like, you don’t have to worry too much about buying certain things or like looking a certain way. And I kind of just do that because like I’m the oldest one in my family. And I know exactly how they’re feeling. But it is super nice to see my [00:18:00] cousins in New Jersey growing up like so confident in who they are that makes me really happy. And that gives me like hope that, like there are other kids also who are super happy with the way they are.
Amanda: Going off of that, does it ever sometimes make you wish like you had grown up, like in New Jersey, like in that community or do you not really have any regrets and you’ re content with Loudoun County
Vrushti: I think they’re like good and bad things about like living everywhere. I know that in New Jersey because there is like a super high Indian population there, that their high schools are meant to be like super competitive and stuff like that. And also, just like growing up around diversity. Like either way is good for you. I am really glad I grew up with a group of different people. I got to learn about things I would’ve not learned otherwise. I don’t regret anything. But it is nice to be able to compare the differences and make that decision for myself when I want to have my own family and like, yeah, really like keep that in mind.
Amanda: Do you see [00:19:00] yourself like staying in Loudoun County or do you see yourself going somewhere else?
Vrushti: I do really like, like the Northern Virginia area. I don’t know if I would necessarily stay in like the Lansdowne or Belmont area. Maybe just try to move to a more diverse area like Fairfax or something. Or maybe even like Lansdowne will be diverse by the time I try to. So yes, I will try to live here.
Amanda: Yeah. And so, when you, were growing up, would you say your parents still stuck with the Indian culture or did they try to have you and your brother lean more towards the American culture? Or was it a mixture of the two?
Vrushti: Yes. I think this might be like a little bit unique to me, but my mom is like super insistent on not letting go of like your roots growing up. She made sure that like we only spoke Gujarati in the house. We celebrated every single holiday. I feel like [00:20:00] yes because I knew that my parents had the intention of making sure we were very much connected to where we came from because they knew that going to school, like having friends, like, they weren’t worried about like us knowing anything about like American culture. Like that just comes from like living here. So, they were just variances down, like making sure we didn’t lose anything about coming from India.
Amanda: Yeah. And like how would you say, if you remember, your first-time walking into like school and just like that moment?
Vrushti: Yeah. I don’t know like exactly the first time, but I remember starting, well, I didn’t go to preschool because I was like maybe a little bit too old for preschool. No, preschool was like usually private and like my parents didn’t have money to like to send me to preschool at the time, so I just went straight into kindergarten, and I just didn’t know any English, like going into kindergarten I don’t remember like the process of like learning English. I just remember that it happened. But I remember like getting like a sticker at the end of every day being like, oh, like good job for being like [00:21:00] quiet and respectful. And I was like I wasn’t like trying to be quiet or respectful I just didn’t know how to speak to anyone or like communicate. And I remember like little instances of at home. Like when someone sneezes, we say, um, Sri ji bawa and then, but obviously here we say, bless you., I remember my teacher sneezing and me saying Sri ji bawa and everyone else, like saying Bless you. And like, people looking at me being like, what did you just say? And I was like, oh yeah. I remember like having to learn little things like that and connecting it all together. But yeah, that’s like one thing that I definitely like a core memory.
Amanda: Yeah. Wow. That’s really interesting. So, would you say since your brother was so young that you gave him advice? And did he have like similar struggles or since he was super young, did he learn English?
Vrushti: Faster compared to me, yeah, my brother definitely had a different experience growing up because when we moved here, he was [00:22:00] probably five, six months. He literally was just born in India and had no experiences growing up there. And he did go to preschool here and like growing up a lot of his friends were white and things like that. So, his experience was very different from mine where he never kind of like an outsider or like left out too much. Um, but I think he, on the other hand, had a harder time trying to connect back to his like Indian heritage than I did because I had a memory of me like growing up and I could speak the language better than he could and things like that.
Amanda: Yeah. And like you said like your family speaks and what was it again?
Vrushti: Gujarati
Amanda: Would you say it was easier for you and would you say his primary language was English more than Gujarati? Or was it vice versa?
Vrushti: Yeah, I think growing I definitely knew Gujarati before I knew English. I think for him that line is like a little bit [00:23:00] more blurred, where he like learned both at the same time and honestly, everyone else in my family, like all my other cousins, also learned both at the same time. At this point it’s like we speak at the same as level of proficiency. I don’t think like I speak it better than him or anything.
Amanda: Yeah. I love that because I feel like when you’re like in your home, that’s when you are truly surrounded by your people. Yeah. And so being able to still speak the language and still have just like the sense of family and just the culture and everything.
Vrushti: Yeah. I think the main part of that was also like being able to see my grandparents and things like my grandparents they speak English, but not super well. I think like being able to speak like that was the main thing was like to be able to speak to my family back home and like still be able to stay connected to them because I wouldn’t be able to if I didn’t know how to speak Gujarati.
Amanda: Yeah. And would you ever say that like your family back in India that any of them ever considered moving like to the United States or like Virginia or just closer to family?
Vrushti: [00:24:00] I don’t think so because I don’t have too much family left back in India, just my grandparents and my one aunt. And my aunt hasn’t been able to visit us yet. And my grandparents, my grandma lives with us for half the year, and then she goes back to India and then my other set of grandparents don’t like it here. We always ask them to come visit, but they like have their own lives back in India where they’re like super active and super involved and they just think it’s boring here.
Amanda: Going off of that, can you give like an example into of like if there’s a big reason to why they don’t like it, or is it just like small things?
Vrushti: No, I don’t think it’s small things. I think it’s just that they don’t like the lifestyle here at all. If you live in India, the lifestyle is super, like fast paced. You can just not like fast paced, but you could just go out whenever you want. Everything is like walkable distance my grandparents are in very heavily involved in like clubs and things like that. They’re both singers and dancers, so they like have [00:25:00] they perform. And I think when they come here, they just very much let go of their very vibrant lives back in the day. And here they’re just like living with us at home and there’s not that much to do because they’d have to drive to get anywhere, they want to, which like very much limits like their freedom. So just things like that.
Amanda: Yeah. So going off that, I know you said dancing, and I know you’re a dancer, but it’s not typical dancing for like the United States. It’s not like contemporary or different genres of like dancing. Would you say you’re glad you’re able to have a community where you can still dance this syle, I don’t want to say the wrong term for what it’s called, like what type of dancing?
Vrushti: I’m on the Ross team right now. Which is a type of dance that comes from Gujarat, which is a state I’m from. And most people haven’t heard of it, but even in the United States, like within the collegiate level, it’s a very big thing. Almost every major college has [00:26:00] their own Ross team and it’s very highly competitive and so that really helps me. Like honestly, the dance form itself has evolved a lot from like what it, the traditional form, like it’s sped up 10 times and stuff just to be like, performing at a collegiate level. But the songs are nice to hear like traditional songs and things like that. So, and it’s nice, because a lot of people on my team also are from Gujarat or a good portion of the other people on other teams are from Gujarat. When I go to comps, it’s like fun to hear people speaking like my language that I know. So that has definitely really helped, especially in college, which is a completely new environment like having a sense of home.
Amanda: Yeah. And now with your teammates do you speak English, like mainly, or do you ever speak Gujarati?
Vrushti: Um, so we speak in English mostly because not everyone on the team knows Gujarati.
Amanda: Okay.
Vrushti: But one of my friends on the team, he’s a year younger than me, he’s from Gujarati, but he doesn’t know how to speak it [00:27:00] very well. He’ll ask me like a new word every day and I’ll help him learn it. And then this other guy on my team, he like says phrases in Gujarati to be funny and like things like that. It’s like funny to hear someone saying jokes like in Gujarati, because like my parents will say them at home, but I’ve never heard them outside of my home, which I love hearing. So just like things like that. But we mainly speak in English.
Amanda: Wow. I love hearing that. I love hearing the stories.
Vrushti: Mm-hmm.
Amanda: I think that answered all my questions, thank you so much for taking the time and for telling your story.
Vrushti: Of course. Anytime.
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