Falling in line

Adjustment problems

The experience of stepping out of one’s cocoon for the first time, away from familiar faces and voices, can be exciting yet scary. And students, in particular, know exactly what it means to be independent and the challenges one faces when living alone.

Many step out of their homes, their comfort zone, to pursue higher education or a better career. With every new academic year, college campuses are buzzing with enthusiastic newcomers. While the city welcomes them with open arms, many are hit by the reality of fending for themselves. They begin to feel home sick and miss their loved ones until they have adjusted to the new space.

But this is not the only issue that concerns these youngsters. Hasrat Sohi, from Chandigarh and a student of Christ University, felt like she was in a different world when she first landed here. “Coming from the northern part of India, it is pretty natural to feel alienated. From the culture to language and eating habits, almost everything is different. Though people in Bengaluru were welcoming and helpful, I faced a problem when communicating with auto and cab drivers. For someone who is just a day or two old in the city, not knowing Kannada becomes a handicap,” she says. 

Apart from a language barrier, many students find it difficult to find accommodation. Most of them complain that though paying guest houses promise good services, this isn’t always true. Hasrat advices newbies not to be picky, but be flexible and mentally prepared to experience a drastic change.

A year-old in the city and slowly adapting to its preferences is Melvin George, a Mumbaikar, who is pursuing his MBA course. He says that since he comes from a humid region, Bengaluru’s weather  was rather relaxing. However, he has also faced many problems, especially with transportation. “Initially, travelling in autos was not very comfortable as drivers tend to overcharge, knowing I am not from here. I was not aware of how the public transport system works here. And to add to it, I didn’t find any bloggers or websites that spoke about similar experiences and provided solutions,” he says. He found people who were helpful and those who weren’t.

He suggests that every college website have a space where students can blog and share their experiences along with the solutions, to help others in the future.

When one shifts base they tend to experience a lot of things that they aren’t familiar with. This gives rise to what is called ‘culture shock’. It is common among people to feel this in a country like India, which is so diverse.

And since one takes their comfort zone for granted, it takes time to adjust to something new. Kriti Behal, from Punjab, says, “When we are home, we think other places will be ‘cool’ to go and study in. The same happened with me; I had an option of moving to Mumbai, Pune or Bengaluru for my further studies, and I chose Bengaluru because I had heard how amazing it is. Once I landed here, it took me a month to get used to everything.”

The major problem she faced was with food. “Though the city has some amazing restaurants to go to, it is difficult to find authentic Punjabi food — especially the street food we get back home. And like any newcomer, I too faced problems with language. However, not knowing the language is just an excuse. I came here to explore a new culture and eventually, learnt how important it is to know the state language. Many incidences helped me grow more independent and taught me to be street-smart.”