Little did I know that my world would turn upside down when I moved to the USA about seven months ago. It was as if I had set foot on a different planet altogether. Back home in Dubai, I was used to being surrounded by towers shooting across the skyline of the city.

It was evident that my definition of an urban city was drastically different to what the people of New Brunswick believed or perceived it to be. Apart from observing the changes in the physical surroundings, I was now thrown into, I had challenged myself to immerse in a completely different culture than what I was used to. My experience so far has been awfully bittersweet and a rollercoaster of emotions.

Prior to arriving at Rutgers, my family and friends were extremely excited for me to go abroad and explore my opportunities while becoming independent. With that being said, leaving my parents back home was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Missing out on their milestones such as their 25th wedding anniversary and my mum’s 50th birthday does break my heart. They continue to stay strong for me while reminding me that it’s a sacrifice worth making for my future. Yet I questioned, and continue to question, whether making this sacrifice was the best decision for me if it meant leaving my dearest friends and family behind...

The beginning of my first semester at Rutgers culminated in a lot of new friendships being built as I attended a variety of different events and networked with individuals from different walks of life. This initial excitement of making new friends soon dissolved, as I came to realize that the humongous size of our campus and unmatched schedules would hinder stronger bonds from being formed. After interacting with other friends who are also international students, I was glad to find out that I wasn’t the only one facing a similar problem.

It quickly dawned on me that I would have to get used to being alone and staying strong in troubling situations. As an extremely sensitive person, the added vulnerability of my emotions while being far away from home led to me crying at the drop of a hat and ringing my mum when it was the middle of the night for her. Speaking of which, the time differences drove me crazy, to begin with. With a gap of eight to nine hours between Dubai and New Jersey, coordinating our phone calls was challenging too.

Winter break breezed by as quick as the winds blowing over New Jersey and the three weeks spent back home were evidently not enough for me no matter how much free time I had on my hands. Never had I ever witnessed my father in such a dull mood as the end of winter break was looming around the corner and before we knew it, the distance of 6,833 miles was created yet again.

This was my first time entering the States and the prior perspectives as shared by the people of Dubai were highly positive. Little did they realize that the perspective of a tourist may not necessarily match that of my own; a freshman college student who was expected to leave everything behind her and step into an overwhelming pool of constant change around me. From a global perspective, it is safe to say that the USA is looked up to and is a model country for many others across the world.

There was a certain stereotype given off by sources around me that the USA was where people progressed to great heights and lived an extremely fulfilling life while having the best quality of life. This bubble was instantly burst the minute I set foot on the streets of New Brunswick and discovered that there were a lot of pressing issues looming across the different states. As much as I trust and believe that the educational system and technological advancements are the state-of-the-art here, I soon came to realize that the people weren’t necessarily as happy as I had perceived them to be.

The sight of homelessness and poverty was something I was not expecting whatsoever in a highly developed nation such as this one. This was particularly challenging for me to witness coming from a city where being homeless was illegal.

My journey as an international student hasn’t necessarily been all that dark though. I’ve had days filled with delicious cups of bubble tea for comfort and enriching experiences that have allowed me to grow in ways beyond I could have ever imagined. It seems as though every new day spent in this city is getting minutely, if not drastically, positive. I am extremely grateful to my friends and family back home for their constant, strength, love and support. It’s what drives me to work harder and better every day that I spend here.

Stay tuned and join me in my journey of self-discovery and change through my years at Rutgers!