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Close Encounter with the 'Holy Pig'

by A. M. Amin
The day I got my acceptance letter from a US university I was suprtsed to feel a strange sort of numbness. After all those months of hoping and praying to go to the land of 'Happy Days’. Mac Danalds and Twinkles Cup Cakes but most of all to freedom, whatever that meant, why wasn't I Just bursting with joy? The thought of being Independent' Just didn't seem so wonderful anymore, what would II It be like, how would 1 fit In,what if .... were questions that kept me awake at night.
But as the day of my flight date drew nearer. the
adrenaline began to Dow through my veins again. It's really happening, I thought. My dream was really going to come true. A life full of new and exciting opportunities seemed to lie ahead of me and I Just couldn't wait to begin It.
But perhaps my revived enthusiasm wns due to the (act that both my parents were accompanying me for the purpose of 'settling me tn' and my brother was already In the states going to university there. The feeling of insecurity therefore, had not hit me — yet.
The first thing that shocked me Into reality as I stepped out of Logan Airport was the weather. Boston in January, though pretty with snow, was also bitterly cold and to nK, quite uninviting. I suddenly longed for the hot. sultry afternoons of Bangladesh, the fragrance of 'shewly' in the morning, and the hum of crickets at ntght.
It wasn't the Oral time that I had been to the States. I had gone on a one month long trip with my mother to about 7 American states when I was twelve. But my visions of 38 flavoured Icecreams and Mickey Mouse seemed to melt Into nothingness as I felt the cold wind biting Into my flesh and thought of the prospect of going through another 3 winters. But perhaps the greatest shock of all was seeing so many foreigners. Then I realized with a self deprecating laugh — / was the the foreigner, not them I
Being a rather coddled
child I did not find it at nil surprising that both my parents accompanied ns- Io school' for my orientation day'. As we trudged over the snowy hill towards the Inter — Cultural office I was struck by the majestic churchHkc buildings that formed the campus of this Jesuit College. Bui as soon as my parents bid me farewell after handing me over to the International Student Counsellor, I was gripped with panic. No don't leave me. I pleaded In silence, take me back home, my eyes impfored.
Finding the classroom where the orientation class was taking place proved to be like going through a crazy maize. I was of course late. Unfamiliar though not unfriendly faces looked at me as I stealthily walked tn the student advisor gave me an encouraging smile and asked me to take a seal. While she babbled on about how wonderful the school was I looked around at my follow victims. With mortification I realized how dumpy I looked in my layers of woollens in front of those girls in their 'preppy' turtle necks and designer jeans. I had overlooked the fact that while It was below zero degrees outside, the healing inside the rooms made II seem like summer. I also realized as I looked around that I was the only Asian or to pul it bluntly, the only non white.
After about half an hour of what seemed like a complicated introduction that sounded like Chinese to me ( I seemed to have forgotten English in my anxiety), we were Informed that we were to be taken on a tour of the campus Now I would never get home, I thought miserably.
By ihe time we reached the 'sports complex’ which looked like something out of Space 1999. I felt like a cardiac patient and the thought about running around in Ihe gym'
made me feel positively ill. I wns also getting a Hille tired of the continuous ’Oh Cool', Awesome’ and wicked nice' from my New England companions. I asked our student assistant, a cheery Jewish girl, when I would be able to go home. To my surprise she replied. "Don't worry honey we re moving towards the 'lea' stop. I alluded this strange answer to two possibilities — either I had lost command of the English language, or she was one of those escaped mental asylum patients in the American nxrvics they showed on TV back home
Keep calm. I thought and meekly followed the brood towards the 'dining hall'. After meeting some faculty members and the huge stadium 1 was feeling almost psychotic lorwnrds the student advisor. Everytime I brought up the question of going home she told me that she was taking us to the 'tea stop’. Finally I could bear It no longer and with the determination of an obsessed E T. I burst out. "But I don't want any tea. I Just won't to go home." This lime the student advisor Just convulsed into hysterical laughter joined by some of the other students. I could barely contain my anger and frustration. It was then that she explained. That's why were going to the T slop which is the train stop that will take you home!"
During the rest of Ihe ’oricnintion' day many such Incidents were to occur with the blunders made not only from my side I had my own share of laughs when I was asked questions like Oh do you avoid eating pork because the pig is a holy animal?* and Do you really live In trees .By ’ the time orientation was over my fascination for eating out of slot machines store off and I had almost convinced my student advisor that I did not belong to any tribe'. "Culture shock." I realized, could go both ways.