Words bring comfort to desis

Take care. Be good and don't do anything I wouldn't do," was one of the last things my mom said to me as she left me to fend for myself out here last fall. \nBy the simple instruction, she had clipped my wings. She also got me thinking. Take care. It's a phrase which most of you take for granted and has now become ingrained in your daily speech. It probably rivals "whassup" in the frequency of its usage. But what about desis like myself? \nOh, I'm sorry, let me explain. A desi (pronounced they-see) is one who hails from the Indian sub-continent and could be Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan. I guess I could do away with the italics now right? Coming back to the desi, I guess that more than any other phrase, "take care" is the one that we tend to pick up really quickly. \nHey, it's a whole new world and we've got to adapt. True, it's used very casually as an accompaniment to the goodbyes, but I urge you to look deeper. \nIt truly is comforting to know that someone wishes you well. Unless you've experienced it personally, you have no idea what it's like to be here 10,000 miles away from home, in a strange land, engulfed by a culture that bears no resemblance to your own. You feel unsure of yourself and of your ability to make the transition.\n The first few nights are spent pining for home as we are so far removed from our comfort zones. I was more depressed than you can possibly imagine. Leaving behind family, friends, loved ones. When you are out here feeling that isolated, believe me, all you're doing is clutching desperately at every last straw you can lay your hands on. \nBut then you hear those two words. So conversational, seemingly trivial, but instilling in us a hope that we can survive. A hope that we can embrace the inevitable winds of change that have arisen from our decisions to be here. And a hope that we can finally succeed. \nAdjusting to life out here in the United States is pretty hard for most desis. True, there are some, the social butterflies, for whom this is a great way to further their social ambitions. At the other end of the spectrum we have those who are here only to work. Their ambitions are lofty and they do not have time to waste. Every minute is precious, as it is a stepping stone as they hurtle down that path to success. \nFor a culture that dates back thousands of years, it is impossible to imagine the different types of people that make up the colorful tapestry of our rich heritage. Mere words wouldn't be able to describe the grandeur of such an ancient civilization, but I hope to be able to paint a few broad strokes that can give you a slight inkling about the mentalities of the desis who come to the United States.\nI hope that you will be able to appreciate the effort that goes into our coming here and the drastic changes of lifestyle that we have to undergo. Sure, it's hard, but then again, I hear the words echoing in my brain and I think to myself, "that's not a bad way live at all." Just take care and everything will be OK.