(3)All the belongingness that I craved in India as a teenager, all the neglected socio- emotional & relational needs I had that drove me to become a passionate thinker, writer, intellectual & music, were finally fulfilled here, properly.
After more than a decade, I found community where I had true joy & effortless happiness.
With more than 5 close cousins in the city & the amazing friends I made in grad school, I felt more seen & heard than ever in my life.
The freedom, depth and quality of New York’s electronic music/ Rave scene, queer culture, spiritual community all came together for me.
The inner knowing I had since I was a child hit me like a jolt. This was home. This will always be home. I belong here like nowhere else in the world.
Now, as I navigate the complexities & compliance of being on an F1 visa & strategize my path into being a permanent resident, I am reminded that I have purpose.
There was a reason that I wasn’t born here from the get go. I was meant to walk this path of finding myself, reuniting later & showing other immigrants that it is possible to be where you belong.
And most importantly, have faith.
No one can take what’s yours. What’s real can’t be lost.
The journey is meant to teach you lessons that you wouldn’t have otherwise learnt.
I am here to dive into the spirituality of immigration, of choosing to move & make another country home.