By Dylan McAdoo

Having to move from city to city or state to state can be difficult, but moving from a whole different country brings a whole new set of challenges. Rudra Goswami, a junior at Ponte Vedra High School can tell a story all about that. Goswami moved to Ponte Vedra about a year ago but didn’t start up school until this school year.

Goswami mainly noted all the changes he has had to adapt to and is still getting into the flow of the things people do in America. Goswami pointed out, “I was planning on moving to Los Angeles until my family wanted to move closer to my other family which live in Ponte Vedra.”  

One major difference cited by Goswami was the weather difference. Goswami said, “the weather in India was much warmer than here, which is probably one of the bigger differences from there to here.” The climate in India is tropical, with hot summers and mild winters. Goswami also added, “the people here in America are much more kind and more welcoming, they are always helping me find where I need to be and make new friends.”

Another major difference Goswami said was school and education. Goswami noted, “In India school was much more difficult,” Goswami later noted, “there are no classes, everyone sits in one classroom and the teacher comes to you.” Goswami added, “The school day is 8 hours, and I was in a public school. They do much better at explaining everything in America.” The Indian school system has four levels which are called lower primary which is divided into five standards (age six to ten), the upper primary is divided into two (11 and 12), high school is divided into three (13 to 15), and higher secondary into two (17 and 18). The Indian schooling system produces highly qualified engineers and medicine professionals. All though it has pros, there are cons as well, there are limited opportunities and a rigid curriculum. There is also homework in India just like here in the states.

Goswami said, “In my free time in India I would either go out and play different sports or stay home and edit my photos and videos.” Goswami added “I played cricket for my school and everyone at my school spoke Gujarati, so it was easy to communicate.” Gujarati is a native or inhabitant of Gujarat in Western India. The main sport everyone plays in India is cricket. Goswami later added, “I ate mainly the foods that were native to India.” Some foods that are mainly native to India are biryani and curry. Biryani is a mixed rice dish most popular in south Asia, it’s made with rice some type of meat (chicken, beef, goat, lamb, prawn, or fish) and some spices.

Rudra Goswami is still settling in here in America, but so far he is liking it and can’t wait for his future in the United States.

Rudra Goswami (11) taking a picture with a Camel in India