Shanti Thokchom's Life Experiences
- Part 23 -
Going to a Liberal College in US

By Shanti Thokchom *

I would like to share some stories with you all.

I started attending college here to get a degree in liberal arts in 2006 because I did not get the chance back home due to my shouldering family responsibilities and also that my poor folks could not afford so.

Well, our own people here are very curious as always, wanting to know the whys and hows of my returning back to college, which is not even a hi-fi one..just a simple community college....!

On my first day of college, I was very apprehensive as it was a very long time ago that I had ever attended any kind of classes. I was very fortunate to have a very good mix of classmates, both young and old alike from different backgrounds.

I enrolled in four classes and was rushing from one class to another in different rooms in the building carrying a back pack..!! Believe you me, it was back-breaking for me to do that in my first semester.

I felt very rusty but my English teacher was a very understanding lady. She helped us a lot by her warmth and motherly love to all of us. I was the only Manipuri female in the English class and my teacher made me share my story of my journey with the class.

We bonded so good and it was great fun learning! I was very self conscious of myself at first but later felt comfortable as there were other working adults like me in the class not only that, we had teenagers and gays too.

The instructors were very laid back and it gave us confidence to ask questions to them. Back home I would have been the butt of every one's joke, if I was to be attending college there at my age..!!

Thats the good thing about this country!! I am not saying our mother country is bad but the good opportunities here are far greater.. thats what I meant to say! Every country is unique!

I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to attend college/school here which I am continuing still. I am in no hurry.. I am just taking two credit classes now per semester so as to fit them around my son's schedule.

I like observing people very much. I have learnt a lot from doing that. I love cooking so I always make Aloo Samosas and share them with my classmates. They love the Aloo Samosas which they call Potato patties!

Over these past semesters, I have learnt how to use the computer like sending email, drafting class essays and other assignments. I am a computer-challenged person but attending college has given me the opportunity to better my skills and knowledge. My Saalam goes to the new age technology!!

Its from here that I learnt how to write stories and share with friends. Much of the credit goes to my English teacher who was a big fat Greek lady but very genial and jovial lady!! She was very frank and open.

I was very surprised by her openness. It has rubbed off on me too. There were two male gay students who were very bright and intelligent ! They shared their stories of how they were kicked out of their homes by their family because of their being gay!!

It was a wonderful testimony they gave! We had another radical student who called them the "F" word .



More stories later ...... to be continued ...!!