Leaving home meant leaving behind the celebration of annual festivals, holidays with family, tastes of delicious home cooked meals, and beautiful sunshine. Payal shares her experience from leaving home to the United States as a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant. Coming to the United States was very new for Payal, as this would be her first time in the country. Originally from Ranchi, Jharkhand, India, she shares her new love for the relationships she has developed within the Notre Dame Family. Payal is one of the FLTAs at the CSLC, and she is teaching Hindi at the University of Notre Dame.
After landing at South Bend International Airport, CSLC Director Alessia Blad-Miller drove her to what would be Payal’s new home. This warm welcome reassured her that someone is here for her on this new wonderful experience. Upon her arrival, Payal was immediately in awe of the Notre Dame Campus. She describes the campus not only to be vibrant, but also a feeling of security and safety. Back home, she enjoys the sunny warm weather, so winters in South Bend, Indiana were completely new to her. If there was something she could pack in her suitcase it would have been a little bit of sunshine! One of her favorite places to visit on campus is the Grotto at night. She sits on the bench and reflects on this new journey as a FLTA.
Bilingualism and culturalism have played an immense role in Payal’s education. She grew up in a bilingual home, speaking Hindi and English and listening to a lot of languages spoken around her. Growing up, her school did not allow students to speak Hindi outside of class. During her time here in the US, she has practiced the Bangla language and has learned to speak it from friends within the Notre Dame community. In addition to Hindi, Payal also learned how to speak French and has started to learn Spanish.
Traditional holidays and annual festivals have always been a big part of Payal’s appreciation for her culture. She shares that in India they celebrate Christmas but not Halloween or Thanksgiving so she got to experience these holidays for the first time. Halloween drew her attention especially when having discussions about the holiday in her American Pop Culture Class at Notre Dame. She felt even more welcomed to US traditions and holidays when CSLC Assistant Director Mary Breezley David hosted a Thanksgiving dinner.
Although being away from home has been a new experience for Payal, she is grateful for the many memories she has made with other graduate students and cultural clubs on campus. She has not only been able to explore South Bend, but has also traveled to Chicago and has enjoyed South Asian meals. Trips to Chicago also called for tasting Indian sweets! Payal has truly called Notre Dame her home, in which she has led and attended events such as language tables, Cuppa events, singing in Hindi and English, and Hindi and Magahi script events.
The CSLC has further allowed the FLTA cohort to fully immerse themselves in culture and languages. Payal has asked all FLTAs how to say some of the basics of their native languages such as how to say good morning and goodnight. She now knows how to say goodnight in 9 languages! Payal has enjoyed meeting other international students where she has made many new friends within the Latinx community. She is now aware of who the famous Bad Bunny is! What she has enjoyed the most from the cohort is that she has truly found a community. Leaving home was difficult at first, but her supportive and genuine relationships with other FLTAs have made this experience even more heartwarming.
About the CSLC
The Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures (CSLC) aims to support language learners at ND by facilitating meaningful experiences with linguistic acquisition and exchange - both in our campus community and abroad. We believe that access to the world's languages and cultures allows us to seek out new perspectives, to value the diversity of the world's cultures, and to embody global citizenship.