By ANEESA CONINE-NAKANO – Staff Writer
Clarke Central High School freshman Swapnil Dave left his home country in search for a better education.
Clarke Central High School freshman Swapnil Dave left his home country of India when he was nine years old. Swapnil knew little English, had never been to the United States and left most of his family in India. Despite the struggles of leaving all familiarity behind, Swapnil aims to use his education to pursue his passion of helping others.
Swapnil left India with his mother, father and older brother at a young age. His family left in hopes for a better education for him and his brother in the United States as they could not receive a high level of learning in New Delhi.
“In India there isn’t a good education where I lived, so it was easier to move here than to move around (to) other cities in India,” Swapnil said.
Although Swapnil and his family had to leave many things behind in India, he says the move was beneficial and he enjoys living in the United States. He and his family originally moved from New Delhi, India to Georgia.
“I actually lived in Grayson, Ga. with my uncle. It is about an hour from Atlanta,” Swapnil said.
Swapnil automatically felt a culture shock between India and the United States. The technology and country as a whole were very different from the home he grew up in.
“(The United States) is a lot cleaner than India, is less crowded and is less hectic,” Dave said.
Education wise, the United States’ school system was different from his schooling in New Delhi. According to Swapnil, with time he felt much more comfortable in American schools than he ever did in his school in New Delhi.
“The teachers (in the United States) are a little nicer and the students are also nicer,” Swapnil said.
As he adjusted to living in the United States, Swapnil found he liked the moderate temperature and friendliness of people in the southern United States.
“(Grayson, Ga.) is a really small town, but the people were really friendly and I caught up on English there,” Swapnil said.
Although Swapnil now speaks English fluently along with Hindi and Gujarati , it wasn’t always this way.
“(Moving from India) was actually a really hard change. I didn’t really know much English – I did know some – but not enough to start a conversation or continue it,” Swapnil said.
The language barrier between Swapnil and his classmates limited how much he could interact with his teachers and peers.
“I went to school automatically, but it was hard to communicate with people. If I needed something it was hard to tell them what it was,” Swapnil said.
Leaving New Delhi meant leaving most of his family behind. Swapnil was hesitant to leave India and all the memories with his family he had there.
“The city I used to live in is where my granddad worked more than 51 years and is where my dad was born and where I (was born),” Swapnil said.
Swapnil and his immediate family who moved to the United States with him continue to celebrate many Indian traditions in observation of their culture.
“(There) was recently a holiday, Diwali (where) a bunch of family members and friends gather and have a feast,” Swapnil said.
“The city I used to live in is where my granddad worked more than 51 years and is where my dad was born and where I (was born),” Swapnil said.
Swapnil likes to think back to his time in India with his family and his favorite childhood memories.
“I remember once in the summer of 2007, me and my cousin, mom, dad and brother we went to the mountains and that’s where I saw my first snowfall,” Swapnil said.
Dave believes his parents have helped him a lot with his transition from India. Swapnil was able to join many extracurricular activities and it helped him adapt to life in the United States.
“(My parents) let me do whatever I want (like) playing baseball. They would let me do anything in extracurricular activities,” Swapnil said.
Swapnil says his role model is his father whom has had a large influence on him and inspires him to help others with his passions. Swapnil is thankful for the sacrifices his parents took to get him better life opportunities.
“(My dad) went through a lot of trouble to put me through school and with moving here,” Swapnil said. “We had to sacrifice our house because that gave us the money to move here.”
Swapnil’s father, Dr. Anang Dave is a cardiologist at Athens Heart Center and has taught Swapnil to value benevolence and to help those in need. Because of Swapnil’s respect for his father’s values, he would also like to pursue a career in the medical field.
“In ten years I see myself in medical school. Right now I am thinking about (being) a cardiovascular surgeon but that could change in the future,” Swapnil said.
Swapnil says that the sacrifices his family made are going to go to his passion for helping others. He strongly believes in using his education to make an impact on others life as his father does.
“(My dad) went through a lot of trouble to put me through school and with moving here,” Swapnil said. “We had to sacrifice our house because that gave us the money to move here.”
“(I want to become a doctor) because I want to do something for people who are dying in other places instead of just posting (about tragedy on) the internet (and not making a difference),” Swapnil said.
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