The interviewee has requested that their story not be shared on social media.

All right. Hello. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?

Yeah, my name is Wasay Qureshi. I'm a senior at Swarthmore College, majoring in computer science. And I grew up in Pakistan. I spent the first 19 years of my life there. And I came to the US three and a half years ago for college.

First question. What do you remember from your first days in the US when you arrived? Can you share what it felt like, and your first impression?

Yes, so I came to the U.S two weeks before college was supposed to start for me. And so it was a very happening time of my life. Not just because I just immigrated to the U.S but because I was done with high school, and all my friends were done with high school, and our friend groups were going to split apart. And so life was doubly uncertain for me because of that. And coming to the U.S., I was very excited, but also very nervous. And I was glad I made it to a college in the U.S., and a good college in the U.S. But I was also scared about fitting in, and my life going forward. And I remember specifically that the first week I was here, there was a hurricane that was happening in Houston, near Houston, where I was living and so we actually had to evacuate. And so my first week ever in the US, was me evacuating the hurricane and going up north and living at a family friend's house, which was really surprising.

I see. Was there anything that you ate that was brand new to you? Like during the first few weeks?

Yeah, I had never had meatloaf in my life. And I had meatloaf in my first few weeks at Swarthmore, and that was an experience for me.

Did you like it?

No, I did not like it. And I don't like meatloaf.

In terms of culture, what were some of the biggest cultural differences or similarities that you noticed between the U.S and Pakistan?

I think there's not very many cultural similarities, I think the U.S is a lot of different cultures mixed in with, I guess, the American culture. I think there's not a lot of cultural traditions in the same way that there are in Pakistan. And the cultural identity of the US is a lot more diluted compared to Pakistan. So I don't think they have the same strong adherence to traditions or things like festivals. But I think there's an American way of life that's very different to, I guess, Pakistani people's way of living. And I have felt that over here, people are much more friendly and talkative, and they'll engage with you in a conversation even if you don't know them. Which is starkly different to what it is like in Pakistan. Although I do think that this engagement is only surface level, and it doesn't go deep. And so if someone asks you how you're doing, they only expect a short answer. And you should only be expected to give a short answer. And more often than not, you're expected to just say, “Oh, I'm fine” or “I’m hanging in there.” As opposed to getting into how you're actually doing, which is how it would be like in Pakistan, if someone asked you how you were doing.

I see. Is there a specific memory that surprised you, or that you remember? Or is it like anything that made you smile or laugh or cry when you think about it? In the first few weeks, or like, first month?

Um, yeah, I remember. After I moved into college, or when I was moving into college, I was really excited at the prospect of just starting college, and having these four years ahead of me where I could live independently. Where before I had not lived independently, I was still under the wing of my parents. And that is something that I still smile about when I think about.

Okay, was it easy making friends in your first days?

Ah, yes and no. When I came to Swarthmore, since there's very few Pakistani people in Swarthmore, all of them are very tight knit and so I was introduced to them early on as soon as I got accepted, and so it was easy to make friends with them, and hang out with them. But otherwise it was hard to make friends with the people that were here, especially because we had COVID during that time, so a lot of international students weren't there, and we weren't having any events or we didn't have any orientation. And so it was really hard to just make friends with those people, especially because most of the people here were just like local Americans, who I felt like and I still feel like are very different to me as a Pakistani.