#TransferTalk Series🇮🇳🇺🇸✈️⭐

#TransferTalk Series | Episode 4: When Mumbai Meets Manhattan!🗽💫

When I packed my bags and left Mumbai, I knew I was stepping into something bigger - bigger dreams, a bigger city, and definitely bigger fears. What I didn’t know was how much of me I’d be unpacking in this process too. This move was never just physical. It was deeply emotional, a stretch of the heart that comes with leaving familiarity behind and starting over.

In this #TransferTalk, I want to open up about the quieter parts of this transition - the moments of homesickness that surprised me, the cultural shifts that caught me off guard, and the tiny discoveries that started making New York feel just a little bit like home.

Back home, every meal was a moment. Breakfast came with updates about everyone’s day, lunch with the clatter of steel plates, and dinner with shared silence, laughter, or casual banter about the news. I was used to eating surrounded by family and my mom always asking if I wanted more, someone always reaching for the last papad, the familiar comfort of togetherness. Here, I found myself sitting alone at a dining table. The food might be warm, but the silence was colder than I expected. That first solo dinner hit me hard. It wasn’t just about missing home, it was about how suddenly, a basic part of my day became a reminder of what I’d left behind. But slowly, something shifted. I started treating dinner as my own little escape. I began cooking my favorite meals - paneer bhurji and hot rotis that reminded me of home and paired them with comforting Hindi movies or my go-to TV shows. It wasn’t the same as my family’s dinner table, but it gave me a new kind of familiarity. A soft landing at the end of a long day. A way of saying to myself: you’re doing okay! 🍽️🎬

🏙️ Mumbai and New York, for all their differences, had more in common than I thought. The chaos, the pace, the ambition - they mirrored each other in strange ways. And yet, something always felt slightly off. It’s because home isn’t just a place, it’s the people in it. It’s the comfort of knowing which galli shortcut gets you home faster. It’s waving at the security guard you’ve known for years or ordering “the usual” without needing to explain. It's the sense of familiarity - the way you know your city like the back of your hand!

Another cultural shift I didn’t expect to feel so deeply was the way New York moves like literally. Everyone here walks fast. And I mean fast. No casual strolling, no lingering glances. It’s like the sidewalks have an unspoken speed limit, and I was constantly under it. In Mumbai, there’s a certain rhythm to walking, even in the chaos, there’s space to pause, chat, smile at someone you pass. There’s urgency, sure, but there’s also softness. In New York, it’s all business. Headphones in, eyes ahead, pace on point. At first, I felt like I was constantly in the way. I’d stop to look at a building, and someone behind me would groan or whiz past. But slowly, I caught on and now I find myself speed-walking without even realizing it. It’s funny how your body starts adapting before your mind does. 🏃‍♀️💨

Academically, the transition came with a whole new set of surprises. One of the first things I noticed was how students addressed professors here. No ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am’? Just… first names? That would’ve felt unthinkable in my earlier classrooms. But slowly, I began to see what this shift really meant. Professors here were approachable, collaborative, and deeply invested in their students - not just academically, but as people. Calling them by their names felt less like a rebellion and more like an invitation. They wanted us to engage, question, connect. It was a shift from hierarchy to humanity, and honestly, it’s one I’ve grown to love.🧑‍🏫🤝

As the first month unfolded, every day felt like a struggle. Homesickness wasn’t a wave that came and went - it lingered. It would quietly sneak in at random moments: during dinner, while walking back home, or while folding laundry. And I’ll be honest, it may not go away completely. That ache for home doesn’t vanish. You just get better at living with it. What does shift, though, is you. You start building a new routine, crafting a version of comfort in a foreign place. I began exploring cozy coffee spots around campus, got back into working out, and created a rhythm that helped me feel more like me again. Slowly, the unfamiliar didn’t feel so daunting anymore, it felt like possibility.

💃 As my first month passed by, something felt distinctly missing and that something was Navratri. Everyone back home was celebrating, and I could feel the distance more than ever. Navratri has always been my favorite festival and not just because I love dancing (which I really do). There’s something electric about those nine nights in Mumbai. The music, the colors, the energy, the sense of collective joy - it’s hard to describe, but if you know, you know. This year, I experienced it all through my friends’ Instagram stories. Snippets of garba nights, dandiya circles, glowing selfies in lehengas, all of it made my heart ache in a way I hadn’t expected. My body remembered the rhythm, my feet missed the movement, and my heart missed the chaos. And the truth is - you can’t really do anything in exchange for Navratri. Nothing replaces it. I hadn’t made many close friends yet, so I didn’t feel like going to India Square to join the celebrations either. But I did find comfort in the small things like listening to my favorite Gujarati playlist every day, humming along as I walked between classes. One of my best friends even called me from a garba ground just to show me the crowd, the music, the energy and somehow, seeing him happy and dancing settled something in me too. It reminded me that joy doesn’t always need to be physically shared to be felt. That little call meant the world.

Three major things I’ve learned (and am still learning) about moving to a new place:

🌱 It’s okay to grieve the familiar. Missing home isn’t weakness, it’s love. Let yourself feel it. The ache means you had something meaningful to run back to, and that’s a beautiful thing.

🏡 Build small pockets of home - wherever you are. Maybe it’s a dish you cook, a playlist in your language, or a friend who FaceTimes you from a garba night. These moments will stitch a new kind of comfort into your life.

💬 Stay open to the unexpected.The cultural shifts, the fast pace, the first-name professors, it’s all strange until it becomes second nature. Let newness teach you. You’re not losing your roots, you’re expanding them.

This post is just a glimpse, a tiny window into what it feels like to move away from everything you’ve known. You can’t fully sum up this experience on a single page. It’s layered, ongoing, and deeply personal.

If you’re reading this and you’re going through something similar, I want to say this: you’re not alone. It’s okay to miss home and still be excited about where you are. It’s okay to feel both lost and found, sometimes on the same day.

This journey is messy, beautiful, and entirely yours. And if you ever feel like it’s too much - take a deep breath, cook yourself something comforting, and remember: you’re doing okay! 💫

💌 Up Next on #TransferTalk: Let’s talk about friendships and networking - the quiet art of finding your people in a brand new place. From awkward first hellos to accidental soul-connections, I’ll share how building relationships in a city like New York changed the way I see connection itself. Stay tuned 💬

#TransferTalk #StudyAbroad #IndianStudents #NYU #EducationShift #GrowthMindset #PsychMajor