Boarding Schools

Okay so my parents are thinking of sending me to a boarding school in Kerala, India. I was born in the US and I still live here, but my parents were both born in India. I know I could learn a lot and be so well-rounded but I'm not sure if I'm mentally and emotionally prepared. After all, I'm almost 13... I barely know anything about India, even though I'm of Indian heritage. I don't know if I could handle moving to a country thousands of miles away, living independantly, in a dorm... I'm kinda stuck.

Do you think it'd be wise for me to go? Or should I wait til I'm older?
 
I don't know if my advice is the best because my experience was the other way around and it's not as severe since my parents immigrated with me, but um... okay. I think at age 13, you're gonna need a lot of your friends support, I think it's to someone's best advantage to stay in one place during your teenage years because it's going to be what forms you, so I think shipping you off to a boarding school half way around the world (literally) is not the best idea. However, It might help you learn a lot more about your hertiage and your culture and you might even enjoy it. You're gonna have to list out your pros and cons becuase I highly doubt you'll have as much freedom as you do in America. ;)
--Mandy :angelic:
 
Aliasfan13 said:
Okay so my parents are thinking of sending me to a boarding school in Kerala, India. I was born in the US and I still live here, but my parents were both born in India. I know I could learn a lot and be so well-rounded but I'm not sure if I'm mentally and emotionally prepared. After all, I'm almost 13... I barely know anything about India, even though I'm of Indian heritage. I don't know if I could handle moving to a country thousands of miles away, living independantly, in a dorm... I'm kinda stuck.

Do you think it'd be wise for me to go? Or should I wait til I'm older?
[post="1279088"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​
Okay, I might upset some people here, but I would tell you it is the worst idea in the world to go.

I am not Indian, but my parents live in India, and I have spent a lot of time there, and have done a lot of travelling in Kerala. The standards of living in India - even for the rich people - are far below living standards in the West.

Also, most educational qualifications in India are not recognised in other countries because the education system is very poor. This is not the right country to be getting your education in. My father works employing Indians for his company, and he has trouble finding people with international-level qualifications because of their poor high school education.

Finally, I think that you should definitely visit India at some point, but going on your own (to a country that can be incredibly difficult to manage even as an adult) when you are still very young is probably not the best idea.
 
mystery_chick said:
I don't know if my advice is the best because my experience was the other way around and it's not as severe since my parents immigrated with me, but um... okay. I think at age 13, you're gonna need a lot of your friends support, I think it's to someone's best advantage to stay in one place during your teenage years because it's going to be what forms you, so I think shipping you off to a boarding school half way around the world (literally) is not the best idea. However, It might help you learn a lot more about your hertiage and your culture and you might even enjoy it. You're gonna have to list out your pros and cons becuase I highly doubt you'll have as much freedom as you do in America. ;)
--Mandy :angelic:
[post="1279104"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​

Well, see, my cousin goes to the school and my aunt works at the school, so I think I'd have pretty good safety and stuff.


Natalia said:
Okay, I might upset some people here, but I would tell you it is the worst idea in the world to go.

I am not Indian, but my parents live in India, and I have spent a lot of time there, and have done a lot of travelling in Kerala. The standards of living in India - even for the rich people - are far below living standards in the West.

Also, most educational qualifications in India are not recognised in other countries because the education system is very poor. This is not the right country to be getting your education in. My father works employing Indians for his company, and he has trouble finding people with international-level qualifications because of their poor high school education.

Finally, I think that you should definitely visit India at some point, but going on your own (to a country that can be incredibly difficult to manage even as an adult) when you are still very young is probably not the best idea.
[post="1279138"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​

Really? Well...I dunno about Indian schools, but this is a British school...so...wouldn't it be pretty good? I mean, a lot of the graduates from this school are wanted internationally for jobs.

And well...I was thinking it might just be a reality check for me, since I'm so vain here... and there, even living in poverty, they see the best in life. And here, I have everything, yet, I'm not satisfied. But I'm not sure if all that would be worth it, because I'd have to get a ton of vaccinations and stuff since it's in the tropics and I could get malaria and cholera and stuff... it might be dangerous. :thinking:
 
It is definitely up to you.

But, if it were me, I don't know if I could do it. I'm glad I stayed at an American High School and lived at home during my teenage years. It made those awkward years a lot easier on me. Plus, goodness, 13 seems so young! I had a hard time moving into college last fall and living away from home (even though I was 18).

It does sound like a great oppertunity. I have cousins who have attended British based schools in Indonesia and they've been getting a great education (probably better than the one you'd get over here). But education, though important, isn't everything.

If you think you're too vain over here (which I'm sure you aren't), then you could always volunteer somewhere, if looking for a way to better the world.

Moving to India would be way too extreme for me (even now...I'm such a homebody...I mean, goodness, I'm hoping to get an internship in either NYC or DC next year...and I'm already kinda freaking out about it). But you seem very mature, and if you feel that it's the right fit for you then do it! (y)

And this may seem kinda juvenille...but you could come up with a list of Pros and Cons if you're really stuck, to help make a decision for you :smiley:
 
Aliasfan13 said:
Well, see, my cousin goes to the school and my aunt works at the school, so I think I'd have pretty good safety and stuff.
[post="1279737"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]​

Then again, it depends. Are you close with your cousin and aunt? Are you comfortable living away from home? (ever been on school trips that lasts a couple weeks? camping with friends? etc) and I don't think because you want to try to make yourself more humble is a good reason to move yourself half way around the world. There are so many things you can do to get a reality check. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, salvation army, get a job, try not to take your parents money. Have you been back to India? because honestly, if you have NEVER been back and suddenly move back, it will seriously be such a shock to you... oh man, it really does seem like a whole different planet on the otherside of this world. Maybe it's best if you went to India before you actually make your decision. ;)
--Mandy :angelic:
 
I know I could learn a lot and be so well-rounded but I'm not sure if I'm mentally and emotionally prepared. After all, I'm almost 13... I barely know anything about India, even though I'm of Indian heritage.
Have you travelled to any countries in the East? The first thing you should be doing is reading up on the society and the customs. India is a bigger culture shock than anywhere. A lot of the society still operates the way it did in the Middle Ages. For a start, visit the link in my signature.

Honestly, if it was me, there was no way in the world I would go. I can only take India in small doses, and yes, a lot of people get very sick there (last time I was in Kerala I got so sick I could barely move for two weeks), and it isn't always a comfortable place to be living in. It certainly would be a reality check, but you could always go for a visit. I don't think this is place you should be moving to without any knowledge of what it is like.

Remember, this isn't just about going to a boarding school. I have travelled extensively in about 30 countries around the world, and India is compleletely different to everywhere esle. It drains you physically and emotionally, and the Westerners I know who live there (about 40 people) all find themselves struggling.
It's not even the fact there is so much poverty, but more the corruption and culture clashes that make life difficult there.

I know this all sounds really harsh, but I know what it is like to be a Westerner living in India. Even though I am more than a decade older than you I found it incredibly difficult. I just think you should be much better informed about the place before you make any major decisions about moving there.
 
I've been to India about 3 times in my life and yeah, obviously India isn't the greatest place in the world, and it is quite a daunting thought to have to get a million vaccinations and knowing that if you don't get them, you could contract a deadly disease. Yeah, that does freak me out. And as for the bride burning and all those weird customs, I'm a Christian, and it's a Christian school, so I don't think I'd be affected by all of that.

As many bad things I can think of about India, I just think I'd be better prepared for college and for life...*shrug*
 
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