An Interview with Avantika Vaishnav

Avantika is in her first year of undergraduate studies here at Duke University. She is from Muscat, Oman, and is an only child. She is also currently deciding her major.

Why did you initially decide to study in the United States?

For me it was actually sort of a conflict with my parents - I wanted to go to the UK and my parents wanted me to go to the States, but then when I got into Duke I was really excited, and when my friend who goes here showed me pictures I was even more excited, but I still wanted to go to the UK. But then when I weighed my options, I saw that this was a better school, so I decided against the UK and went for the States.

So what do Omani students normally do after high school?

Well it's not so much Oman, since I went to an Indian high school - most of the kids go to India. A small percentage of them stay in Oman, and a small percentage go abroad, like to the States or to the UK. But, actually, we had about 13 or 14 kids go to the States this year.

Culturally speaking, what have been some of the biggest adjustments you have had to make?

I grew up in a fairly Western culture, so it's not so much adjustments but rather that the perspectives are different. I mean, I haven't had to "adjust" to anything. It's just a different way of thinking.

Do you feel like there are certain issues here in America, like race, which are more salient here than they are back in Oman?

Yeah, here, it's very important to be PC. Where I'm from, I never had to experience that, because I was always around Indians. There was never a moment where you could be racist towards an actual person because everybody was of the same race. But I completely understand it here, and it's not something I'm surprised by, because there is such a diverse population.

So do you think you've changed any in the last 6 months?

I think I've tended to realize the value of my family a lot more. I'm also on the way to figuring out exactly what I like, because I was sort of clueless about that before I got here. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life - I still don't, but I'm on the path, basically.

What do you like most about Duke?

I'm a big fan of school spirit, and there's obviously a ton of it here, and I'm a completely converted Duke fan. I was never a fan of anything before, but now I'm a pretty hardcore basketball fan.

Is there anything at Duke that wasn't necessarily compatible with your original idea of America or maybe even the American South?

To be honest, before I came here, the concept of "North" and "South" was a little alien to me, and I still don't totally understand it. As far as I know, the South is more conservative, but I don't really see that because I come from a super conservative culture. But, to answer your question, not really.

What do you miss the most about Oman?

The weather, partially. Also, I've had the same friends for a really long time, and the environment has been the same. So it's just the environment, and the friends, and the stuff we do there is different from here. I guess it's more like hanging out and stuff.

What's life like for a normal Omani kid growing up?

We hung out on the beach a lot, but as we got older it was a lot more just hanging out at bars, and going out to movies and stuff. When we were juniors and seniors, we also hung out a lot at hookah bars.

What are you involved with now?

Well, I tent, which seems to be my major activity for this semester. I've also helped out with a few IA (International Association) things last semester, and I play club sports - badminton and table tennis. I'd also like to be involved in some theater.

What are you looking forward to most in the next 3½ years?

I'm most wanting to find out what I want to do with my life, because I don't know what I like and what I don't like yet. So I'm trying to figure out what I want to do and who I am.