An Interview with Vatsala Kabra

Vatsala is in her junior year of undergraduate studies here at Duke. She is from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and is majoring in Economics and minoring in Mathematics.

1. So why did you decide to study in the States?

Well, growing up in Dubai, I went to an international school all my life, and I had always wanted to study outside of the city. Dubai’s public education – higher education – is really not that great. And why I chose the States in particular…I just really love the diversity of opportunities and the liberal arts curriculum. And it’s sort of a more flexible system. I didn’t want to go to a school in the UK or other places where you’re sort of fixed and set on a certain path. And I like the whole campus, having a big campus life – it’s very different from growing up in a city.

 

2. What did your friends and family think of your decision?

Well my parents always supported the idea. I grew up knowing I would probably go to the US to study, and my parents had always instilled that idea. And in terms of friends, our class was divided half and half. Most of my best friends went abroad to study – the UK, Canada, the US. Some went to South Africa, Australia. Everyone grew up knowing they would probably leave for higher education.

 

3. So is there a tradition in your family of leaving the country for higher education?

It’s kind of interesting, because my dad grew up in a small town in India, and for him to move to Delhi for university – and he went to a really good school in Delhi – it’s pretty much the equivalent of me moving from Dubai to the US. So it’s as much of a cultural change as going from a village to a city. My mom’s case is sort of similar, too. So there was always this tradition, I guess. It’s very important, I think, for Indian families to emphasize education. My sisters and I always grew up knowing we’d probably go abroad.

 

4. What made you want to be an Econ major?

Well, it was more what I could do with the major than anything else. I always enjoyed Economics in high school. Why I picked Econ is, I guess, I’ve been interested in finance. And I think it opens up a lot of doors in terms of what you can do. I’m also interested in social entrepreneurship and microfinance as well as finance, so it made sense.

 

5. When you go to Duke, what were some of the differences you noticed between life here and life in Dubai?

Well, one thing for sure was that it’s a very Americanized sort of set up here. I’ve visited my sister in Boston, but I’ve found that Duke was much more…I think coming to a big campus-oriented school and not having such a big city to go into, that was one thing that surprised me a little bit. I remember when my dad, sister and I first drove to my dorm, we were so surprised, because, growing up in Dubai, that’s really important – having a city to venture out into. In terms of culture, though, I can’t say I’ve been that culturally shocked, because I did grow up going to an international school, and I was exposed to American culture in that sense. So it wasn’t very difficult.

 

6. And, growing up in Dubai, what were some of the things you did that were normal there that maybe aren’t normal here, or vice versa?

I mean, I think one of the key differences, probably, between Dubai and here is that…it’s kind of interesting, because it’s not that people segregate, but there is this sort of self-segregation. There’s this expat thing where there’s an Indian community, an American community, etc. and the communities don’t tend to mix that much. And for me it was very natural – well, more for my parents, because most of their friends are Indian and they have this Indian community, whereas for me I have friends from all over the place. But coming here, I realized that that’s actually kind of weird. It’s just sort of the norm and acceptable there, but here’s it more frowned upon. Besides that, really, I can’t think of things I would do there that I wouldn’t do here. Dubai is a very free city, so I never felt pressured to conform to any sort of Muslim rituals or anything like that – you know, the hijab, as people sometimes think that’s required. So, culturally, I felt very free.

 

7. So how liberal or free would you say that Dubai is, specifically in the face of more current movements in the city to crack down on certain “un-Islamic” behaviors?

Yeah, it’s kind of interesting, because I think there are two forms of freedom. There’s the American definition of freedom, which is everything should be open, out in the public – freedom of press, voting, etc. And I mean I realize I grew up without all of those things, but in my day to day life, that doesn’t affect me. But, yeah, in that sense, Dubai faces this interesting sort of challenge. On the one hand, they want to be perceived as a nation that’s very free and very open and westernized. That’s their business frame. Their business, their tourism economy, everything evolves around that kind of thing. But, on the other hand, the fact that they’ve become so free and open means that they have lost some of that traditional culture – it’s very westernized. It’s going to be a challenge for them to reclaim it. And a lot of other people from the Middle East, when they visit Dubai, say it’s too westernized. So, yeah, it’s a challenge that they face.

 

8. And you said that you go back to India about every year?

Yeah, it’s gone down a little bit now because I’ve been kind of busy the last two summers. But before, all throughout high school, I would spend my entire summer in India visiting extended family and staying with them. My parents wouldn’t go with us – it would just be my sisters and I. So I go back a lot.

 

9. So how does the Indian/UAE duality play out for you when you’re here in the States? Because I’m sure most people initially just label you as Emirati since you grew up there.

Yeah, in Dubai, no one would ever ask me, “Oh, are you Arab?” because everyone there…70% of the country is basically made up of expats. Everyone just sort of knows. To get citizenship in the UAE is really difficult and you don’t really get it just by virtue of being born there – only if you are Arab. And here, when I tell people I’m not a UAE citizen, they’re like, “Wow, you’re not a UAE citizen? Then where are you from?! Oh, you’re from India.” For me, it was really easy there, because all I knew were people from different countries, but here it’s a bit more difficult to explain it to people. Because I really am an Indian who lives in Dubai. That’s my identity.

 

10. Do you think your situation differs from children of Indian immigrants here?

Yeah, I definitely think there is. I think why that difference arises is because, at least as I see it, Dubai’s identity really revolves around having this mixture of cultures – as does America’s. But at the end of the day, we are mainly first-generation expats. And you can really live an Indian life in Dubai and have probably all the exposure to India that you would have in India. There are just such big communities of Indians and Americans that you can just stay in your own community.

 

11. So here on campus, what are you involved with?

Well, I guess my biggest position and something I really enjoy is my involvement with International Association. I’m the Executive Vice President for that. And it’s been a really great experience. I’ve helped organize Springternational and Foodfest in the past – I enjoy organizing those big events. It’s also a really close board, because we’ve basically been working together and become really good friends over the last year. I’ve also taken PPS 144S, and that was my first exposure to entrepreneurship. I got pretty interested in entrepreneurship in doing that. I did stuff with a start-up called Rosie’s Kitchen and since then I’ve also done things with the Duke Venture Forward, which was previously known as the Network for Future Executives.

 

12. In the past three years, do you think you’ve changed any?

Yeah, I mean, it’s part of growing up. College is a defining experience in your life. But I’ve really become much more comfortable with Duke and with the whole campus feel and being able to appreciate that, because at first it was a bit surprising, as I said. Venturing so far out of a city wasn’t really in my comfort zone.

 

13. After graduation, do you plan on returning to Dubai or will you try to get a job here?

I’m keeping my options open. Ideally, I would like to probably work in the US for at least a couple of years, especially in New York or one of the bigger cities. Because I really don’t think I’ve had a chance to see that part of the US. And living in New York has always been sort of a dream. But I wouldn’t be averse to going back to Dubai – I love that city.