Why I Consider UCI My True Home

From a very young age I’ve had to move between places. Sometimes from one city to another. Sometimes from one country to another. I was born in New Jersey, but before I could form any appreciable memories, my family, along with me, moved to California. After about a year I had to move to Mumbai, India with part of my family. Two years later I came back to California only to move to Kolkata, India within three years and complete my schooling there. After school was over, I came back once again.

Having moved so much throughout my life, I never got the opportunity to call a place my home. Although I did spend quite a bit of time in Kolkata, the dependence on parents didn’t allow me to fully adapt to the city and its norms. However, things changed once I came to Irvine. The ‘out of place’ feeling that I always had started to fade away. Looking back, it’s amazing how quickly this has happened.

I have always been an introvert which may be another reason why I wasn’t completely able to adapt to the different places I moved in and around. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop Irvine and especially UCI from becoming what I consider my home. Ever since I’ve come to UCI, I have been able to expose myself more and more to the things I’ve always wanted to. I’m a business administration major, however, I’ve always had an ardent interest in film & television. UCI gave me the opportunity to feed this interest of mine through activities like ZotFilm, a student led film exhibition held at UCI. I’ve probably made more friends through ZotFilm than I have in my entire life.

Other than ZotFilm, I’ve also had the opportunity to play cricket (one of my favorite sports) after a long time. Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the center of which is a 20-metre (22-yard) pitch with a wicket at each end. The batting side scores runs by striking the ball bowled at the wicket with the bat, while the bowling and fielding side tries to prevent this and dismiss each player (so they are "out"). In short, cricket is a complicated game which isn’t too famous in the U.S. Thus, I was pleasantly shocked when I found out that there’s a cricket club at UCI. In fact, it was at the UCI cricket club where I met my best friend here. It’s funny how life works at times.

Even when it comes to academic opportunities, UCI has shown me new paths and avenues to further my knowledge. Whether it be the experiences beyond the classroom or the practical application of the concepts taught. Meeting new people with similar interests and collaborating with them is something I have found in abundance at UCI. Interestingly, I have even teamed up with a friend and established a startup called Conshus Clothing. It’s things like these that have really helped me to adapt to Irvine and UCI.

Nonetheless, these are just opportunities that I have gotten at UCI. Home is supposed to be much more than that. Irvine is probably the first city where I’ve lived all by myself. Everywhere else I’ve lived there has always been somebody else with me. To live in a new city and be able to settle in with such ease is what makes me consider UCI and Irvine my home. From crashing my bike on Ring Road to buying last minute supplies at The Hill, to group studying at The Gateway to all-nighters at Langson; I have truly become a part of UCI. I’ve become a true Anteater.

Hello Everybody! My name is Gourav. I’m currently a third-year undergrad studying business administration at UCI. I was born in New Jersey but have spent a major part of my life in India and California. I have great passion for film making, photography, writing and all sorts of sports.