How many people do you know have the ability to speak another language? Would you learn to fluently speak another language yourself?
For freshman student Tharani Mahendran, that has became a reality.
Mahendran moved from Tamil Nadu, a state within south India, from a young age.
Despite Mahendran coming to the states when she was younger, she can recall not only fond memories from her time in Tamil, but also some aspects of her culture that she loves and respects.
“Indians are pretty tight knit, especially the further in you go, you can always make friends no matter where you go,” Mahendran said.
When talking to Mahendran about her time in Tamil Nadu, she recalls fun times between her and her thatha. Thatha means grandpa in her native language Tamil.
“In India it’s very common to have motorcycles, so when I was in India I would stay over with my grandpa and grandma,” Mahendran said. “My grandpa and I would ride on the motorcycle and get fun treats across the street.”
Mahendran also talked about one of her favorite foods in her culture which is a dish called mutton biryani. It is a cultural dish made within a lot of regions of India. The taste is described as rich, and the dish is made out of meat, spices, and herbs.
Mahendran expresses that there aren’t too many major differences that she sees between American and Indian culture. But Mahendran loves her culture, and has many favorite things about it.
“The fact that they consider family and togetherness really important,” Mahendran said.
So, how many people do you know that are able to speak another language? Would you learn to fluently speak one yourself? After hearing Mahendran’s story, how does it change your perspective?
