Sergio and Alessio Monti are brothers. Half Italian and half Indian, they are a textbook example of the term “third-culture kid.” The Montis grew up in Milan and they currently both study at Parsons, their mother’s alma mater. Though it was easy for them to settle into a new routine in New York, not all the challenges they were dealt were so easily resolved.
After some general chatter about the pros and cons of living in a city like New York, Alessio brought up a point that he felt resonated with many international students – certain Americans who have never travelled outside of America have little perception of what the outside world is like. In particular, he felt that foreign students sometimes get ignorant and bizarre questions about where they come from.
“I’ve had people ask me if I had to ride a cow as transport in India,” said Alessio, who laughed slightly at the hilarity of such a question being seriously asked by anyone. But he also stressed that such questions are one of the most frustrating aspects of living in America as a foreigner. “Some people seem to think that either countries are exactly like America, or that they are some completely undeveloped place with no resources, which is not at all true,” he said.
This is the reason why after a few months Alessio realized that he found himself more comfortable around other international students. For him, the adjustment to living so far from home was difficult because at first he could not find people who he could really connect with. Also in his opinion, international students have a common understanding of what it’s like to be completely new to a country. Although every student is new when they first come to college, having to adjust to things such as food, weather, language or even just the vibe of a new country is something that domestic students may not understand as well as another international student might.
Sergio agreed with how easy it is to find common ground between international students and also mentioned the lack of quality healthcare and the expenses of the city. At home in Milan, he doesn’t have to worry about these necessities as they are all provided for them at a fraction of the price that they are here. This was something that obviously required getting used to when he first arrived.
However, not all of their opinions about the city are negative, Sergio spoke about the opportunities that are presented in a place like New York. “I mean, there is always something going on here, there are so many opportunities for people” he said. This drew him to want to study in the city in the first place.
Overall, New York City was a pretty easy place to place to get acquainted with for the brothers. They have had so much experience living abroad, and Alessio likes how accessible everything is in the city. Now that they have both settled into school, they see how easy it is to meet people in such a big city. They miss home much less frequently than they used to, and when asked what they do when they are homesick, Alessio and Sergio both agree that cooking helps them to feel more connected to home.