United States. It was going to be a total different .
experience. Mary was going to have to learn American .
customs, what kind of clothes to wear, and how to learn to .
speak the English language. People ignored her when she .
first moved to the United States so she had a very low .
self-esteem and hardly ever wanted to go to school. .
Entering the US seemed to take a toll on Mary. During .
middle school Mary felt very uncomfortable with her .
physical maturation. She had no clue about the style of .
clothes to wear and she felt that everyone at school .
laughed at her. She said at times, she has been spit on, .
hit on, and called names. This made Mary feel very .
insecure about herself. Between the years of middle school .
and high school, Mary made a transition, and she began to .
learn the customs, and the ways of her fellow American .
peers. By the time high school came, she started feeling a .
lot more comfortable with herself. .
She felt she was more mature than other kids at school. It .
seemed that most kids her age only cared about how they .
looked and who they hung out with, but she didn't care .
about any of the things they thought to be important. She feels that by high school .
this is why she was a very well liked person. She began to .
take up modeling, which gave her more confidence, and then .
it seemed that all the guys at school started asking her .
out. Mary says that she was never into peer groups. She .
didn't feel comfortable hanging around the people who at .
one time criticized her, although she did forgive them. As .
far as sexual relationships, Mary has never been sexually .
active. She has never even had her first kiss, or even .
been on her first date. In high school this didn't bother .
Mary because she didn't care too much about going on dates .
or having boyfriends. Mary's culture is much different .
from ours in America. In India, women aren't allowed to .
have boyfriends and aren't even allowed to hang out with .
