Aashna

Ok, give us your life story to date? 

I was born in Delhi and came to New Zealand at 4 and a half. It was exciting! New Zealand is very friendly and accepting. That’s the good part about living here and being in Roskill, it’s so multicultural. I went to primary, intermediate and high school here. Now I’m in my first semester at Uni. The change was hard, the workload is crazy. NCEA wasn’t that challenging so it’s a big jump. And the Uni lifestyle is hard, I find it difficult to eat properly because I always feel I have no time! 

Did you find NZ accepting when you moved here? 

Yeah totally, Mum and Dad did too. And like I said, because Roskill is so multicultural, it’s so cool to be around such diversity. It’s actually weird seeing on the news when people are racist and stuff. My best friend is from Pakistan, and we’re supposed to hate each other?! We’re just like, “Whaaat?” We don’t think about it like that.

Now you’re 18, what’s one word to sum up how you feel about your future?

Confused.

Why confused?

I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, although I know I want to do something I’m passionate about. So I have to figure that out…that’s the problem I don’t know what I want…but I know I don’t want a boring desk job! And there’s a lot of pressure when you are straight out of high school to know what you want! In school I knew I had to get good grades, but what now? Honestly, no one really knows. 

Do you think there’s pressure to be successful?

I feel like that’s social media! All the influencers always talk about what you should have with your life, this influencer I follow is always buying his friends Teslas and I’m like..how?!
There’s been so many unrealistic expectations on us. We know its not real but we still look at it. You kinda believe in it. I’m not that bad, but a lot of girls my age are like, “Oh I have to post all the time!”

And do you feel like it makes you feel you’re running out of time to ‘make something of yourself’?

Yeah I feel like on Instagram there’s these posts about what age you’re supposed to have done what. You know, you should get a car at this age, and a house at this and that’s quite scary! You do get worried you’re running out of time.

So do you think social media’s had a good or bad effect on your generation?

It has had both a good and a bad effect. Because we can connect which is good, but it’s bad in that we compare to each other. And the expectations…! My friends get so into Instagram, they’re always on it and judging people’s photos like it’s a normal thing. It’s addicting. I’m actually trying to spend less time on Instagram, I’ve got the app that tracks how much you spend on it. I’m 39 minutes daily average right now.

Speaking of age expectations, now you’re 18 do you feel like an adult?

Yeah with everyone saying, “You’re an adult! You’re an adult!” And then you need to know what to do with your life… I don’t really feel like an adult, I have Indian parents haha! I’m still living at home under their roof, I take the bus, my sister is stressing out over the price of petrol and I’m like, “I don’t care, I take public transport! “ 

Did you ever feel a struggle between your Indian and Kiwi sides growing up??

Yeah, especially with going out and stuff. It’s hard for Mum and Dad to understand that for us it’s normal. But my parents aren’t really like those typical Indian career minded parents you know? My Dad just always said we should do what we want at Uni. I’ve got friends who are at Uni doing things they don’t want to do because their parents want them to…

Everyone talks about 18 as an age when you go away and find yourself. You know, you go and trek the Sahara or whatever. Do you think you’ve ‘found yourself’ yet? 

I don’t know. I feel like I’m working on it though. I’m on the journey. How’d you know when you get there though…? 

If you had $50 what would you spend it on

Jeans!

What was the last thing you googled?

Ahh, uni stuff, I was trying to check my grades.