Sanjana Ramesh, adjusting to new normal in a foreign land

Adjusting to life abroad may be very troublesome even in any other case due to completely different programs, completely different tradition, language and stuff. The Covid-19 pandemic has really added to their woes.

Adapting to the way in which issues are in United States was robust for Indian basketball participant Sanjana Ramesh when she moved there after bagging a scholarship to the Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 2019. It was a demanding time adjusting to the brand new video games system of play (from an alrounder, she has to change to being an influence ahead), cementing a spot in workforce with stronger gamers and taking part in towards bodily superior groups. Add to that loneliness one feels with out household and mates in a brand new nation, making an attempt to get a hold of the unusual accents and getting them to know you —all of which made her first yr within the US an arduous one.

But simply when she thought she had received a hold of issues and tweaked her way of life and taking part in talents to regulate within the state of affairs, the Novel Coronavirus pandemic introduced issues to a screeching halt and she or he needed to return house as the universities have been closed.

Back within the US after a three-month Covid-19 break, the 19-year-old says the final couple of months have been “crazy” whereas getting again into form for the upcoming season.

“I feel like the whole life has been turned upside down because of this pandemic. The strangest thing is to play with the masks, and it has become such a routine now, wearing masks everywhere you go. We started playing with the mask, started warming up with the mask, originally. It was really weird for us first. Also, the gyms are not even open all the time now, we have to go at specific time (4.30 to 6.30pm daily), then we have to get tested thrice a week, it is just like our routine has changed.

“So, it feels different. Other than that, even food wise (there have been changes). In America they actually don’t have dine-in, you have to take food to your dorm to eat, which is another different thing for me because I like to chill with my friends. I have to made a few sacrifices here and there because of Covid-19,” Sanjana knowledgeable throughout a web-based interplay with a bunch of journalists.

The NAU sophomore who’s majoring in enterprise administration, is at present getting ready for the upcoming NCAA Division I season beginning on Wednesday.

And Sanjana, a Golden Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award recipient in 2020 and solely the second Indian after Kavita Akula to bag a full scholarship to a NCAA Division 1 workforce, says this yr, issues have been harder because of the strict Covid-19 protocols that has impacted her coaching schedule, her schooling and even her off time, resulting in her residing like a hermit.

“I am completely isolated (from others), I go for practice and then maybe I will get food and then I am in my dorm the whole time. I only hang out with my teammates and it’s kind of sad. We also have lot of classes and we have our own life, so we don’t hang out with each other much. We see each other at practice but off basketball, it’s just maintaining distance. I don’t really mind that as well because I am trying to understand different aspects of life, I am using this time. I am off social media. It has been completely different from what it was earlier.”

It will not be straightforward for the gamers to start out observe basketball when there’s a pandemic raging round. But they must prepare as a result of there is no such thing as a different strategy to get again the sensation of normalcy.

“I think all we athletes don’t want to take any risks, especially me as I am in US and if I do actually get corona, that’s not a situation I want to encounter because you won’t have the support system that you have back home. So, definitely I feel more isolated. But I think it is a necessary sacrifice if you have to play and have this season. I really want to play and I have a really good chance of playing a lot this year,” says Sanjana.

NAU begin their marketing campaign on the highway towards University of Las Vegas on Wednesday earlier than taking over neighbours University of Arizona in Tucson after which leap into the Big Sky Conference engagements with back-to-back matches at Eastern Washington.

It’s a busy fortnight for them and the 19-year-old from Bangalore, who has led India on the Asian U-16 Championships a number of years again and has additionally represented the senior workforce, needed to put in lot of efforts to maintain tempo with teammates who’re bodily stronger and higher ready as a result of they have been within the US.

But it has not been straightforward for Sanjana and different gamers getting used to taking part in video games after an enormous break

“Playing a game after a long, long time, it feels a bit weird. I still haven’t registered it that I am going to play against another team. I have been playing against my own teammates and we have been progressing every week. We started playing on our own first and then one-on-one, then two-on-two and now we all play as a team Everyone is safe, everyone is secure. So now I know I have to tell my mind that I am going to play against another team next week. I feel that it is still a little weird, like knowing that you will be touching each other, sharing the air in a room. I definitely miss those things a lot. I really feel that this year has put a strain on us physically and mentally. But still I am really looking forward to it.”

There have been a number of positives too. The coaches who have been earlier very harder on Sanjana as a result of they need her to toughen up as a participant, have been a bit lenient with everybody as a result of all of them really feel that “winning the championship is not the most important thing, even your health is important.”

The system and infrastructure within the US too have helped her adapt to the brand new state of affairs. “We have had a lot of team meetings to discuss about Black Lives Matter, about a lot of different issues in different countries we even had a discussion over the Covid situation and what we should do.

“It is mentally and physically exhausting sometimes. It has been very hard. We have had sessions on mental conditioning, just to get stronger mentally, we have had sessions with therapists too, like counselling.

“There are people here who really want to help you, there are opportunities that can help you. like if you are feeling very low, counselling, but no one talks about it at home because it is stigmatised in India,” Sanjana provides.

But Sanjana says she has improved quite a bit as a participant after coming to the US and plans to proceed doing that regardless of the restrictions.

Having equipped for the restart, Sanjana has set objectives for herself however says she is not going to to be as strict about them as earlier.

“I do have expectations but feel like I shouldn’t keep them high because the chance of even cancelling a few games is a possibility because of how COVID-19 is. My personal goals are like at least to play 10 minutes a game, or be the leading shot blocker in our conference or get at least six rebounds (per game) — they are very detailed goals for the season. But it’s gonna be hard, because if anyone on our team gets COVID-19 and everyone else is fine, we will have a 14-day shutdown. If players from more than one get it, it’s going to be a complete shutdown — a lot games might get cancelled.”

One of the objectives she needs her workforce to realize this yr is to beat native rivals Portland State University, towards whom they’ve a really poor report. “We feel we are a better team than them and are always placed towards the top of the table whereas they are at the bottom. However, whenever we play them, we invariably come up with our worst performance. We have never beaten them ever,”Sanjana says.