Starting a New Life

image courtesy Twitter

I think the first major and the boldest decision that I took in my life was when I decided to leave the comforts of my home and come over to Delhi to do my engineering. All young girls or boys perhaps at some point in their lives, wish to step out of their homes to start living on their own, to have a first hand experience of the "real life", whether for higher studies or to look for a job. I too wanted to taste the freedom, I too wanted to feel like a grown-up girl. That moment eventually came when I cleared the engineering entrance exam of the Delhi Technical University (DTU) and so needed to stay in the hostel. I was so excited about entering the new phase of life when I could actually act like an adult, I was so enthusiastic about the new skills that I was going to acquire, I was equally excited about the new relationships and new friendships that I was going to forge. However my parents weren't too keen to let their only daughter go and live so far away from them in an altogether new city. They have always loved me a lot but they were sometimes too protective of me to let me take a risk whereas I wanted to become an independent girl, I wanted to be able to take my own decisions, I wanted to do things on my own. I knew all the time that I would fail at times but I was ready to learn from my mistakes, I wanted to face the challenges of the real world and become confident, I wanted to stand up for myself. So I insisted on coming to Delhi for my engineering and though they were reluctant at first, especially momma, but they finally relented to my wish.

No doubt, it was n't easy at all in the beginning. I knew all along that it wouldn't be easy to live away from my parents, in a new place among strangers, more so because I had always been a shy and quite a timid girl. But I was prepared for the challenges and I was ready to make the compromises. More than anything else, it's the feeling of home-sickness that one finds the most difficult to cope with. I had always been treated like a princess at home, I had never lived away from my family, so getting used to the ways of the hostel life surely seemed a daunting task. It takes time to get out of the comfort zone of home-life. I didn't have momma to bring me breakfast to my bed if I wished to, nor did I have any maid to do my laundry. Thus hostel life taught me so many small but invaluable lessons that would help me in the future as well - like I learnt washing my own clothes, how to arrange and organize all my stuff within the two shelves that I got in the room, how to cut down on the unnecessary expenses and saving money to last an entire month. It might sound very silly but I had never purchased a thing on my own before, because whatever and whenever I needed something or wished for a thing, my parents used to get me that. So even buying the bucket for the first time, all by myself, felt so good that I called up my parents to inform them about my purchase.

There were other smaller and bigger challenges to face too. Like though I had always been a good student but I had my parents to motivate me all through. Both momma and papa were always there to encourage me to work hard so that I could achieve my goals, I always had them to give me the push when I needed it, while I was at home. Sometimes I would be too lazy to wake up early in the morning and it was momma who used to be my alarm-clock, and she did all that with so much love. Papa too would always be around to guide me whenever I faced any problem, be it with my studies or during any of my crisis-time. But here I was on my own. Of course my parents are always only a phone call away but still in the hostel, I am on my own. This situation actually acted as a blessing in disguise for me, because it taught me to become independent.

No doubt I still miss my parents and my home-life but the hostel life has inculcated in me the qualities of discipline and responsibility. It has also helped that I have Priya as my room-mate. I was apprehensive initially about how my room-mate would be, luckily I got a very friendly girl. Not only do we share the room and the other things but in her, I have found a true friend for life.

Thus hostel life has turned a naive, shy girl into a more matured person, it has given me an opportunity to learn so many new things that I didn't know earlier. Of course it involves making some compromises but it has also taught me some life lessons that would help me in the long run. The first time when I went home during my semester break, my parents felt so proud of me when they saw me become so organised. "Our little baby has now grown up into a sensible and independent girl, she has now learnt how to fly", remarked Papa.

Housing.com too teaches us about moving forward, living better, and giving ourselves the chance to be the best we can possibly be - #StartANewLife. Visit their website to know more.