As outstation kids, our challenges are never-ending. But then our college life is also a lot more scintillating than it is for everyone else. Our college life is like a cocktail. It's a cocktail based on unforgettable experiences, blended with challenges and lessons. It tastes different every day. But it tastes stronger than anything else because our lessons are a little more hard-hitting and our memories, a little more memorable.
This is a simple, but heart-warming walk down the memory lane of an outstation Kid. If you are one, then you will be nodding your head throughout. If you are not, you will wish you were.
Our Never-Ending Challenges and Hard-Hitting Lessons:
What bigger a challenge than moving out from the comforts of your own home, into an unknown place with no support system whatsoever.
For you, the Monday morning blues will happen every day and not just on Mondays! You will snooze your alarm and will wait for your mom to come and scold you. And, then oops! You will realize she isn’t here and suddenly, you are late for college, scrambling to reach on time, and skipping breakfast which will soon become the norm for every day.
You will come home tired and will want a plate of hot good food, but the deal you made to be on your own only serves you leftover microwaved food. Month ends have suddenly become stressful for you. You didn’t plan your budget but you also didn't plan on being broke. Now, you are scratching your head, wondering where did all the money go?
More often than not, you will be greeted by an empty fridge, with no food or any food-related stuff. And if you are lazy enough like the rest of us, you will probably just go to sleep hungry. But what hits hard is that no one will care. No one will come and check up on you to see if you've had dinner. And at that very moment, you will miss your mom, more than ever before. You will miss your family and realize that they are your biggest support system. Even if the world turns upside down (as it has now) they will always, always be there for you.
These lessons will make you more humble, more grateful, and more appreciative of the little things in life that everyone else misses out on. When you go back home, you will enjoy that regular daal a little too much, you will fight with your siblings a little less and you will smile at parents' scolding, a little more often.
But just as you will begin to feel at home, your mom will say, “Pack this, you will need it when you leave home"
Our Unforgettable Experiences:
But after everything, when you will look back on your college life, your eyes will well up, your smile will widen, your heart will warm up but, it will also break a little.
The simple joys of living with your friends, doing the dumbest of things together, laughing till it hurts, and being their mom, taking care of them when they need you will never leave your heart. Nor will memories of watching silly old comedies for the hundredth time, dancing your hearts out, cribbing, and ranting about anything and everything.
In the nights you stayed awake together, talking about your most vulnerable and deepest thoughts, somehow your friends became your family. They were strangers to you only a little while ago! It will leave you wondering, “Wow, when did we come this close?”
As you will bid adieu to this beautiful journey, packing your bags and leaving for the airport, you will realize that as you are going home, you are leaving this beautiful place, you have now come to call home.
P.S. You will have some really hard-hitting days, where you will just want to run away and go back to the safe haven of your home and lie down in the comfort and familiarity of your own bed. But on days exactly like these, a best friend's shoulder, late-night conversations, and some perfect music will get you going.
So, here is a playlist curated just for you and your 3 A.M thoughts. Happy listening :)