Moving

Seems like I’m making it look like I will post just once a year and then disappear for another 365 days, but I promise, it’s not intentional. I just had life shit going on.
Today, 15 December (at the time of writing), marks exactly 3 months since I moved away from home and boy has it been a wild f***ing ride.

Okay, let’s backtrack a little bit.

I was supposed to move abroad for my masters in September 2020, and we all know what happened that year, so I’m not going to bring it up because none of us need the reminder, we’re still living through it! *awkward thumbs up*. So, obviously I didn’t move last year, I worked instead. Until I started the visa process in July, I was still unsure because of how things were progressing in the world. I finally applied and things started to get real. That is when I started to mentally prepare myself as much as possible, but realistically, you can’t until you actually go through stuff like this. I started making plans to safely meet my friends, because I didn’t know how long it would be until I meet them again, meet family, spend time with my parents. I was terrified and excited and nervous and happy. It is a huge mixed bag of feelings.

Besides the mental prep, the other big thing to do was the shopping and packing and honestly that really seems never-ending. Making an excel sheet and dividing into categories really helped. I had to buy utensils and spices and a few clothes and a whole suitcase. And actually pack it all. A lot of moving things around was involved, and one of my bags was overweight. Not to mention the thought of lugging around all of these heavy suitcases at airports! It’s just a lot when you think about it, but in the moment, you really just go with it and do what you have to do. So, I met everyone I wanted to meet and spent the last few days before leaving with my parents, who had to deal with the fact that their only child was moving out, and the night before, it actually hit me that I was leaving. It was a very strange feeling because I was going to move literally halfway across the planet to a country that I’d visited once before and only spent a week in. I had no idea what it would be like, but I knew I needed this, I knew I needed to get out of my comfort zone because I knew this would help me grow and learn about myself as a person. But also, not everyone gets to even dream of going abroad to study, and I felt privileged and grateful (and still do) that I got this opportunity.

Anyway, the day of departure was, as expected, chaotic. I didn’t know what to think, people were calling me, the day just passed in a blur. Then, after an early-ish dinner, I left for the airport. As we drove, I was wondering when I would get to see my Bombay again. I couldn’t go to the seaface before leaving and I was (and still am) very sad about it. I reached the airport, hugged my parents and a few very special family friends who came to drop me off goodbye and I entered the airport.

My first thought was – “Is the AC even on?”. IT WAS SO HOT. I was wearing a very thick sweatshirt because, you know, it gets cold on a plane, and omg did I partly regret it. I had to suffer in silence and was close to melting by the time I got on the plane. The three hours spent there were boring to say the least, but it was nothing new. On the plane, there were many other students like me, probably even younger than me, so I tried to show that I was confident and I had it sorted while in my brain I was like – “I have no idea what I am doing and I hope I don’t lose my passport.”

The plane ride went well, I got a bit emotional while eating idli and sambar because it reminded me of my parents, but I didn’t cry because I didn’t want to deal with that, especially under a mask. I listened to BTS music and fell asleep in short bursts, but I paid for it later when my neck started hurting. Fun. I finally landed and had to wait for 2 hours in what was possibly the longest immigration line ever, it was exhausting. Then a very long car ride to my destination, and I was finally at my home base. After 22 hours of travelling. I was so exhausted I didn’t know how to process anything, I just wanted to take a nap. So, I ate lunch, and spoke to my parents, which is when it hit me that they are there and I am here and I got teary but I was too tired to cry. After the conversation and a much-needed shower, I took a nap. I don’t remember what I did after that. Probably just had dinner and slept again lol.

I had to spend 10 days in quarantine and take several COVID tests, and it is not fun. I thought quarantine would give me time to set up my room so I will be occupied but I literally finished it in one day and had nothing to do except lay around and order stuff online (essentials, of course).

When I finally got out of quarantine, it was quite overwhelming to be surrounded by so many people again and I got anxious (yay -_-), but eventually settled. Classes started and so far, I’ve been really enjoying myself. However, the culture shock really hits you hard and the things you plan may not end up happening or may happen differently. Basically, it is just an expectation vs reality situation all the time, and I’m going to make a table out of these because I want to.

Expectation	Reality
I am going to meal prep and meal plan every Sunday and have things ready for the rest of the week.	I have not done this even once. I decide what I am going to eat one hour before meal time.
I will not buy too many books here because I have enough at home.	I already have 10 books.
I will not need to think of kitchen utensils when I move because I have already pre-ordered them and am taking so much from home as well.	I have had to buy a bowl and so many storage boxes, I don’t even know where to start. I look at UTENSILS online in my free time. Not shoes, not bags, UTENSILS.
I will only make healthy snacks for myself and keep them ready every weekend to serve me throughout the week.	I eat all the damn processed snacks because they are tasty and cheap and I don’t have time to make snacks.
Cooking is easy.	No, it isn’t.
Washing dishes is fun and doesn’t take up much time if you clean as you go.	No, THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO WASH.
I will explore the city every weekend because I have lectures only thrice a week.	I have so much coursework that sometimes I don’t even get out of my room.

These are just a few examples; I don’t want to make this post longer than it already is. What I wanted to say through this post is that moving is a big deal. Staying away from family is hard. Doing things on your own is tough. It can get lonely and overwhelming, but we have to keep going because it is worth it. It is a life experience that will shape you. I may not know exactly how it has shaped me yet, and I probably won’t know for a while, but I do know that it has made me believe in my potential and abilities a bit more. I am proud of myself, because it is not easy. Maybe I don’t realise it fully because I have so many other things on my mind that I am not even sure if I have processed it all yet, but I am proud of myself. I am proud that I stuck to my decision and did what I needed to do and wanted to do. So have the courage to do what you need to do and want to do, whenever possible. It could be a small thing or a big thing, but it can make a world of a difference, and your future self will thank you for it.