Memories- The Trouble

College view from my balcony.

In August 2013, I joined college. After reaching Bhopal, we stayed at a hotel in MP Nagar. Our hotel was full, and many of my classmates were also there. I saw Nehla, Fida, and a few boys from my batch there. The next morning, we came to college. Government buses in Bhopal are named by numbers. SR2 is the bus that is going through AIIMS. I saw Aswathy on the bus; she was my first friend in college. The college was in its infancy then, and many parts of the buildings were under construction. We were the second batch. Half of the students who were there for counseling were Malayalis, and I talked to Aswathy and Arya that day. After my medical checkup, I was not cleared at first, so I had to wait for a few more hours to meet an ENT surgeon. That's where I met Navya for the first time. She was so busy on her phone that she didn't even look at me. When she did, she didn't even bother to smile. I didn't like her at first, and I always tell her this. The saying first impression is the best impression is such a lie; she remains my best friend even after 10 years.

After joining, our rooms in hostels were allotted; my room was on the second floor, room 208. My favorite place in the entire world, my home for the next 5.5 years. Even after that, whenever I was under serious metal pressure, I would imagine that I was in that room, and I would sleep. That room is where I became the person I am now. My next room was Aathira's, and my opposite room was Arya's. One floor in our hostel had two wings, and my corridor was full of Malayalis except for Suruchi, who was from Delhi. After shifting my baggage into my room, I went back to the hotel with my parents. The next day, they dropped me back at my hostel and returned to Kerala. I still remember that my father was almost crying while going back; he would turn and look at me again and again all the way to the gate. It was painful.

I come from a very normal village in Malappuram, and I studied in government schools. It was a sudden change in my living environment. It was very difficult for me in the beginning. I didn't know how to talk in Hindi or even English properly. I hardly used to talk to any non-Mallu for the first two years, as it was difficult. Even when I went out with Navya and Nehla, they used to do all the talking. I had no clue how to talk in Hindi. Food was another big issue; I used to hate the north Indian rice, dhal, chapathi, and sabhji. In the morning, they used to give cornflakes, eggs, or fruits with the main breakfast, and that's what I used to eat for weeks. Time has changed me so much that now poha, pani puri, and aloo paratha are my favorites. I even started cooking them when I was back in Kerala.

My health started to suffer as a result of eating issues, and I developed persistent stomach issues. I gradually began to experience depression, and I would phone my family back home while sobbing that I didn't want to stay. They became concerned as well and began searching options for admission to Kerala, but by then, counseling there had already begun and i hadn't applied. My family and friends would phone me and give me advise on how great of a chance studying at AIIMS is, and how I shouldn't squander it. I wasn't able to agree with any of them, but there wasn't any other option.

I was a vegetarian back then, but here, the only taste I could adjust to was chicken curry, and with no other option left, I started eating chicken again. Slowly, I started adjusting to everything. Friendship is what it takes to make a strange place home.