Coming here from India was heart wrenching! I was anxious and felt truly scared. London is a big city, with numerous people and has a brisk pace. I was coming to a college that was bringing together the intellectual cream of the world. The best people from every country and I feared that I wouldnt fit in. I didn’t know if I would make friends or find people I got along with and this made me cling to my mom as she dropped me off at the airport.
My sister was teary eyed as she said bye to me and my heart sank at that sight. I was leaving home for the first time and it was harder than I imagined. My father and I flew half way around the world to my new home and it felt nothing like it. The cold air pierced through me and I felt every bit of it.
A few days later, I was ready to move into my college dorm and this was the beginning of it all. I walked into the common building holding my dads hand to see a host of young minds hustling to move in. I saw their eyes filled with a cocktail of fear and happiness and this is when I knew I was not alone. Everyone was new, everyone was scared and everyone was feeling just as I was. Everyone was warm and kind and this is when I knew I had nothing to fear.
The idea of moving intercontinental and living with people I never met before was shell shocking but in reality it was fresh and genial. I had left my family behind and here I was ready to make a new one.
Dorm life was nothing like I expected it to be. It wasn’t lonely, it wasn’t me having to cook for myself every day but it definitely was messy. I quickly made friends with my neighbours and kindness overflowed from everyone. Freshers week was truly a blast. Everyone went out and fun was not something any night lacked. Making friends was much easier than I had thought. Seeing the diversity of the people that had come together and had made this wonderful group of people warmed my heart.
Yet, soon freshers week was over. Classes started and the workload hit hard. Finding the perfect balance between hanging out with people and sitting at my desk to read is something I still haven’t perfected. Tying enough sleep, feeding myself between classes and waking myself up each morning will take a while to get used to but I’ve got 3 years for that right? Knowing that everyone around me is also in the same boat trying to keep the winds in the sails is confronting. I know I will be alright and I know that everyone else will be too.
In these two weeks if I’ve learned anything it’s that I’m not alone, I’ve made some amazing friends and I know that I have 3 years to make myself the person I want to be when I leave London; academically, socially and personally.
I can already say that I have a fantastic family here and back home and for now I do not need much else.