At
the age of 6, I left Dehradun, saying teary goodbyes to some very close people,
telling myself more than them that I would be back in 2 years.
At
the age of 12, I left Bangalore, quietly, without much fuss, excited at the
prospect of starting life again in a new country.
At
the age of 16, I left Kuwait, confused, wanting to hold on yet wanting to get
away, scared of leaving home for the very first time.
At
the age of 18, I left Bangalore again, trying desperately to hold on to the
friends who had become closer than family, afraid yet again of stepping out
into the unknown world.
At
the age of 22, I left Toronto,
- hesitant to say goodbye to the countless people who had come to understand me better that anyone else in the world,
- excited to go back to a country I had always been in love with,
- nervous about taking up a challenge that would shape not only my life but that of dozens of others,
- scared that friendships of the present would become friendships of the past,
- stunned at how fast the last four years of my life had flown by,
- desperate to hold on to everyone and everything,
- eager to try something new,
- unsure, still, of how to say goodbye
At
the age of 24, I find myself packing my bags yet again as I leave Mumbai,
- Grateful, for every single moment I have experienced in the last two years
- Hesitant, yet excited, at the prospect of going back to the classroom as a student
- Curious, to know what Bangalore will have in store for me the third time around
- Sad, to leave a city that I surprisingly fell in love with
- Befuddled, as to how I managed to hoard so many things in two years
- Pained, to leave behind some very close friends
- Ready, to move on to something new
- Accepting, that I don’t stay in one place for too long, and that goodbyes will always be a part of my life.
