For someone brought up in a cozy home in a little town, the very idea of moving to a new city would sound fun and of course, thrilling. I come from one such quaint town, fondly called Pondy, an erstwhile French colony.Once I knew that I would be spending five years away from home, a lot of anticipation wriggled inside me. I was all ready to embrace a new phase in life as a doctoral student in one of the Research Institutes in Kerala.

The train chugs through the green terrains amidst hefty mountains to enter the capital city of Kerala. I start to get nervous. It is the kind of nervousness that runs through the body while sitting for an exam unprepared. The only thing that soothes me is the mild rain outside. I have a strong affinity for rain and Kerala is the right place to be to enjoy the blessedness of monsoon.

After some hustle and bustle at the Trivandrum Central Railway Station, we reached the hotel wherein a room was booked for us to spend the rest of the day. My mom and uncle preferred a short nap but it extended to a long slumber. Instead of a short nap, I chose to sit by the window sill and listen to some tracks of Richard Clayderman . Of course, a chain of thoughts were running in my mind about how the following days would be at the new city.

The next day came quicker than expected for I left to bed pretty early and that I had a sound sleep for eight plus hours. After a mild breakfast, we left to the institute and contrary to the expectations, the admission process was over soon and I was allotted hostel. I have vivid memories of that night in hostel. A lot of thinking was going on and I could not fall asleep. ‘Will I be able to survive here ?’, ‘Should I go back home ?’, ‘Will I make good friends ?’, ‘What if I am left all alone ?’ ,’Will I be able to meet the demands of the institute ?’ and a lot more.

So I am here with dreams, hopes, long chain thoughts and a whole lot of questions.