Miles away from home

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You’ve grown up in your lovely hometown, but there comes a time when you have to head out to a whole new place to pursue your dreams. Yes, college is a time when many students have to move out of the towns/cities where they did their schooling. Some of them share their experiences and give tips on how to live alone easily.
Megha Varghese is a college student who grew up in Delhi all her life. After her schooling, she moved to Alappuzha in Kerala to pursue her engineering from Chengannur College. “I have lived in Delhi for 18 years, so when I got to Kerala I had a huge culture shock. The first few months were pretty tough and I had to learn to cope with the lifestyle. My friends were my sole relief as they helped me a lot. Now I’ve blended with the culture though I have a lot of Delhi-ness in me!” The culture shocks that Megha faced included dressing style and attitude of the people in Alappuzha which she felt was completely different from Delhi.
Another student who has entered a different city for college is Joseph V, who was brought up in Thrissur. Joseph is now pursuing his B. Com from Christ University, Bengaluru. Having shifted to Bengaluru over a month ago, he says, “I didn’t really got a culture shock ‘cos the school I studied in was pretty open-minded. I thought it would be difficult, but now it’s alright. The good thing is I’m not shy and I talk to people easily. Even my hostel has friendly people.”
Living away from parents is sad initially, but one gets used to the feeling later, says Joseph who calls his parents everyday. “I don’t even have to cook ‘cos I get food in my hostel. My only problem is that I don’t know Hindi and majority of my classmates are north Indians. I communicate with auto drivers in Tamil and English,” he adds.
For Nitya Joshy, who just finished her engineering from Bengaluru’s RV College, being open is the key to enjoying life in a new city. “Youngsters should be ready to experiment in order to have fun. Of course, culture shocks always happen, but one will get used to it,” she says.
Joseph feels that one shouldn’t hold themselves back when in a new place. “You need to be able to communicate with people, in order to have an interactive life. If you’re quiet all the time, you will be alone,” he says.
For Megha, indulging in college activities made her forget the gloom of living alone. “College activities help you know more people and are effective techniques to get rid of homesickness. You should also try and explore new places,” she
adds.