A new Journey

It was a cold morning, so I decided to put on my windshield jacket. It was perfectly doing fine. Hours passed by, and there I was ready to explore an entirely different land, all by myself. The temperature was unusual for me, at least around this time of the calendar. With mixed feelings, I stood there, waiting. I was too scared as I had this preconceived notion regarding this place and its people (everything that I had read over the internet). As soon as I left the air conditioned airport premises, did I realize that my outfit had been a blunder. The streets of Dhaka weren't as welcoming as I had thought when I started off. That was not a normal day for almost all Bangladeshis, as it was an EID day. And, being a vegetarian, everything else was at its best except for the smell that could be sensed all-round the streets. However, I must be honest in saying that I was warmly welcomed when I arrived at Dhaka University International Hall. It was like a mini feast for me, as I got to taste the specialties of EID that I hadn't had the chance to taste till that very day. It felt like I was at home, with the constant care and support from my Professor and his family, and also from fellow Nepalese staying at the hall. 4 days went by in the brink of an eye. As I hate departures I left without actually meeting everyone.

Who would have said that another world had been waiting for me in Koitta, Manikganj. The 2 hour long bus ride was fun, though I was asleep for most of the time. Pooja my first companion there made me feel secure, safe and at ease from the very first time we broke the ice. Upon our arrival in Manikganj, I had to share my room with two girls, who were just strangers to me back then. I had never lived with new people in a single room, as I hadn't had the chance to live a hosteller's life.

As days passed by, my roommates became my best of friends. After the long tiring day, we would just look forward to getting back to the dorm, to our room, so that we could start the show. We were like minded people, kindred soul maybe, we used to mimic almost everyone from the school. And most of all, we barely missed home. As this was our new home. A home away from home. And during the sessions, we were anticipating students, who would look forward to bombard the teachers with our questions and opinions. Group sessions came with brain storming and brain teasing, to which almost every time we remained laid back and relaxed. Those 5 minutes break in between were the most blissful moments for us, while the tea breaks were something almost all of us looked forward to. And the most interesting part was that, even a non- Bengali speaker like me could fluently sing a Bengali song by the end of a week in school. As I look back, life had never been so beautiful in between all the toiling. I had never been able to remember 47 different names that well, provided that they were totally new to me. To be so close to "47 +" people all at the same time was itself an achievement for me. Adhikarbhumi, indeed was the land where we cherished every single minute of our lives, made friends who would last us our life time and met the most brilliant, caring and friendly of teachers.

I must have been strong hearted that I didn't even shed a tear when everyone else around me was immersed in tears. Despite being a strong hearted person, it was a harsh good bye. Good byes are never as easier as the hellos are, so I left silently in the morning without even waking up my roommates. As, if goodbyes were not to be there, we would forget looking forward to meeting again.