FIRST DAY OF COLLEGE !!

Today was the start of a new chapter in my crazy book of life: the beginning of College. Yes, I’m officially a collegiate today. For about a week the shopping for college was in full swing. New clothes, accessories, bags, shoes, etcetera!!

Right now writing this blog post my head, my foot, my whole body is aching. It seems as if the whole week’s shopping trips have now taken their toll but still, I can’t possibly sleep without recording my first day of college. Actually, for the last whole week I’ve hardly slept but to say that I didn’t sleep in excitement of going to college would be completely wrong because I was not happy.

Yes, it’s true that I was not happy with the course I got. I never imagined myself doing English Honors because I always thought that passion and ambition can never be merged together in the practical world. A lot of my friends have taken admission in professional courses. They’ve pursued business management, law, Chartered accountancy (CA), engineering, economics, B.Com and psychology. All I could think was that I’m making a wrong decision by taking a course like English Honors when I’ve no real interest in being a professor or get into teaching line. So, the whole last week with the shopping, this constant gnawing literally ate up head as well as my appetite and sleep. I was scared. I didn’t want to make the wrong decision.

I could’ve got those professional courses but I didn’t choose them. I had come to a standstill. There came a time when I thought that I’d made a serious mistake by choosing this course. I should’ve been rational and chosen a professional course. But, today everything changed. All my fears are now shut in a locker and the key is lost.

I got up at 5 in the morning and started getting ready for my first day. Even while getting ready I couldn’t muster up much excitement for today. At sharp 7:30 am I got out of my house. Throughout the journey to my new college I tried to infuse happiness. I wanted to be happy when I stepped into that college. I didn’t want to remember my first day of college being sad. Alas, I gave up on being happy when we reached Moments mall in Kirti Nagar and I started looking out of the window.

There was not much of traffic in the morning and the weather was pleasant. I kept on gazing outside. Soon we reached Rajinder Nagar and from there my favourite part of Delhi started; Talkatora Garden, President’s Estate, Rashtrapati Bhawan, South Avenue Area, Teen Murti Marg, Race Course, Lodhi Estate, Lodhi Garden. My college is just situated in the walking distance of Indian Habitat Centre and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Therefore, when I reached my college I was very much happy.

This area has always held a certain charm of its own. I never cease to be fascinated from the different colour ambassador cars of Navy, Airforce and other government officials or the greenery, bump free roads and cleanness. I always used to tell my dad that he was very lucky to be working in PM security. And the irony of life is that now I’ve got my wish. I would go to this place every day for the next three years. This area is undoubtedly the best area of the Delhi. It’s a blend of Old and New both, in just the right proportion.

So with a smile on face I entered my college but the smile was wiped off my face as soon as I enter the building where some 100 or more confused students were frantically asking each other about the courses they belonged to in the hope of finding someone in their course and those who were not asking were gathered in front of wall where I think was the timetable and room No.’s of different courses were displayed. The only thing I did was to stand there for a while and observe but, after a moment I thought of stepping out because it was very suffocating. As soon as I was leaving a girl asked me about the course I belonged to. I told her and her face turned paler than it already was. She’d asked me about my course after mustering up a lot and courage and staring. She was very nervous and was worried that she’d miss the first lecture!! LOL!!

Just after I finished talking to her, two other girls asked me and finally the 3^rd girl who asked me seemed elated as soon as she heard that I was from English honours. Both of us after a quick introduction, started our hunt for the classroom in a college that was under construction and where no one knew where the rooms were and in this quest of finding the room my foot slipped in cement!! Like seriously, till then we both had asked at least 10 people to tell us where room no.-104 was situated and all of them gave us blank expression. Finally we found the rooms but, I realized that the other girl who was with me was from Section A and I was in Section B, hence my expedition continued. Finally I found my classroom too, on the top floor. I entered that classroom and sat near the window. Children in my class were talking in low voices to each other or toying with their smart phones. I also took out my phone and thought of wishing my friend Khuboo “Best of Luck” for her NATA exam.

After all this hunting my mood was back to normal. I was not happy but then I was not sad too. I talked to her and told her that everything was RIDICULOUS except the JNU Stadium view from the classroom. The first period got over and during that time I met 3 girls. One of them was from Nepal, other from UP and the last one was SUPER SHY but from Delhi. We headed to our next class. There also nothing happened, except a few more introductions whose names I’ve forgotten!! In all the second period was totally boring and that was the time when I started missing my school, like seriously!!

So, the shy girl in the tow I roamed around the college; went to the college canteen (which I’ll never go back to), amphitheatre and the grounds. Finally, in the last class something happened. Our seniors came and asked us to give our introduction but, not a single child stood up. After a lot of coaxing a few students stood up but the others kept on talking amongst themselves and not a single word was audible to us.

The seniors, who were to be our very personal “hellhounds from hell” and do our ragging, were the best people that I found in college. They were very approachable and with no attitude. They didn’t force anyone and after a while when they realized that no one was listening they sat back. I talked to my seniors for that whole period. One of them was Preeti. She was particularly very sweet and told me about all the societies and how the college worked.

All I would say in the end was that the first day of college didn’t start that well but it surely did end on a happier note. My seniors were really great and this one-two-one interaction with them was very informative. I never thought that I’d say this but, “yes, I look forward to tomorrow’s day”!!

PS: Oh, did I forget to mention my professors? Well, that’s because they didn’t show up!! Hoping they’ll come tomorrow!! J