Have I moved across the oceans...Really?

I took something good with me. Hopefully, I leave something good behind”

It had been a really long pause since my last post, even though I have several drafts just ready to post, I couldn’t gain that confidence again. But the craving to talk to my readers through this platform and reflecting on all the love people have bestowed upon me because of this blog, did not let my fear win over my desire.

Today, before starting to write, I was reading my first post, The Path and The Destination, which definitely acted as a motivator behind my back cheering me up for this new journey of life. Sooooo…, it is a post after a long time, several realisations, successes, failures, wind offs, and new beginnings have taken place.

Photo by Andy Wang on Unsplash

“The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind”.

-Anthony Bourdain

Here I am now, sitting in a park across the road in my new house in a city far across the oceans from my own, I am in Sydney. The new beginning I am talking about is the starting of my post graduation in the most beautiful University of Sydney, and the ending I am talking about is the completion of my under graduation in Pune, the city enveloping millions of my memories for the lifetime.

Just a week has passed since I landed in this new world, and it already taught me a lot. As the quote says, the journey has already begun to change me. I don’t know, I should be grateful for all the mess that is settled now, or be sad for the missing of my past life I am feeling, but as an always optimistic person, the only thought my mind has is that since the journey started, it will definitely have a beautiful end, if not, then probably that wouldn’t be an end.

Today, I want to talk about my journey which led me to this day and what all at different points, I learnt and realised from it.

The story begins in the July of last year when I finally started to prepare for my dream to study in a beautiful university abroad and learn with the best of minds from all over the world. I did some research and then chose the cheapest online GRE tutorial Magoosh, that too with a student discount request. And started preparing for GRE extensively, focusing only on a single thing, ‘World’s best university in U.S.A.’ for which I sacrificed my entire social life, sitting from morning to evening in library despite observing all the people LIVING the college life around me. Then gave the GRE exam in October, and failed my expectations with a poor score, devastated.

• Realisation #1: GRE was not an exam to check knowledge, but to check the skill of giving exam, and curating the paper in a way, which also checked your skill of living life.. Reflecting on that, I realised my mistake, and booked the next attempt immediately after 15 days, even when it is generally suggested to take at least a month’s break. This time, instead of focusing on the exam, I focused on starting back my social life, actually living the college life, bringing out the child in me who was long gone under the expectations from myself and people around me.
  And you know what, my score increased by ten points, voila!!

Now, it was the time of applying to my dream colleges in USA, where I was fully aware that getting an admission for Ph.D after just a three year bachelors is near to impossible where my competitors are going to be the ones who have completed four year bachelors, two years masters and even having some work experience too, but still applied, because I did not want to look back in life after 20 years and say, “If I had applied in the Ivy leagues, I might have got selected.”

• Realisation #2: Never leave anything just by the anticipation of it not turning into a reality, leaving something for regret later in life is not a good idea, I guess.

It was on 13th February, when the first mail from The Harvard University arrived, it said, “We are sorry, we could not select you for our programme, good luck for your life.” The same message read from all the eight universities I applied to in U.S. It was extremely hard to digest that I was rejected, well, the first time in life, but it hurt a lot, even had a few therapy sessions, until I left it on god, that it might have been for a good reason. Thanks to the amazing bunch of friends I had in Pune, whom I called my family, I could pass those days.

My therapist's comforting words were, "They haven't rejected you; they simply seek different qualities. Just because someone said you're not selected doesn't equate to rejection. Take Amitabh Bachhan, for instance, who faced rejection in a radio interview, unaware of the greatness destiny had in store for him. God has a greater plan for you, so don't worry."

In March, a professor encouraged me to consider Australia, even though I had doubted my abilities to gain admission to any reputable university. Taking this advice, I approached IDP, who graciously offered to handle all the necessary steps to secure admission to the top universities in Australia, without charging me a single penny. I accepted their assistance and applied exclusively to the Top 5 universities in Australia, all of which ranked among the top 50 in the world. To my delight, acceptance emails started pouring in one after another! In just a few days, I gladly accepted an offer from The University of Sydney and completed all the required formalities, including obtaining the necessary visa. Soon after, it was announced that The University of Sydney had soared to the 19th rank worldwide, while Australia, surpassing the USA and UK, had been declared the best country for education on the global stage.

• Realisation #3: It dawned on me that there was a purpose behind it all! God had destined something 'great' for me, and I had been lamenting over not receiving something 'good.' Moreover, I came to understand that we often fail to fully embrace success in life as much as we grieve over failures.

Until now, it was already the time to say goodbye to Pune, to all the amazing time I spent, to all the fun and all the learning, to all the memories and all the people, and to a great family I made there.

So now I started setting up back to back meetings with all the professors who taught me in the three years of graduation and learn about the subject called Life, especially for the new life I was about to begin in the new corner of the world.

• “Never say NO to any opportunity you get your way, they will automatically knock on your door without you even realising.”

• “You can never learn as much from a professor inside the class, as you can outside.”

• “As you always do, try to convert your professional relationships into personal ones, they’ll help you more.”

• Always be the person you are, people wherever you go, are bound to give you so much love, just keep that love with you, it will never let you lose.

• Whenever you feel like quitting, just remember how much efforts you have put in to come here.

• Always try to make your circle larger and larger, make your own community wherever you go.

• And never forget, you are leaving behind so many people who love you a lot, so you will not be alone in this journey of yours.

These all were the advises my professors and friends have given me before leaving India, the days have passed with a blink of an eye.

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The journey commenced with a heartbreaking realization of a AUD 1400 (approximately Rs. 77,000) scam that occurred before my arrival. While changing flights at the Singapore airport, anxiety consumed me as I found myself without a place to stay upon reaching my destination. However, in that moment of distress, a message from Rhonnie illuminated my phone, offering a warm welcome to Australia and reassuring me with excellent accommodation booked for the first four nights, with the promise of finding a suitable permanent arrangement thereafter.

On 16th July, the chill of the early morning greeted me as I landed in Sydney with my first flight. As I passed through security and approached the airport exit, a sudden realization struck – I had forgotten my most important bag containing essential documents at the conveyor belt, a place I could no longer access. Overwhelmed with worry, tears welled up in my eyes, and my thirst for resolution lingered. Yet, amidst this distress, Jane stood with open arms, ready to embrace me with a warm hug, emanating a sense of belonging and homeliness. Together, we navigated through airport offices to report the missing bag, returning to Rhonnie's home with hope in our hearts. And, in a heartening turn of events, after half an hour of arriving home, the call came: THEY FOUND OUR BAG, AND I COULD COLLECT IT.

Allow me to introduce Ronnie and Jane, my cherished blessings in this unfamiliar land. As friends of my brother, they have taken me under their wings, treating me like family and assisting me in finding a sense of belonging thousands of miles away from my own home.

Now settled, I have found a wonderful accommodation just across the road from Ronnie, where I am greeted by a very sweet man named Geeming.

Today marks the dream day, my first at the University, a grand and immense institution that seems straight out of a Harry Potter movie. People passing by acknowledge that being a part of this university is a privilege and a testament to one's capabilities.

Leaving the comfort of home has been a profound learning experience. I am now responsible for cooking my meals, organizing my routine, and no one is there to wake me up or motivate me to accomplish tasks. There is an invisible pressure to fit in, adapt to new surroundings, and, most importantly, handle my own expenses—a realization that comes with its challenges. There is a constant longing for home, and the cultural differences serve as a stark reminder that I am in an entirely new land. Unlike India, where people are always ready to engage in conversations and inquire about one's well-being, here, I must navigate on my own. Nevertheless, with each passing day, I feel my confidence growing, as this journey shapes me into a person quite different from who I was when I first arrived.

This experience is teaching me to take care of my own belongings, emotions, decisions, and challenges. I embrace the unknown, trusting in the unfolding process of life to reveal its mysteries. Let us see what life has in store for me, as I walk this path with faith and curiosity.

“Splendid to arrive alone in a foreign country and feel the assault of difference. Here they are all along, busy with living; they don’t talk or look like me. The rhythm of their day is entirely different; I am foreign”.

– Frances Mayes