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Chicken Soup for the Homesick Soul

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To the DU fuccha in hostel,

 

Warning 1: Pangs of hunger for Ma’s dal-chawal, which you otherwise cribbed about at home.

Warning 2: An overwhelming need to be in your room at home.

Warning 3: New found love for an annoying sibling you would fight with every day.

When you feel all of this, accompanied by an unexplainable yearning for the past, for the place you grew up in and for the friends you spent your school days with, you should know you’re homesick.

Homesickness-an ugly monster that inevitably invades every hosteller’s life once the heady high of being in Delhi University has begun to fade. If you find yourself longing for home or worse, crying yourself to sleep at night, you must remember that there are several perks of having moved away from home in the first place.

 

  • You could, at some point in the future, probably survive a concentration camp: From sharing toilets with ten people to learning to adjust with uncooperative room mates, hostel equips you with the hardiness and confidence to survive even the worst of situations.

 

  • Every time you need something, you cannot yell for Ma: And that, dear fucch, teaches you to be independent. When you need your favourite pair of jeans, you’re going to realise you haven’t washed them in weeks. Empty laundry bags become a rare, but rewarding sight, and if you’re out of toothpaste, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

 

  • It’s all about the money, honey: Your monthly allowance is almost always insufficient for all those necessities-right from thrice a week momo cravings, to weekend Hauz Khas runs and groceries. What do you do? You learn to budget and save every penny you can. If you still have money in your pockets at the end of the month, congratulations! You can treat yourself to dessert at Big Chill.

 

  • Explore! In stepping out of that comfort zone, you have given yourself an opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds and to explore a whole new city! Delhi is an interesting place with something for everybody. All you need to do is get out of your room once in a while.

 

  • Distance makes the heart grow fonder: You begin to realise just how much family means to you. What makes it all worthwhile, is being pampered when you go home every couple of months. Your favourite meals will be made, cousins will take you out to dinner and you will feel like you’re royalty.

 

 

Most importantly, you will learn to stick by the decisions you made and that, gives you room to grow.

 

Image credits: lucysmilesaway.com

 

Abhinaya Harigovind

 

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