Outstation students are said to be the ones who enjoy freedom at its best—people who don’t have to travel too much to reach their accommodation and those who have all their time to themselves. However, there is struggle involved in living a life away from home. It isn’t easy to be your own friend, your own family, your own helper and your sole support.
There are innumerable challenges that come along with being an outstation student. Trivial or serious, here they are:
1. Food
It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a hostel resident with lots of wishes and no money is hungry.
If you live in a PG hostel, a government hostel, or in your own flat you know the struggle. Food in hostels range from extremely soupy to extremely burnt. There are times when you look at a dish, and wonder, “Wait, are these potatoes?” Even if you are put up in a fancy accommodation, you will still complain about food. There are times when you awaken your inner chef to cook food for yourself and use all your time to create a master piece. You promise yourself to continue cooking on your own only to break the promise later. Instagram, Facebook, Game of Thrones and sometimes assignments come in the way of being a master chef. And then there are times when you break down and complain about how you miss chicken.
2. School/Old Friends
College is usually welcoming to most of us. This is particularly true in Delhi University, where people from all walks of life and places come together. However, there are moments where you end up missing your school friends. Not many outstation students are lucky enough to be able to spare a day and meet their friends. Friends are far away in most cases. You might not be able to reach them. They are not a few blocks away. However, you have WhatsApp and WhatsApp emojis to convey your feelings to those who understand.
3. Family
Yes, outstation people are cool and so they have a lot of friends. However, the huge circle is also because they have too much of their emotional space to fill and offer. Living away from family leaves a big void in you. You crave company. Time is miserably long without family. Yes, outstation students have a lot of time to enjoy. But there is always a lack of people even if they have hundreds around.
4. Exams
Outstation kids don’t have to travel from Gurgaon or Noida during the exams. They also get extra time to study on the morning of an exam. But they have to manage everything on their own. Food seems worse when you have exam fever. So you have a choice of either remaining hungry or ordering something for yourself, or even cooking on your own. There are times during summers when you get up for a glass of water and realise that there is no water. It is at times like these that you wish you had the comfort of your home.
5. Money
You can be rich back home but when you are not home, you are not rich. You will always thank god for the money you have at the beginning of the month. It seems enough till the last days of the month strike. Remember those days in school when a coin would fall off your pocket and you wouldn’t want to pick it up as you thought that would be embarrassing? Well, that isn’t happening here. At the end of the month, coins are gold. They can buy you a packet of bread, some samosas and hopefully a plate of momos too.
All in all, life isn’t easy for an outstation student. There is every reason they should be proud of themselves. Yes, there are moments when they slack off or break down, and times when they feel that they are too tired to pursue their dreams. If you are one, give yourself that necessary appreciation. You are doing good because you are doing it all on your own!
Image credits: theodysseyonline.com
Tooba Towfiq
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