Vivid memories of my childhood boarding days

My School

I looked at my mother, and noticed her tears rolling down her lovely cheek. My tiny little hands wiped her tears, kissed her cheek and whispered in her ears “Don’t worry mummy, I am 10 years old girl now and I know how to take care of myself”. With that sweet little comment, I could notice smile at her face. She embraced me tightly, dried her tears and she said “ Just remember mummy loves you a lot and I know one day, you will make me proud.” She left me in my dormitory and with a heavy heart moved towards her car. I ran towards the corridor just to catch a last glimpse of her face before vacation and waved her goodbye. I said softly “Mummy, I will miss you. “ At that moment I was having mixed emotions, sad for being away from my sweet home but excited to experience new hostel life. Many random thoughts popped up about this new life at that instant. Suddenly ring of a bell brought me to reality, breaking me from my thoughts. Miss Jennifer (My new matron) informed me that it’s play time and I should quickly get dressed up to join my new classmates.

I wore my new shoes, new clothes and of course how I could forget my lovely clips to put on my hair. Before leaving I assured to look good, after all I was about to meet my new friends for the first time. I ran towards the playground, to join the group. To my disappointment, none of them noticed me not even my lovely clips. All of them were playing in their own formed group and were not even bothered to look at their surroundings. Out of my shyness I didn’t even approach any group. For one complete hour, I did nothing except to miss my old school friends and my home.  After dinner we all went to our dormitories. I thought this would be a good chance to do friendship with them. All the girls were busy chitchatting with their bed side partners, sharing funny stories, joking with each other. Again,I was ignored completely.

Suddenly something struck my mind and I started fumbling through my nicely arranged clothes to find it. I searched for it for half an hour but couldn’t found it. I lost my control and started crying. Seeing me weeping, one girl came to me and asked “Are you a new girl?” Wiping my tears I nodded my head.  She smiled and introduced herself as Nidhi and then asked,” What are you searching inside your cupboard, any precious possession?” I said “My Family Photographs”.  She looked at my clip and said “Hey, beautiful clip, can I borrow it for one day?”  I nodded with a wry smile. I thought it would be a good trade off between friendship and clip. Quite happy with her clip deal, Nidhi introduced me to her all group members. I learnt that day sharing is the best way to win hearts of others. Half heartedly I even distributed my chocolates among all girls in dormitory. This worked and they started chitchatting with me and even shared few funny and scary ghost stories about this hostel. Suddenly light was put off and it was time to sleep. At the end of my first day, I was happy to be part of my new classmates and I completely forgot about the photographs too.

Next day at 4:30 am Miss Jennifer gave wake up call. Reluctantly I got up, with half eyes open and waiting for my mother’s instruction to take bath. Miss Jennifer’s shrill voice woke me from my dreams and then I realized I have only 45 minutes left to get dressed up. With brush in my hand, I ran towards the washroom to get freshen up. Seeing the long queue, I was aghast. Pressure was building in my stomach but somehow I managed and finally was ready on time. After studying for one hour, it was breakfast time. Whole day went smoothly attending classes, studying and playing. I made few more friends on that day and I was happy.

I was very naughty in my childhood and the one who always got into trouble. Definitely, my mischievousness continued here too. One incident I vividly remember, I planned to scare my bedside partner Shambhavi. I knew she believed in ghosts and had heard many hostel stories too. From beforehand, I took rest of my dormitory mates into confidence and they were happy to be part of this wicked plan. One night, after lights were put off, I covered myself with white sheet, smeared my face with white powder and made few red marks around my lips to look like blood. I wrapped my face with white scarf and planned to put small white flash light under my chin. I waited till Miss Jennifer was back to her room. As per our plan, Shweta asked Shambhavi to accompany her to the loo. When she got up from her bed, I jumped at her. She was scared to death and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Hearing her terrified yell, Miss Jennifer hurriedly came to inquire about the incident. Being the main culprit, I knew I was in great trouble. As a punishment, I had to stand in front of Miss Jennifer’s room for the whole night. It was a different story that I didn’t obey her and brought my sheet and pillow to sleep on floor. Next day, it was not surprising for others to see me standing in front of Principal’s office.

There are many such stories about my boarding  school. I still cherish those funny and mischievous moments. 

I am on F2 or H4 Visa and I cannot work.

Boredom is the root of all evil--the despairing refusal to be oneself.

By  Kierkegaard  Søren.

Boredom often leads to depression and it affects us in different ways.  Many international women in the USA are suffering from this disease as they cannot work because of visa status restrictions.

After marriage I was given the choice between Career and family and I chose the latter. I came to USA in February 2011. Quitting my job and coming here on dependent visa was not an easy decision to make. For one complete month I enjoyed “The beauty of doing nothing” but afterwards excitement turned into boredom. I did nothing except to stare at the wall for most of the day. 

After a while I realized it can be overcome by having positive attitude towards life. Instead of taking it as a threat, now I consider it as an opportunity to learn new things which otherwise while working would not have been possible. 

Many things can be done to keep you busy and Volunteering is one of them. I feel volunteering in the community is the wonderful way to get adjusted in the US work environment.  You not only gain valuable US based skills but some work experience to mention it in your resume.  There are many websites which offer Voluntary jobs matched to individual’s skills and interests.  I found one through idealist.org site.  I am working on various projects for Literacy volunteers of Massachusetts suited to my HR background. It is helping me to regain my self confidence and self esteem.

One can create blog of their own. Blogging has gained momentum these days. It’s a good medium to put your opinions or thoughts into writing. You can always start writing blog suited to your interests.  It is not only helping me to improve my writing skills but also gain confidence.

Centre for Adult Education offer various courses suited to your interests. You can enrol for classes like cooking, foreign language, Gardening, creative writing and many more.  I am thinking to enrol for creative writing classes to further improve my piece of writing.

If you are interested in learning, you can always apply for distance education course through Harvard extension School programs or some other top colleges.  Their names always look good on resume. J

Well I feel, Instead of cribbing we should try to see the brighter side of the picture. It’s never too late start working towards making things better.

P.S- “When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.” 

Ever wonder what snow looks like

Snowfall in my hometown(Bihar) is out of the question so since childhood I have been fascinated with snow. Even though I got a chance to visit Kashmir in April but could only see its beauty on the ground. One of my close buddy is from Kashmir and out of inquisitiveness I always used to ask her how does snow look like when it falls. All my inquisitiveness came to an end when for the first time i experienced snowfall in Boston.

I was  bursting with Joy and excitement to experience my first snowfall ever. It was a chilly evening , -7 degree Celsius and i was  freezing inside out. Biting weather's affect came to halt when i saw some white particles was swaying around me. I could no longer control my excitement and looked up in the sky to feel soggy snowflakes on my face and relished its taste when it fell on my tongue. I could notice white snow on my hair and it felt as if white pearl is cozily settling to feel some warmth.

Everything started turning white. It felt as if nature is showering white blanket to make us realize that winter has begun. I started jumping around until i noticed that ground has become slippery and its not safe. With each breathe I could smell, touch, feel the freshly fallen snow. I was so lost in its  tranquility that I simply forgot where was i suppose to go.

Next morning it was bright, clear,  sunny day and when i glanced through my window i could see the entire lane beneath my window , rail tracks, roads were covered with snow. The slanting rooftops glittered with snow as if  now it has become its prized possession. It was beautiful to look at but suddenly thought of sun's ray melting all snow made me gloomy and grumpy.

But i am happy it's just the beginning and there are more to come as winter has finally arrived.

I am doing my bit r u??

Yesterday morning I was depressed to read that about more than 2000 children died of hunger in Karnataka but still we feel proud to be part of shining India. Who is responsible for it, Government or ignorant common mass?? By 2050 we expect to become the superpower country as major population is between the age group of 20-35. Even if we wash our hands of dirty politics, it’s important to do our bit to improve society. By God's grace we are fortunate enough to lead a contented life and now it’s time to give something back to society as a way of balancing the scales. You must be wondering that in today's busy world when you don't have time for yourself; it’s hard to find time for Society isn’t it??  

Recently I have read one article mentioning 50% of Americans in some way or the other have volunteered and the number continues to increase. They volunteer because they love their country. Since the concept of Volunteering is not popular in India, I must explain what's exactly  it is and how can it help our community. In simple terms it means offering services without any expectation or motivational gain. It not only gives you self satisfaction but a sense of pride and identity. There are many NGO's working for upliftment of society but at times due to lack of funding and manpower their projects get hampered. If we volunteer for two hours in a week, it will make a huge impact on society's development. 

It is human nature to see the benefits first in everything we do. There are numerous benefits of Volunteering. Networking is critical for career development and dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network and boost your career skills. Self confidence, self esteem and life satisfaction are key components of Volunteering. It too helps is spreading positive energy inside you. Apparently, volunteering on a CV will always look good to any prospective employer. 

P.S-I am experiencing it and now it’s your turn.

A Glimpse of Nature’s Beauty

Vibrant Colours, chilly weather, lively surrounding, diminishing daylight, falling temperatures is what you experience in the autumn. It’s just the sign of the transition from summer to winter. Before coming to USA I could savour its beauty only in movies.

Driving from Boston to New Hampshire is one of the most beautiful experiences. We could see trees with brilliant shades of colours like red, orange, yellow and green. We just couldn’t take our eyes with spectacular colour show all around us. Falling and flying leaves added to its beauty.

New Hampshire is famous for White Mountains. For me it was a glimpse of a heaven on earth with Trees of different shades and cloud on the zenith of the mountains. Usually in this season shedding of leaves is preceded by rejuvenating colour show. Deciduous trees in between the colourful trees from far looked like white patch in between the mountains.

From the top of the Mountain, view was amazing. We could see waterfalls, lakes, colours all around us. In sunlight sight of rainfall at other far mountains gave the impression of falling clouds with different angles. Full arch rainbow in the sky with colourful trees at its bottom felt as if a rainbow is emitting its colour on the trees. It was the most beautiful natural beauty I have ever seen.

Fall season represents the inevitability of life and death. This beauty is for a few days more and my colourful city will cover it with snow in coming months. Now I have to prepare myself mentally and physically for the cold, snow and long winters.

Hurricane Irene and My experience

What if you will get to know that a Monster Hurricane might sweep your house away??  Or you realize that your city stands right in the middle path of deadly Hurricane?? Isn’t it Scary?? What would be your reaction to this event??

Even I was petrified to see in the news channel the destruction caused by Hurricane Irene in the Bahamas and is approaching towards the north east side of USA.  I live in Boston, one of the oldest cities of the United States where most of the houses are 100 years old.  Under such situation all ghastly things come to your mind and I was scared what if Irene rips off my house and take away all my precious belongings.

Emergency was alerted in most of the north east cities and in low lying areas people were asked to evacuate their houses. I have never experienced the natural disaster before and tracking the Irene path every now and then was the scariest experience of my life.  There were chances of the power outages, flooding and much more destruction but I was ready for the worst.

At that time my main concern was passport and all important documents which I packed in one carry bag if in case we have to leave our house and run for life. It might sound funny but even I noted down “Maha mrityunjaya Mantra” a prayer to lord Shiva for help in overcoming death.  At one point I even looked at my life line and thought it’s long enough to endure this deadly hurricane but instantly the thought of the end of the world made me panic again.

Constantly I was following the news channel for the latest updates and I was relieved when it was informed that Hurricane will turn into tropical storm by the time it will reach Boston.  At the same time I was praying for others lives and safety.  It was raining heavily the entire day on Saturday and Sunday and even could hear the roaring sound of the gusty winds but gradually it fainted.

Even though it caused less destruction as expected but took lives of 41 innocent people and my prayer go out  to all those that lost loved ones during the storm.

There is still a little girl inside me

No Matter How Much I grow,

There is still a little girl inside me,

Who at times wish to conquer the world

But is afraid to come out of Cocoon

There is still a little girl inside me,

Who loves to admire rising sun every morning,

Enlightening the whole world with new light ray ,

With a hope that one day Peace will embrace the entire world

Even though I am a grown up woman now,

But I still cry to see the world fighting,

And innocent child becoming victim of it,

Who yearns for nothing but love & gentle care.

May the little child inside lives forever in everyone’s heart,

Whose feelings remain tender and vulnerable,

And may live innocent, caring and loving life eternally,

To admire the beautiful life and peaceful world

How to lead a gleeful life??

It’s a well known fact that L³  is  the key to happiness in our life i.e. Live , Love and Laugh. But how many of us actually embrace it in our life??  Why do we forget that life is too short and beautiful to get sad and depressed about petty things?? It’s the time for Self Introspection before it’s too late to regret about it.

  

“The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne is one of my favourite books. Many lessons of life can be learnt from this book. As mentioned in this book “Fall in Love with Yourself” and world will fall in love with you. At times we feel we are deprived of the love we actually deserve and start deserting our self from the rest of the world. But this attitude can lead you nowhere. Love and respect yourself completely without blaming and criticizing anybody for screwing your happiness. Respect and love everyone without expecting anything in return and you will feel world will start loving you. Keep this in mind you alone can control your happiness.

Recently most of us must have watched famous Bollywood movie “ Zindagi Milegi na Dobara” . Very inspirational movie that actually make you think what you want from life. Make your dreams come true instead of wasting your time in ifs and buts of it.  Why to procrastinate it when you are unsure of your life tomorrow. Instead of running after success and money spend some time in the things which you enjoy the most or you always wanted to do.

In today’s world stress is the main factor leading to depression. Career, money, relationships are the key factor for this. Negativity in the environment is the cause of this sadness. Only Positive feeling will lead you to your destiny. Dr. Stephen Hawking is a world renowned physicist after Einstein. Inspite of all the Physical disabilities he strives hard to fulfil his dream and relive every moment. His story gives the courage to everyone to fight in every situation against all odds, towards success. Instead of mourning over difficult situation take the inspiration from these great heroes and fight towards it.

Laughter is the best medicine, we have often heard this many times. So what are you thinking?? Call your friend and share some jokes and good memories, this will certainly make you feel light and happy.

P.S- “ When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.” 

Proud to be an Indian

Today I got a mail to Join and celebrate our 65^th Independence Day in Boston, USA. I felt overwhelmed to receive the mail and instantly I forwarded it to rest of my Indian friends.  No wonder how far we are from our motherland, the love for our country will remain in heart.

Flag hoisting, Cultural programs and sweet distributions are the main event of the celebration in Boston.  New York has an Indian Independence day parade every Year.  Isn’t it amazing?? It’s the great way to teach our culture, tradition and values to small kids who are born and brought up here.

It’s a great feeling to remember the sacrifice of our freedom fighters and to see live our Prime Minister hoisting the flag at the Red Fort.  

Happy Independence Day celebrations!!!! 

Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge... At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India
will awake to life and freedom.”

Jawaharlal Nehru

Flying Cessna 172: Breathtaking Experience

Flying in an airplane has become very common now days.  Have we ever given a thought what is the mechanism behind it?? We all get fascinated by pilot uniform and even some of us dream of being a pilot. Even I got a chance to become a pilot for one day and fly Cessna 172. It was the experience of a life time for me.

Cessna 172 is a four seat aircraft and I was fortunate enough to sit in the co-pilot’s seat and get to experience everything what pilot was doing to fly it. We wore headset so that we could listen to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and communicate with each other in the air as well. Before flying my co-pilot assured that seat belts were fastened properly and all doors were locked. He taught me the significance of each meter placed in front of us before flying.

We headed our plane into the wind as plane needs air under the wings to lift it. As guided by my pilot we accelerated the plane by pulling out the throttle knob smoothly at around 55 knots (63 mph) and nose was raised to 15 degree to increase lift from the wings. When we finally reached the level of 3500 feet my mounting anxiety subsided and I started enjoying the view.  ATC was helping throughout to spot other aircrafts and ensuring safe, orderly and smooth traffic flow.

Usually civilian passenger jets fly at an average height of 30,000 to 39,000 feet above the ground level and at this height all you can experience is clouds and sky. Cessna normally fly at an average height of 3500 feet and at this altitude I could clearly see the roads, buildings, moving cars, flowing river and greenery all over the ground.  At that time I felt like a superman flying over lake.

When we were at the ground I noticed temperature was 108 degree Fahrenheit and with every thousand feet above the ground it reduced by 3 degree.  After experiencing 40 minutes of flight we prepared our self for landing. He contacted ATC and informed them that we are about to land. In the air, plane was travelling at the speed of 80 knots and while landing, he assured speed to be at 60 knots by carefully dropping speed at the rate of 5 knots.  Then suddenly I felt the bump and rattle of tires on the ground. Then gently he pressed the brakes to reduce the speed and finally it came to halt.

It was a fun experience!!!!!

Paradise on Earth

Kashmir is the most beautiful place on this earth I have ever seen in my life. Its mesmerizing beauty can enchant anybody and will bound to make you return to this heaven once again.

Despite the tense situation in Kashmir, I find myself quite lucky that I got a chance to visit this place with my family. Its beauty cannot be described in words but can only be felt.  After taking blessing from holy goddess Vaishno Devi Mata we booked taxi for Srinagar. On the way we were able to see majestic mountains, enchanting rivers and many trees. Rows of Chinar and Deodar trees added incredible beauty to the valley of the Kashmir.

After a captivating journey we reached Srinagar in the evening. To experience the scenic beauty of Dal Lake we rented one houseboat for two days. It was the most beautiful days of my life. I could see the Shikara and houseboat communities spread all over the lake.  Its beauty was enhanced by surrounding Mountain View. Experience of Floating houseboat over beautiful waterways of Dal Lake was amazing. It was freezing cold in the month of March and houseboat owner offered us “Kahwa Chai” made up of spices. It is a tea with an exotic flavour and is best for cold winter as it keeps you warm.

Next day in the foggy morning standing on my houseboat I could feel this is the most tranquil place I have ever visited. I could watch Shikara the Kashmiri gondolas floating over the calm serene water, garden boat that gave the impression of floating garden, Ravens and Hawks swimming on the lake to catch fish. Many lofty mountains partially covered with snow enhanced its majestic beauty.

Wonderful thing about houseboat is that you don’t have to worry about shopping. Salesmen come to your doorstep by paddling their boat and selling you everything like chips, chocolates, sweaters, Pashmina Shawl, fresh flowers, beads, etc. Kashmir is also famous for its dignified style of dress. Salesman came to our houseboat along with photographers to get us clicked in Kashmiri dress( Pheran and Pathan Suit) and it was fun.

Ride in beautiful Shikara at the sunset was wonderful. It’s a perfect place for Honeymoon couple. While taking a round in Shikara we noticed vegetables fields in the lake. While rowing boat many of them were singing melodious Kashmiri songs and I got lost somewhere in that harmony.

Next day we planned to visit around the city.Srinagar is famous for it’s lakes and gardens. Chasme Sahi, Shalimar bagh, Nishat Bagh are famous among them. Shalimar bagh symbolises as monument of love. We could see many newlywed couple enjoying its beauty. All three gardens were illuminated by electric lights which add to its beauty.

Pretty Kashmiri girls enhance to its exotic beauty. They are the most beautiful woman in India I have come across. Fair, pretty eyes, sharp nose, rosy cheek gave the impression as if many apsaras had landed on the earth. Sight of an Indian Soldiers with guns in the cities brought me back to the reality of this place.

Third day we went to Gulmarg, hardly 52 kms from Srinagar. To experience Snow beauty, this is the best place. Meadows of Gulmarg were laden with flowers and long deodar trees and even Himalaya top could be seen from this place.  Snow covered mountains with greenery at the bottom gave magical effect. I feel this is the best place for trekking, skiing and horse riding.

Fourth day we had to leave for Delhi and nobody was happy to depart from such lovely place.  Seeing all our gloomy face around my four year old cousin very innocently said, “Mamma I am missing ‘Kahmir “   and the way he pronounced Kashmir as “Kahmir” we all burst into laughter.

P.S- I will revisit this place with my Husband :)