A Life Changing Experience

It would be difficult they said.

You'll regret it, they exclaimed.
She was determined she wanted to do it.
She knew the odds were against her
She knew the challenges she was going to face
She was the prepared for the unexpected too.
She hugged her father outside the railway station.
Her father smiled with determined eyes because he knew his little angel could do it. 
Her mother answered all the questions society asked.
She was scared for her little princess
But deep down she knew
That her daughter would do it for sure
The girl took one final deep breath and boarded the train as she embarked on an 18 day journey
With fifteen other men. 
Most of them unknown. 

She was the youngest and the only girl.
This journey was to be a memorable one, 
because this is where she found her self worth. 
She found out how unique she is. 
She found answers to questions she didn't even know existed within her.
This wasn't her first trek in the Himalayas. 
This wasn't the first time she was on her own. 
But this was the first time there were only guys around her. 
This was the first time she was exactly how she wanted to be. 
It was a dream come true for her.

She enjoyed all the attention she wanted and all the privacy she desired. 
She got to stay alone in a tent and she was admired for her willingness to stay alone. 
She didn't see the need to hide behind her regular social façade.
She experienced the mountains like never before. 
She enjoyed the voice of the river.
She admired the beauty of nature unlike any other time.
She couldn't tell what was different the time.
Maybe it was the independence
Maybe it was the ambience
Maybe it was a new perspective.

In the end, she could look herself in the eye when she finally declared that she felt satisfied.

Friendships on The Move

Friends? What are friends? Are they people who you have Whatsapp conversations with? Are they people whose Facebook walls you spam or who you tag in every other relatable Instagram post?

We don't realise how our friends are basically virtual entities who are very different in real lives than they are in the virtual world where everything is almost picture perfect.

Call me old school, but talking to someone on whatsapp or messenger everyday and sharing what you did during the day doesn't mean that you're staying 'in touch'. An occasional phone call to catch up or a Skype session, where you are at least virtually physically present in front of the person you intend to talk to, is necessary according to me.

Because I study in a university far away from home and live on campus most of the year, most of my friends are away from me a lot of the time and my university friends are away when I am at home. Every time I meet someone in person after a few months, I feel awkward because I know I have changed a lot since we last met and probably that person has changed too.

It's a very uncomfortable feeling of meeting a stranger in a facade of a stranger each time. Each time I meet my friend Niharika, she has so many new stories to share... She has done things the old Niharika wouldn't even dream of doing. And I can't stop from asking myself this question - is this the person I was friends with? Don't get me wrong. I still love her and I will forever. It's just queer to meet new people in the same person each time.

My other friend Dishit, he's someone who I have barely met thrice. But we call ourselves best friends and I'm pretty sure we are. I can't help but wonder whether I am actually friends with him or the virtual version of him?
Would he still behave the same way if I ever were to meet him in person as often as talk to him on FaceTime or Skype. I don't know.

Another friend from college, Asees. We send each other around three sentences on a never ending conversation on Whatsapp. Yet, I know what's going on with her. But I don't feel the connection. I long to just go and hug her, like I used to do each day in college before I went to sleep. I guess I'll have to do that with my teddy bear for now. But it's just not the same.

Virtual is not real. Not for me.

I guess it's a bitter truth that nomads like me probably won't ever have that kind of a friendship when we are just together with our friends all the time and we get to meet each other every other day. Thankfully, I've been blessed with these amazing people, who I know will be there for me in spirit even though not in physic. And that's what makes me sad and happy at the same time. I guess one can't have everything at the same time. So I'd rather look at the goods and enjoy these moments just as they come to me.