New Girl In The City

Osmosis. Do we remember the meaning of this scientific process we once learned in our school? It’s the gradual passage of liquid through a membrane. So do I intend to talk about the wonders of physical chemistry in my blog? Of course not! But it’s a great analogy to our life transitions.

Aah, transitions! We undergo a lot of them in our life. From kindergarten to an elementary school, then to high school, from school to a college and then from college to the corporate world. The most special thing about transitions is that it is gradual, slow but sure. And while this gradual change happens, it changes your life, in a good or a bad way. And if you know how to live through the difficult times and imbibe in the better lessons, that transform is just so beautiful. School to college transition brought in a lot for me, changes I wasn’t even ready for. Most of that period went in achieving that essential maturity and independence. But this transition through which I am passing now, the ‘campus to corporate’ one, is the one I want to live through, enjoy each moment, make mistakes and learn a lot, and make this osmosis period the best one in my life. So this girl in the new city tells her story. Her version of this life change! A change from Ahmedabad to Bangalore. A change from Hindi to English. A change from friends to colleagues. A change from a student to a working woman.

Bangalore is amazing in its own ways. It’s great to explore the city and create a good image of it in your mind. It’s like arranged marriage. You are anyways going to spend a lot of your life’s years here, then why not just like it and get used to it. The traffic packed roads, metros and buses,  multilingual people, little south Indian food shops along the roads, swanky cars, numerous flyovers, grand hotels, shopping streets, people with office access cards around their neck running  to get to work, malls and coffee shops at stone throw distance and the very pleasant atmosphere at any time of the day. Even though I am among the minorities here, I never feel like one. The city is so unique. I love the process of getting used to it.

Corporate life isn’t just 5-days-a-week-9-to-5 job. It’s much more than that!  Professional life is very exciting. Client handover, meetings, conference calls, corporate emails, projects, trainings, Outlook, access cards, coffee breaks, debrief sessions and corporate parties and it just doesn’t end. Getting used to calling not only your colleagues, but also your seniors, mentors and clients by their first names is the most difficult part for me in this transition. And I feel like my mother tongue has changed to English after coming here. After speaking a lot of English the entire day with my colleagues from various states of the country, I feel that language is no bound.  And salary! It’s the most amazing feeling of life to finally pay your own bills, pamper yourself by shopping on weekends, buy gifts for your family and friends,  plan your savings and feel so independent and grown up.

But I miss my family and friends, my home-town and my room, my carefree student life and the home food a lot. Unfortunately, it’s a part of this osmosis. You leave behind a lot in order to embrace a new life. So tomorrow will be another day in this city. Getting up, getting ready, reaching office by metro, working on case studies and projects, meetings and catch ups, lots of coffees and lots of learning! I am in love with this transition. This girl in the new city is going to make her life beautiful, because it anyway is a decision that one takes for oneself, isn’t it? 🙂