I am exhausted after a six-hour journey from Mannuthy to Pookode, my eyes wide open as I lie on a bed in another dorm, after almost four years. I am an alumnus of and Alleppey and I distinctly remember that passing the new entrance exam was one thing but to become a Navodayan in all its senses was not an easy journey. As I am unable to sleep I am gonna write about my first day at navodaya. For starters passing the exam was a huge shocker. I had no idea about this whatsoever boarding school but my parents are good at convincing, so I ended up joining the institution. On the day of admission when I walked into that school with hardly any clue of what was awaiting me, I saw children like me sitting there waiting for their turn. There was this kid whom I knew from my old school we went to the same coaching class so we already knew each other. Then I saw this twin kid dressed up in the same parrot green shirts, sitting outside the principal's office. Then there was this girl with her hair tied neatly with a band on both sides. She had a big bindi put on, which was hard to miss. Our parents chatted with each other and I nervously tried to strike a conversation with her while standing outside the principal's office. By noon, we were sorted into different houses {Aravally, Nilgiri, Shiwalik, Udaygiri} and were instructed to move to the school mess for lunch after arranging our luggage in the assigned dorm. The first question you get asked in a navodaya mess would be ~"how's the food? Did you like it or not?".I nodded politely. Somehow their faces told me that was not the answer they were expecting. My parents left for home immediately after lunch. So I was all alone in this weird place with these strange people. Our senior checks(sisters) explained to us- the newcomers -'the unsaid rules of the hostel' as to how to behave and what we were supposed to do. They told us to stick together until we got familiar with the environment of this institution. One chechi would be always there with us throughout the first week to guide us. Honestly, I didn't find my hostel very appealing on my first day but I had this feeling that somehow everyone except us was having some sort of cool and fun life inside this hostel. From outside it seemed to be a heavily disciplined and tightly scheduled routine and yes it was hard doing all your stuff on your own at the age of ten. But people around me had this amazing bond with each other, they were cracking jokes, making fun of each other and stuff. The real question in mind was
that" will I ever fit in?".My first night in the hostel I couldn't sleep. I slept a little but woke up so early partly because the kid with whom I was sharing my bed was praying the whole night with her bible open, holding a torch in her hand. She would sleep for some time, then wake up later and she would read the bible again and the cycle continued. When she finally fell asleep, I saw my sleep bidding farewell to me. I could hear the creaking sound of the fan which was freaking me out. Then I saw a figure standing at the end of the dorm which later turned out to be a dress on a hanger, left there to dry. At that moment I felt so out of place and I just missed my parents who were then at a three-hour distance sleeping comfortably in our home. I, on my first day, didn't cry like most kids but I missed my home terribly.
And here I am after all these years sitting on a bed in a dorm in yet another Navodaya. I am visiting this place for the first time. Today I am awake not because I am scared or homesick, but because after all these years I feel strangely at home. I feel secure, I feel loved and I am grateful for that. Visiting familiar places remind you of who you are. So it's good, you know, to come back to familiar places
