Whether you are moving to a new city for studies or work, that first step away from the comfort of your home will change you and your life in innumerable ways.
Here are a few of the realisations that are likely to hit you in those first few months after leaving your nest and your comfort zone.
1. Adulting is hard.
Being independent is not as easy as it looks in films – where lead characters on their first internship find cheap, spacious apartments with super cute decor and an even cuter neighbour.
In reality, you will be lucky to find a place with a window and a landlord or landlady who doesn’t impose more than five restrictions on your life.
2. Your respect for your parents grows exponentially.
It’s so hard to manage living all by yourself – you wonder how your folks managed an entire family for decades without losing their sanity!
3. You become more responsible in your personal and professional lives.
There’s something about having to wake yourself up every morning, dragging yourself out of the house and having to fend for your own meals that builds character.
Soon, that sense of responsibility will trickle into other aspects of your life. You will find yourself a better student, a better worker and way better at respecting time and effort.
4. You keep better track of your money.
Losing your monthly quota of pocket money means you need to know where every paisa in your bank account is going – whether it’s on daily takeouts or to several online shopping websites.
5. You become a great bargainer.
One of the first things you pick up is to use a quasi-weasling tone to bargain with shopkeepers and auto rickshaw drivers. Because like your parents say, money doesn’t grow on trees.
6. Weekends are for errands.
In the good old days, weekends were for endless fun with friends and nights out on the town. But when you are in charge of your own household, that means an endless list of errands that you have to run every weekend. And sometimes, getting the plumber and electrician to come to the house for repairs takes priority over stepping out for brunch with friends.
7. It’s rewarding to create a space of your own.
Transforming a room into your personal area to unwind feels like an incredible achievement. Moving away from home reminds you of what’s been important in your life so far – and the reminders you put up in the form of photos and postcards and posters, stamps your individuality onto your new home.
8. There will be times when you want to run home to your family.
On days when you are dead tired and/or broke and/or hungry, you will want to leave everything behind and sob your heart out on your mother’s lap. You will think that being grown-up and independent is way overrated.
At these times, just remind yourself that it’s not unusual to feel this way – and being homesick is normal and inevitable.
9. Families are not made of just people who share the same genes.
Your roommates or flatmates will gradually become your new family away from family – and sharing your ups and downs with them will make life more fun and less stressful.
And even years later, just like with your blood family, these family ties will also stay warm and strong.
10. You discover new qualities about yourself.
Away from the home where most of your needs are catered to, you will find new surprising things about yourself.
For instance, for someone who was constantly yelled at for a messy room, you realise you are quite a stickler for cleanliness. And who would have thought the girl who never lifted a finger back at home is a wiz at DIY plumbing repairs?
There are a lot of things to learn about life and yourself – and if you are about to move away, have fun on the fulfilling adventure ahead!
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