The year 2022 brought in a lot of new experiences for me. I had been working from home for over a year before I moved out for the first time. I’m a very emotional person and having never stayed away from family, I was both scared and excited for this new phase. We had the last dinner together (my parents, younger sister and I) before my early morning flight and I saw my dad cry for the first time in a long time. 

I experienced multiple emotions, both when my flight took off and when it landed. When the flight took off, my emotions were dominated by the fear of moving out of my comfort zone and being away from home but when it finally landed in Delhi, the only emotion I could feel was the feeling of independence. My mom had accompanied me to help me set everything up and I remember her looking at me when I was looking all around and smiling while walking at the airport. 2 days later, when I said goodbye to my mom as she left was when it hit me the most that I won’t have her around me all the time now like I used to. I’m all alone in a new city and she won’t be there to cook my favourite food, take care of me when I’m sick or just be that friend whom I could share everything with. 

But I have understood one thing, gradually things get better with time.

I remember my first week here. After what I had heard of Delhi/Gurgaon, I was really scared to go out alone specially after it was dark. Although, I’m still scared but I feel so much more comfortable now. Independence doesn’t always mean getting the freedom to do whatever you want or go wherever you want. Over time, I learnt how to do everything by myself- from cleaning, to laundry, to shopping (Cooking is still a No-No for me) and I know its not a huge thing but I am really proud of myself. I also made some good friends, learnt how to play table tennis in my PG (still a beginner, but it counts, right?), took a trip with one of my closest friend’s to Rajasthan, tracked my finances but most importantly, got used to staying alone.

I know moving out of your comfort zone can be scary, but take that leap of faith and rest assured, this experience will be life-changing.