I can' t continue....

.. with the rest of the chapters. I had it all written in my office email drafts but when the mailbox moved to another server, the folder was empty. I do not have the courage to write down eight more posts and I believe it would not be as good as the original.

Sorry readers, I shall write on other topics but not Gujarat diaries. But here is a brief account of my stint away from home :

The training schedules redefined the word 'hectic' for me. I was intimidated by the enormity of the organisation I was working for and the struggle I would have to undergo to create a niche for myself. Strangely though, I was not getting as worked up as I normally would have.

Hostel was the best and the worst thing that happened to me. Best because of the freedom it gave me and worst because of the resulting addiction to free life. I enjoyed the luxury of going out for a walk without having to think of a suitable reason, something that I never had the chance to enjoy. I am a full blown gambler now thanks to the numerous nights spent playing cards and inventing silly rules.

It is comforting to be in a place where people are as lost as you. We were a bunch of two hundred people seeking friends and familiarity, in spite of knowing that we won't ever meet most of them once we move out of the hostel. But I am still hopeful of bumping into a few of them, someday.

I got allocated to Mumbai just when I was getting sick of the food and the heat and the next thing I remember is leaving the hostel with a lot of memories, a few of them unfortunately tainted with misgivings. I hate goodbyes and this one I hated the most because it was saying good bye to a life which was different- not happy, not sad but different. I still have a long way to go, but I shall always remember this phase as the one in which I realized why it is necessary to prioritize everything in life- events, decisions and people as well.

It has been two months since I moved back to my city and it feels as if I never left. As I alighted from the train, I was silently reciting the timings of the trains I usually took. My hibernating senses helped me recognize the sights and sounds I grew up with. And I felt so....alive. Mumbai, I am back. And I am loving it.