Those were the three words which were said to me by the best of my friends back home, when I was leaving for the US. Time has flown by. 22 months, I think. Now its time for me to say those words to the people leaving College Park. There have been so many moments and times when I have felt indebted to have such company by my side in what can be a very cruel place to live in. So much fun it has been, the ride of my life. It will continue though, with everyone at different locations. Now is the time to say goodbyes and express gratitude for what the people have been to you.
First of all, I suck at saying goodbyes. Atleast, in the moment I do badly. It takes me a good 2-3 days to get over the sadness and think clearly again on that matter. I do get back to normal always, eventually. But the first of many farewells I said was a very emotional day. You get used to it once it sinks in.
Where to start? So many people I have immense gratitude for. When I left India, I always thought that I will never make friends like the one's I left back home. I can say that some of the people I have met here do fall in that category and I am nothing but thankful to them for always being there for me. All of my room-mates (barring one, :P) have been extremely pivotal in the time I have enjoyed here in the US. They have been with me through the best of my moods and more importantly, the worse moods too. You realize that when the sun shines, most people come out and rejoice but it's on the cold winter days you know who your real friends are. These guys have been everything I could have wished for. I never shared a room, I never lived a life away from my parents and I never thought I could. All five of them made it possible for me to acclimatize into this new life of mine. You get so used to people being around you that when they go away it pinches and hurts a lot. Looking at the empty closets, empty walls devoid of the poster, flag and jersey that used to be the pride of the house and most importantly, the absence of them literally makes you feel cold.
First of all, I suck at saying goodbyes. Atleast, in the moment I do badly. It takes me a good 2-3 days to get over the sadness and think clearly again on that matter. I do get back to normal always, eventually. But the first of many farewells I said was a very emotional day. You get used to it once it sinks in.
Where to start? So many people I have immense gratitude for. When I left India, I always thought that I will never make friends like the one's I left back home. I can say that some of the people I have met here do fall in that category and I am nothing but thankful to them for always being there for me. All of my room-mates (barring one, :P) have been extremely pivotal in the time I have enjoyed here in the US. They have been with me through the best of my moods and more importantly, the worse moods too. You realize that when the sun shines, most people come out and rejoice but it's on the cold winter days you know who your real friends are. These guys have been everything I could have wished for. I never shared a room, I never lived a life away from my parents and I never thought I could. All five of them made it possible for me to acclimatize into this new life of mine. You get so used to people being around you that when they go away it pinches and hurts a lot. Looking at the empty closets, empty walls devoid of the poster, flag and jersey that used to be the pride of the house and most importantly, the absence of them literally makes you feel cold.
And not just them, there are a lot of other people who I have enjoyed memorable moments with over the duration of this stint here in College Park. All of them, will be dearly and truly be missed. It feels very bad to take the walk in the hallways of the apartments and crossing the apartments that used to be inhibited by the people you adored. The addas, the games, the fun and the jokes. Such good memories they are.
One of my close friends said to me that "Life can be sweet. Fleeting at times. Always take the moments with a pinch of salt." How true she was. I will be alright in a day or at most a week. I might not even miss them a lot like I do right now once the stresses of work life begin and I have a thing to focus on. But, these memories are going to be with me for the rest of my life. I can go on writing a book on the amazing memories I have had with all the people here. And still it won't be enough. It can never be! "Kyunki yeh ek ehsaas hai jisse lafzon mein bayaan nahi kiya jaa sakta, bas mehsoos kiya ja sakta hai!!". These are the kind of memories you shall sit and smile on later in life and also in the moments when you reflect back. Truly amazing these memories. Even smiling right now thinking about some of them. From my side, I would wish them all the very best in their life and careers. I am never going to lose touch with all the great friends I made, I will make it a point that falling out of touch doesn't happen. Go chase your dreams and Always be around!!
On the ending note, I feel now that this isn't a goodbye. This is just a Till Next Time..
I can try to explain my stance here but its a bit complicated.
ReplyDeleteI have always looked forward in my life. Take on new challenges, make new friends, read something interesting. I've had several instances in the past where people just keep on saying that their past life's were so great. They always wished they could re-live those days. I on the other hand believe, life is not over!!! Live it now, who's stopping you.
I feel good sometimes to connect to my past friends to check what new things they have caught themselves in but then, I feel that sometimes its more of a formality to do so.
Few of my very good friends have changed so much that I do not have common talking points. Obviously they have changed for their own good but hey, I dont know what to talk about. There is always the usual "Howz Life" but then thats it.
Last but not the least, I would like to quote my friend's status which quite aptly describes how I feel regarding this. Here it is "Good memories of today are sad thoughts of tomorrow"
Things change, people change, priorities change, but the memories will remain.
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