Breaking Away from the Comfort Zone

I have spent most of my life time in my home state. Even though I lived far from home, I didn't have to deal with major cultural differences. Life was easy. The towns where I lived were small and it can never be compared to the hustle bustle of the metro cities. So imagine my fear when I decided to embark on a journey to Mumbai, that too, all alone.

It was a big step for a small town girl. From the tranquility of a small Kerala town to the city that never stops - It was not an easy decision. It was one and a half day in train. I boarded the train all prepared, yet having no clue about the place I was going to and not having a familiar face in the city didn't help either. I remember standing on the platform and thinking about dropping out of the journey. I still don't know how I mustered up the strength for that journey. I was 24 at that time, without any major life experiences and I didn't even know how to communicate properly in English.

I was so scared that I didn't even talk to the people who were in the same compartment. I spent time flipping through the pages of the book I was trying to read. The beauty of the Konkan tracks were the only comforting thing during that journey. I was so sceptical about everything around me that I ate only the biscuits and cakes I brought with me. The only exception to this was tea.

I got down at the last station. I had a huge bag and porters were trying to snatch it. Somehow I managed to get out of that platform and found a prepaid taxi queue. I heaved a sigh of relief when I finally got into the taxi. It was only the first of the many adventures to follow. But it was the first step that mattered and life was never the same, for better or worse.