Hey, hi! I’m a girl from Pune city. With the hustle and bustle of urban living, the most supportive family and friends that kept all the worries at bay surrounded me day in and day out, and you know what? I adored every bit of it. Then I don’t know why, I took a leap of faith and decided to move to a small village, or so I thought, called Singngat in the Northeast of India. It was like stepping into a new world, where I was a stranger in a strange land.
When I first arrived, I was struck by the beauty of the place. The hills- alive with the sound of birds, the air- filled with a fresh, crisp fragrance, and the people- sweet and welcoming; I can account for these as my first observations.
I found the new lifestyle relatively easy. Should I credit my outgoing nature and communication skills? Or should I thank the people who did not make me feel like, ‘Oh, you don’t belong here!’ or say, ‘Thank You, God, for being in the mood of- Can we skip to the good part? Matlab, jo bhi hai, let’s say it all just worked in my favor.
I entered Manipur at the peak of its winters- mid-January, and it was nothing less than living in a freezer. I wore the same thick woolen sweater for days when my family thought I had a mandated uniform. Nevertheless, the COLD weather was compensated by warm hearts. The people redefined hospitality for me.
Jisko baatein karna bahut pasand hai, who kaise language barrier bear kare? Haha, but yes, my village has eight tribes, and almost all have a different dialect. Very few people speak very cute Hindi, and some do not know English. So, awkward verbal communication accompanied by weird long stares was standard for me. Learning a few words here and there, hopefully, at the end of my tenure, I’ll be dissing people in their language #justforgags.
Living independently and doing daily chores was also a new experience for me. I had never done my laundry or cooked my meals before. I never needed to do the most essential things that one should know. By the way, not all alone. I have two annoying boys intruding on my headspace (they will object to the statement and say the contrary), but they make life easy here and somewhat hellish sometimes. We laugh and dance, banter and scream, cook and clean. I have a complaint against them, though- they have spoiled my plan of losing weight as they are bloody good cooks.
The most significant part that pulled me here was the school. Lyzon Friendship School is my happy place, where I meet and interact with the students and staff. The ways of functioning differed from what I have learnt and seen, but that’s precisely when I discovered that there would be heaps of learning. I was appointed to help the school grow and introduce the best practices I have learnt in my decade as an educator, so I will try to get it all and extract every bit from here too.
The cultural contrast is also beautifully distinct. The way of life was something I had never heard or seen before, with a new set of customs and traditions. Now I was starting to comprehend why the Northeast was away from mainland India. At times I was like a fish out of water, but I learned something new and exciting each day.
Looking back on my three months in the Northeast, I am amazed to see what I am becoming. I have learned so much about myself and the world around me. I have made new friends, experienced new things, and gained a new appreciation for the simple pleasures in life. While I will always love Pune City, I am grateful for the experience of living in a small village in the Northeast. It was like tasting a new dish that I had never tried before.
And almost all of it, I owe to Sunbird Trust (?).
Anyway, BRB going for my sauna now because the weather is drastically changing, and so am I. Here’s to one quarter down and many more to go.
