ALIFEROUS

A question I've been asking myself since I got here, here being the University of Kent, is YKD why so free?

I confess, I ran away, I ran away from all the negativity, pollution, pointless pressure and most of all I ran away from anything that manacled me. You my gentle reader might just have been a manacle itself, but I'll let you live in suspense. I don't actually blame you, I thank you. Without you, I would never know how much I love the taste of freedom. 

Where in the overpopulated cities of my country was I going to walk around with a cup of coffee post 12:30 am? Which bus was I going to take in Delhi, alone, to travel 10 miles to pick up groceries? Who was going to sit with me at a picnic table at 11:30 pm to discuss something entirely inconsequential? Who was going to travel with me to a museum to attend a class? Who was going to travel back with me? By train? Post 10 pm?

The autumnal colours of England welcomed me with such affection that the girl who prides herself on being lost, found herself- In some alleyway, at an overcrowded club, dancing the night away converting each of those manacles into blisters on the soles of my feet, so easily cured with a little warm water.

Don't for a minute believe my love for Dilli, or Bombay or Calcutta or Home has diminished, because it hasn't- I still miss the monuments of Delhi, the feel of Dilli, Bombay ki baarish, the spirit of Calcutta and the comfort of Home, but I am also in Love with the victorian buildings, falling leaves, respect for traffic rules, I am also in love with the cobbled streets of Canterbury, the lit up Cathedral that I see when I stare out of the large glass windows of the library, I am most of all in love with who I am in this place-Uninhibited and Unapologetic.

Post Graduate studies it seems give you so much- friends, family and freedom.

I met people, some running away like me, some running towards a goal they set for themselves. I met people who in this short span of two weeks have provided a comfort earlier reserved by friends of over 7 years. I met people who don't feign interest at my slightly strange observations but add to them, I met people who can rival my sarcasm, I met people who encourage my academic endeavours, I met people who want to help me grow, in more ways than one. 

Thanks to them, I no longer filter every statement. I no longer apologise for having a contrary point of view. I no longer hide behind a facade- calm and proper. 

I am messy, my thoughts run wild, I overthink much to chagrin of all my friends here.

With great joy, I discuss academia-in coffee shops, under trees, at bus stops and sometimes even in restaurants.

With great pride, I occupy a tiny space of the Undercommons.

I'm ready for my slice of the world.

I am ready to fly, and this feeling right here, is the wind beneath my wings.