The Firsts of My Life...

So after a gap of almost two months, I’m back with the expression to (choose one) engage/annoy/make you smile. Coincidentally, this also happens to be the first post of 2015, so I thought how about sharing the first times I have had in my life so far? For obvious reasons, I’m not going to write about all the firsts, but the ones I vividly remember and find them worth sharing. So here we go:

• First Day @ School: My parents tell me that on the first day of school, I was very happy and excited. New uniform, new bag, new place, basically new everything must have got me high!! I went happily, spent the day at school in equally joyous mood and came back smiling. Well this was until the climax. Problem started when I was told I had to go there next day as well, and after that as well, and after that, for 5 days a week, every week. There was crying, crying and a little more crying. Eventually, they somehow managed to drag me to school, and now after almost 18 years, it all turned out pretty well. 

• First time alone @ home: I have a sister 7 years elder to me, so when I was in 3^rd standard, she had her Class X^th boards. So in that March of 2002, our small family had two big challenges. One – the board exams and secondly, how to leave me alone at home for so many hours, since I was done with my exams and was having the vacation? So they bought me comics, that small miniature computer shaped game boy, lots of toys, a list of emergency numbers, a list of channel numbers of my favourite TV programs and of course, enormous stock of food. As it turned out, we both did pretty well. She had a decent exam and I had a pleasant stay. In retrospect, that day set the precedent and I have spent many a days alone at home for years after that without any troubles. Long live working families!! 

• First day @ Board Exams: Fast forward the above point and we come to my tryst with Class Xth board exams. I had had decent net practice via the pre boards and was excited and raring to go. Naturally, my mom was nervous, way more than the rest of the family members (combined). My father accompanied me to the exam centre and that was some sight for me, seeing hordes of students thronging that road to reach to the centre, that visual is as clear as crystal even today. The exam went well, I called my mom after coming back home and as was her natural tendency to not show her nervousness and instead put it on someone else, she asked me “Ab to darr nahi lag raah na boards se?” This was a question she was asking herself, but wanted the answer in my voice. “Nahi, bilkul nahi”, I said and the rest as they say is history.  

• First Income: I was doing a internship during the final year of my graduation. It was initially supposed to be of two months but later got extended by one, the last month being full time work and came with a stipend. Once that got over and I received my first payment, my first income of Rs. 2500, I wanted to do a little something for my family. They didn’t know of this and one morning, my parents woke up to an envelope besides them on which was written “my first income, congratulations and thank you J.” I gave all three of them (the third being my sister) a share of that money and used the rest to manage my expenses for the next month or so, which also happened to be the first time I didn’t have to approach my parents for money, although for a month only, but it felt nice. 

• First time away from home: On 13^th of March’ 2014, we transferred the first fees installment to SIMC, Pune for my post graduation, thereby sealing my future for the next two years. That meant that after spending all my life in Delhi, it was time to embrace a new place. It took a bit of convincing, and once that was done, my parents lent all their support and confidence. Their only question was “You sure you want this?”
  I bid them farewell, boarded the flight, landed in Pune, reached the campus and the next chapter of my life then unfolded.  I have been home twice so far since June last year, and it has been a pretty good journey in Pune thus far. In a sense, they both are now living the first year of their marriage all over again, just the two of them for each other’s company, with a married daughter and a son perched on a hill in Pune. 

I would have mentioned my first interview as well, but that has been mentioned in one of the earlier posts. You can read it here, refer to the last point. For a more serious take on my first interview, which I do remember, read the first of the two part story here, and here's the part after the interval.
You know what, it feels good to mention the links, feels like I have written quite a bit since I first started! 

Well that’s it with this first of many posts of 2015. Feel free to share some of your first times, I’m all eyes.

Until next time

Take care J