Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to run through time and become a college kid. The idea of independent life, living by my rules, staying up till 4 am, and having the ultimate “Pitch Perfect” experience couldn’t come fast enough. Even until my last few days at home, I was excited, nervous, and hopeful- but not the least bit terrified because this was all I’d ever wanted. And the cherry on top of my quixotic ideal was that I was among the first few kids from my CBSE background to explore the ‘Liberal Arts Education,’ an American education in India. It seemed too good to be true like I was the main character in my sitcom, and yes- it was too good to be true.
The first few weeks were a breeze; we were bombarded with orientation week, concerts, DJ nights, exciting new courses, and our fantastic curfew (none at all). Staying up till 10 am (yes, am) gave us a sense of our newfound independence. The ego boost that came with a lack of answering anybody made us feel like we could conquer the world. That is, until the mid-term of our first trimester. You see, staying up all night, missing meals, “chilling” and going to HnC all seems incredible until you’re overburdened with the flip side to independence- responsibility. Responsibility is a funny thing; it’s never taught to you because how do you teach someone to live alone when they haven’t their entire lives and yet expect them to manage everything on their own in a fancy new world without as many rules and regulations? And thus began the advent of our Truman-like realizations that the world is perhaps not all it seems.
We are all Trumans in our way, and all the more so at Krea University. Think about it, we took the risk of studying at a relatively new college with a relatively new method of teaching, doing relatively new courses and subject combinations, all while our entire worlds closely watch what we do with our lives. And what’s so beautiful about it is that we have no idea. When that terrible blow of responsibility weighs on your mind is when you realize that all of the illusions we had associated with college life were just that- illusions. Sleeping late doesn’t seem cool anymore. It’s a burden you want to eliminate, and soon you’ll find every third person saying, “I need to fix my sleep schedule bro”. College life’s independence is great until you start missing Ghar ka khana. Academic freedom is too good to be true until the first lousy grade that you can’t fathom showing your parents because they’ve put so much trust and resources into putting you in a residential college. And you can only get enough of HnC once you say R.I.P. to your bank balance. If only one of the first-year courses in Krea taught a healthy work-life balance.
I’ve had many Truman moments in my first year at Krea University, but none have been more baffling than mine and my friends’ need to return home as often as possible. You’d think coming to a residential college willingly meant running away from home, but the comfort of a lack of responsibility trumps the rush you get from independence. And every day seems the same- you meet the same people, eat the same meals (consider this my plea to get the mess to change their meals), study in the same classrooms, and sleep in the same room. Soon the days start merging into the same monotonous conversations that cycle over and over again, and before you know it, you’re back at Lulla saying, “Send juice” for the fiftieth time that day (if you know, you know, and if you don’t, feel free to reach out to me for an explanation).
So I wish all of you reading this a good morning, away from the monotony and the simulation-like life you must feel like you’re living. Just know that you’re not alone, and I wish I could advise you, but I can’t say I’m not stuck in my Truman variation. All I can do is provide you with luck in getting out of yours and leave you with a “good afternoon, good evening, and good night” in case I don’t see you again.