In Transit,but not yet delivered.!

Seems like I’m talking about an Amazon delivery right, not exactly. Like a package that gets shipped from the time the order was confirmed to the waiting customer, so do our lives moving from amazon centers to centers till it reaches safely in the customers hands.

I don’t know, being a frequent online shopper, the wait and anxiety for the package to arrive closely resembles my life-but not yet in a “delivered successfully”; state, which I know will take time. I’m talking about the transit from college to being an individual.

I know, I’m nowhere close to explaining the real work-life scenarios but I find this transition from college to job is full of mixed emotions- a blend of excitement and missing of how your life was, which is pretty interesting at the same time.

The transition from college to a job and settling in another place, was indeed a rollercoaster ride and continues to be. Life suddenly turned 180 degrees without any notice.

Moving to another city - so called “Silicon Valley of India”.!

Yes, Bangalore aka Bengaluru.! I always wanted to be away from home and move into another city at least for 2-3 years as I was a day scholar in my entire school and college days. And from the fun and frolic filled internship days back in my third year when I came to this city for 2 months, I decided I want to get a full time job in Bangalore next year.

But wait. Nobody told me this city has to offer a different story when its a permanent job.

You need to find a decent place to stay, commute on your own, deal with all your work in office and come back absolutely jobless- the chilly weather makes you sleep in a jiffy.!

In this bustling city, where the people have absolutely no time to spare - I understood that you’re a free individual soul with a choice. You can be an all night party person hanging out with your friends or an extremely responsible person washing and drying clothes every weekend. And this choice is directly proportional to what you’re earning and at times saves you from a half-month crisis.

Back at home, I never understood the real value of money, but now when it comes to your ‘own’ money living in this damn expensive city, every single penny counts and you’re in a complete dilemma at the end of month thinking, “where my money is going?”

Nevertheless, I should say, this city is full of opportunities. Take a bus ride to EcoSpace or ITPL. Google, Microsoft, Adobe, IBM… name a company, you find it. Or take a ride towards Koramangala or IndiraNagar, you find startups and co working spaces popping up on your way.

Looking out to infinity from my office terrace, all I can see is tall MNC buildings with gleaming led nameboards, malls, bustling roads with people rushing to homes after work, which makes me feel there are endless possibilities to explore here according to my dreams.

I always feel this city accommodates anybody. Whichever native you are or what language you speak, or what kind of work you want to do, people over here accept mixed culture.

Speaking to uber drivers and bhaiyyas in hostel with ‘thoda-thoda’ Hindi still continues to be a fun learning experience , which I would never have done if I were in Kerala.

Independance.!

The feeling of living alone, traveling alone, managing your expenses alone is just overwhelming. It may vary from person to person, but for me I’ve really craved for this kind of independence. Absolutely no words can describe the satisfaction you get when you buy the things you’ve been eyeing on for quite a while or gifting your parents with your own money. Yes man.! You earned that every penny that was credited to your bank account.!

I’m a person who doesn’t wish to be indoors for long time, strolling around is my main pastime but at times that habit burns holes in my pocket too :P In my hometown, I usually roam around in autos, private bus etc but the show ends at sharp 6pm. No more.No less.

Bengaluru helped me to gain that confidence to travel alone in the night, taking uber pools in evenings with no suspicion and above all travelling for 12 hrs straight in ksrtc bus all the way till Kerala.

Looking after myself, washing my clothes, battling with bland hostel food, making your own decisions at work, consoling myself for my problems, putting myself to sleep, trying to enjoy in whichever times you get…made me feel a little grown up.

But I should say, amidst all this, when you think of Porotta and Beef, Puttu, Appam, fish curry.. yeah, I miss home sometimes.!

Work-Life Shenanigans.

I wanted that ‘Nivin Pauly entry’ in Bangalore Days movie when he walks into the tech park with lots of hopes on my first day at work, but I decided for something else. Let me tell you some startup stories.

I stepped into this company thinking that it’ll be similar to the place where I’ve done internship which is also a startup. Nevertheless I should say, this was a different ball game.

I landed into a place with 15 employees where we most of the time had to collaborate with the US Team. My client was Microsoft and I still remember, I was so thrilled when I got my Microsoft email id. From the very first day I joined I was in the ongoing project.

All this sounds fancy right? Trust me,it isn’t.

Things in startups are very flickering. Sometimes you’re told to do this task. You struggle and finish it somehow, but very next day the requirement changes.

Dealing with clients, work escalations, convincing internal managers - this was all super new and daunting. Collaboration with US peeps made rooms for meetings in night and night shifts. There’s absolutely no one to help you taking their time as client requirements need to be done first. Whether you like the work or not, you’re bound to do it. Since the team is small, you’re highly responsible for your work, so taking leaves becomes a story of the past, as you’ll create difficulties for others with your absence.

I must say startup work culture has its own perks too. You’ll get to know end to end working happening inside the company. As it is a small group, you’ll know everyone personally and you’ll know all information happening inside the office. Also you can get your hands on multiple things in a short span of time.

In the end, it’s your choice where you have to be and the work you wanna do-be it big or small.!

Friends❤️

They make my life extra spicier in this weird city. Trust me, without you guys I would have never survived without missing home. The hyper-active peeps back in college are now responsibly talking about work, struggles of living alone, what to do in future, settling down..topics of discussion also change as years pass by, but I really enjoy that transition. We’re growing up together:)

I must say everyone at one point in their life should stay away from home for quite a while to realize how comfortable we were which we often complain about daily. Little to miss home, little to feel the independance.!

The Transit still continues to another delivery center picking up experiences in between, so do my life!