Privilege of being a hostelite
*This is an entry for March Blog of the Month Competition*
It was the first time that I decided to stay away from home for long, for a big purpose. I was very fond of being a hostellite, as my elder siblings already were. I used to admire them. Their freedom, their private lives, everything! I said to my parents, 'I’m not going to get admission in a college in my hometown.' My father kept on insisting. He thought he knew me for sure, but he didn’t. He would joke about me getting admission only in my hometown. I would get extremely angry over this. I used to say that if I got admission in Sialkot, I would leave MBBS. Fortunately, I got accepted in a medical college, Fatima Jinnah Medical University.
In the last few days before leaving home, little did I know what I had done wrong. However, it was too late. I told my mother I don't want to go. My parents were so happy at that point that they supposed it was a joke. The first day that I visited my hostel with a slight idea of charms and facilities of private hostels from my siblings, I was astounded. I came here, lived and left back for home for a whole week. I suppose most of my thoughts of abandoning the college degree were because of the hostel life. Being very close to my mother and never having lived without her, it was hard. In the first few days, everyone around started scaring me about how hard MBBS is going to be. How hard hostel life is going to be. How long it would take to settle here. How less frequently I was going to visit home. Talks filled with all that negativity affects your mind. Anyway, a few days later, I got sick and went back home with a firm decision of never returning. This happened a couple of times afterwards too. I did not have the courage to keep working for what I had been striving towards, since two years. This was just the start of another journey. I hadn't seen my parents happier than this. The way they used to say to everyone “Meri beti doctor ban rahi hai” (My daughter's becoming a doctor). I promise their expressions were worth it. As time passed however, I stressed out, l messed things up and piled them in front of myself. The crux of this was that I could not live in the hostel. Being away from home, waiting for a week to see my mama’s face would feel like an eternity. Dorm was a mess itself. More than two dozen girls in a single hall. Everyone with different stories and different mindset. Being a little introverted, it was hard communicating. Slowly, I got more and more depressed.
For a change, I tried talking to my dorm mates. Everyone was very helpful and encouraging and I started to enjoy myself. Hostel life, group studies, hanging out with people you know just by name and listening to their stories. Things I disliked before became a means of growth for me. I learned to be comfortable in hostel. Hostel life changed me into a whole new person. I learned a lot of things. The privilege of enjoying both your company and your privacy. I realized that people are like books, millions of stories and words buried in them. The more you read, the more you grow. Their past or present stories shine and brighten up your life story. Hostel life, I believe is the best thing that happened to me. Being a hostellite made me explore myself. From the stage of not knowing myself to loving what I am now. Hostel will teach you how to think about yourself and love who you are.
Waneeza Arshad (Batch of 2023)
It was the first time that I decided to stay away from home for long, for a big purpose. I was very fond of being a hostellite, as my elder siblings already were. I used to admire them. Their freedom, their private lives, everything! I said to my parents, 'I’m not going to get admission in a college in my hometown.' My father kept on insisting. He thought he knew me for sure, but he didn’t. He would joke about me getting admission only in my hometown. I would get extremely angry over this. I used to say that if I got admission in Sialkot, I would leave MBBS. Fortunately, I got accepted in a medical college, Fatima Jinnah Medical University.
In the last few days before leaving home, little did I know what I had done wrong. However, it was too late. I told my mother I don't want to go. My parents were so happy at that point that they supposed it was a joke. The first day that I visited my hostel with a slight idea of charms and facilities of private hostels from my siblings, I was astounded. I came here, lived and left back for home for a whole week. I suppose most of my thoughts of abandoning the college degree were because of the hostel life. Being very close to my mother and never having lived without her, it was hard. In the first few days, everyone around started scaring me about how hard MBBS is going to be. How hard hostel life is going to be. How long it would take to settle here. How less frequently I was going to visit home. Talks filled with all that negativity affects your mind. Anyway, a few days later, I got sick and went back home with a firm decision of never returning. This happened a couple of times afterwards too. I did not have the courage to keep working for what I had been striving towards, since two years. This was just the start of another journey. I hadn't seen my parents happier than this. The way they used to say to everyone “Meri beti doctor ban rahi hai” (My daughter's becoming a doctor). I promise their expressions were worth it. As time passed however, I stressed out, l messed things up and piled them in front of myself. The crux of this was that I could not live in the hostel. Being away from home, waiting for a week to see my mama’s face would feel like an eternity. Dorm was a mess itself. More than two dozen girls in a single hall. Everyone with different stories and different mindset. Being a little introverted, it was hard communicating. Slowly, I got more and more depressed.
For a change, I tried talking to my dorm mates. Everyone was very helpful and encouraging and I started to enjoy myself. Hostel life, group studies, hanging out with people you know just by name and listening to their stories. Things I disliked before became a means of growth for me. I learned to be comfortable in hostel. Hostel life changed me into a whole new person. I learned a lot of things. The privilege of enjoying both your company and your privacy. I realized that people are like books, millions of stories and words buried in them. The more you read, the more you grow. Their past or present stories shine and brighten up your life story. Hostel life, I believe is the best thing that happened to me. Being a hostellite made me explore myself. From the stage of not knowing myself to loving what I am now. Hostel will teach you how to think about yourself and love who you are.
Waneeza Arshad (Batch of 2023)
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