It was the year 1991. July of that year signified two important changes in my life. I lost my paternal grandmother to cancer on the 6th of that month and on the 21st my family was moving away from Indian shores to take up residence in Nairobi, Kenya to start a new life.
As a teenager, both these events hit me hard. The first was my closest brush with death, a fact that became difficult for me to accept. I recall sitting by the body, willing her to wake up and speak to me the way she always would. At the other end of the spectrum was the excitement building up at the idea of moving to a new country. My adolescent brain found the juxtaposition of these emotions very challenging to accept.
Academically, I had always been an average student, showing a keen interest only in English and music till then. The move to another country was at once unnerving and exciting. What if I fared so miserably at the new school? I had always been an introvert and had found solace in the comfortable surroundings of my school, my teachers and my close friends for over 7 years. What if I was a loner in a classroom full of shining stars?
These were just some of the concerns racing through my heart and head as we boarded the plane that would take us into the heart of Africa. A few weeks after settling in, I started at the new school. The first blow that struck me was when I heard the principal tell my parents that they would make me repeat grade 7. To me, this was crushing! He quickly assured me that it was not my fault and that they only had till Grade 7 at the time. He would move me up a grade in a few months.
Sighing, I resigned myself to the fact that I would be in a classroom with kids younger than me and who would invariably ask, ‘But, why are you repeating a year?’ The pain of being silently jeered at was more difficult than actually repeating a year.
But then, something wonderful happened. Since I was repeating a year, I had already mastered most of the concepts that were to be taught. Incredibly, where I was an average student back home, I now began to top the class. The thrill it gave me to see my name on the top of the merit list after six months was simply inexplicable!
What this also showed me was that I could readily put my mind to studying any subject, not just English or music, if the motivation was right. The following year, although all the subjects were new to me, I continued to do well. All it took was for the seed of confidence to be planted within.
Moving away from my comfort zone was scary but it helped me realise that nothing is possible without pain or experience. Today, as I look back at the memories of moving to a new land, starting a new life there, rising to new challenges and coming out on top, I know that the best things in life don’t come wrapped in packages with a bow on top.
They , almost always, reach you as a result of true grit, determination and a never-say-die attitude.
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Thank you for sharing your experiences. A new life does pose so many challenges that all the lessons you can learn must be embraced. 😀
Thank you for sharing this snippet from your life. Like Sid says, somehow I can’t imagine you as an “average” student 🙂 I have always pictured you as having this Shailaja-special drive to excel – always! It is good to hear that the start of a new life brought some new confidence in you.
Well, I have moved around a fair bit, both before marriage and after. It’s only in the last ten years that we have stuck to one city 😀
I have lived all my life in one place, Mumbai, with no adventure or excitement.. I can only imagine how you must have felt.
You lucky woman, you 😀 Always the class topper, eh? First half of my education was nothing to do with topping in anything but English. Guess my calling was set in stone 😀
Such a heartwarming tale. I have been shuttling around from one place to another and one school to another all my childhood. Your post took me back to those memories. The one thing that held me in good stead was that I was always the class topper. That one thing guaranteed the introverted me friends. 🙂
Agreed. I think moving away from rote learning to application-based study was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
And you turned out pretty alright. See, what’s in all those marks 🙂
Always 23rd rank in a class of 26 kids till grade 7, Sid 🙂
*wipes the tears away from his eyes* Such a nice post.
P.S. I can’t believe you were an average student!
You said it, Naba. No pain no gain.
No Pain No Gain right? Sometimes the best things happen to us when we are not looking for it or when we are in the midst of an uncertain change…
Yes, I always think a little anxiety is good for you 🙂 It helps you stay grounded.
Change is the only constant, right? 🙂
You said it, Elly. Not easy for an adolescent, especially 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Very glad I got to feel it too, Vinitha 🙂
Oh I actually did that too! Relocated to India for Grade 10 and went through pure agony trying to play catch up. But it all worked out in the end 🙂
We all have that one person/people who we owe our confidence to, isn’t it? 🙂
As am I 🙂 Thank you for reading.
Thanks Apu 🙂
Thank you so much, Niharika 🙂
Lovely post! Sometimes it is okay to have butterflies in stomach. They help you focus on the task in hand and emerge a winner.
Yep, that is how I felt moving to the US. However, it certainly would have seemed more intimidating as a teen. But, it is with such changes that we gain confidence & perspective. 🙂
It’s not necessarily easy for an adolescent – teen? – to adapt to such changes, especially of moving far away from one’s homeland. You faced your fears, accepted them, and came out winning! Sometimes it does take a certain amount of pain to overcome challenges and grow as a result. 🙂 <3
That little confidence growing to achieve the unachievables, its a splendid feeling, isn’t it? Glad to hear that you got to experience it, Shailaja. 🙂
I could relate to your post so much Shailaja. The only differences being I had to relocate at the age of 16 in the year 2000 from the Middle East back to India for higher studies. I could visualize myself experiencing the same emotions that you have described in your post. Thanks for making me relive those days even if it were for a short time. 🙂 Keep writing !
That was a wonderful experience… isn’t it? The seed of confidence is all it takes. And a right person to place it. For me, it was my mathematics tuition teacher in class nine.
Those are tough things for anyone to deal with, I’m glad that you were able to make the best out of the situation and move onto wonderful things.
Nice to hear about a snippet of your life Shailaja. That’s a tough age to start a new life, and it’s lovely to hear how it all worked out :).
Wah Wah Shailaja .What a wonderful post you have written.A very touchy story :-)keep writing.