If you are one of those people who tends to be an introvert, you could probably empathize with me when I relay the "horrors" of a First Day- be it a first day at a new school (though, I escaped that nightmare - special thanks to my Dad who didn't take transfer- resulting in my spending 14'years in the same school) or be it a first day at a new town- where you've just moved in and you have no idea who or how your neighbous/flatmates are or be it a first day at a new office - where you know absolutely no one and the world just seems a li'l scary and a li'l gloomy.
All my "first-days" till now were somehow never really "first-days". I always had someone or the other with me when I went to a new place. And even though the situation was new, the people around me weren't - which, according to me, made all the difference in the world. This time around, however, things took a different turn. The place is my hometown - but I havent been living here since the last eight years and it is practically a stranger now. The new office is as NEW as new could be. Starting from the people around me to the system I work on to the cafeteria - everything is so different from what I was used to. New people, new work, new environment - all these together get overwhelming in a very short time. How I long for a familiar face in the throng of people!
Along with the whole new world at work, there's another whole new world at home. No more freedom-to-do-anything-at-anytime. Parents and Rules. No more Eminem and Avril. No more Shakira videos. No more AC/DC and Metallica blasting off my speakers. No more sleeping till 1pm in the afternoon or staying up late till 7am in the morning. No more short skirts and blue eye-liners. But along with all that, comes an immense sense of love and security that only your parents can provide. That familiar coccon of safety and that "pampered princess" feeling.
Experts might say that it is good to expand your comfort zone and break the boundaries. But if seeking familiarity makes me weak, so be it. Who said I had to be strong, anyways? Again there will be people who would probably advise me to "chin-up" and get on with my life. But don't they know how liberating crying-out-loud is? And who's to say ranting and raving are a waste of my time?
So here I am- on the First Day of a new phase in my life. And kicking and screaming like hell trying to hold on to the last 'familiar' one!
