Leaving Home, Finding Family

 

What do you dream of? Living in the city you have had your whole childhood with all the loved ones who care about you 24/7 or leaving the same city with the same people because now you know it's your time to take care of them.  

I am on my flight now to NYC. If you ask me how I feel, I don’t really have much to say on that because it may contradict what you guys might have thought. I feel good. I feel independent. I feel like finally, I am getting to experience what's world like in other parts of the globe. Finally, I get to meet people from all around. Communicate with them, learn how their life has been, and learn from them.  

I want to share a story today.  

My sister (more like a friend) and I boarded together for our flight to Dubai. We landed there. We had approx. 6-7 hours of transit. I went to the washroom. On my way I saw two female workers, they were wearing hijabs. They felt new. New people, you know, suddenly start talking Nepali. The very moment I felt home. The very moment I felt like I had my family with me. That kind of made me realize when you live in a nation with crores of people together, ones you do not know about as well. They feel like family when you are away from your home country. I wonder if it’s the same with the world lmao. Imagine homo sapiens creating a human civilization on Mars and finally, this is what we feel about people from the earth. “7 billion people feel like home.” Reminds me: this is probably what our scriptures meant when they wrote “vasudhaiva kutumbakam.”  

So yes where was I, and after I heard the Nepali language over the corridor, I smiled. We got fresh did some touch-ups and talked with them. After talking for more than an hour in the washroom I realized they miss their home badly. Like obviously, but you know the limit they crossed for us to help when we were on our transit I can bet none of our relatives will push themselves to that limit like being real.  

And when we bid farewell to them, they cried. We were like daughters to them. This also made me realize you cannot be alone. Go anywhere, any part of the world. There will be someone sharing the same experience you have been having. You have always got someone who shares the same feelings you share. I have got a cold, she even brought me a coffee and was also ready to allow us lounge access for like 50% discount. Believe me, when I say this, you will never feel alone ever. This memory will remain in my heart forever reminding me every time when I break down that I am not alone. I am not the only one feeling this. I have got people around me who will understand what I am feeling without even the need to explain anything.  

Hey, wait readers, I have something else to share as well. When we were checking in I had my hand luggage weigh around 13 kgs. I was worried. Like what was I supposed to do? Throw all the gifts my friends sent me. "Oh hello! Over my dead body" lol couldn’t say this to the one checking our luggage. He was so mean like why do all bald ones think they are “Shivaji the boss” he looked like that guy from Kanchana (you know what I mean, LOL) no I am sorry no body shaming. He was a cutie. <3 :)  

So like there was a dai behind me he asked me if he could take my hand carry as he didn’t have much to carry with him. I felt relieved like bro who are you? My guardian angel?? 😭 I gave my laptop bag to him. Yes trusted him with all my electronic gadgets. I know this is wild and carelessness but believe me I couldn’t think straight like oi imagine yourself in my place.  

I took his contact number and had just one hand carry which weighed 10kg. that Shivaji the boss stared at me and said “Your luggage will be checked again while boarding.” I looked at him with a look of “chal chal jaane de hawa aane de.” Everyone told me he was just lying about it and I too felt that but hey he didn’t💀 

Shortly after getting the boarding pass I contacted dai and took my bag. He was the sweetest not going to lie so helpful and I gave him a chocolate got a little overwhelmed you know BUT THEN I saw the luggage being weighed again during the boarding pass. I SKIPPED A BEAT NOT GOING TO LIE. Called dai again 😭 told, “please take my bag with you they are checking it again.” Thankfully he took it. And hey the one weighing was the same bald guy. He literally targeted me and said “Take this luggage and weigh it again it shouldn’t be more than 10.” he dead stared at me. I said “okay bro chill” not really just said it in my heart. And guess what it was exactly 10. He was in disbelief. If you ask him what is one memory that you would like to treasure with you this would be his face at that very moment. On my dying bed as well, I assure you that image will be the one making me happy. See here, the problem is not him being disciplined or strict about rules. Everyone should be. I personally am someone who doesn’t like breaking rules. But what I did was give my bag to another person who didn’t have anything to weigh like what’s the problem there. Having an issue with that and disrespecting someone is not right. He could have handled the situation way better but chose to scare 2 kids who were going abroad for the first time packing 18 years of their memories in a suitcase. Like, be understanding. Where is empathy? Sympathy, huh?  

But in the end, things went right and I am here writing about it on my flight.  

We met with another Nepali guy on the board. He shared chips and dew with us literally being cared for like his sister. We talked about how long he had been working in Dubai and he asked about us. We had a good talk. Talked about the hardships and struggles he faced. One thing that he said struck my head. He told us “When I went to the plane for the first time while going to Dubai, I didn’t sit on my seat but stood up and just looked around the whole time. He told me how he didn’t know what to do and how to do it. He said he didn’t understand English as well. This was 13 years ago. And now all I saw in him was a confident man who was financially stable enough to meet his family once a month or weeks. Isn’t this where we all start from? Situation for you and I may be different but the experience its going to remain the same. When I say I look up to him, I mean it. Right now in this state of mind, I am an unaware being. Unaware of what I might face, challenges, hardships, or anything as such. But years after I want myself to be confident and be able to at least be someone whom a new man can too look up to.  

It's hardly been 24hrs and I have already shared experiences with these amazing people. Now readers, do you get it when I said I was happy above? I understand there are not always good people around but you too know it “kitna bhi gyani ke sath bethlo, tajurba chutiya banne ke baad hi milta hai”  

Wait I just looked at the screen and it’s just 6 hrs to land. Got scared for a second. I mean THIS. IS. IT for my upcoming future. Damn. Good luck Komal.  

So I guess this will be for today.  

See you :)