December 2019 has been a roller-coaster, mostly because of my very sudden move to a new and strange city. I came to Hyderabad over a month ago. From booking tickets to touring Hyderabad, from finding a place to live to joining my job, it has been such a new experience!
As a girl who has been the apple of her parents' eyes and as a clueless 22 year old who has never lived away from home, my parents decided of course they couldn’t let me go to a new place all alone; they had to come drop me off. Thinking back, I am so grateful I got to spend those first days with Acha and Amma because believe it or not, I miss home.
Here are a few learnings from me to anyone who’s planning to move away from home for the first time.
#1 Booking tickets.
Tickets to Hyderabad from Kochi are damn costly, especially if you consider taking your parents with you as well. My trick — choose a cheaper flight from Coimbatore. I also got to visit Palakkad en route, so win-win for all of us!
Now that the first month is over I find myself constantly checking flight prices because (if it wasn’t clear the first time around) I miss home!!!!
#2 Acting tourists
I planned to tour the entirety of Hyderabad in the first 2 days. Oh, how stupid I was… Thankfully, I had my best friend and my parents, who accompanied me. We visited Birla Mandir, went around Golkonda fort (which is nothing but a couples spot, by the way) and roamed around the Nehru Zoological Park as well!
The major lesson I learnt, never trust Hyderabadi cab drivers who act all nice first. They will try to fleece you by quoting exorbitant amounts! Needless to say, I taught the guy a lesson too. *cue the evil laugh*
#3 Finding a PG
Not bragging, but my company had provided accommodation for the first few days. Living in a hotel like Marriott was an experience at a whole another level. It’s not for me though (maybe because I am too simple for their standards). Which is why me and my friends decided to find a PG to live, ASAP! Having no prior experience of living in a hostel, this was something that made me feel all grown up! We the lazy bums found a place which is the closest that you can get to office. Thinking of all the transportation money we’d be saving made us feel so accomplished, I tell you. Now, making the rooms fit to live was the tough part. From hangers and cloth clips, to stocking up on midnight snacks, we went on a shopping spree like never before!
#4 Mall hopping
Fun fact, it will seem like Gachibowli has more malls than anywhere else. Every 2 kms you’ll find huge modern buildings, complete with the most famous brands there are. While Kochi has its fair share of malls as well, you didn’t need to visit a mall every time you wanted to buy a kurti. So one of the very first things on the agenda was finding out stores where we could shop from without putting a hole in our pockets. And then, SPAR came to the rescue. SPAR is the Lulu Hypermarket of Hyd, I believe. Also, huge shoutout to Anagha for picking out the stuff that had the most offers. Which takes me to the most important learning: managing money. There will be a lot of expenses when you’re moving to a new city. Most of the things you buy will be essential too. But it’s important to keep track of the money you spend. My trick is to note down all the expenses in an app (my friend uses her diary) and find how we can cut down on unwanted expenses.
#5 Getting into a new job
The corporate world is fancy, intimidating and a whole other ball game. But it is exciting as well. From getting our laptops and ID cards to wearing formals for the first time, from entering the office for the first time to learning how to make coffee in the coffee machine, we were awestruck at everything. The only lesson is to keep that excitement alive even when it turns into long weekdays where you feel like it’s a lot of work to have to get up in the morning and go to office. (Gosh, I am writing about going to office as if it’s as normal as brushing my teeth , I really did grow up!!)
Sidenote: The coffee and the lifts at the office suck. Those are the banes of my existence right now. Also, shoutout to the seniors of MEC for making all the newbies feel welcome. All of you are amazing!
After everything is said and done, the most important fact is, you will probably miss home. Personally, I think that going into a job is not like when you’re a student. Now, you want to be independent and strong and not ask your parents for money or struggle to change the light bulb. But you’re going to. And it’s okay. It is okay to miss home, okay to wonder how to operate the washing machine, okay to cry about it too. The final shoutout is to Amrutha, who is the constant moral support and the one who keeps me well-fed with ice-creams and Haldirams.
The main thing to remember is, this is the time we’re going to feel all this, and we should enjoy everything about it! #gottagobeanadultnow
K, bye.
