Warm thermals are pushing my heart gently upward in
a seemingly never ending spiral.
It is peace which is self-ascending to the heavens,
seeing the view usually bequeathed only to the birds, their birthright and
domain. As we would glide on, above the green cliffs, over the heather and on
toward the patchwork urbanland we would begin to gain height.
It is some 23 hours before I finally have
to step off the Mauritian ground and feel the world infinitely below me.
I imagine myself with the wind tousled in my newly
cropped hair and the bottom right corner stamping the words: “New Beginnings:
Making the Leap into a New Life.”
Tomorrow, I leave
home. I leave a place that has been my childhood cocoon. I love this home and
the community around it so much that for now I can only bury this pain and hope
to deal with it later. To those that take my place it is only walls, the
streets only concrete, but to me there is love here. As I turn to depart I feel
part of my soul imprint onto the walls, a parting gift from me to this place.
Our lives are there for the making. Dare we take up
the challenge? Dare we push ourselves to our upmost potential? Dare we miss
this opportunity? We cannot avoid being challenged in life but we can avoid
being defeated. I would love to be reminded of these words
each time along the journey- a journey which is taking me to Singapore for the
next 8 months.
I remember my last touring of
Singapore, which was 6 years ago- back in 2010, when my entire family and I had
been there during the Winter Holidays. I remember how I had this internal
thirst of studying in that city as a 14-year-old. I remember sharing this
thought with my trusted cousin, Jessy. And I remember conspiring for this
occurrence to strike.
How grateful am I today for this
thought to have translated into reality? Infinitely.
A whole series of global reports have recognized Singapore as a world leader in research and innovation over the past few decades.
Within this context of global competitiveness and innovation, universities in Singapore are also gaining growing recognition, as Asian nations more generally strengthen their position in the global education market. Singapore’s two leading universities are now both ranked within the world’s top 15, and the city itself is ranked 6th in the QS Best Student Cities 2016, reflecting its combination of educational excellence, high quality of life, and diverse student community.
Since its independence in 1959, Singapore has become one of the world's wealthiest and healthiest economic centres.
This vibrant,
cosmopolitan city is one of the Four Asian Tigers and home to over 5
million people. The World Bank has called Singapore "the world's
easiest place to do business".
How excited am I to
get there? I’m sure I yet have to brim with excited because for the past few
weeks, crammed between my Dad’s golden birthday, my farewell party, my trying
to miss out anything, I’m physically exhausted slightly.
There’s more fatigue
with trying to handle getting your things done, preparing for your food to eat,
welcoming people who are dropping by to visit and still despite all smiling big
and laughing.
“Do not follow where
the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
I never travel without
my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the plane.
This is my adapted line from Oscar Wilde. And I certainly intend to write
enormously, under the hashtag, #SingaporeSignatures which I tend to see as an
abbreviation as Signatures from Singapore!
Writing a blog can
feel like shouting into the wind, and you start to wonder what the point is. No
matter how many people are out reading or not, viewing your content or not I
tend to think that I like anyone else have got an edge, and that's my personal
voice. Remember what Dr. Seuss said: "There is no one alive who is Youer
than You."
Study abroad is said to be an
"unforgettable" experience, and in many ways it is. You never forget
the big moments, like meeting your new college mates for the first time.
However, several years down the road,
many of the day-to-day details start to get fuzzy. Keeping a study abroad blog
that I know I can update regularly will help me preserve memories big and small
so that I'll never lose track of the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of daily
life in my host country. And unlike the shorthand I scribble in your private
journal, my blog posts will be written for an outside audience that requires
additional back-story and contextual info. As a result, ten years from now, I
hope that #SingaporeSignatures will be a treasure trove of nearly forgotten
details.
In this way, it gives me a reason to seek out interesting experiences, be conscious of
them and be more organised about what I’m choosing to do.
Again, as a blogger, I’ll be writing
for an outside audience, and that audience requires a steady supply of
interesting content.
You may be curious to hear what I munched
on after classes one day, but a running catalog of local snack foods won't
sustain you readers for long. Good blog content requires even better
experiences, and I’ll make sure to get those. As my cousin Hansini placed it, ‘Those
moments won’t walk back to you, enjoy!’
And then blogging from there would empower me to shape people's
perceptions of a place. Interestingly, as a study
abroad participant, I can be a window to the world for your family and friends
back home. You'll be looking to us – and more specifically, our blog - to tell
you what life in our host community is really like.
Why I’m I speaking in the ‘we’, ’us’, ‘our’ form? Because, guess what? I’m
flying together with Jeshta! And I that’s hands down the most reassuring thing
to be.
On this note, and until I find some more convenient time to talk to you
guys, all my love.
To my dear ones:
Thank you so much for your words, visits and love.
Thank you so much for your words, visits and love.
Try not to
think of the leaving part, because our lives and loves are circles and spirals
rolled into one glorious mess. Though I go it is to return, in this life or
another. There is no stronger glue in all the known universe than true love and
I see in your heart and mind that it is what we share. The separation can only
ever be temporary even though it spans beyond this mortal existence. Love is
the only path we should follow, so don't think of this as abandonment, sweet
child, know that is the only sure way to be certain we stay together.
Let’s grow
and shine and outlast.
Singapore!
There we come!
