Where the heart is

Home is where the heart is, and I have yearned for it ever since business school started. I was always surrounded by a loving family, so when I got the admission offer from SPJIMR, a part of me felt excited and also a bit scared of the new environment. It was a completely new city and a new language for me.

After stepping onto campus, I felt lost in the magnitude of it all. I wondered how I would ever accept the city and the campus as home. I specifically remember hating the relentless rain. It never rained much in my city, but the rain is a way of life here.

MBA life was hectic and quick, and there were a lot of greetings but no time to make any connections. Life was pretty fast, but I wanted it to slow down. I used to count the days until I could return home, but there is a charm to this place that grew on me eventually. There was one such instance during PG Lab that opened my eyes.

People were singing songs that reminded them of home, their love, their joy, and their sadness. They were singing in a language that I could not understand. But I could feel the joy in their voice as the songs rolled on, and I started feeling emotions that I couldn’t control.

I was surrounded by friends that cared for me, teachers that looked out for the best in us, people who made sure I had enough food, a roommate that made coffee for me, and people that embraced me with joy.

The heart is a strange creature. It makes us believe that we need many things to feel complete, but the strings of the heart are attached to only one thing, a sense of belonging. I came into this college expecting to change to an environment where I would be accepted, but I had lost focus on myself. I realised that we are made of everything we experience, and acceptance of that was important. I had to be ready to accept this place.

In the coming weeks, I realised that I did not mind the drizzles anymore. I grew used to the taste of food and the variety in it. I looked forward to returning to campus after my holidays.

I remember the moment someone asked me, “Are you coming to dinner with us?”. I was feeling exhausted after a long day and wanted to go back to my room to get some sleep. But at that moment, I looked at my friend and replied, “No, I want to go Home.”. I headed back to my room in B29 and felt after a long time that I was home at SPJIMR.