“If only I could relive those moments again”

Article # 34
May 01, 2022
Sunday

Have you ever been a hostelite? Have you ever experienced life in a hostel?

Well! I have.

I had just completed my F.Sc and now it was time to give medical entry test a try. There was this academy named KIPS in Abbottabad and to prepare for entry test I took admission in that academy. At that time, I had no experience of living away from home. It was my first time and I was very excited to experience an independent life where you live on your own, do your stuff yourself. It was June 2015 when I started my hostel life.

My mother bought me some essential stuff like a few utensils, medicines, blankets, bedsheets etc. I packed my clothes and left with my mother and an uncle of mine. On our way, we stopped at a very famous restaurant names “Shinwari” to eat. Then we started our journey again. After 2 and a half hours we reached our destination. 

Abbottabad is a very beautiful city which is surrounded by green hills. My hostel was also situated at a very beautiful location. Anyways, when we got there, there was some paperwork that we had to attend to. After that, it was now time to check my room. It was quite spacious with attached bathroom. As the room was big so it was four seater. There was this small balcony as well in front of my room. I have a very few pictures of my hostel but they are also not very clear.

I couldn’t wait to start living here. After setting my stuff in cupboards and doing some other chores, now it was time for my mother to leave. She said goodbyes and left. A few moments after she was gone I suddenly realised how lonely I had become. I don’t know why but I couldn’t hold off my tears and started crying. I was missing her so much and it was just the first day. I had to spend there two months and the thought of living there without my mother scared me. After some time, the other three girls also arrived and like me they also had first experience of living in a hostel. So we all understood each other’s pain. The other three girls were very good in fact all the girls in the hostel were quite polite. One of my room mate was actually my school friend. In the start, we all would talk to each other only when required but later we all became really good friends. We used to go to this market named “Jadoon Market”, we would buy stuff, have lunch in restaurants etc. But even then, I used to miss my mother so much. I would cut each day from calendar, counting days to get back home. 

After my first week there, I decided to go home and spend weekend with my mother. I was so happy to see my mom again. I spent as much time with my mom at home as possible. Weekend got over so quickly and now it was time to go back hostel. I didn’t feel like going but I had to. So I packed some of my stuff that I brought home and left once again. After reaching hostel, once again I felt so alone. But now I was somewhat getting used to its environment. That day I realized that if I keep going home on weekends I wouldn’t be able to adjust here so I should stick here for two months and I did. I starting spending more time with my room mates and now I stared liking my hostel. That feeling of loneliness was vanishing and I was happy.

One day all of the hostel girls, decided to go out and eat “Ice cream falooda” so we went and enjoyed that day a lot. 

The weather of Abbottabad is so unpredictable, one minute it is scorching heat and the other minute it is raining heavily. I still remember it was Ramadan and it was raining. The roof of kitchen was kind of gable roof, so we put on plastic bags on our heads to prevent our hair from getting wet and we sat on kitchen roof. We spent hours siting and talking on that roof while enjoying cool breeze. We used to sit in balcony for breaking fast in Ramadan and enjoy our fruit chat, chana chat and pakoray.

Then there was another day when me and my room mates ordered pizza late night and by that time hostel’s main gate was locked so we had to kind of climb on the gate to get our pizza. It was such a amazing day. These small moments and adventures make life so beautiful but we don’t realise it then. Once those moments vanish then we understand their worth. 

The place where I used to feel lonely and at one point I felt like running away from there now has become the most beautiful memory of mine. The time I spent there, the friends I made, everything is beautiful and I miss them all so much. I wish I could relive those moments again.

So this was my hostel life experience and it was best!

Thank you for reading this article! Stay happy & blessed!

All images are self taken.