Musings ....

“The Portal Room” A Short Story by a Student In Germany Who Just Wanted to Hug His Maa Without Spending 400 Euros, and 12 Hours Chapter One: The Portal Room It had been raining all day in Gießen. Not the kind of rain that brings kids to the balcony or makes your mother yell from the kitchen, “andar aa jao, bimaar ho jaoge!” (“Come inside, you’ll fall sick!”). This rain was foreign. Cold. Grey. Silent. The kind that made homesickness louder, made your heart feel like a waterlogged suitcase. Arpit sat at his desk, staring at the open laptop. The cursor blinked at him, like a ticking clock, but the words wouldn’t come. His eyes wandered to the window. He imagined what his parents might be doing in Delhi. Maybe Maa was making chai. Maybe Papa was watching the news. Maybe the house didn’t even feel complete without him anymore. His phone pinged. A message from his sister in Düsseldorf. Didi: “You okay? Missed your call. Also, Maa said, ‘Bas ek baar uski shakal dekh loon toh theek ho jaaye.’...

 I pondered over this question.  The comfort of home is big. Staying at home released stress. I am sleeping deeper. My body is rested. Too rested, often. Is this healthy? Today is the seventh day, I came last week. Seven nights and seven days has passed. I am loosing touch with my core in the noise of everyday.  I realised last night, spending time, all the time with parents isn't required.  Both need a break, them, me. Personal space is required.  The end of one week requires plan for the next week, consider it a ritual and a weekly cycle.  Taking stock of what happened. How it happened. What didn't happen. What can happen next week, the to dos.  There are thoughts that come to my head, how to spend the second week at Giessen 1. Don't think about doing anything.  2. Be mindful about your approach to what you don't want to do. 2.1 You might not want to create a engaged week.  2.2 You might not want to engage too much, too less is also not wan...