By Marlon Moraes
It was the beginning of July; the monsoons were just setting in and the new academic college year was unfolding. The clock was 5 minutes passed 9. The rain clouds had cast darkness everywhere. There were slight showers of rain. I parked my bike and found this shady, old building in the middle of Panjim City. As I walked through the gate and up the stairs the fear inside was killing me.
The silence in the building seemed as though it was unused for many years. As I walked further up the stairs, my palms became sweaty. Never have I been this nervous in my life before. As I reached the top, I saw an aged door. I stopped and gazed at it and wondered whether to open it or not, as all sorts of thoughts were running through my head by this point.
As I opened the door I saw a room full of expressionless faces staring at me. My nervousness got to me and I was lost for a moment. I didn’t know what was going on, thinking whether I am at the right place or not? I could hear a voice from inside my head but couldn’t quite get what was going on in my head. It took me a while to realize that the voice I thought which was coming from my head, was actually the voice of the professor calling me in.
I sat myself down on the nearest chair I could find. Looking around I kept thinking to myself, “Is this the place I always wanted to be? Is this where I always dreamt of going to? Is this the place I want to spend the next three years of my life, which will subsequently decide my future?”
I looked around in regret at all the faces of these people who probably felt the same way as me. I dreaded my decision to come to this place and spend three years of my life with these people. Yes my friends, this is exactly how I felt on my first day in college.
In Hindsight….
But three years have gone by and now as I look back and think about my first day in college, I laugh at myself for hating this place. The journey was beautiful and the people who travelled with me along the long and winding road were astonishing. At a time like this all I have with me are amazing memories and something called a family.
If I could give young Goan students some advice, it would be to Cherish each day you spend in college, as you will only know what you have lost once it’s over!
