Home away from Home...

On Thursday, there was the annual Eid and Diwali celebrations at Loretto, my former dorm and since I was really involved in that event and it has been a while since I visited Loretto after moving into my aparment, I decided to go pay a visit to my friends and also enjoy in the festivities of the annual Diwali/Eid Celebrations.

Needleless to say, it was fun. But the entire time, my eyes welled up thinking about all the good times I've had in three years in that place. It was truly my home away from home.

I remember walking through the arch into the building with wide eyes staring at the group of senior girls who were efficiently taking my bags and putting them gently on carts and talking to me about their life there. I gently smile, still feeling nervous about how they would like me, still feeling anxious about spending my first night there, alone, away from my parents. As my don then, Narren, showed me to my room 519, I walked in, a small passage way leading into a narrow room, 2 beds, 2 desks and a window with a gorgeous view of SMC campus and Queens Park and CN tower standing tall. As I sat on my bed, I didn't know what to expect, what was university going to be like, what would my friends be like, and most important, how would my room mate be like?

Walking down the stairs into the cafeteria for the first night of games and fun paved the path for 3 years at Loretto with some of the best memories I could have..

In First year, it was random talks with Izza and Binish which would start after dinner and go till the next days breakfast, until I dozed off midway through the conversation with topics ranging from Religion to Make up to Boys to Politics to Relationships, Dancing to Bollywood songs with Roopali, Annoying Solmaz with random laugther at 4 am, getting ready for all the parties in the tiny bathroom, Midnight birthday surprise parties, Pool with Cora every night, the 11 45 pm gang in the Cafeteria meeting up for Chai, Coffee, Noodles etc, Making fun of Rish's innocence, Annoying Aanchal for textbooks, advice, support everything...

In Second Year, it was again random talks, but with Natasha, raiding Cheryl's nice big and warm room, getting to know Sheniz better, Besharam and Club nights, SAA formals with the gals, dancing Kajra Re at the Diwali and Eid function, preparing for Fusion, Learning from Seniors like Aanchal and Rishika and helping to pass that on to Sonam and Afshah, attempted cooking with Pulao, Long talks with Shen and Roopali about identity and trying to discover myself more...

In Third Year, it was all the crazy movie nights in our room, my glorious Bollywood wall of fame, Diwali Pooja, dancing and Choreographing the Diwali and Eid function with the Bollywood through the ages theme, Gymming with Pooja, Talks with Mansi which would start at 3 am, Watching bollywood movies at Sheppard Yonge, Shopping together at Ardenes, Dinner at Spring Rolls, Pooja raiding our room with her blanket and pillow, dancing at random times with Amreen, watch Zainab be herself in walking bear foot to the cafeteria, spendings hours and hours talking about CBSE and Schooling in India/Dubai....

And not to forget things like Midnight Maggie Madness, Walks to Timmies at the ODDEST hours, Craving for Hagen Daaz Ice Cream at 3 am, Ordering Pizza at 3 30am, sitting on the steps outside and talking about the future ahead, Long talks during meals, Going nuts listening to the hindi songs in the Cafeteria, Gaining pleasure that everyone feels the food crappy, Study Room madness, Movies in the rainbow room, our secret friend DC++, Conversations in the Lobby, with the Porters...

Being a single child, I've always wondered how it would have been to have an older sister who would be my mentor, my inspiration, my support system.. and how it would be have been an older sister, to have a younger sister, to whom I could be the support, the mentor... at Loretto, I got both of that. It was my home away from home, where I got to meet, learn, appreciate and get inspired from some wonderful people.

I don't think I could have become the person I am today, if it weren't for the love showered on me by these people. I don't know if they know how much they mean to me and I hope that I was able to have some impact on their lives too.

Here is a toast to some of the best friends I've had at University....