The Inspiration of My Journey
Sister
The day I was born I believe it was neither my mother nor my father who smiled first. It was my sis, who had seen a dream in me to flourish in career and achieve more than any middle class dreamer could achieve. She tamed me and taught me the principles of life right from the beginning. I held her hand with my tiny fingers and walked bravely as she was my shield in every path of life. In my childhood when I lost my soft toy I was scared as I had penchant for soft toys and was very attached to one of my toys which was supposed to die. She sewed stitches on to it and brought life back in to it. I was delighted and she was my world who stood for everything selflessly. There is a famous saying from many authors ‘time flies’, as happened in my journey. I stepped out of school under my sister’s vigilance as she was the best mentor any one could ever had. There was a dream of her that one day her brother would surpass something which no one had ever conquered. Slowly and steadily I lost the plot of life and fell into the traps of the worldly pleasures. She yelled at me but I was never on listening terms and rebelled as time moved on.
Neighbour Crush
I fell in love with a girl and she was my neighbour. Time played its part. I was madly in love with her and was compromising studies. I was a brilliant student, yet love changes everything. I never knew when I fell into the clutches of creepy things in life, by the time I could rescue myself it would be too late. If given a chance to rewind and change something in life, I would change that day on my terrace when I was playing cricket and my ball bounced and fell next to her. It was the first moment I saw her and I was enlightened by her beauty. I knew something had changed in me, her blue eyes drove me crazy, her smile was ecstatic there was something in her every lover sees in his soulmate.
Best friend
I had a closest friend of mine with whom I used to share every single secret and hidden plans to be executed. There were many promises which were made by both of us which never saw the light although they were made in deadly earnest. He was really close to me but he hated my neighbour and tried to educate about on her issues and warned me to stay away from her. As there is a saying, ‘unlike poles attract’ so was my case I could never resist her. While explaining about my friend he is a bit skinny yet very attractive and has sharp features. He was very supportive and we used to watch every movie as soon as was released.
Sister
She was a strict mentor in each and every aspect of life. She was very delicate yet she never used to show that as she knew I was a stubborn guy. She use to give home tuitions to the kids in our house lane and used to make me sit with all the kids to study. It was tiring and irritating, I use to get irked sometimes yet I couldn’t deny her.
There were many funny moments with her, such as one incident when I was reading biology or something I don’t remember exactly, and she asked me where are kidneys in the human body. I had no clue about that and she covered my textbook a picture of human body. I couldn’t answer and was beaten black and blue but it was a hilarious incident.
Neighbour Crush
I wanted to propose to her but was hesitant as I wasn’t stable in life. I wanted to capture her in the camera of my mind for a lifetime, yet life goes seldom as we plan.
Sister
As life went on things changed. My sister got busier in her life and happenings and only received mere updates about my academics and life. On the other hand, the most prominent part of the story is my sister was suffering from a long standing illness and things turned for worse.
I was in to my final semester and was very near of reaching the goals my sister dreamed of for me. She was unconscious and was unable to see my grades. I was working hard to show her, but in vain.
The day arrived when half the strength of my life vanished, I came back from an exam and there were huge cries all around the house I knew something gigantic had happened.
She expired and all the dreams were shattered. Life came to a standstill. There was no connection between heart and brain. I was standing with no emotions, I couldn’t cry. I became stubborn and unmoved as the women who carried me on her shoulders was no more.
The day before my exam went in cremation and burial ground and I couldn’t study. With all my will power I wrote the exam but I knew I would never smile again, as something had changed which was oblivious. Life played its twist, yet I wasn’t meant to give up. I survived the storms and sailed.
Neighbour Crush
She was the only left over strength in life and I wanted her to be mine. I started the process for a visa for Australia and was waiting for the visa to be approved. Then I could propose to her.
As I said before, life seldom goes as we plan, and one fine day I woke up and stepped out of my house and saw a huge tent in the neighbouring house. I knew something was awaiting, and when I inquired it was a girl getting engaged whom I had been loving secretly for ages.
The last memory I have of her is a day before she got engaged. When I went to the terrace she was standing with a lady and as soon as she saw me she went out of my sight and that was sheer humiliation. I guess she didn’t want the ghost of her past to ruin the happening party ahead.
Leaving Hometown
I got my visa when everything was lost but I believed something good was awaiting. The day I was leaving there was a sense of achievement and she was seeing me from the same place. My heart pounded with all the feelings, yet I controlled my emotions and never looked up as she was in the past now. Neither did I cry, nor did I smile, as I learnt it the hard way that love and death are part and parcel of life and life goes on, come what may.
At the airport when I was waving goodbye there were two shadows of my past. One of my sister giving me strength to prosper and move ahead in life, and the other of the crush which was crushed. At the end my sympathy goes to all those lovers who loved their neighbours yet couldn’t marry them.
These were the two characters that made my journey possible to Melbourne.
Kuala Lumpur Airport
I was waiting for three hours at the Kuala Lumpur airport and was reading novel The One You Cannot Have. Slowly, steadily, I was enjoying living. The inner self felt lighter after a long time it was a huge sigh of relief.
Melbourne
The first reaction at the airport was ecstatic and the environment was electrifying. Looking at foreigners and talking to them gave me a sense of achievement within. People are very friendly and helpful in Melbourne. As I was searching for my college and was wandering the streets, I bumped into an Australian mate who helped me navigating the address of my college and I was very moved by that. There were chills running down my spine seeing the environment, university, and people with different prospects, trams, trains and routes. Everything is great about Melbourne.
At the end I smiled and I owe a lot to Melbourne which made me smile and showed me that there is still life after all the heart breaks and debacles..
Mohammed's story was a finalist in the Higher Education Category: By international students studying at a university.