Orientation Process
Walking into a room where the orientation process of the organization was about to take place, forced a memory of the first day of school when faces were new and dreams were boisterous. It felt like just the right place to be at, not that the enormity of the place didn’t scare me but sitting there among the unknown faces didn’t startle me as much as I thought.
I came to the dream city in a small town. I had no idea what & how things would shape up plus dad’s apprehension wasn’t a big help either. Somehow I have always been blessed to find friends whom I can trust with my life. When I landed in this city everything looked alien, people were detached and buildings were higher than my hopes. All I had in my bag were a few clothes, a little amount I saved, a diary, a dream, and emotions of utterly confused ME! Who knew what life had in store for me.
Here is a thing about uncertainty, it gives you fear and courage at the same time.
I moved to this city soon after I celebrated my 19th birthday, emotions were simple and situations were let just say not that complicated. Either I loved someone with all my heart or hated to an extent that I could burn them alive (isn’t recklessness and stupidity is a part of a deal in that age?).
Here is a funny incident that I want to share which might bring a smile to your face:
The city I come from addresses people after suffixing “JI (जी)” at the end of their name and we say “Hum (हम)” instead of “main (मैं)”.
During my training days, I tried to speak as less as I could without much of a success for a talkative person like me. But every time I addressed the mentor or the senior, unknowingly I added “Ji” after their name. I was trolled but somehow few found it cute enough to remember it all through these years. These dear buddies still tease me by saying, Kavita Ji, every time I talk to them (persistent enough?)
I wanted to go on a break and got up from my seat. The team leader looked at me with the questioning eyes and without much ado, I told him that “hum break pe ja rahe hain” which in my head translates as “I am going on a break”. But for my team leader, it wasn’t that simple as he couldn’t afford the whole bunch to go on a break at the same time.
The “hum” saga
As mentioned before I have been fortunate enough to find people who respect the oddity in me. So, the team leader of mine was courteous enough, and instead of being unhappy with my declaration to go on a break with a whole bunch called me on my extension. He told me that break times are fix and “hum” means “we” all cannot go on a break at the same time. I was embarrassed to the core and told him politely that I meant to go on a break alone. It took him a minute to understand and then he laughed like a laughing Buddha (not kidding!).
Few bitter and oodles of fabulous experiences are what I have in my memory box and a sincere thanks to this dream city which welcomed me with open arms.
The next post of A2Zchallenge will bring a few of the not-so-good decisions that changed me but nevertheless, they taught me some lessons for a lifetime too….
It happened with me also. During my first job, I didnt talk much because I couldnt speak hindi properly and english was not that much good. But the best part is we didnt restrict us in our comfort zone and it basically helps us to take any challenge in life.
hanji is such an integral part of Punjabi dialect, I cannot imagine a world without it. such a beautiful memory
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Loved reading it, Kavita. However, I am sure it must have been a real struggle for you to come out of your cocoon and become like others, or atleast pretend.
I so loved your views on uncertainty dear, yes it gives us chills as well as immense courage at the same time
We also speak HUM and friends and colleagues used to make fun of me when I moved to other state. It’s nice to read beautiful memories.
Thoroughly enjoyed the HUM and JI words…..it was really a refreshing one…still laughing :))
Cheers
MeenalSonal
That is such a beautiful post, it reminds me of my early days of my work life and learned a lot after it
Wow, loved reading this journey of yours. You wrote it wonderfully.
That is such a cute memory..hum means Me haha i can imagine the teacher laughing like a Buddha when you explained. Glad you settled well into the new city when you moved.
I can relate to this. I used to say ‘aap’ to everyone when speaking in hindi. 😀 Which I dont even use otherwise!
Such sweet memories shared by you Kavita. The hum and ji saga is so relatable. Cultural differences within the country are so common, but it’s good to see people accept them and try to adjust accordingly.
The hum and mein problem is difficult to grasp.A lovely post indeed.Memories!
A well written post just reflecting your inner beauty. I enjoyed reading it start to finish.
These are reflections of my younger self, I have witnessed pretty much the same. In fact, the very tag of small-town girl is something I have seen up so close
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Lovely read. Your feelings are true. You express it honestly. And there is no harm If you are following your city’s tradition. I also participated in the A2Z challenge.
It was during my early corporate life when I started liking this “ji” and “hum”. Both learned from my new friends at work. The cultural difference was felt there too.
This was such a sweet memory to read! Unfortunately I didn’t follow your AtoZChallenge. What was your theme?
such a sweet post and definitely reminds me of my early days at work! funny yet memorable!
This was so sweet to read. As a young person taking off and starting a new life in a new city for the first time can be scary and I love how nicely you shared the cultural differences through a simple difference in the way Hindi is spoken. And yes, I’m sure some people found it funny but like your team leader, probably in a good positive way as we all learn from these minor differences between each other.
During my college days in Delhi, I fall in love with the word hum and haanji. Heck, I even picked the habit of saying haanji.
Loved reading your post
This brought back memories of my first days at work!
We always have these tiny incidents like the ones you mentioned which we remember for a long time! Loved this!
Loved this! I could relate to this story at many levels! 🙂
I am from Lucknow & I also have this habit of saying ‘hum’ everytime I talk about myself. My team members used to tease me a lot earlier for this. By the end of project, even they had started talking to me with ‘hum’. 😀
cute post! ‘ji’ and ‘hum’ did bring a smile!
It’s so good when we have support. Waiting for your next post.
You wrote that with so much feeling. I am looking forward to reading more about your personal journey.