It’s that time of the semester again where I begin missing home.
Maybe it’s the fact that finals are fast approaching, in a couple weeks, and I feel overwhelmed with the amount of information I still have to go over.
Whatever it is, I couldn’t let myself stay locked up in my room forever. That alone would drive me crazy before final exams can have a chance to.
So, I went for a walk on one sunny day, when the sky was unbelievably blue, and made the decision to take a break from it all for a couple days. Instead of isolating myself and remaining cooped up in my bedroom, I opened up the metaphorical curtains that I’d drawn on my mind and decided to let life (and light) in.
My friends and I went to this glow-show where recycled material was manipulated to create various artworks! While the meaning behind each piece was surely too advanced for me to even begin to analyze, the company more than made up for it.
My favorite moment was when we were sitting by the water and the drizzle started to come down harder on us. Maybe it was just my pretentious mind at work but I felt like I was being cleansed of all the stress from the past couple days, as drops of water relentlessly washed over us.
I also went down to Queen Street on the 15th of October to to celebrate Diwali (Festival of Lights)!
Growing up, Diwali would be one of my favorite festivals! I remember my Mom putting up fairy lights around the house and lighting lanterns everywhere, to bring light (and basically happiness) into our household. Diwali’s celebrated to signify when Lord Rama defeated demon king Ravana— essentially, how light triumphed over darkness.
Being on Queen Street that night brought me back a little piece of home. Being surrounded by the familiar scents of Indian food, going from booth to booth and looking at various God statues and Indian clothes, watching the dance performances in Aotea Square. I especially loved watching the henna artists work their magic; it reminded me of how my older sister would do henna on my hands for me when I was little.
Fireworks show during Diwali!
What a fortunate coincidence that the two things I did to get away from studying involved lights.
Just trying to brighten up my life, I guess.
Literally.
“There are moments of life that we never forget. Which brighten and brighten as time steals away.” – James Gates Percival