I’m leaving India for the foreseeable future at the end of July. (I will be studying digital product design at Parsons School of Design) The countdown has begun and the move suddenly feels very real. Not only have lists of things to buy and people to meet been made but also experiences I want to soak in before I leave.

🌊 Hi, I’m Sachi and this is Currents where we have space to be overly nostalgic and sappy. All emotions are welcome. If you want to unsubscribe, the link is at the bottom. If you like this, share it with someone or leave a response, I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.

Making the most of everything

I was journaling this morning and realised that that there is less than a month left before I leave. I instantly wanted to cry. I love my life here. I hit some cosmic jackpot when it came to people. I have the absolute best family and circle of friends. I would stay rooted to the same place if it meant being around the people I love. At the same time, the voice of dissatisfaction with my career was growing too loud to ignore. I am still young. Studying, bringing a change in my career, and doing new and difficult things are still feasible. So, why not?

I have around 20 days to enjoy what I love the most about this place. How can I make the most of every tiny bit of this life that I love?

In no particular order but aiming to go from tiny to more important things, then again, how do you quantify importance?

Look outside windows as much as possible - watch the mango tree with great attention. Watch those silly squirrels chase each other. Watch the fantails hop. Listen to the new family of birds whose name you do not know chirp loudly, begging you to abandon your phone and watch them. Watch the Michael Corleone-like raven whose mere presence scares crows away. Watch the papaya trees sway in the rain. Watch the papayas ready to be harvested and the blossoms which will become papayas I cannot eat. Find the friendly cat in the parking area and tickle her chin one more time. Your housing society will be redeveloped. It won’t look the same when you visit India again.

Use those scented candles you bought and were gifted instead of waiting for a good day - there is no good day. You’re leaving. Use those fucking candles now.

Visit your favourite Japanese restaurant - sip on that heavenly ramen, devour the scallop ceviche and annihilate that roll of sushi. Enjoy it again, preferably with people who love food as much as you do.

Read the books you bought with much excitement that you never read and cannot carry with you - You read flimsy fiction and delayed reading Brothers Karamazov and you do not want to regret it. You didn’t read that huge copy of Borges’ stories. You have Orhan Pamuk, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Alan Moore, Chris Ware and many more waiting patiently for you in shelves. How many can you read? Probably not all. You bought Brothers K and Borges on a long book hunt in Fort with mum. You had the loveliest lunch at Burma Burma and visited a few galleries. You bought Watchmen at your first ever comic con. Which one should be read first?

Find every cat in your local park that you love and pet them - these cats have brightened up every day you met them. That is a 100% success rate. Pet them again. Let them rub their heads on your shin. Watch them purr as you tickle their chins. Tell them you love them. Hug them or attempt to pick them up if they let you, be unaffected if they refuse. Bring them some fish as a peace offering.

Eat chaat - nothing will beat fresh chaat made on a street. You don’t know what’s in the chutney but you love it. Ignorance is bliss. Eat it and let your taste buds sing.

Sort memorabilia in your cupboard - clean it out so mum doesn’t have to while moving. Old journals with drawings wishing you were an anime character/ a Pokemon master, scrap books with tickets and scraps from old trips begging to be remembered, postcards from friends, old birthday cards, filled slam books from your school days full of information about people you don’t speak to any more, 15 year old friendship bracelets, sketches from architecture school, notebooks with small insecurities written in the margins, art material you didn’t use because you were worried you would waste the canvas by making something ugly, artwork you didn’t end up framing or selling, notes from friends, little presents from classmates, little objects that remind you that you have lived a rich life and that you have been loved deeply no matter where you went. Hold them, cherish them. Keep some but throw the rest.

Meet every relative and friend that you love as often as you can - call them, invite them to lunch, bother them in person while you can. Hug as many people as you can. Hug them again. You will miss hugging them the minute you board the plane. Get countless cups of coffee. Eat everything you love with the people you love. The combined effect is unparalleled.

Follow your parents like an annoying puppy/ spend quality time with them - play an extra game of Ludo or Sequence with your parents. Drink the celebratory shot of Bailey’s on random days just to celebrate getting to hang out with them. Again, hug them, Even if they’re in the middle of a task. Do it. Continue to laugh over lame cat memes. Tease each other like you always do. Note the fun and mundane moments because you will forget them later.

Be sad and also let yourself be really excited - because it’s okay. You’ll have so much fun learning new things, reading new books and meeting new people. You can reinvent your life. You’ll get in the groove in no time and you know it. Allow yourself to feel sad. Do both.

Above all, be present. Hide your phone in a corner, toss it in the sea, pause fantasising about the future momentarily, and just be there. That Headspace subscription has been of use. Savour it.

OSTs of K Dramas I have enjoyed

Little Women -

Tomorrow -

Until next time.

Best,
Sachi