1. As a rule,when alone,never go to a new place/hotel/ continent/country in the evening. And definitely not to settle. Its unsettling and extremely disorienting.Everything seems brighter,lighter, friendlier, welcoming and more manageable in the day. In the evening,it’s dreary, overwhelming and alien.So first move wrong. I landed at my hotel in the evening,that too on a Sunday evening when everything was shut and silent. There were barely any people on the streets. These are not even streets they are by lanes. And it’s dark and cold. 

2. Never take a hotel in an isolated place. Always look for a hotel in a busy area. With shops,malls,main streets restaurants etc around it. My hotel is in a very quite isolated neighbourhood with nothing but houses around. Its intimidating and it’s scary.

3. Do not ever book a room without a window. I hate confined rooms. They make me terribly claustrophobic.I don’t care if it’s a small room as long as it has a big window or small balcony or any opening from where I can see light and feel or at least breath some air. The room I’ve been given is a mouse hole with 3 beds(wonder why?) against the wall,a chest of drawers and a matchbox of a bathroom.
4. Get a local number and SIM card as soon as you land. Or you feel even more disconnected from your close ones and terribly lonely.
5.Never stay too far from your workplace or school. At least not till you know the city and the roads and have figured out the transportation. My school is half an hour away and to reach it I need to take a cab(which is not economical.) or a train. Two trains actually. I have to walk 20 minutes to the metro station take a train till mid way, then change another train and then walk from the station to school. It’s almost as long as my flight from india was.
6.Never ever land up for a course or a job just a day before starting. Reach the place 5/7days before the commencement date of your course or school or job. Settle in. Drive or walk or take your preferred mode of transport to ure school or work place to figure the time and distance.
7.Try not to join a course/school in between the term. You are “The” new student,while all others know each other and are friends and have groups. They know the workings of the system they know their peers the teachers the way around school while you are struggling to find the toilet.Everyone else has all ready gotten their foothold while you are lost in the woods. They may not mean to,but you feel like an outsider and it takes much longer to regain your confidence when you are the most ignored and least informed person in class.
8.Oh and always and I mean always listen to your elders and carry theplas and masala tea packets. I used to laugh at all those who carried food and paid loads of money for excess baggage,but now I value theplas more than anything else. This hotel has no room service and the only place that would give me food in my room (slightly bigger room with a window.I changed my room.)is a sushi place. Tonight I had no interest in going down to the restaurant and again eat all alone,so I ordered in and my meal arrived cold and as dead as the fish. I dumped all of it and had masala tea(thanks to one of the kind waiters in the restaurant who lend me an electric kettle,and my mom who forced me to carry my tea packets and her homeopathy medicine.) in a bowl. That’s right tea in a bowl with homeopathy pills as sweetner because there is no cup nor sugar in the room.(Mario, the kind waiter lend me a plate and bowl too.)
Anyway I knew all of the above but I got it all wrong. My travel plan came about so last minute that there was no time nor availability of hotels or apartments at such a short notice. 
Today was my first day of school and I reached late because I hadn’t accurately estimated the travel time. The school is very good,the teachers and staff are very helpful and supportive. The students almost ignore me and it’s intimidating. I smile but I don’t think they like me too much. Like I said, even if they don’t intend to make me feel like an alien I can’t help but feel like E.T.

I am scared,nervous,out of place and even more out of sorts and worst still I am lonely. There’s no joy in coming back to a cold and gloomy hotel room. I wasn’t expecting it to be a cake walk,but I definitely didn’t think my confidence and zest would start giving away so soon. 

I don’t know how my kids did this. To come to a new place,not know anyone, not know the language, not know the place, be away from your friends and family,have no support system whatsoever and deal with the cold outside and even more inside yourself and yet be brave ,and confident and take it head on and succeed. Hats off to them really! My respect for them has grown manifolds.

I may be the outsider right now but I’m hoping to soon be ‘Brown girl in the ring”.