No mans land

Back in the days when I was getting a full time education and also going through the whole ‘I’m fifteen and fabulous’ stage, I managed to decide to settle down for a while at no-mans land [literally NO MAN].

And as would have been expected from someone who grew up climbing trees and choosing to play cricket with her neighbours brothers over playing doll house and watching wrestling and finding it cool, I managed to not only hate the place but absolutely despise it and all those hormonally challenged, PMS-ing ,extra giggly, 5 tons of make up applying, self obsessed dames. It was like stepping into a parallel universe where everyone had perfect hair cuts and shiny nails and pretty outfits and somehow no matter what day of the year it was; they all managed to look gorgeous “all the time”!

I started to feel emotionally connected and sympathetic towards the ugly duckling from the fairytale. All of a sudden I was being judged not just on how my academic scores were but also on how I dressed [“Neha you always wear that silly top. It’s not in fashion even!”], how I walked [“god girl! You drag your feet so noisily, you have never worn heels have you? ] etc.etc. And the fact that I couldn’t sing or dance [the two things apparently all girls can do!] didn’t help much either. So, I spent a good part of the first half of my stay there feeling out of place and missing the world that I had left behind, I also managed to break the record in moving from one set of people to another in search of the right clique` .

And then, it happened! My prejudiced opinions dropped and I started to see this bizarre world in a very different light………….

No mans land wasn’t a place full of superficial people. Rather I realized that girls had a tendency to be, well you know, ”girly” and that I had never paid any attention to that part of me so I found the rest of the worlds efforts pointless. No mans land was in fact this divine place full of people who were probably normal with ambitions and this very weird way of thinking exactly like I did! And then, the process of self realisation and personal discoveries started.

It’s surprising how different the world becomes if you just choose to change your perspective. So, the rest of my stay was probably one of the best experiences of my life. The pleasure and knowledge that no mans land had to offer were endless. Wear whatever you want [not like anyone you need to impress is around], do not think before you speak! Talk about all your girl problems as loudly as your heart desires without having to find a secluded corner, bitch to no end about the boy who dumped you and have at least a hundred people sympathize and join in on the abusing, don’t ever worry about certain parts of your wardrobe playing peek-a-boo with you, and then there was my favourite one- eat all you want and like a pig if your heart fancies it cause everyone does the same!

I found things I was good at, managed to shine in a few. Learned things I never would have bothered to do normally. This new perspective not only made me a better individual, and helped me realise this very girly side of me but also let me grow to this new level of profound intellect that I so proudly wear on my sleeve today!

It was like a vacation with benefits, of a higher education; of making friends I’ll know forever; of meeting people who have changed my life in the most bizarre yet wonderful ways; of learning, the true meaning of sister-hood. And also, of realising, that a ‘Y chromosome’ carrying individual is someone a girl doesn’t necessarily need to make a part of every sphere in her life. It was a journey that I’ll carry in my heart forever, probably more exotic and worth narrating than any vacation to Greece or Paris would be.
My stay, at No mans land…………