7 People Talk About The Hardest Part Of Moving Away From Home, To A New City

Moving away from home to a new city holds a lot of promise.

To begin with, the thrill of living a life you had always dreamed of is all too charming - whether you are relocating to study at your dream university or you managed to get the job you have always wanted. All the aspects of being in a whole new city, tend to hold quite an appeal for people to move out of their homes and away from family - like the chance to meet new people, navigate through exciting places, find the perfect apartment, budgeting, make decisions for yourself and be answerable to nobody. But there's something else that comes along with it - Homesickness. Behind all the glamour of a fresh start is also the reality of craving home-cooked food, being on your own when you're sick and struggling to fit in.

In the spirit of getting a more realistic picture of moving cities, we asked 7 people about their struggles of moving cities or countries. Read away!

1. "Only a greater purpose can help you live away from home" - Kundan Ahuja, Founder of a leading Bollywood website.

From where to where: Raipur to Mumbai.

"Moving out of home, leaving the nest seemed like a very opportunistic idea, and it was. But it was a very emotional journey too. When I moved to Bombay, a lot sprouted, mended and broke inside me, but I knew I was here for a greater purpose. Had I never moved out of home, I wouldn¡¯t have founded Bombay Balloon, and that¡¯s the most cherished possession I¡¯ll ever have, throughout my life."

2. "Misconceptions, stereotypes and pre-conceived notions of locals making fitting in impossible" - Vrishali Lal, Copywriter.

From where to where: Mumbai to Bangalore.

"Some people thought I am North Indian because I hail from that region, so they did not speak to me. Some thought I am South Indian because I did my undergraduate study from Chennai and chose to maintain distance. All because of stereotypes people have in their mind. So the only question in my mind was - where would I fit, if not in my own country?"

3. "There's always a silver lining, that's what the struggle taught me" - Shrivatsa Vakil, partner at a real estate firm.

From where to where: Mumbai to Philadelphia and then to New York City.

"It quickly became clear to me to call a strange land home, it's important to focus on the good things. The humility imbibed in the culture as well as the propensity to follow even the basic traffic rules. Philadelphia (rightly called The City of Brotherly Love) was nothing short of a humbling experience where I¡¯ve met more than a few genuine people. New York by juxtaposition was harder to live in. Working on Wall Street puts an entirely fresh perspective on the 60 hour work week but hey, at least it had some of the best Happy Hour spots!"

4. "Finding a roof over your head is a monumental task" - Basit Aijaz, Writer.

From where to where: Kashmir to New Delhi.

"Finding a roof over your head is a monumental task, and being a Kashmiri Muslim, that¡¯s a high possibility you¡¯re going to be disappointed and not get anything at all."

5. "It's hard to figure out who you are" - Sagarika Grover, Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur

From where to where: New Delhi to New York City.

"Being in New York as a student was the most intense and exhilarating time of my life. However, being so young in such a varied city made me switch personalities every now and then. This struggle to figure out who I identified myself as was the greatest one. But when this identity crisis died down, I was the best and most content version of myself, all thanks to my favourite city!"

6. "It's so easy to get overwhelmed by how great others perceive the city to be" - Aditi Pujara, Brand Associate

From where to where: Ahmadabad to Mumbai.

"Well everyone's always heard so much about Bombay and the hustle and how the city never sleeps and all of that. It's so easy to get overwhelmed by it all. Living in the maximum city. I decided to start looking for the tiny things about the city that I can latch onto that make it feel more like home. It was difficult initially, getting a hang of new people and places. But I explored, gave the city all I could and it returned the favour."

7. "Making friends in a city where you don't know anyone" Ashmika Singh - Social Media Manager

From where to where: Jabalpur to New Delhi.

"I'm not going to lie - it can be really hard to make friends in a city nobody knows your name. Because when you are away from your family, friends are like your second family. You need to put yourself out there in a city like Delhi - going to the right places and networking events. Which is hard work but has been rewarding for me since I have made so many friends through work and beyond!"