Life in a Bit of a Mess

Photo: Darshan Chakma

Life in a mess (local term for hostel/boarding house) is likely to be a bit messy. It's where you live, share your personal space with complete strangers and have your daily meals on a monthly payment basis. The experiences you'll get at these places are much more different than those of your sweet home which you've left for pursuing higher education in the capital. Like it or not, days in this shabby-gloomy-small-messy room have to happen unless you wish to return home, and you probably don't.
So, the only way out of this problem is that you don't think of it as a problem. Here comes Darwinism: adapting yourself to new surroundings. After a couple of weeks, you'll realise that things have become familiar and you've also gone through certain changes (that you might not otherwise notice).
It's an observation of Akib Javed, a fourth year student at Dhaka University's English Department. He's been living at a mess in Mohammadpur since he came to Dhaka a few years back from Nalchity, Barisal, his hometown.
In his words: Dhaka, one of the fastest growing megacities in the world, disappointed me at first. Long tailbacks at Jatrabari, terrible rush at Motijheel, shouting hawkers at Gulistan, packed city buses, hundreds of rickshaws plying as they wish on city roads and in the monsoon flooded streets. I wondered whether the people of this city really have a normal life.
Can't blame me. I was like a fish out of water then, as this city life was completely strange to me. However, things started getting easier when I went out of my room more and started exploring the unknown instead of feeling homesick. From then began my new life; places, food, people, culture, language and habits -- everything became familiar.

Photo: Darshan Chakma

Like a typical Dhakaite, I got busy -- making it to my classes in the morning, doing assignments, tuition, hanging out with friends/watching movies till late at night. This schedule changes before exams; there's no time to waste and studying all night is quite common.
My life now has no variation throughout the year, save for the vacations. In addition to the Eid holidays, whenever I get time, I visit my family. I try to talk to my mother for at least 15 minutes every day.
City life, to me, is racing against time; sometimes it feels tedious and tiring. But friends are always there to spice it up and they never let you down. I love going on trips and I frequently go to tourist destinations like Bandarban and Saint Martin. Among other favourite activities are hanging out every evening on campus and going to old town to eat 'Puran Dhaka' delicacies.
I consider myself a Dhakaite now, even though I don't have a place of my own. This city, its lights, noises, festivities, the rush -- all are now indispensable parts of my life. However, one thing this “mess life” lacks is regularity. It's all about trying to create a system in chaos.

Saurav Dey is an amateur photographer, nature lover, history enthusiast, avid reader-writer and a confused city-dweller. He can be reached at [email protected].