"My Experiences of Living Alone in Mumbai as a female student"

Being a small town girl, living alone in Mumbai was always a dream.

 I made it possible by getting into a B-School last year and I must say it was one heck of a roller coaster ride.

I stayed in a one room kitchen space and shared it with a roommate.

Pros of staying alone:

• Well as you guys must have guessed I had a lot of freedom. I could do whatever and however I wanted without being worried of my mother coming yelling at me.
• I did not do my bed before I left for college most of the days.
• I could walk out of the house at any point of the time also walk in late too.
• I had so much space for myself as my roommate would walk in late every other day.
• I could eat whatever I wanted to especially unhealthy.
• I did not care a damn about what I was wearing.
• I enjoyed shopping for groceries for myself, cooking meals, staying up late staring at my phone.
• I would hang out with my friends till late in the evening partying and having fun.

Cons of staying alone:

• Along with cooking and groceries I also had to do laundry, cleaning, mopping and washed dishes.
• Having to adjust with a roommate was really really difficult. 
• Dealing with annoying neighbourhood aunties and uncles was the most painful trust me.
• There would be no one to take care of me at times that I was sick.
• I used to get so lonely at times I would also cry myself to bed and yes you miss your family and friends.
• I gained a lot of weight due to eating unhealthy food.

Tips for Newbees:

1. Be patient: The first month is going to be difficult. You will feel lonely and struggle to understand how to manage your life but trust me you will learn with time. Don't give up rightaway you will find the perfect balance to your life.
2. Learn to cook: Trust me if you take this advice you will never regret. Take some cooking lessons from your mother beforehand. Even if you have a cook hired for yourself, at some point you will miss gharka khana/ home cooked food.
3. Make new friends: Staying alone can be difficult but the only thing that will help you survive are friends. Make new friends, have fun, go out and socialize if you are a student make friends in college, if you are a working professional make friends at work.
4. Research well before choosing a place to stay: This my friend is the most important thing ever. Research prior choosing a place to stay. If you are a person who loves partying and having friends over and enjoying life just make sure there are no restrictions for such things by the owners. And if you are someone who is not so outgoing even you should research beforehand because if your roommate parties you will have to face a lot of inconvenience too.
5. Talk about your problems: Ok so the worst thing you can do to yourself while staying alone is keeping your problems to yourself. Share your problems with your family and friends. Call the people who you are close to and talk to them. This way you are not making yourself suffer and trust me you will receive so much love and support from your loved ones you will not have to go through your problems alone. I suggest calling your family everyday at the end of the day.
6. Money management: Yes you will have money and it is really important how wisely you spend it and how aware are you about how much you are spending. I suggest take a diary and physically write down all your expenses at the end of the day before going to bed.

Staying alone my friends was the most amazing experience of my life and I learnt so much out of it. It is true that staying alone can be hell or heaven both to people but it all depends on how much you are ready to adjust with people and grow into a wiser person.

Thank you for reading.

Please do comment what do you think and share if you like my blog.

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.