Last Friday, even though it was just me in my solitude (मैं और मेरी तन्हाई…cringe yet?), I struggled to acknowledge, “I did it.” It feels like the moment these words leave my mouth and enter the universe, they cease to exist in the realm of reality; that is, if they were true in the first place. But I did it! And as scared and as vulnerable as I feel saying that, I almost force myself to take a second and breathe it in…and I just cannot.
I write this from my very tiny NYC apartment. It took everything to get here. I have been dreaming about this for 16 years, or maybe more. What I feel right now is what I felt looking at “Starry Nights” at MoMA in December 2023. Art critics who say it’s overrated can take a walk!
I saw Gogh’s paintings for the first time in my “General Knowledge” book in maybe fifth grade, and the groovy brush strokes were almost like an electromagnetic field pulling me in. And I remember wanting to share it with my friends but no one seemed to care. They don’t “get it”, the 10-year-old me had concluded. And it was only the beginning of many things my friends wouldn’t “get” and I would feel completely out of place and time growing up. (And they would all turn out to be WAY cooler than I’d ever be!). So I buried myself in books, and literature, and art. And as a sixteen-year-old, I had thought about what it would feel like to look at “Starry Nights” in real life! So I wanted to apply to colleges in the US based on everything I’d heard, read, and seen on TV, and that idea would immediately get shot down.
Little did I know I would stand in front of “Starry Nights” amongst a supercharged throng at MoMA in a couple decades. And I would stare at it with every strength my eyelids could muster, and I’d just fail to see it because my eyes would just be flooded with tears. “Starry Nights” would always be the embodiment of an impossible dream for me.
For someone who grew up poor, dreams do feel like a carnal sin. You learn very early on to lull it down and shove it deep under your skin. You learn to talk about everything else over time, even your deepest trauma. But you never talk about your “hopes and dreams”. Even today as I sit by the window in awe living one of my many dreams, it feels like an out-of-body experience. It must be a mistake, a glitch in the matrix, I’d wake up tomorrow and this would cease to exist…I won’t get my work visa approved and will need to leave next year anyway, so what’s the point, this is all fleeting!
Last Friday, when I wrote this down, I was surrounded by boxes that needed unboxing, and I was already doomsday planning laying on my back on my mattress on the floor, head tilted backward and staring at an upside-down Empire State Building. I don’t know how long this is supposed to last, but this is life for now. And like every other time I know I’ll see this through okay. But tonight I feel like the six-year-old girl peeping into the Barbie store pining for dolls she knows she cannot have.
Enjoy each moment.
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Fantastic to achieve that! Congratulations. Looking forward to your further adventures!
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🙂 congratulations
you’ll love Manhattan. just keep your eyes open and don’t stand too close to the subway edge.
Archer
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Appreciate the thought Archer!
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All the best wishes 👍
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Thanks! 😊
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Great read. Very relatable and love reading your blog.
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The joy, as I like to say, is in the journey and the destination. You did it! Congratulations.
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That’s very true, thanks for reading!
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Way to go girl. Congratulations and enjoy the moments.
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Good to hear from you Rupali, and thanks!
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New York City is fabulous. You’ll love it. There’s a lot going on in all the boroughs, not just in Manhattan. I hope that everything works out beautifully for you.
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Thank you, I look forward to exploring the city!
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Congratulations 🎉 for your achievements.
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Thanks Priti! ☺️
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☺️🙏
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I’m delighted that you have fulfilled your childhood dream and hope it will continue to be all that you hoped for and more… or find a new dream to make come true. I recently listened to an old song in which the singer says ‘If you don’t have a dream then how can your dream come true.?’ Your post is truly in harmony with this song. All good wishes
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That’s a beautiful song, glad you shared! Thank you for reading and supporting 💗
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So moving. And impressive. I have my son’s amazing rendition of Starry Starry Night that he did in oil on black paper in the 3rd grade. I wish I could send you a photo of it. Starry Night is the most amazing painting. “Dream on….. Dream until your dreams come true.”
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Omg I’d ABSOLUTELY love to see that! Thank you so much for reading and for sharing! 🤍
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A beautiful, thoughtful post. You are where you’re supposed to be now and my advice would be to enjoy it all. Let it all soak in. And congratulations.
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