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“Oh… really?” Nami mocked her cousin, following her out of their housing unit toward the shuttle stop. She wiped away the teasing look on her face when her cousin glared at her and added, “I’m looking forward to the party to meet the other students.”
Ramya’s eyes glowed with excitement. “Wait till you get to the beach. It will be so much fun.”
“I can’t wait.”
How I wished I could continue at Simha for the rest of my college years.
Not long after, Nami sat next to Ramya bouncing with energy as they rode in the shuttle along the coast. She was a hundred times more excited but kept it contained. She needed to stay focused on doing everything well at Simha—the academics, extracurricular activities, sports, and most of all, networking. She needed to make use of the six months to extend her admission at Simha.
“Look at that setup,” Ramya squeaked, pointing to a tall structure by the water decked up in a series of colorful lights, where it seemed hundreds of students had gathered around it. From what she could tell, there were multiple stages set up, and as the bus got closer, they could hear the low beats of the music.
“How is it that so many students arrived so early?” Nami had left for the university early, worried her father might change his mind and had expected to come to a somewhat empty campus. She did not picture the bustling crowd that was gathered there.
“The pre-semester events are the most fun. Aren’t you glad we came early?” Ramya stuck her head out of the open window and let out a scream, joining the other students on the bus with them.
The shuttle pulled into the designated spot. The music was blaring, and even as Ramya talked with excitement, her words were lost in the sounds. Nami let her cousin drag her through the crowd as she took in the event’s energy levels. Large open space surrounded the lighthouse and people hanging out in the crowds. Food and drinks were everywhere, and some students were even cooking with the staff.
“What is this place?” Nami almost yelled so Ramya could hear her, and her cousin only laughed and nodded in response, as if knowing.
“This is how the reckless Simhas roll.” Ramya dragged her to one of the counters, where colorful Jelly shots laid out. Ramya picked one up and gobbled it down before offering one to Nami. “A few shots, and you will really enjoy this party.”
Simhas are reckless? Aren't all students supposed to be well-mannered at the university?
Nami shook her head. “Let me be the one to watch over you tonight.” She winked.
Ramya pouted. “Don’t be a spoiled sport. Just a few shots.”
“Maybe later. Let’s check out the place first.” Nami had to drag Ramya toward another stall with interesting desserts. “Let me try one of these.”
Nami had a sweet tooth and could not make up her mind in what order she wanted to try the desserts that were set up in a wide variety of bite-size spreads. In the meantime, Ramya inhaled a few different desserts, and Nami went with the ones her cousin attacked first. Ramya and Nami inherited the sweet tooth from their moms, who are sisters.
The only difference was that Ramya burned off the extra fat daily at the gym whereas Nami kept the reserves. She hated working out indoors and enjoyed the outdoors but never really connected with any sport.
A sports addition to her curriculum was something she had to figure out to keep her grades at Simha. She was never athletic, and her way to stay active was through dance. She knew the lack of sports in her profile was one of the reasons she wasn’t accepted initially, and that may have been the case even with the alumni recommendation.
“Why do you have that look on your face?” Ramya’s words interrupted her thoughts, realizing she was staring at the small container of vanilla pudding topped with chocolate mousse and raspberries.
“Nothing.” She slurped the single-serving dessert in one breath and let out a moan. People weren't kidding when they said the food at Simha was the best.
“Let’s go to the other side of the lighthouse. There are some sick games we can play.” Ramya was dragging Nami away from one gathering to the other as she spoke.
“Games and me? Seriously?” Nami shook her head as she followed her cousin. “I guess I’ll be watching and cheering from the sidelines.” Exactly what she did during high school every time Ramya played a badminton game.
“Not that kind.” Ramya rolled her eyes. “The party games.”
“I’m not playing one of those drinking games.” She had attended parties in London where they had beer-chugging contests, and she did not enjoy those as much.
Her father had given her a taste of his beer growing up, and she just hated the smell and taste. She never got around to liking anything other than the wines her father stocked up at home. As if that was his plan all along, he had turned her into an alcohol snob. She never felt the need or urge to consume alcohol.
Ramya stopped abruptly and let out a shriek. “They are about to start the Seek and Kiss game. Come, let’s go.”
“Huh… what?” Nami was convinced she had heard the name of the game wrong.
“It will be fun.” Ramya was running at this point, waving at a group. Nami followed by telling herself she had to loosen up a bit and have fun and not be stuck-up and constantly worrying about how she could stay longer than the one exchange semester at Simha.
What if she could not stay on? She better get the best out of the experience.
The game organizers held up the megaphone. “Seekers and hiders. There is one thing each of you has to do. Hiders, hide as long as you can, and when found, you get to pick a seeker to kiss for the time you have been hiding. Ready?” There was hooting and clapping.
