My Aimbitions in life

One month before the school shuts down for its winter vacation, eh?" Without turning towards the sound she knew it was her nosy neighbor who seemed to have something or the other to say whenever they met. Bhutan is a small country where everybody knows everybody- so much so that one neighbor knows exact details of what one has in one's house, starting from a small pin to the most expensive kira. As she passed this neighbor with a nod for an answer to her query, she thought that it was owing to insistent people like this neighbor of hers who made this line about Bhutan so true. She had a peculiar way of walking whenever she was troubled by a thought, she fixed her eyes on the hem of her kira, plodded with her heels touching the ground first, and then only making her toes land with a thump. Usually, on a normal day it used to take her twenty minutes to reach school but whenever she plodded in this fashion, deep in thoughts it took her more than half an hour.

She taught history in the school. While a kid, she used to excel in her academics and the whole town used to tell her that one day she would definitely become a doctor. She also believed the same. Well, in those days Doctors profession was always rated first among all other profession, so obviously anybody good in studies would be generously offered the dream of becoming a doctor when one grew up. Dreams were easily available like the wares in the Bazaar in the neighboring country of India, which she frequented during her winter holidays. You could pick one, strike a hard bargain; if it doesn't suit you then toss it away for another ware all the same. She nursed this dream of becoming a doctor till her sixth standard. She even bought First Aid books and books like where there is no doctor, probably hoping that it would give support to her big dream. It was during science period, her favorite teacher, because he was teaching them science- the subject she was required to learn to make her dreams real, asked them their ambition in life. "Doctor," she chimed with pride. Others followed with Engineer, teacher, farmer, the list wasn't that long. "Do you know that while you undergo the training, you'll be kept all alone in a big room…" He slowed his speech and lowered the volume too to add eeriness to what he was going to say. Selden had to strain her ears to listen with all heart because it was what she felt she ought to know."…there will be a dead body and you'll have to operate it and at times the body does spring up, you know?" he ended piously. That was the day her dreams of becoming a doctor last filled her heart and it was discarded like any other unimportant steps one takes in life. "What the heck, I'll become an Engineer. I am good in science," she said this to console herself. She had no idea whatsoever about the kind of work the engineers did nor did she know about any books that would help her in pursuing her new found dreams. She simply saw herself beside long bridges where hundreds of laborers worked with her. Seeing herself beside skyscrapers in her dreams, made her really fly high with hopes found anew in her heart. But then she reached the seventh standard and physics drew out every little hopes of engineering that evoked her new found dream. She wandered in the walk of life until one day when she was in class ten, she was asked to do a presentation by her history teacher. As she ended her presentation, the teacher applauded loudly and said,"Selden will make a fine teacher one day."

This prediction did come true, she became a teacher.

With the year coming to an end the workload burdened her: paper correction, filling the progress report, planning for winter holidays destination and she plodded slowly fuming over the nosy neighbor she had to put up with.

(Note to the readers, I've always wanted to become a teacher so I've fulfilled this dream of mine by writing this piece, I imagine myself to be Selden of this story).