Chapter 1

I woke up with excitement as anyone would on their birthday. The date is January 4, 2011, it was just not my birthday but also, but I had to give an interview for my new school on this very day. I wished I could have slept in on the day, but I had to wake up and get ready. Now you must be confused about why I am going to a new school, so the reason is, my family, shifted almost a month back from Hyderabad to Jaipur. I got ready wearing my new sweater and went to the school for the interview while holding my mother's hand. we walked down to the place as we lived very nearby. when we reached it, I was awe-struck by the grandness of the establishment. As we entered through the door, I could see the reception desk, a small seating area with brown leather couches, and wonderful painted walls with different scenes which I don't remember much of than vivid colour. At the reception desk, I saw a lady maybe in her 20s, warmly greeting us. My mother went ahead to the lady behind the counter and asked her about the interview, she politely asked us to be seated on one of the couches in the little seating area and that she will call for me. I was still taking in the atmosphere of the school when I heard my name. I looked at my mother unsurely and she gave me a nod with a smile as if saying you got it; the lady took me to the principal's office which had white walls with display cabinets in the corners displaying the trophies won by the school, on the other side a large desk where a well-groomed, middle-aged woman was seated. as I entered, she greeted me with a smile and asked me to sit down on one of the chairs in front of her desk; then proceeded to ask a few questions. I don't remember what the questions were but remember that I answered them correctly. Soon the question came to an end and I was escorted back to my mother. I gave my mother a beaming smile as if telling her I did it. Then I was told to sit as my mother was asked to come forward to the reception desk for the required formalities for my admission. Soon we were walking back to our place while I was answering all questions that my mother was asking. As soon as we reached back, Mom got a call and by the sound of it, I knew it was Dad. The time was about 2:30 and Dad mentioned he will be returning home early today by 5:30. Soon after receiving the news, I impatiently waited at home for Dad to return. When we returned, we all did a small ceremony for my birthday, which included the typical cake cutting and a nice dinner.

A few days later, Mom broke the news of my aunts and cousins coming to visit us which meant the house will be chaotic by the end of the month. so, my Nani has five daughters, 4 of whom are married and have kids but in 2011 only 3 were married and had one child each. Mom had me, Polly Masi had Ada and Choti Masi had Nabhu.

I was very excited about the above news. The month of February will be entertaining and will pass by in bliss. I desperately waited for my family. Soon the 1st of February came around and slowly the number of people at our place increased in a matter of days. when everyone toured Jaipur and to say I fell in love with the place will be an understatement. Do you know why is Jaipur called the Pink City? There are two reasons. the first is Jaipur was officially founded in 1727. And to please Prince Albert during his tour of the cities of India, then a British colony, as well as create a close relationship with the British Royal Family. At that time, the Indian leaders were then ordered to paint the city in pink colour as well as build palaces and lavish meeting rooms to make Prince Albert when he arrives, he would be delighted and curious after a tiring journey through many Indian cities.

On the other hand, terracotta pink is also a colour that means hospitality. Today, in the old town area of ​​Jaipur, all buildings and houses are still required to be painted in this earthy pink colour, it has become a local law, which also helps Jaipur to be known more for its uniqueness and signature. it is also one of the things I still love about the city. In the early morning, we took a cab from our place to Hawa Mahal in the cold of 10 degrees Celsius in Indian winter, the fog was still lurking, the sun was rising and my heart was very excited because of the reputation of Hawa Mahal, also known as the Palace of winds castle, magnificent, beautiful and full of expectations. It was even more breathtaking than I could have thought. the next place was City Palace which is still the Royal palace of the former rulers of Jaipur. It is a complex of large architectural works, including many different parts such as the palace of the empresses, the garden, and the meeting room now used as a luxury restaurant, the museum of fabric, pictures, and weapons for visitors to visit. After that everyone was tired and t was decided that the forts will visit the next day

The next day the place we went to was Amber Fort which is located on a high hill, overlooking Lake Matao. This fortress includes many beautiful inner palaces waiting to be visited. One of my favourite places to this date is Sheesh Mahal which is located inside Amber Fort, Sheesh Mahal or the 'Palace of Mirrors' was built by Emperor Maharaja Narinder Singh (1845-1862). The palace was built in a forest with a terrace, garden, fountain and an artificial lake. It is just mesmerizing that the next place was Nahargarh Fort, perched on the high rugged Aravalli hill overlooking the city of Jaipur. The fortress was built in 1734 to help defend the city. It became famous in 2006 after many scenes in the movie Rang De Basanti were filmed there. From Nahargarh Fort, you look over the city in a beautiful sunset. I have been there too many times just to watch the sunset, it has always been so majestic. the month went by so fast I was surprised. We all had a fun time exploring Jaipur for the first time.