9.10 am: My alarm failed, yet again. I was supposed to rise at 8. Shouting obscenities to myself wasn’t going to help; so I’m off to brush my teeth. Ouch! My gums begin to bleed. That was the first lesson of the day — when in a hurry, make sure the paste is placed on the bristles and not on the other end. My stomach was growling but it had to wait. So I quickly pulled on my clothes and took off. Oh no it’s raining again!

9.28 am: The rain has ceased to pour. I fasten my pace avoiding potholes. Suddenly I feel someone clinging to my leg. Oh no! It’s the beggar again. He won’t leave me until I drop a few coins in his hand. I know he is hungry and so am I, but I generously reach out for my wallet.

My wallet! Oh my God! It is probably lying in my drawers wondering why I forgot to plant it in my pocket. I check my pockets again just to make sure it is not there but I fish out Rs 5. Is that all? Long live the microbus!

10.07 am: I feel a little nauseous after a 20 minute ride sitting beside a dark-skinned, turbanned gentleman emitting foul odour. Getting down from the microbus I finally get to breathe fresh air and I realise I am already late.

Anyways this is Nepal, who isn’t late? I stop to admire a cute lady across the street but a Hero Honda Karishma whizzes by and I am drenched by an ensuing splash in the pothole. Second lesson of the day — Cute girls might be worth a second look, but not if they are across the street. My blue khakis now have shades of brown and spots of mud.

Can my day get worse? I finally reach my destination all muddy and distracted.

11.45 am: I think the interview went pretty well. I shook hands with the wrong people, though. I mispronounced their names and I sat down before I was asked to. I stuttered to answer most of their questions and to my utter embarrassment, the old lady sarcastically reminded me of my unzipped pants. Third lesson of the day — zip your pants, always! But I am an optimist. I am pretty sure that they liked me, so hopefully I’ll have a new job by next week.

12.16 pm: The bakery café just across the street reminds me that I’ve had not eaten anything today and had just enough money to return home. The tuk-tuk tempos are across the road honked waiting for me to answer.

I wave my hand in response and cross the road whistling the old tunes of Narayan Gopal. In a split second, a speeding jeep cuts through and I fail to step back in time. Fourth lesson of the day – look both left and right before crossing the road. My world goes black but I still get enough time to think “am I dying?”

7.11 pm: I slowly gain consciousness. I think I am in the hospital. My family surrounds me. My head is bandaged. My left arm is plastered. My legs, where are my legs? Oh, they are under the bedsheet. I panicked there for a second but I am happy to be alive.

8.18 pm: I am back home and enjoying my first meal of the day. Plain rice has never tasted better. I explain to my younger cousins that I threw myself at the speeding truck to save a little girl stranded in the middle of the road.

(Sorry I lied but what an impression I created. From that day onwards they are surely going to look up to me!)

9.59 pm: What a day I had I thought smiling to myself. I am brought back to reality with the advertisement of Indica V2 “...Katrina, the supermodel, she proposed to me… (Tadish!)…indica v2…must be true…” My laughter transforms into a slow, rhythmic snore and I am asleep. Good night!!!

— Ajjen Joshi, St Xaviers, SLC