Those were the best days

My first day at school was actually a night. The sun set well before my brother and I reached my school. On that first night and over the many following nights in the cold and dark dormitory, I always dreamt of my mother and my home and cried.
Over the next many days, months and years, I ate many kilos of 'bong kharang' (wheat), 'broomsha mom' (pumpkin broth), ran barefoot, kicked 'baktang ball' (ball stitched from rags) and dreamt of becoming a 'drung-yig' (clerk).
One day, a man from a nearby village came to sell his mangoes at our school. The sweet tantalizing smell of the ripened mangoes filled the air titillating our nostrils. But money, most of us had none.
Few boys wanted to buy. Others crowded in expecting a little share from them. In the commotion that ensued, one of the boys tripped the bamboo basket. The mangoes rolled on the ground.
The boys picked up what they could and ran in all directions. Not to be outdone, the man ran after one of the boys. His name was Karma Damchu. When he was nearly caught, he threw the mango back at the man's face hurting an eye.
That day, the man went home with an empty basket, empty pocket and a swollen eye.
But back at the dormitory that night, words spread that the mango seller was an infamous 'Ngan pa' (black magician).
"Karma Damchu would soon die by vomitting blood" the little boys whispered in unison.
Scared, Karma Damchu ran away to his home and came back to school only after a month. I think he is still alive.
The next few years saw me going farther away having to travel by bus, for my high school studies. I no longer ran barefoot or kicked 'baktang ball'. I wore black 'naughty boy shoes' now and ate 'Ngera Khu' (Indian rice) and 'Joktang mom' (potato broth).
And even fish and meat was served occasionally.
But one had to be careful when fish or meat was served; as one of my friends recalls, "Once during dinner with fish on the menu, lights went off when we were doing 'Tomchhoe' (prayer before dining). When the lights came back, my fish was gone from my plate. From that time on, I used to cover my plate with both hands when meat was served and lights went off."
A Few years down saw me going abroad to study and then landing me a job as an engineer. But nothing comes close to those days of walking barefoot, kicking the 'baktang ball' or dining on 'Joktang mom'.

"Oh when I look back now
The summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life"

So sang Bryan Adams.