The new friends i had made were more than what i could have asked for. As we settled down into the place, i personally settled down into a new routine. Wake up early in the morning (which had somehow never happenned before), go for a jog with friends, come back take a shower and breakfast, study, watch tv, more study till afternoon, cricket in evening, dinner, more tv and finally sleep.
I found myself waiting, either for the next morning or the coming evening. I had never hated studies but my dad (who was giving me lessons in math and science) was less than an ideal teacher and for the first time in life, i found myself hating those subjects. In fact i hated studying all together.
On a positive note, my morning jogs were something of a charm. We lived on the edge of an otherwise small town so within about first five minutes of starting we were already on country roads. The cool and fresh morning breeze had an amazing effect on me. To this day, i clearly remember the fresh fruit market, the haunted hut and the dry canal that we passed on our way. On some days, we would skip jogging to play cricket in the morning. I loved that too. However, my heart always wanted to go out again and explore more of the country side at a time when it is most beautiful in hot indian summers. I suspect that my tendency to go on unannounced long walks started at this time and stayed all through my teen years.
During the day time, if i was allowed to take a break from studying, i almost always ended up in one of my friend's place. We would typically go to his room on the first floor and read 'chandamama' or pretend to be in one of the stories we just read. He had a stash of wood swords, bows and arrows which came in handy in these situations. Best of all, he knew how to use them and i was only too happy to learn.
Incidentally, this was also the first time i started sleeping away from my parents. I was put in the other room with my sister and i must admit i wasnt too sad. Me and my sister never got along well but a fight with her was always good.