Seany had appeared for her London GCE Advanced Level examination in June 1999. The time had come to choose a University and the course of study. Obviously, the only choice was Kerala and we had decided to send her for Engineering as most Keralite parents do. Choosing a University course is a life-changing decision. It is the springboard for the future career. The joy of choosing the course you love and the Engineering College of your own choice is a very tricky situation in Kerala. Students have to appear for Common Entrance Examination conducted by the Commissioner for entrance exams, govt. of Kerala. A merit list would be prepared on the basis of the marks obtained in the CEE. The successful candidates would be called for the interview. They will be allotted a course and a college based on the merit list. The course and college may not be the candidate's choice. But he has to accept it, as there was no other option. The Govt. of Kerala had introduced NRI quota for non-resident Indians in Engineering Colleges because the system of education and syllabi in other countries may be different. So NRI students could get direct admission based on their mark lists without appearing for the entrance examination. Seany had decided to apply for engineering in the NRI quota. The last date for the submission of the application along with the mark list was on 14 th of August 1999. Unfortunately, the London board of the GCE exam was scheduled to publish the result on 22 nd August. So I met the honorable minister of education Mr. P.J. Joseph and apprised him of the grave situation the NRI students offering London GCE were facing. He was very receptive and after extensive discussion with the concerned officials, the deadline for the submission of the application for NRI students had extended to 28 th August. Seany was offered a course in Information Technology and had moved to the Model Engineering College Cochin, affiliated with the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). This Engineering College had started in 1979 and is one of the best engineering Colleges in Kerala.

Homesickness had started daunting my daughter. It was difficult for her to adapt to the new environment. Since letters were the only communication at that time, it was more torturing. She used to cry over the letters. She almost felt like quitting the college and come back to Kenya. The isolation felt when staying away from home, and being unable to share the experiences with the family is worse. The comfort of the home, the friends and the environment you miss, make you cry. It could make a person depressed and morose. According to Josh Klapow, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Alabama's School of Public Health, "Homesickness stems from our instinctive need for love, protection, and security - feelings and qualities usually associated with the home. When these qualities aren't present in a new environment, we begin to long for them - and hence home. You are not literally missing your house. You're missing what's normal, what is routine, the larger sense of social space because those are the things that help us survive. Homesickness in its most basic form is thoughts and feeling about the home, but it exists on a continuum—it isn't a matter of being of homesick or not; it's matter of degree," says Dr. Klapow. This means that, however, mild or infrequent your thoughts about home are, you can still be considered "homesick." At its most severe, homesickness can manifest itself as obsessive thoughts about home, crying at what seem like random times and an inability to do what "you came to college to do"-go to classes, make new friends, learn about yourself and, ultimately, earn a degree, Klapow said.

So we had made a support network for her. On weekends Seany used to go and stay with my eldest brother Kochachan's house at Changanassery. My sister-in-law, Chechy assumed the role of Thankamony. During long vacations Seany went to Trivandrum to spend holidays with Thankamony's brother Varkychen and family. Varkychen and his wife Rosamma were extremely kind, protective and loving to Seany. She felt very comfortable, and felt at home with these families. I and Thankamony are very much indebted to them for their love, kindness and support.