An Outsider Among Insiders

Tell us about a time when you felt out of place.

I have always considered myself a social butterfly, fluttering from one conversation to another with ease. But when I moved to my current place, that butterfly suddenly felt more like a moth circling a lamp that didn’t want me.

The ladies around me already had their little “tribes”—inside jokes, lunch plans, even coordinated WhatsApp stickers. And there I was, standing with my cup of chai, trying to smile like “Hi, I exist too.” Someone once said, “It’s hard to break into circles when they’re already complete.” How true!

At first, I felt like the extra character in a movie—important enough to appear in the background, but never quite getting a dialogue. I tried initiating conversations: weather, kids, the eternal “maid problem”—but my attempts often ended with polite nods. I laughed at their jokes, even when I didn’t get them, hoping laughter would work as an entry ticket. Spoiler: it didn’t.

But here’s the twist. Over time, I discovered that being an outsider gave me a different gift—observation. I learned to watch closely, to listen more, and to wait patiently. Slowly, one conversation at a time, doors opened. Now, some of those circles have lines that bend to include me.

“Sometimes, being out of place is exactly what helps you find your true place.”

Thought to ponder: Maybe the feeling of being left out isn’t a rejection, but a redirection—to spaces and people where you truly belong.