I still remember the sleepless night I spent before boarding the flight to Bangalore. When I think of it, I am yet to establish it if were anxiety or excitement or apprehension or just seeing the Oranje dismantle the sorry Spanish Armada. Whatever it may be – that one sleepless night has come to be the “way of life” now.
After the mid-term dust settled (or so I thought) I realized that I have been amidst greenery, awesomeness and whacky people for more than a month. Yes! More than a month. It has whizzed past me like a flash of blinding light, hardly giving me a chance to blink. But who wants to blink an eye here? Who wants to miss a part of the action? Who wants to miss out on the adrenaline? Who wants to miss out on the fun? On the partying? On the fests? On the events? If you want a slice of the pie, you might as well dare not blink.
As I made my way through the well-trimmed lawns, dense trees, pothole-free roads and stone buildings on the morning of June 14, 2014 – I noticed (despite my acute dyslexia in art, colors and whatever is associated with it) the seamlessness with which the stone buildings merged into the greenery of this 100 acre oasis. And maybe that symbolism and metaphor had a lot to tell me over the past one month.
Yes I have had my bouts of homesickness and that is only because I crave mom’s fried fish! (agreed that the mess does serve it once ever so rarely – but that’s no match to “mummy ke haath ka khana”). Yes I have had a lot of folks back in Bombay calling me a “snooty b-school grad” already. But that’s on the back-burner for now. Explanations can wait until I get back to Irish House or The Big Nasty on September 8 evening.
Aarambh rocked and maybe that was the watershed moment which made people take notice of their talented batch mates. I was warned before I came here – do not discount a single person here! Aarambh taught me what it really meant. Saw some crazy talent and ideas!
And then the club selections! Yes I may have not got into any club and maybe there are people better than I am – which is a major positive in more than one way! But the process was fun, stimulating and something you can reflect upon with a smile. Seeing people run around, make PPTs, discuss ideas and stand for interviews at 4:30 am was a little unnerving back then since I hadn’t seen anything like that. Now I can vouch that the process was worth the sleepless two nights!!
Hostel life – I don’t think I have ever folded by bed-sheet at home in 24 years! More importantly, before going for a bath (if, as and when I do), I need to check my logistics. After having gotten into embarrassing situations (I shall provide no further picturesque details), I have learnt it the hard way. Most importantly, I can use the broom with near perfection. I also know the difference between a plastic bristled broom and the other one (whatever it’s called).
Most importantly – the wardrobe. Being the pseudo-perfectionist, I distinctly remember arranging all my neckties on a hanger. Just yesterday, I found them mixed with my briefs and vests and socks! You need to give me the credit for at least trying! Besides that, my wardrobe is perfectly arranged. I always get what I need – I wear those same few clothes every 4 days before they go back into the wardrobe. It is a simple process. Wear – wash – dry – wear! Keep things simple!
The only complaint I have is that my hostel block is in a different pin code than the rest of the campus. It takes 6 minutes and 24 seconds to reach the classroom from my room, if I don’t slow down to say hi to people around me. I remember the one day I woke up at 9:53 am for a 10:00 am lecture. Thank god for Listerine! What a wonder product. And also the bad habit of sleeping in my jeans – that saved precious 45 seconds I say.
Besides all these specific instances and some of my self-inflicted histrionics, it’s been quite an awesome time this far. Until I have more stuff to share, adios!
Dylan Fernandes
PGP 2014-16