So, I finally arrived in Pune, and my life as an Indian student has begun. So far, it all seems p-rr-etty promising. The lectures here started on the 1st of July, and in addition to that, I entered the students second year together. If this had been back home, I know it could have been quite difficult to become a part of the class environment so quickly. Here, somehow felt like a part of the class from the very beginning.
Yesterday I landet in Mumbai at 04:30 in the morning, where I - after spending one and a half hour in the security check - was met by Praveen, my former classmate in Berlin. From there, there was a three hour drive to reach our school. Exhausting, but still a pretty good way to get to see a bit of India. So, yeah, I travelled for about 20 hours to get here. Then at the school, there was paperwork and lectures waiting for me. They arranged for quite a soft start for me though, I 'only' attended two classes in the afternoon from four till nine.
What else? A lot of people worried on my behalf about how it would be for me to be the only blonde girl with blue eyes and see-throughal skin, but I can now say that in the school, nobody really makes a big issue out of it (rumors has it that this is a different story outside the campus, but looking at the schedule that is being laid down for me here, I don't think there will be to much time to notice. So far, the only effect I have seen of this within the school, is that the lecturers and students have no doubts about the fact that there is a new student in their class. Which..you know...there is.
Here are some of the things I can tell you about my new life so far:
- When people ask you about the weather here, it is a trick question. There is a monsoon here right now, and they love it. What used to be the safest thing to answer in my former entire world, does no longer have the same answer.
- It is also usually a trick question if they ask you if you like the food you are being served, but so far - I have not identified the right answer. I suspect that Indian students, like German and Norwegian students, do have as many opinions about their cafeteria as we have about ours. So far, the safest things seems to be to just eat, and eat more (note to self).
- If you are new in a school in India, it doesn't take to long until you no longer are
It might be a little, but not particularly overrated when you here rumors that Indian students have class twelve hours per day. After this, it should be studies for the next day. Yes, I still believe they are human machines. How on earth can they do it?
- As compensation, they do live five minutes from the classroom, they are served three meals per day, there is a cleaning lady coming to wash their room twice a week, and a laundry cleaner on campus (This part I think I can get used to).
- If you are to late for the campus curfue at night, they will no let you in. Period. I do plan to keep this an unconfirmed rumor though.
- If you turn up indecently dressed for class, they will not let you in there either. So far, this is unconfirmed too.
- Out of all the meals served during the week, only three of them contain meat. And yes, seven times three equals twenty-one. If there were any doubts about that part.
- So far the Indian bureaucracy has nothing to stand up with compared to the German one. Please note the so far in the beginning of this sentence. I heard rumors about this point too.
And yes, everyday I will have access to a certain amount of Internet. Then it all stops working. For now, that means I can either talk to my friends and family on skype, or upload approximately one picture here. Guess who is winning? I will see what I can do about it in a while though, this blogging thing does after all contain all my years as a student. It would be kind of sad if I had to stop it now. In the meanwhile, I will be busy trying ti keep track of where I am supposed to be at all times. An impossible task, for sure, but it helps a lot to be in a country where you are supposed to take things as they appear in front of you.
Bits and pieces
Karen
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