Before i knew i was taking tons of assignments and spending some sleepless nights in the library this was when i got to know this Latino girl chubby buy a interesting and intelligent girl .She sure knew how to have a good laugh and how to enjoy life.
As we got to know each other we where becoming comfortable with each other,I was invited to some party in her house and stuff and met some more crazy and beautiful Latino lasse's ,who all welcomed me with open arms and a peek (which was again new to me ) took some time getting used to but started realising what cultural experience .
These people especially were quiet keen on knowing my side of culture as much as teaching me their side of it as well.I was taught a lot of swear words and began to understand a bit of Spanish but started forgetting my french.
Well any way 1st semester went with out many hitches still without a part time job which was a bit of concern,but hey that's life.Finally found a part time job and started spending time and money on a bit of socializing and some barley water :) .But all good times no dodgy story of trying to pull girls and getting trashed out of the club.This was partly not done because of 2 reasons i had only seen it on tele and i was still too shy for these things.
Well when I look back at it now I always think about things i didn't do that i could have done.But hey i at least did this much is what i tell myself.But i certainly missed on some easy hits as i would like to say.
Well there where some trips crammed in toward the end i travelled with some people from my country .I did see a lot but was convinced this was not my idea of seeing a place .I was more into getting to do something and understanding the locals but their idea was mearly visiting and taking loads of pics ,But hey everyone is different i respect them for that but a few crucial issues which cropped up from here did put me off.
The 2nd semester started and ended, Before i knew i was writing the exams .What i enjoyed during this period was that almost every day there used to be a conference in the kitchen where everybody was allowed their fair share of bullshit lecture .But all in good spirit which i really enjoyed .The topics ranged from politics to sex from Americanisation to spiritualisation Everyone had a opinion i was beginning to think how a room full of people with such varying mindsets and views carry such a discussion without a fight.Politicians and people from the UN u need to consult us on this issue.I got to know that there some bollywood songs extremely popular in China and my Chinese mates were dying to know the meaning because it sounded so good !!!!.I was forcibly given the job to translate one of these songs .
These evening talks as i would like to call it opened up my mind made me a broad minded thinker (i think i am broad minded)Time just flew .Exams came and went on well and then came time to choose our projects .To this day i don't know what made me choose the stream of fluid mechanics to do my dissertation .The subject i hated and dreaded failing in my undergraduate days .
"Y do u want to worry about the viscosity of water and specific gravity .Just drop it from a height and it generates power" :)
These projects brought me a close to the real life problems faced by engineers on a day to day basis.I Had to come up with some solution on my own and be innovative ;) , But anyway my supervisor was quiet impressed so that's all i really cared about at this time .There was one last surprise in store for everybody so shocking that even i never knew it would hit me like this .I was very stressed with my project work and my part time job and juggling between the two it was driving me crazy so i decided to take a break .I went mountain biking out skirts of the city with a friend .Little did i know after completing that gruesome course i will fall off that mountain breaking my wrists and a few injuries on my face, ribs and head.The impact was so hard that the helmet was cracked and i couldn't remember anything about these incidents until 3 days after.Now i had to hand my dessertation in 4 weeks and with a cracked wrist , well life has to go on.In spite of getting an extension i submitted just one day after the dead line .
Completed the job everybody happy stood the second best in the project in my class not bad ehhh.....After all this i was left with a temp job as a lab assistant to teach design to student (My supervisor was impressed).Attended various interviews i was particularly sad of loosing one of them where i went until the last round in the end to be turned down.
Never mind i got another offer to work in the same city that i was studying in so took it.Only trouble was it was a 6 month contract i said wht the hell i will take this risk.Started working in that company where i had to learn the ropes from the person leaving that job in 15 days .Well i think i did well
The most important things that i learnt in this job is to be persistent and not to let other people take advantage of u .During work i got close to the Latino lasses that i told u earlier frequent night outs and dinner parties(hmm i had some more money at my disposal now).
Well moving onn i was almost finishing i had applied for a few jobs and attended a few interviews.My sister came down to visit me i took her around Scotland and back she enjoyed it especially since it was her first trip abroad.I had almost decided to go back to my home country when i got an offer to work for another company.The job seemed exciting and the salary lets say OK.So i decided to take a 3 week break visit home and return.
Going home was a journey in itself, I had just heard about reverse culture shock but never taught it would hit me so hard.The vehicles i taught had quadrupled in 18 months .Yes the cars had increased the traffic was more worse but to see this all at once after more than a year ,IT hit me IT HIT ME HARD !!!!!!.I never will forget my journey back to my place from the airport it took about 1 hr but all this time I looked at things and realised i was a tourist in my own country worse still my own city.
The heat suddenly seemed unbearable i was sweating sitting under the fan walking around home with just my vests and shorts and still sweating unbearably.My mom particularly was concerned as to y i was sweating so much when everybody else was comfortably walking out in their jeans at 40 C .Well i taught that a heat wave had just blasted on my face after over a yr of being accustomed to cooler climate of Europe but she wouldn't take it .Well her argument was 23 YEARS of being here u should be at ease as soon as u step off the plane but i was not
18 Months of being out of home with absolute freedom it felt a bit strange to tell my parents every time i was going out and to answer their questions of when are u coming bak ?, where are u going ? what are u doing there?.I was answering them for the first few days but was not bothered after tht .
The standard answers to question where like this
MOM : Where are u going ?? when are u ..... blah blah
ME: Visit some friend and i don't know,don't know,don't know
I knew i was answering all their questions before but now something had happened to me i didn't feel the need to i felt i didn't have to answer anybody...
Change !!!!!!!!!!.It was gradual for me.But for them just to come bak home and act like this , It was sudden.Finally one day my parents came and spoke to me about it , i am glad they did. It was sort of sorted but they were not exactly happy with my answers.
Following are their observation of me after my international experience
- I argue a lot with my parents over things.
- I don't ask them any longer I make decisions on my own:)
- I take off to unknown destinations travel alone (which i was afraid of doing previously) with out even asking them .I always tell them after everything is booked hehehe(thts my secret weapon)
- I no longer spend enough quality time at home (i agree with this)
Well 3 weeks in my country was not enough to.Especially since i was forcibly made to visit all my relatives some of them that i even didn't care visiting before.So a lot of forcible feeding had taken its toll .I was beginning to get a bid fat tummy a gift of my countries hospitality.
To be honest i enjoyed my time with my cousins with whom i was really close and some of my close friends who think all i do in Europe is go around girlsss :) .Apart from this i visited my village which i used to visit every year now strangely it all looked more colourful.
It was time to get back i had a minor accident the day before i was departing but it was ok .But the bloody 8 hr wait in airport was bad but anyway i was offf.
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