Seems kinda wired to say "Trip Back Home"..... Coz Ann Arbor is home now.But I guess India will always be home, the place where all my childhood memories lie, and probably where my future is too. Anyway, so back to the trip. I had an awesome time. I went to Delhi, Bangalore, Katmandu, and Kolkata. It was fun meeting with family and friends. Everyone treats you like you are a princess, and have returned from a long journey. The elders had questions like "how do you cook?", "How many friends do you have", etc. Friends and cousins were more interested in whether or not I had any cute guy friends, and how class was.
Lemme write more about Nepal. We went to Katmandu and stayed in Soaltee, which has one of the best casinos in Nepal. There isnt really much to see around Katmandu. We went to the Pashupatinath temple, and went to see a few hotels. Besides that, we spent every night at the casino. Since the currency in Nepal is cheaper than the Indian currency, it was not too expensive to play. I was at the casino for 4 nights, and didnt loose any money overall. Lost on the first day, but gained it all back the next. It was a good holiday, and I got to spend some quality time with my family.
I was in Bangalore for 10 days. Got to catch up with old friends. Most of my friends from undergrad are now in Bangalore, as are all my friends from school.
In Kolkata, I attended a party every single day. Winter is party season in Kolkata, when people have parties in their garden and enjoy the weather.
My holiday was basically uneventful, and totally fun !
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Travelling on the busiest travel day in the US
Today I had an experience which was one I'll remember in a long time.. and this was probably the worst day in US till now !
The Monday after Thanksgiving is supposed to be the busiest day in the US for air travel. All flights are almost full.
My day began at 4a.m coz I had a flight from Chapel Hill to Detroit at 6a.m. After checking in and taking a really really long at the security queue(it was as bad as Indian security queues are in the mornings, probably much worse), I reached my gate at 6:01 a.m. Obviously, the flight had left.
They then booked me on a flight at Philadelphia, and from there to Detroit, at 8:30 a.m. For some strange reason my voicemail on my phone wasn't working, and I wasnt able to check it until I got back to Michigan. I recieved a call at 7:30 a.m which i somehow missed. At 8, I walked up to the departure gate, and was told that the flight had been cancelled, and they had left me a voice mail. I was tavelling US Airways. They then said that they could book me on a Northwest flight which went directly to Detroit, which would be around 1 p.m. But for that, I had to go out to the check in area and get a boarding pass reissued (They said my baggage would be transferred, I didnt have to worry about that).
Again, I had to go through the long security line(it was shorter than morning but still took m about half an hour to get thru). After an excrutiatingly long wait, this flight finally took off pretty much on time.
The bad thing about US airlines is that they dont serve food in flight.
Anyway upon my arrival at Detroit, I went to the luggage claim area. All the baggages were claimed, and mine didnt come. I went to the Northwest baggage counter, and they said they didnt know where my luggage was, and I had to file a complaint. To top all this, once I had given all my details to file the claim, the computer got turned off accidentally, and I had to wait for 20 mins before I could give them all my details again !
It was snowing in Ann Arbor when I arrived here ( No, it wasnt snowing when I left, it was pretty warm, so obviously I didnt have a thick jacket or gloves with me).
Iv never felt so good about arriving home ! After this long day, I hope my baggage will arrive, and in one piece.
The Monday after Thanksgiving is supposed to be the busiest day in the US for air travel. All flights are almost full.
My day began at 4a.m coz I had a flight from Chapel Hill to Detroit at 6a.m. After checking in and taking a really really long at the security queue(it was as bad as Indian security queues are in the mornings, probably much worse), I reached my gate at 6:01 a.m. Obviously, the flight had left.
They then booked me on a flight at Philadelphia, and from there to Detroit, at 8:30 a.m. For some strange reason my voicemail on my phone wasn't working, and I wasnt able to check it until I got back to Michigan. I recieved a call at 7:30 a.m which i somehow missed. At 8, I walked up to the departure gate, and was told that the flight had been cancelled, and they had left me a voice mail. I was tavelling US Airways. They then said that they could book me on a Northwest flight which went directly to Detroit, which would be around 1 p.m. But for that, I had to go out to the check in area and get a boarding pass reissued (They said my baggage would be transferred, I didnt have to worry about that).
Again, I had to go through the long security line(it was shorter than morning but still took m about half an hour to get thru). After an excrutiatingly long wait, this flight finally took off pretty much on time.
The bad thing about US airlines is that they dont serve food in flight.
Anyway upon my arrival at Detroit, I went to the luggage claim area. All the baggages were claimed, and mine didnt come. I went to the Northwest baggage counter, and they said they didnt know where my luggage was, and I had to file a complaint. To top all this, once I had given all my details to file the claim, the computer got turned off accidentally, and I had to wait for 20 mins before I could give them all my details again !
It was snowing in Ann Arbor when I arrived here ( No, it wasnt snowing when I left, it was pretty warm, so obviously I didnt have a thick jacket or gloves with me).
Iv never felt so good about arriving home ! After this long day, I hope my baggage will arrive, and in one piece.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Diwali away from home....
Diwali is one the of the main Indian festivals.We celebrate at home in great style... lighting up the entire house with little lamps called diyas, wearing indian clothes, visiting elders, and doing puja among other things. I thought Diwali in Ann Arbor will be dull and dry, with nothing much to do. We decided to cook good food and call all our friends over. At least there would be something to do on Diwali then.We also decided we would go to the Hindu Temple at Canton, and to a party hosted by the Indian Students Association.
The day before Diwali, we cleaned up our entire house. It is a tradition to have a clean house on Diwali. The entire gang came home for lunch, we made Indian Food and Indian sweets. We then got dressed in Indian clothes(salwar kurta). It was fun dressing up, with my roommates n I fussing over each other. We lit up our house with Diyas, and did a small puja at home. We then drove down to the Hindu Temple at Canton. The atmosphere there was really good, I was amazed to see so many Indians all dressed up and at the temple. There was also the Diwali puja going on. We attended the puja for half an hour, and then left for the ISA party. A couple of my friends from America,Germany,China an UAE also came with us for the party. My friend from China, Jiang, actually wore a saree ! There was a cultural program, followed by an amazing spread of indian cuisine. After that, there was a dance party, with hindi music. It was great to see everyone, even people who are usually very serious, come out of their shells and dance !
There wasnt even a moment on Diwali when I was alone and missed home. Here in Ann Arbor, friends are family. It is they who are with you when you need someone. I had an awesome Diwali, my first away from home, and a very memorable one !
The day before Diwali, we cleaned up our entire house. It is a tradition to have a clean house on Diwali. The entire gang came home for lunch, we made Indian Food and Indian sweets. We then got dressed in Indian clothes(salwar kurta). It was fun dressing up, with my roommates n I fussing over each other. We lit up our house with Diyas, and did a small puja at home. We then drove down to the Hindu Temple at Canton. The atmosphere there was really good, I was amazed to see so many Indians all dressed up and at the temple. There was also the Diwali puja going on. We attended the puja for half an hour, and then left for the ISA party. A couple of my friends from America,Germany,China an UAE also came with us for the party. My friend from China, Jiang, actually wore a saree ! There was a cultural program, followed by an amazing spread of indian cuisine. After that, there was a dance party, with hindi music. It was great to see everyone, even people who are usually very serious, come out of their shells and dance !
There wasnt even a moment on Diwali when I was alone and missed home. Here in Ann Arbor, friends are family. It is they who are with you when you need someone. I had an awesome Diwali, my first away from home, and a very memorable one !
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The first snow !
I had an early lecture this morning. As i was ready to get out, it started to rain... and then it started to snow ! This was the first snow of the winter..very mild.. but snow nonetheless ! For someone coming from India, where it doesnt snow at all... the experience was exciting ! I got into my thick jacket (luckily iv finished up with winter shopping so Im prepared for the winter), and left the house. The white flakes kept falling on my head as i walked towards the bus stop. I tried to catch a couple but wasnt able to....the snow was too mild.....
I am now looking forward to the winter...and lots and lots of snow !
The temperatures have dropped ... with night temperatures going down to -4 degrees centigrade. It is really nice to go for walks in the cold with a jacket on...the wind blows into your face and keeps you on the move.
I am now looking forward to the winter...and lots and lots of snow !
The temperatures have dropped ... with night temperatures going down to -4 degrees centigrade. It is really nice to go for walks in the cold with a jacket on...the wind blows into your face and keeps you on the move.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Work and fun !!
I am sitting at 12 am in the library and writing this post.........
The past week has been pretty hectic, and pretty much fun too. We have classes where we need to do group projects, and theres a class where we do yoga too ! It might seem strange... but it is kinda funn.. its basically a way to get from the passive lecture mode to the activity mode ! Almost all classes have group discussion sections... we actually have to read n go for these... something thats taking a lot of getting used to... just NOT used to doing homework and reading.
I have heard so much from peers about the group projects and affinity diagrams and other stuff, Im looking forward to doing all that.. will surely write about it when it comes along. I have also decided to participate in a design contest called CHI, and this years topic is homelessness. Google it out if u want more info, and email me if you have any ideas :)
Well its not been an all study week, theres been a lot of fun too! We had an Indian students association meeting today, where we watched CHak De. It was fun to watch it here, give you a sense of being proud of India.
The cold is now setting in,the temperatures go down to 6 degree Centigrade(maybe, but pple here are still pretty much in their shorts). I have just returned from a walk outside, with a hot cup of drinking chocolate, and a nice group of friends. Sounds great doesnt it? well it is. Besides this, there was also a karaoke night, and we learnt a bit of salsa. :)
I guesss I'll sign off now, and try to get back to studying, got lots of assignments and readnigs to do for this week.
n OH YA ! INDIA WON THEIR TWENTY 20 MATCH AGAINST PAKISTANN IN THE MOST AMAZING MANNER ! ! ! (This is the spirit of India... once an Indian ALWAYS an Indian !!)
The past week has been pretty hectic, and pretty much fun too. We have classes where we need to do group projects, and theres a class where we do yoga too ! It might seem strange... but it is kinda funn.. its basically a way to get from the passive lecture mode to the activity mode ! Almost all classes have group discussion sections... we actually have to read n go for these... something thats taking a lot of getting used to... just NOT used to doing homework and reading.
I have heard so much from peers about the group projects and affinity diagrams and other stuff, Im looking forward to doing all that.. will surely write about it when it comes along. I have also decided to participate in a design contest called CHI, and this years topic is homelessness. Google it out if u want more info, and email me if you have any ideas :)
Well its not been an all study week, theres been a lot of fun too! We had an Indian students association meeting today, where we watched CHak De. It was fun to watch it here, give you a sense of being proud of India.
The cold is now setting in,the temperatures go down to 6 degree Centigrade(maybe, but pple here are still pretty much in their shorts). I have just returned from a walk outside, with a hot cup of drinking chocolate, and a nice group of friends. Sounds great doesnt it? well it is. Besides this, there was also a karaoke night, and we learnt a bit of salsa. :)
I guesss I'll sign off now, and try to get back to studying, got lots of assignments and readnigs to do for this week.
n OH YA ! INDIA WON THEIR TWENTY 20 MATCH AGAINST PAKISTANN IN THE MOST AMAZING MANNER ! ! ! (This is the spirit of India... once an Indian ALWAYS an Indian !!)
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Please lave ur email id with comments
hi... I have got some comments where pple have asked questions but havent left their email ID.. so if u have specific questions then please post ur email id along with ur comment... i promise i'll reply if i have an answer. Thanx.
The fortnight that was....
For regular followers of my blog... sorry I havent blogged as I had promised I would when Im in the US. I just havent been in the mood to write... so much has been going around me... Am kinda just settling in to the new life.
Taking a friends suggestion n naming the post "The fortnight that was.... "
Life as an international student at Umich is not exactly very easy, as you might realise when u read on. There are so many formalities to complete, TB test to be taken, etc. There is trivial stuff such as finding out the best routes to places,figuring out where your classes are,finding the closest grocery store, or even figuring out what cereal to buy :) It all adds up to some really hectic days around here.
We have kind of settled in to our apartment now. The place Im living in feels more like a mini India, which is good. Helps avoid feeling homesick.
Last week was full of orientations and parties. We had some international center orientations, our school orientations, and the university orientation. Got a lot of chance to interact with our seniors and lecturers. The weird thing here is that you call most of the professors by their first name, something we are just not used to doing in India.And we have a mentor, who helps in deciding what courses you should take up, etc. Deciding courses is again a difficult task, coz we're just not used to being given so much choice.
To help decide, we have been advised to do "Class Shopping". This is a system where you can actually attend all the classes you would like to in the first week, and then decide whether you want to add that class or drop some class or whatever. Another thing we're not used to back in India is doing homework and reading before a class. There is some required reading that we have been given, to be done before attending a class. This is something Iv never done, so it felt strange. But I also realised that doing your background work does make the class easier to understand.
All Iv been doing this week is attend classes, speak to professors, and try to figure out whats actually going on. The entire study environment is so different from what I am used to. The classes are much more interactive, almost all classes Iv gone to till now use presentations for lectures, and we are encouraged to get out laptops to class.
I think Iv said a lot on studies, something thats kinda gonna fill my blog in the days to come as well, so maybe I should move on to the parties Iv attended.We went to a frat party (which is supposed to be a house party organised by fraternities for undergraduate students, but we just got in by pleading and using some resources). Also there was this thing called umix, where they had free games and food n other stuff. Besides these, there have been several parties going on to welcome the freshers. We attended a couple of others as well, and did a lot of roaming around in the downtown area.
Besides parties and studies, Iv just been networking, making friends, and SHOPPING ! I have shopped for a lot of clothes (pple who know me will say..tat cant b true..but believe me it is... ) There were some crazy sales going on at Aeropostale and Old Navy and stuff, so did a whole lot of shopping.
I guess the coming weeks will be more interesting, as a lot of u have asked me what difference I find in the teaching methods n stuff. I will surely keep writing as I get more into classes. As for now..... this is it.
Taking a friends suggestion n naming the post "The fortnight that was.... "
Life as an international student at Umich is not exactly very easy, as you might realise when u read on. There are so many formalities to complete, TB test to be taken, etc. There is trivial stuff such as finding out the best routes to places,figuring out where your classes are,finding the closest grocery store, or even figuring out what cereal to buy :) It all adds up to some really hectic days around here.
We have kind of settled in to our apartment now. The place Im living in feels more like a mini India, which is good. Helps avoid feeling homesick.
Last week was full of orientations and parties. We had some international center orientations, our school orientations, and the university orientation. Got a lot of chance to interact with our seniors and lecturers. The weird thing here is that you call most of the professors by their first name, something we are just not used to doing in India.And we have a mentor, who helps in deciding what courses you should take up, etc. Deciding courses is again a difficult task, coz we're just not used to being given so much choice.
To help decide, we have been advised to do "Class Shopping". This is a system where you can actually attend all the classes you would like to in the first week, and then decide whether you want to add that class or drop some class or whatever. Another thing we're not used to back in India is doing homework and reading before a class. There is some required reading that we have been given, to be done before attending a class. This is something Iv never done, so it felt strange. But I also realised that doing your background work does make the class easier to understand.
All Iv been doing this week is attend classes, speak to professors, and try to figure out whats actually going on. The entire study environment is so different from what I am used to. The classes are much more interactive, almost all classes Iv gone to till now use presentations for lectures, and we are encouraged to get out laptops to class.
I think Iv said a lot on studies, something thats kinda gonna fill my blog in the days to come as well, so maybe I should move on to the parties Iv attended.We went to a frat party (which is supposed to be a house party organised by fraternities for undergraduate students, but we just got in by pleading and using some resources). Also there was this thing called umix, where they had free games and food n other stuff. Besides these, there have been several parties going on to welcome the freshers. We attended a couple of others as well, and did a lot of roaming around in the downtown area.
Besides parties and studies, Iv just been networking, making friends, and SHOPPING ! I have shopped for a lot of clothes (pple who know me will say..tat cant b true..but believe me it is... ) There were some crazy sales going on at Aeropostale and Old Navy and stuff, so did a whole lot of shopping.
I guess the coming weeks will be more interesting, as a lot of u have asked me what difference I find in the teaching methods n stuff. I will surely keep writing as I get more into classes. As for now..... this is it.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
pics
d pics of my apt have come in... if any1 wants to chk them out email me.. i'll give u d link...
Friday, August 24, 2007
Apartment finally furnished !
lyin down on a comfortable bed after days of hard work.........I finally know how this feels !
Its just been 3 days here..but the last 3 days have been the most hectic... Never have I shopped so much.... n never have I actually worked so hard !
It all started when we went to buy furniture. We went to IKEA... which is like the largest furniture store around here. You have a HUGE shop filled with furniture for ur house.They really do know hwo to make it hard to decide :)
Anyway we went around selecting our beds and lights n stuff. At each selection we were given aisle nos n bin nos.Little did I know what was in store for me ! once ur done with selecting...you gotta actually go to the given aisle no n bin no n pick up d item ! we had to carry an unassembled bed, chest of drawers, etc, all on our own !
This was a lesson learnt, n next time we gotta go for such a thing we'll take a strong guy along :) Thankfully Ikea has home delivery for a fee,else we wudve had to carry all that really heavy stuff to out third floor apartment !
Once that was done we went to Meijers.,a department store, for supplies. Theres so much choice... you have like 40 different kinds of breakfast cereals to choose from, 20 types of shampoos frm Garnier,etc.We took about 3 hours to shop, but finally we were done.
Our furniture was delivered today. It was all unassembled. It was fun following the instructions and assembling the beds and tables n stuff. It was much much tougher than it looked,n very tiring.We spent almost the entire day putting things together, and the end result was a fully furnished, livable house. We also had the international student check in program today, which tells u abt the insurance u need to take n other relevant stuff. I didnt know healthcare in the US was so expensive !
n one more thing for pple coming in..Please get enough food packets to last u at least a week, coz initially ur not gonna be cooking. It takes time to set things up.
Tjere4s loads to wrtie but im just super tired rt nw.. I'll be back with more later ! Signin off...
Its just been 3 days here..but the last 3 days have been the most hectic... Never have I shopped so much.... n never have I actually worked so hard !
It all started when we went to buy furniture. We went to IKEA... which is like the largest furniture store around here. You have a HUGE shop filled with furniture for ur house.They really do know hwo to make it hard to decide :)
Anyway we went around selecting our beds and lights n stuff. At each selection we were given aisle nos n bin nos.Little did I know what was in store for me ! once ur done with selecting...you gotta actually go to the given aisle no n bin no n pick up d item ! we had to carry an unassembled bed, chest of drawers, etc, all on our own !
This was a lesson learnt, n next time we gotta go for such a thing we'll take a strong guy along :) Thankfully Ikea has home delivery for a fee,else we wudve had to carry all that really heavy stuff to out third floor apartment !
Once that was done we went to Meijers.,a department store, for supplies. Theres so much choice... you have like 40 different kinds of breakfast cereals to choose from, 20 types of shampoos frm Garnier,etc.We took about 3 hours to shop, but finally we were done.
Our furniture was delivered today. It was all unassembled. It was fun following the instructions and assembling the beds and tables n stuff. It was much much tougher than it looked,n very tiring.We spent almost the entire day putting things together, and the end result was a fully furnished, livable house. We also had the international student check in program today, which tells u abt the insurance u need to take n other relevant stuff. I didnt know healthcare in the US was so expensive !
n one more thing for pple coming in..Please get enough food packets to last u at least a week, coz initially ur not gonna be cooking. It takes time to set things up.
Tjere4s loads to wrtie but im just super tired rt nw.. I'll be back with more later ! Signin off...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Finally in Ann Arbor
Iv finally reached AA.....
The drive from Detroit airport was awesome... the roads n cars r superb ! This place is very green....
Im living at Willowtree Gardens. This is where half the indians are supposed to be living. The place seems nice..though its really hard to say as of now...coz after all its only my first day here.
Living in a temporary accomodation rt now (with some other students at their apt)... Will be moving into my apt today.
Ok lemme write abt my flight. I had taken Lufthansa, Kolkata-Frankfurt-Detroit.
I got upgraded to business class for the Kolkata-Frankfurt sector. The seats become almost 180 degrees flat, the movie selection is very good,you can watch as n when u please, pause or fwd parts of d movie, etc. And the food and service r also amazing !
It was a worthwhile experience.
The second flight was in economy class. Lufthansa doesnt have personal TVs there.. do it got kinda boring coz u had to watch the movies that they had on. and the vegetarian food was also bad.
Anyway so after a loong journey of 22 hrs, I reached Detroit Airport. I had a couple of pple from the same univ with me, n we were supposed to come to AA together. The immigration and customs took about 2 hours to clear. U need to tell them ur bringing food.. theyre pretty ok n let u go.
We had asked the Indian Students Association to send an airport pickup.
Upon getting here I was oso tired that I really couldnt do much.
Today is the day of the new beginning.............
The drive from Detroit airport was awesome... the roads n cars r superb ! This place is very green....
Im living at Willowtree Gardens. This is where half the indians are supposed to be living. The place seems nice..though its really hard to say as of now...coz after all its only my first day here.
Living in a temporary accomodation rt now (with some other students at their apt)... Will be moving into my apt today.
Ok lemme write abt my flight. I had taken Lufthansa, Kolkata-Frankfurt-Detroit.
I got upgraded to business class for the Kolkata-Frankfurt sector. The seats become almost 180 degrees flat, the movie selection is very good,you can watch as n when u please, pause or fwd parts of d movie, etc. And the food and service r also amazing !
It was a worthwhile experience.
The second flight was in economy class. Lufthansa doesnt have personal TVs there.. do it got kinda boring coz u had to watch the movies that they had on. and the vegetarian food was also bad.
Anyway so after a loong journey of 22 hrs, I reached Detroit Airport. I had a couple of pple from the same univ with me, n we were supposed to come to AA together. The immigration and customs took about 2 hours to clear. U need to tell them ur bringing food.. theyre pretty ok n let u go.
We had asked the Indian Students Association to send an airport pickup.
Upon getting here I was oso tired that I really couldnt do much.
Today is the day of the new beginning.............
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