I feel that it’s a bit late to write my first blog after arriving at my dream destination number 1 after getting into IIT, but I am so much enchanted by the beauty of the place and the beauties around that it is very difficult to catch some time to stick my bums to a place and start typing on my laptop. Again since there are many other things to do while in front of the screen like chatting with all buddies there in India, and sharing my lovely experiences here. And that too in a mixed up thoughts of Hindi, English, French and Punjabi. Now talking about catching hold of time, this is something really bizarre. With all the confusing time shifts, keeping in view +3h30 timeline of India to make sure that I don’t disturb my kith and kin there when it’s just sunset here. And yeah, sunsets at 9:00pm here, and when I have my dinner at 7h30 the sun is still high up in the sky reminding me of my afternoon siesta at 4 in India. But nevertheless I have started loving this place, since it rocks.
So I am in Toulouse, a beautiful city devoted to students and engineering research, especially in the field of aerospace industries in the Southern region of France. I am here for an exchange program between IIT Delhi and INSA Toulouse for one semester along with Rohit Jain, Isha Singla and Pinak Dattaray. Exchange had been my dream since I got to know about it soon after my selection to IIT, and this was the most awaited moment since the result list for selected students for exchange was displayed 6 months back.
Now quickly jumping to the day of I left from home. There was an air of anxiety and excitement all around. With instructions flying around from Mummy, Papa and Sister, to take care, keep care of my health, and call daily, and myself still struggling with my baggage. There rests a hard corner in my heart for Air France despite of its wonderful service is because of just 20 kg baggage allowance. But again there was so much to take care about – my tickets, passport, and documents and above all, not to forget any of these back at home. Anyways with nostalgia I parted from home. The next two days were comparatively smoother with still frequent calls from home to give last time instructions, wishes and lots of love just before I switched to International calling rates.
At the airport was a bit of uneasiness as I was carrying at least 5 kg more than what I was allowed to. But an engineers’ jugaad mind always works and I could sail through, with the help of some fraud right in front of airport authorities, with visions of an imaginary world behind the counters of immigration cell. There weren’t much interesting happenings for some time except a few happenings with Pinak around. Every time we passed through the formalities we looked back to see him missing or stuck up either with his pickle bottle not getting clearance or he forgetting to get his papers stamped etc.
Flight was also nothing much interesting; I spent most of my time goggling at the screen which showed the speed with which I was travelling around the globe. No doubt man has created wonders.
My French (mis)adventures started as soon as I reached my destination. We were not expecting anyone to receive us at airport but were overwhelmed to see Edith from INSA to pick up us. This was because we had no motivation to start spending Euros (the exchange rates are dire) as soon as we start our unfinanced trip. But soon she told us that she would just be carrying our luggage as she had a very small car. A very small car indeed, it was actually a two seater cargo van, like our TATA 407. It was then we proposed posing to be very adjusting to sit in the boot itself along with our bags to which she accepted with a smile. And then we took off with our jackets covering window panes to dodge French Police looking at 3 adults in a cargo boot. Can’t believe it, I was breaking French Law on the Day 1.
INSA campus is a beautiful place, quite small in front of IIT D but much better equipped with. I loved my hostel room at the first sight with a very nice view of campus lawns and some nearby hilltops from the window. There aren’t many Indians here, but lots of Brazilians. I also met two Pakistanis, who were very genial. The first night of cooking also went great. Hungry since the beginning of the day, after having missed my lunch in flight sleeping, the maggi and boiled eggs sneaked out from the common fridge tasted heavens. But it was enough to realize, after already having learnt that we won’t get cafeteria food before the beginning of next week, that we need to arrange for something more than maggi.
Our trip to Carrefour- Labege, a nearby supermarket suggested by someone, was also an adventure in itself. Firstly trying to ask the directions from people on streets, in a jumbled up French we had managed to learn before. And then getting into the bus number 108 (our favorite for some reasons) without a ticket or card, again trying to save some bucks, by entering as casually as others, greeting the driver with a hilarious ‘Bonjour’ and plastic smile on face all the time. Then we discovered that these magic words ‘Bonjour’ ‘S’il vous plait’ ‘merci’ and ‘au revoir’ can conjure any spell. The French cheek kiss is also bliss. And they can be used with a complete stranger and the person will be all yours. The French I must say are very nice and helping in nature. The supermarket was a big place, with practically anything available that one thinks of. We quickly bought some things to make our weeks ration and came back.
The next module is about something I am missing since I started to write this. The night parties at INSA. A mini bar and disco just facing out hostel building is a place used by students here to vent of their energies. They party very frequently, they drink a lot, they dance a lot. The parties usually have a theme and guys put on costumes in accord to the theme. And this is most creative and interesting part of the time. Such parties shall be called indecent in India, but for us this was a new experience and a place to make a lot of contacts. And yeah, sale de boom rocks.
By the end of the week we were finished with the formalities and registration etc. Here I realized that Exchange students are really important, and represent a Republic nation, hence the hosts don’t have much right to decline their demands. Hehe. Soon we started eating in INSA cafeteria and I have just few things to say about it, Delicious, mouth watering, yummy, and also sometimes giving chills as to how will I manage to dare eat at IIT mess.
INSA took us for a visit to Airbus headquarters where we had live before us the making of super jet jumbos A380. Again man proved his excellence over Laws of physics by making some thing like that fly. The weekend went great with friends who had arrived from Albi and Nimes to visit Toulouse. We had a fully packed and tiring schedule to cover almost all the important chapels, eglises, cathedrals and museums of ‘belle ville- le ville rouge- Toulouse’.
Last week passed out in selecting my courses. Weirdest of all is the classroom structure here, and I am not at all motivated to write about it. But using my prerogatives, I declare that it was really a hard time, which is still continuing as confusion hasn’t disappeared completely. Planning the timetable concurrently in accord with IIT credit system and crap here is next to impossible. And when one gets a Department Advisor like the one I have, it’s better to let things be cooked on their own fate. However M. Sicard, Deputy Director of DRI, by god’s grace happens to be of my ‘Genie’ and keeps bucking me up from time to time, offering all help, he is capable of, anytime.
Last Friday I attended my first class. Offf, in French. A professor having high resemblance to Tom Hanks of Da Vinci Code came to explain what all he was going to take up in upcoming classes. His French was really difficult and I tried hard to keep my ears up and not to get hit by slumber mace. But it was not a bad experience after all. A bit because it was something unexpected ( though I don’t know why I expected something different), a bit because I was happy to be there, and a lot because I was waiting for a recharging weekend at Bordeaux’s vine yards and Beaches of La Rochelle. Yipee Yipee !!!
So I am in Toulouse, a beautiful city devoted to students and engineering research, especially in the field of aerospace industries in the Southern region of France. I am here for an exchange program between IIT Delhi and INSA Toulouse for one semester along with Rohit Jain, Isha Singla and Pinak Dattaray. Exchange had been my dream since I got to know about it soon after my selection to IIT, and this was the most awaited moment since the result list for selected students for exchange was displayed 6 months back.
Now quickly jumping to the day of I left from home. There was an air of anxiety and excitement all around. With instructions flying around from Mummy, Papa and Sister, to take care, keep care of my health, and call daily, and myself still struggling with my baggage. There rests a hard corner in my heart for Air France despite of its wonderful service is because of just 20 kg baggage allowance. But again there was so much to take care about – my tickets, passport, and documents and above all, not to forget any of these back at home. Anyways with nostalgia I parted from home. The next two days were comparatively smoother with still frequent calls from home to give last time instructions, wishes and lots of love just before I switched to International calling rates.
At the airport was a bit of uneasiness as I was carrying at least 5 kg more than what I was allowed to. But an engineers’ jugaad mind always works and I could sail through, with the help of some fraud right in front of airport authorities, with visions of an imaginary world behind the counters of immigration cell. There weren’t much interesting happenings for some time except a few happenings with Pinak around. Every time we passed through the formalities we looked back to see him missing or stuck up either with his pickle bottle not getting clearance or he forgetting to get his papers stamped etc.
Flight was also nothing much interesting; I spent most of my time goggling at the screen which showed the speed with which I was travelling around the globe. No doubt man has created wonders.
My French (mis)adventures started as soon as I reached my destination. We were not expecting anyone to receive us at airport but were overwhelmed to see Edith from INSA to pick up us. This was because we had no motivation to start spending Euros (the exchange rates are dire) as soon as we start our unfinanced trip. But soon she told us that she would just be carrying our luggage as she had a very small car. A very small car indeed, it was actually a two seater cargo van, like our TATA 407. It was then we proposed posing to be very adjusting to sit in the boot itself along with our bags to which she accepted with a smile. And then we took off with our jackets covering window panes to dodge French Police looking at 3 adults in a cargo boot. Can’t believe it, I was breaking French Law on the Day 1.
INSA campus is a beautiful place, quite small in front of IIT D but much better equipped with. I loved my hostel room at the first sight with a very nice view of campus lawns and some nearby hilltops from the window. There aren’t many Indians here, but lots of Brazilians. I also met two Pakistanis, who were very genial. The first night of cooking also went great. Hungry since the beginning of the day, after having missed my lunch in flight sleeping, the maggi and boiled eggs sneaked out from the common fridge tasted heavens. But it was enough to realize, after already having learnt that we won’t get cafeteria food before the beginning of next week, that we need to arrange for something more than maggi.
Our trip to Carrefour- Labege, a nearby supermarket suggested by someone, was also an adventure in itself. Firstly trying to ask the directions from people on streets, in a jumbled up French we had managed to learn before. And then getting into the bus number 108 (our favorite for some reasons) without a ticket or card, again trying to save some bucks, by entering as casually as others, greeting the driver with a hilarious ‘Bonjour’ and plastic smile on face all the time. Then we discovered that these magic words ‘Bonjour’ ‘S’il vous plait’ ‘merci’ and ‘au revoir’ can conjure any spell. The French cheek kiss is also bliss. And they can be used with a complete stranger and the person will be all yours. The French I must say are very nice and helping in nature. The supermarket was a big place, with practically anything available that one thinks of. We quickly bought some things to make our weeks ration and came back.
The next module is about something I am missing since I started to write this. The night parties at INSA. A mini bar and disco just facing out hostel building is a place used by students here to vent of their energies. They party very frequently, they drink a lot, they dance a lot. The parties usually have a theme and guys put on costumes in accord to the theme. And this is most creative and interesting part of the time. Such parties shall be called indecent in India, but for us this was a new experience and a place to make a lot of contacts. And yeah, sale de boom rocks.
By the end of the week we were finished with the formalities and registration etc. Here I realized that Exchange students are really important, and represent a Republic nation, hence the hosts don’t have much right to decline their demands. Hehe. Soon we started eating in INSA cafeteria and I have just few things to say about it, Delicious, mouth watering, yummy, and also sometimes giving chills as to how will I manage to dare eat at IIT mess.
INSA took us for a visit to Airbus headquarters where we had live before us the making of super jet jumbos A380. Again man proved his excellence over Laws of physics by making some thing like that fly. The weekend went great with friends who had arrived from Albi and Nimes to visit Toulouse. We had a fully packed and tiring schedule to cover almost all the important chapels, eglises, cathedrals and museums of ‘belle ville- le ville rouge- Toulouse’.
Last week passed out in selecting my courses. Weirdest of all is the classroom structure here, and I am not at all motivated to write about it. But using my prerogatives, I declare that it was really a hard time, which is still continuing as confusion hasn’t disappeared completely. Planning the timetable concurrently in accord with IIT credit system and crap here is next to impossible. And when one gets a Department Advisor like the one I have, it’s better to let things be cooked on their own fate. However M. Sicard, Deputy Director of DRI, by god’s grace happens to be of my ‘Genie’ and keeps bucking me up from time to time, offering all help, he is capable of, anytime.
Last Friday I attended my first class. Offf, in French. A professor having high resemblance to Tom Hanks of Da Vinci Code came to explain what all he was going to take up in upcoming classes. His French was really difficult and I tried hard to keep my ears up and not to get hit by slumber mace. But it was not a bad experience after all. A bit because it was something unexpected ( though I don’t know why I expected something different), a bit because I was happy to be there, and a lot because I was waiting for a recharging weekend at Bordeaux’s vine yards and Beaches of La Rochelle. Yipee Yipee !!!
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