All in A Day's Work

Routine is beautiful. Im a fan. It helps me live better and breathe better too. Usually, that is.

But since the time we got here, i havent been able to set one for myself. it is something i wasnt able to control myself. For in a new land, things will be different and take time to get used. Fair enough. one month passed. Full of fun, frolic and all that jazz.

Honestly Im not a fan. The too much fun makes me guilty and feels like a waste of time. So finally, when routine came into existence, i was probably beaming with joy. Its still not the same everyday, things move around, can be unpredictable, but it is something.

Morning are spent either waking up with a start, or lazily. With a start most of the times. Followed by 'work' on the computer with a laptop breakfast, or getting ready for a class. we live almost an hour away from the university and it involves the change of a train. So make most of it, i end up either saying my prayers on the ride or trying to read up something. i used to sketch, but it got difficult.
A class in german follows, with an english summary. Through the whole class, my eyes search for a familiar word or a sentence. Doesnt usually work. After that, some discussions happen again, in German. Lunch is at the Mensa, the student cafeteria. It usually is good and filling.  After that there is another class after an hours gap or so, but the break is spent in the library or some sort of purposeful thing.

Heading back home is usually cold. The wind can almost kill sometimes and i would freeze soon. The ride home is spent taking a nap or writing a blog post as a draft msg. Works very well. (this one is an example). Dinner is the only meal close to being home cooked, but most of the times I mess that upto. The whole process is tiring, some chopping vegs, cooking them, eating and then cleaning up. Takes almost an hour.

This is followed by some mindless time on the internet, a chat or a serial to catch up with, and then obviously feeling guilty about it. there are intermittent periods of working as well.  But it is tiring. A book reading session is something I do everynight before I sleep, something I think works best to sleep well.

Inspite of my desperate attempts at trying to maintain a routine, most of the time its not the same. Which is quite scary. Im worried. About my productivity and my courses. I waste time worrying as well. But its all in a days work. Can only hope to cope and manage.

One Language

Its funny when someone says 'oh you are Indian, you speak very good English. How come you talk to each other in English and not in Indian?' Well honestly, I think I ask question to myself almost everyday (especially after coming to a foreign land).

Its strange how we four, converse only in English and almost nothing else. Our cultural and geographical differences dont let us speak in one language. We dont have a common thread and we are all different drastically from each other, not just the way we talk, but also the way we communicate and the way we look at things. Even with our ages being relatively on the same average, we are very very different people, just from the same country. Thats where it ends.

Having said that, its a pity that we dont talk to each other in the same local language and we take the help of whats here called a 'foreign' language'. Back home too it is a foreign language, but is not treated like one. The creeping in of English in our everyday Indian lives has left us dependent on it and in some way struggling for unity. Personally I feel bad for us, its more of a shame than anything else. I dont mean any offence to anyone or anything. Its a personal opinion.

Globally, every country has its own language and thats what I have seen here as well. The Chinese talk to each other in Chinese only, the Japanese in Japanese only, the French, in French only, iItalians in Italian only, so and so forth. Barring the fact that language, first, is a barrier, it is also something that collects people together and helps them identify themselves. Thats usually a good thing.

Somehow, I still feel uncomfortable that geographical differences are our only cause of such a division.

Super Germans

Thats what I call them here. To say that I am impressed with the way people live their lives would be an understatement.

Everything is properly planned, accounted for and dealt with in a beautiful manner. Organised meticulously and thoughtfully, the routine is becomes as beautiful as the work and people. An ordinary day that involves work, play and party perfectly. They are never late, always impeccably turned out and with work done. Its not just a work thing, its a student thing as well. They work, they jog, they shop, they play, they drink beer, they entertain, they take care of kids, all of it.

Everyone has a planner or a diary of sorts, where everything is written, planned and accounted for. Its something that I practised back home,(from a diary to to do lists, et all) and felt strange about it. But here, it feels just as awesome. Only thing, I cant do it as much and as well.

I sometimes wonder how they actually manage everything. It must require some special planning and tools. Or maybe its just a way of living, incorporated beautifully for everyone.

Its something I will always struggle to achieve, perfection in almost everything.

Appreciation & Comparison

While we live in an entirely new environment, culture and system, its obvious that things will not go our way and we may not like everything that is around us. But I think we must appreciate what has been provided to us, however frustrating and annoying it may get.

I say this because, I for myself, lose hope and get annoyed with things if they are not going ok. Its a new experience and all a part of learning. We must appreciate everything and learn from it along the way. If the experience is bad, it would be best to treat it as a learning one. Its not something I do always, but I'm hoping to soon.

Everywhere we go its German. Obviously it will be. German people, German language, German classes, German lessons. Honestly, it is difficult to get used to an entirely new language and system and then hope to cope. But thats the reason why we are here, to learn from everything around us. Appreciation of things around, from classes, faculty, products, people, systems will only help.

A mere comparison between cultures and nations works for a while, but beyond that I think its positively called whining. Isn't it about learning from all spheres and experiences, however hard they maybe and however 'not-so-nice' they maybe in our dictionary. Comparisons work, if one wants to leave it at just that. Acceptance from the new system will also come only when one is ready to learn.

Its a pity how much time we waste on comparing, stereotyping, whining and complaining, when we should be having more of an acceptance and appreciation priority on the agenda. Its that moment when I say 'Get over it'. 

Who Are We

Stereotypically speaking, I'm now to believe that world does live on what sounds & looks familiar to them. It is very hard to accept that sometimes, especially if you are involved in it. Or your country is.

What one associates with a place and its people are directly related to what has been shown to them. Once an Indian, always an Indian. Its difficult to explain to someone how India is more than Bollywood, snake charmers and the evil act of Sati. Its probably a two way deal , because all I ever knew of Germany was Volkswagen and Adolf. But there is way more beyond it. I knew that and I wasn't surprised. In a way, I was prepared for it.

People are not what you think, or whats been told to you. Its indeed important that as ambassadors of the country, we promote whats more than just stereotypical. Its a way of identification though, and works a lot of times. its a tug of war in my head as I fight to say what we are and who we are.

More than just fun

Contrary to popular belief, im not just having a good time. Its like a disclaimer that comes with a deal. We are all prepared for it, but sometimes just dont know how to deal with certain things. I agree that we are all grown up and should now to cope with change, especially if you get such an opportunity.

But still its not easy. Its multi tasking at its best. from the first minute of getting up, everything is something we work for, and work hard for. Its not very different from back home, but it is different. From thinking about every meal, every dish to be washed, every thing to be bought and ofcourse every word to be said.  Coping with the language and cultural differences, comprehending whats been instructed, analysing every word said, planning a class, a project, everything is to be done in what I now call 'the other way'. The classic way of solving a problem will most definitely not work and yeah, you've got to learn. No, im not complaining, not even bit. Its great. Its an experience and worth living and loving every minute.

Its probably because we have been brought up in such a way (culture, environment, family and society) that allows us liberties of being what I can call 'spoon fed'. Its true and I have realised that very well. What it does, is leaves you irresponsible and unsensitive, something we must grow out of. We most definitely should.

So every new day here maybe beautifully awesome, filled with fun and pictures and all that, it is still a struggle in some sort of way to make it through, with a beautiful lesson.

Indian No.1

It would have been strange if there had been no Indian that I met here in my first month. Almost at the fag end of it, we spotted a couple at the train station. Not every difficult to identify. We somehow, randomly and with a huge bias concluded that they were not living living but were here on a visit. Darn.

A couple of days later we were at our favourite Icecream joint, just on the street next to where we live/ We walked into the parlour, with a small lil icecream each and all loud, almost creating a cacaphony, discussing random things under the sun. The owner walked to the table and asked us where we come from. Sheepishly we replied Indian. He then gave a huge smile, looked back and said, 'He too is from India'.

Enter RInku. He gave us a huge smiled and started immediately in Hindi, almost confessing that he thought we were from Bangladesh since we spoke to each other only in English. We on the other hand couldnt stop smiling at him. It was so exciting to meet a living Indian and talk to him. I felt at home speaking all the time in Hindi and asking about him and telling him about us.

He works at the icecream parlour, has a family here, speaks a lot of German, owns a car and very very happy to be here. He too was excited to see us, and mentioned how much he contemplated talking to us or not and asking us where we were from. He also rattled of names of Indian shops and discos that we could visit. 

When it was time to leave, he shook our hands and said a warm goodbye. He told us to keep visiting the icecream parlour! 

Just the other day, when I bought an icecream, he took no money from me and said 'arey, le lo'. It was sweet but I felt bad. May just get him into trouble, I thought.

Whenever we cross the place, he always greets us and waves out as far as possible.

It was nice to meet Indian No. 1, lets hope there are many many more! 

The Girl Without A Mirror

The ergonomics here dont allow me to access mirrors places at heights. Either that, or I am extremely short. Lets stick to the former for now.

So the minute I walked into my room, I noticed that there were no mirrors in the room. Fair enough. Then I happened to visit the washroom after that, and there too there were no full length mirrors either. The only mirror that was there was placed above a sink, at a height. It shows me my face very well but thats where it ends. I can see the ceiling more than my face. So I stand on my toes,  jump high, stand on the little elevation next to the sink and try to see myself. It never works. 

Imagine seeing only part of yourself, with your head cut or just your legs and arms showing. Its annoying! For the past one month I have being living without a mirror, and I think I deserve an award. For a girl to live without a mirror, and rely on a small one that shows just the face, is honestly quite applaudable. So to look at myself and manage a clear picture, I would take the help of the windows at stores. They always show the things inside the store but also reflect what is outside. So it worked perfectly, well almost always. The guys would always get annoyed and pass the 'There she goes again' comment. I couldnt stand and adjust my dress, or comb my hair or check anything. Just a glance was all I could manage. But it was something that I couldnt help. I managed somehow. 

The mirror never lied. I looked horrible! ;)

I then decided to ask the landlord of the hostel to be kind enough and give me a mirror (I had seen him fixing one for someone in a room). He told me he would try. One day I walked in the room to find a mirror, a square shaped thing, very light, kept on my table. I was happy. Since still I cannot see myself completely, its great that its accesible enough to lift up and try out different angles to see myself completely. Its quite a task. But challenging! 

The Girl Without A Mirror. A full length one, indeed. 

Travel Sketches-2

Another sketch at Langeoog. 

The chairs were pretty awesome!

One Month Lessons

Its officially been a month since we arrived here in Hannover.
Honestly, I didnt realise how time has flown. Now I'm a little bit scared about the rest of the five months. I do hope I can learn as much as possible and live to everyone's expectations.

The past one month again has taught some very important lessons. Let me share ten most important ones!

1. Its easy to get used to silence around you. It calms you down.
2. There is some called self-inititation. Its important to do things on your own sometimes.
3. Carpets are the hardest things to clean.
4. White can also get dirty, even in Germany.
5. The cold rain only helps appreciate the sun more.
6. Observations should become experiences and experiences, memories.
7. German radio is wonderful and so are the German trees!
8. A phone call to your mother can never fail, skype keeps families together.
9. Appreciate and respect time. Even when not in Germany.
10. Food is best enjoyed when cooked by yourself.

I hope there are many many more lessons to learn here in Germany and the next five months are all of hard work, conversations and self realisations! 

Internationally Speaking

One of the first things I was extremely enthusiastic about was the fact that the University had International Students from all over. Initially I wasn't quite sure what and who to expect. Upon our first few days of our arrival, we had to attend whats called an International Study Camp, that is basically to meet other International Students and interact with them. But since we arrived a little late, we missed out on most of the fun events and ended up attending a couple of soft skill classes, which honestly I found boring.

My heart sank, thinking that I had missed my chance of meeting people from all over the world. But then came a two day trip to the North Sea. Excited and all geared up for an adventure, we finally met and interacted with students from all over the world. 

There are people from China, Japan, USA, Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria, Latvia, Finland and Scotland and ofcourse us Indians. The mix is colourful, crazy and a whole lot of fun. Initially we were a little hesitant to talk and hang out but food, beer and the sea got us all a lot closer!

Now we have gotten adventurous and more friendly, so we hang out a lot together, nine of us even managed to go to Munich and come back safe, there are special Country Meal nights, where someone invites the others for a meal or a dessert. It is indeed a lot of exposure, cultural confluence, learning from each other and sharing thoughts, ideas and views. I believe this is one of the best things to have happened, there is always so much learn from people and their experiences.

Im soaking in all that I can! 

Super Marketing

I am actually referring to the Supermarkets here. I would have to admit that supermarkets do something to you. The unlimited variety of the range of things available here can drive you quite insane. 

What was surprising to me was the concept of a No MRP, implying that each supermarket has its own price system for a product and these prices could vary a lot throughout different places. The objective is to find the cheapest yet the best one. We have somehow to managed to find a couple of affordable and reasonable ones. 

Most supermarkets here are well stocked, beautifully lit and the information and pricing system is also great. I have a gala time looking at everything, trying to imagine what it could go well with, will I even use it. More often than not I end up spending a relatively large amount of money there, and then coming home and wondering why I bought that. But it does go into something good, from a super cheap super tasty chocolate bar, to healthy muesli, tinned apricots and fresh vegetables, I think if nothing else, I can feed myself better now. 

The local folks, also come and buy their daily/weekly/monthly stock from the supermarket, carefully analysing what they need and what they dont. Some carry lists, some have notes on their phones, some scurry around here and there picking up stuff. The staff at each supermarket is friendly and helpful, though one rarely needs their help. I like how it works here and what it does to you.

My only hope is that I dont get addicted to it and lose all my money there! 

Travel Sketches-1

While I try and update through writing posts, I'd also like to share my travel diary(ies).
If I can be honest, Im not that great at it, but sometimes the place is so good that you just want to use the colours!

India vs China

I have always been a fan of the amazing Chinese food, especially when its tweaked to our Indian tastes.  Its lovely to eat, taste and even discuss. It brings families together, especially on special occassions.

Thats slight changed for me now. I have absolutely nothing against the Chinese. They are nice people, warm, friendly and always wear a smile on the face. Sweet.

Where I currently live, there are more than 15 Chinese folks who live here. We pass each other, say our hellos and carry on. But for the past couple of days, whenever I cross the kitchen I can smell the most-awesome-sauce-with-vegetables cooking. Every day. And Im not exaggerating. The kitchen is usually occuped with the most beautiful looking meats, fish, vegetables and sauces. Sometimes there is a wonderful bowl of oriental spices with salad as well. They sit together and eat, chit chat and create some wonderful conversations that we always wish we could figure out!

We on the other hand, the simple Indians, are living on rice and handmade-pickles-from-our Grandmother's-closet. We cook a plain vegetable with the rice sometimes and are happy. We eat silently, cherishing our meal, and leaving the eating area quietly. But recently we gave into the pressure of *them* and ambitiously decided to cook chicken and treat ourselves. The point to note is that , what we thought was chicken was actually not. Thankfully, it wasnt what I didnt want it to be. Phew! Abuses were hurled at the supermarket packaging and a couple at the Chinese as well.

So now it feels like India vs China. In a normal sort of way. We have almost lost it. Out of sheer jealousy and annoyance, of more than one thing, that repeats itself, more than once. Lets hope we can match their cooking skills, if nothing else!