Frech escapades

9th September 2009

Dear diary

It has been a week in France. I don’t know how to begin partly because of the simultaneous deterioration of my English with the improvement of my French and more significantly because of my complete inability to summarize in one word the days that have just gone by. When compared to the first week of September of 2007 it has been a dream but not exactly the kind of dreams I would love to realize.
The journey to Toulouse was besotted with hassles. However enroute, I also had my first bush with French cordiality.

The university campus seems very much like the Refinery Townships that I have been brought up in , the city is just an extrapolation. Clean and scarcely populated. The people are extremely, helpful and polite, though the guys see us with a mixture of arrogance, envy and suspicion. Some damsels absolutely ignore and some earnestly mount 2 pecks on every ones cheeks. Surprisingly many are like the IIT gals, very hardworking, motivated and sincere. It very surprisingly forms my most exciting experience In France.

Being a 19 year old, I may be expected to go gaga over the long and short of skirts here, but really it’s like channel V. You never switch it on after the first day.

After my visit to shopping mall here I have no doubt, after we became champions in 20-20, we are on our way on becoming a champion in 2020 again.

In my French class here there was a German, Brazilians, Spanish, Swedish, Italian and me. The professor was very soft spoken and kind but I heard he is one of a kind here. I was fabulously impressed when the only girl in my class came up to me on her own accord to explain the formalities to open a bank account here. I was more impressed to see her meticulous notes later on. Unfortunately I don’t know anything about her apart from her name, which I am not sure how to spell but I guess wherever I am there is always such a girl in my class. All of them find me too boring because whenever they are talking to me I am admiring their notes.

The parties are very frequent here though if you go in 2 consecutively you won’t go to the 3rd. However one was a big one when those who have better things to do than attending parties also came and it was wonderful. I was glad to bump into that Brazilian gal in it …she asked me something in French ... must have I guess been if I knew tango... i cudn’t comprehend but I thought its better to say yes …2 moments later on she took my arm and ….2 moments later she went away.

Next morning she was giving me angry glances.

Whenever I see Indian dress here I make a move…not really attracted by the sartorial appeal but by the prospective fragrance of chicken biryani I guess… I have met a Pakistani, a Bangladeshi and I guess an Indian today who said he was in a hurry.

There is an Indian girl in my hostel who really is very kind and helpful, sometimes cooks rice for me. She has really inspired my faith in the quality of French education as she works as hard as I used to do when I was in my toiling mode. My conscience is really prodding me to quit writing blogs and start studying something brain racking.

I was eating in the cafeteria today when I was messing around, something for which I am quite famous even in my hostel. I could see the lady sitting in my front was trying hard not to look at me. I requested her to teach me how to use fork and knife and she did it with great enthusiasm, patience and care. She spent the next 15 minutes just showing how to hold a fork the French way as I am very bad picking up grips and postures.
When Srikant asked me how life at INSA Toulouse is different from that in IIT, I think it is just different in 2 ways. You cut the jeans of the IITgals mid way and cook the food without spices, and use google translate , you have INSA Toulouse…the same work ethics, the same motivation in life the same ambitions…..After all bread is the staff of life..the rat race is universal…..I am not going to bell the CAT…I have to run!!!