ACT I coming to an end..

Three act structure of my life at SIMC is an interesting one. Act I  of this story seemed to have ended quickly as it is supposed to. Act I broadly covered what SIMC is all about, how I decided to join this place, how my surrounding has been by far, and by describing all of that, I turn back to those previous posts just to realize that Act I has been very gripping and quick enough to come to an end now.

Act I saw Semester I coming to an end. It introduced me to new people, new surrounding, new place, new culture, new curriculum, and was definitely worth learning.

The end of Act I is my Social Responsibilty Project in The Banyan, Chennai. Act II will kick start with my experience at The Banyan and the beginning of Semester II back at Lavale.

Cheers,
2years, 2months, 2 weeks, 2 days

WHAT HOSTEL LIFE IS ALL ABOUT?

We all crib at the beginning, but hate to leave this place at the end. Yes, its Hostel. This experience is new to me. An experience to reminisce about in the future. You become a different personality altogether. You learn more managerial skills here. You understand psychology here. You learn various languages here. You become a philosopher at times. The best of directors are born here. Writers, bloggers, poets, artists, musicians, innovators, inventors, leaders and all those endless novelty takes its beginning or refining process here.

I am sure anybody who have had hostel life experiences can relate to me. I recollect my journey into hostel life and the 4 months I have stayed here now. My parents came along with almost 12 baggages to leave me behind this beautiful life. Today, I miss my parents a lot. Nevertheless, I would miss hostel more.

Before coming to hostel, people told -

1. "Oh! You are going to hostel? Hmmm... Then, you may find it difficult to adjust since its your 1st time.." 
2. "Hostel life? Hah! How much I miss those days.. Don't worry, you will have fun.. You would make the best out of it you know?"
3. "Its yet another thing in your life.. Nothing so special... Just go there! Study well and come back.."
4. "Is it coed or..."

 After coming to hostel, I say -

1. If you don't go to a residential campus / have a hostel experience in your life even once, then you are missing the best thing in your life. Especially when you come to a place like Lavale, you would just want to be here. 
2. Just go for it. Don't think for some 10 years to decide on going/coming to hostel. 
3. As mentioned earlier, one learns a lot of things in hostel. Observation, listening, communication, planning, managing time, managing self, crisis management, handling conflicts, and many alike are skills you develop here without even realizing. 

In a hostel, you can walk into anybody and say a 'hi'. Most of them are far away from home and that 'hi' can mean a lot to them in terms of love, care, affection. You network the most in hostel. You adopt mentors in hostel. Most of these networked people are the ones who become business partners in future or sometime life partners too. 

I am leaving today for home. I was quite emotionless until today. But, I know am going to miss hostel and my room for another month and a half. Hopefully, I should be back :)

Cheers,
2years, 2months, 2 weeks, 2 days

SEMESTER EXAMS - PART 1

Our 1st semester exams are happening now. 11 subjects spread over 6 days. Now is the time, I think time flies. Feels like I just came to Pune. Its 4 months already.

Well, now the scene in the hostel is extremely interesting during these times. People are more of their natural selves, meaning, you see the true qualities of people during examination times. Its kinda psychological but yeah. Selflessness in teaching others, group studies, sleepless nights, non-stop alarm rings, and few trying to be cunning to score those 0.00005 marks than others, and some being blunt to their room-mates to shut up and study, and the rest expressing fear, agony, pain, sharing the common ideology as to "Who on earth found the concept of examinations? Especially at PG level?" and so on so forth.

Here even, we see Social Media playing a huge role. Either the students are stuck to Facebook, twitter, and busy giving their minute to minute updates about how a particular subject can kill you, how exams are boring, how rest of the mutiny things in world interests you during exams such as this (as posted by my friend Aabeer) - "Staring at the blank walls of the room has never been so interesting.. Thank you exams..!!". 

Also, examination times had seen the various facets of food one craves for. This is the time, you feel like eating anything and everything in the world. You go on to experiment with recipes to buying all junk, to spending your quality study time in thinking about food, etc.

About my examination preparation. It has not changed much after coming to hostel. I study if I feel like. Some of my colleagues did get amused looking at my being cool. I had been sleeping all day long. I study whatever I like studying. And I believe that I study not to get marks, but to learn new things. But, I agree that its important to get marks and then prove it your way that marks really don't matter. 

Now, all said and done, I guess, I need to sit and start studying right away.

Cheers,
2years, 2months, 2 weeks, 2 days