My mémoire of Sheffield (Part I)

I was meaning to write since the day I landed in the UK but that never happened. This was the longest I've procrastinated writing a blog. Now that I've fulfilled all the requirements for my degree, it's about time. I've come to the end of my student life here in the UK and I can finally say it was an experience of a lifetime and a dream come true. I wouldn't say it was exactly how I anticipated it to be but was really awesome none the less. But what I can say though is that I have learnt so much in this one year that I would never have learnt if I had chosen to pursue my degree back home in India. By the way, all the pictures in my blog are clicked by me. I have set up hyperlinks to the albums if you are interested in pictures. I didn't write this from an academic viewpoint, rather the experiences that I had while I was in the UK.

1. September - Settling in

The beautiful st. Georges church near Mapping building
which we crossed everyday.

It was a windy autumn day, the 12th of September when we landed in Manchester. We had traveled via Belgium and after an overnight journey we were exhausted. We had arranged accommodation at the University of Sheffield prior to our arrival. What we didn't know is that we could use our rooms only if we arrived before closing hours (5 pm). So two of my friends needed to put up in a hotel for the night, which was rather strange seeing that we came from overseas and there was no consideration even having booked our accommodation well in advance. Luckily, a friend of mine knew someone in Sheffield, so she helped them to find a hotel (Premier Inn) to stay for the night. 

Lesson learnt - "Always plan your travel & stay down to the last detail, to avoid any unnecessary waste of time ".

Entrance to the Botanical gardens on
Clarkehouse road, Sheffield.

It was rather cold for us these September months, we could only imagine how the winter would be if the autumn was this cold. It was somehow new and exciting, things we saw everyday and the people we met. We decided to take a walk around the city to see the where we were going to spend our lives for the next year or so. About Sheffield was all that I had read about before coming and I was so glad to be able to spend my time studying in such a beautiful city.

Side view of the Mappin Building. It's so hard to get the
full building in one frame.

It was intro week when we had arrived, since we arrived after half the week was over, we decided not to attend. But my sincere suggestion, it's the best time to make friends and get to know the campus. So if you ever decide to study someplace new, just sign up for it. We were introduced to the Engineering faculty during the week that followed, but the intro week introduces you to the University as a whole with all the departments and students from every possible background.

The first impression of the Mappin building (Engineering block of the UoS) was Hogwarts! To be honest, I never entered a building before that was made of stone walls & had black & gold cast iron gates as entrances. Eventually, the awe disappeared having entered the building everyday of the week for lectures. However it was a nice first impression that I won't forget. The old paintings in Mappin hall were epic, they always reminded me of the dining hall in Harry Potter.
Once you enter the classrooms however, the charm disappears and the modern classroom reveals itself. Dual screens & projectors in most classes, it was fancy the way the building was designed, a modern touch to the antique structure.

2. October - Halloween 

A giant ride down at the city centre during Halloween.
Man was this one scary. I felt like puking after.

October went by meeting new people and getting to know our new classmates. This being a one year course, the structure was quite tight. We needed to attend lectures & do assignments so there was little time to get to know people. In addition to this, majority or our classmates were Chinese, who generally stuck to their own groups. Well, we did find a few who were friendly and I made friends with the people in the Catholic Chaplaincy who happen to be from a variety of backgrounds. The Chaplin, Fr Pete was very encouraging when it comes to acivities and is a brilliant cook as well. This community was particularly welcoming and there was nothing like spending some time after house group down at the Grapes. We used to have an evening a week where one of us would cook for the rest. It was really warm those evenings.

My awesome friends, Ronn & Jatin.

A rather strange celebration I must say, this Halloween. I've seen people spending a lot of time & effort on their outfit for the evening. Although Halloween is only just a day, 31st of October, the festivities are spread out over the whole week and people start preparing a couple of weeks in advance. Shops are filled with decor, masks and costumes of all sorts. We went for a stroll down to the city centre. There were rides and people screaming everywhere. It was interesting, we totally enjoyed ourselves that night. There were people in costumes and very elaborate make up.

The unique shade of orange that the Peaks were so full of

Walking and kicking through the leaves

After a couple of weeks, we decided to go exploring the Peak District on our own. This wasn't a really good idea because we didn't wear the right gear and ended up getting stranded in the rain with freezing cold wind blowing. You need snow boots & waterproof wear to go for a trek in the Peaks. Don't ever try this, even if you are the adventurous kind. So then, we joined the SUWC (Sheffield Union Walking Club) because we realised that we weren't professionals in trekking in the cold. We went for many walks in the Peak district almost every alternate weekend. A world famous place of scenic beauty. It's where many scenes from the movie 'Pride & Prejudice' were shot. Every season in the peak district had a different theme. It was autumn, so it was orange. Leaves filled our path and it was so much fun to kick the leaves about the place. The trees were transitioning from green to brown and this gave them a unique shade of orange. I can't paste all the lovely sceneries on the blog, so here are the pictures of the trek. I have also recorded the track of the trail in case you want to trace it sometime.

Vast picturesque landscapes will just fill you with awe. Never have I seen these type of scenes, it was either in the form of a movie, a painting or a dream. It's one thing that every person on earth must admire. It makes all the petty problems we face a mere speck in the vastness of creation.


3. November - the birthday.

Fantastic view over the Ladybower Reservoir

One can never get enough of the beautiful sceneries so we decided to go for treks more often. This was definitely something to look forward to over the weekends. A flat mate of mine, Roozbeh had a passion for trekking. One particular trek that I won't forget was one over the Ladybower reservoir. This was one  that Roozbeh had planned for us. We covered over 22kms on foot that day. Even though we were beat by the end, it felt truly fulfilling, after the scenic views that we had witnessed. Here are the snaps that I clicked that day, in case you are interested. We climbed to an elevation of 530m above sea level with gusts of wind at 0.7°C. Fortunately, it was also the most rewarding trek so far. Amazing panoramic views all around.
Another awesome thing that happened during this month was that I applied for a part time job at the Estates & Facilities Management (EFM) department at the University and I made it through. I was improving the content of the webpages of the University of Sheffield. The best part of it was my colleagues who were jolly and cheerful. My line manager was really understanding and were insisting on me giving priority to my coursework. This really meant a lot to me; I was grateful that I met the team at EFM.

Friends who turned up for my birthday.
Thank you guys (if you're reading this)

My birthday was coming up and I missed home. Birthdays at home would always be beautiful. Mom would prepare a cake, siblings would hang up decorations, and there would be family prayers together. Somehow this time I would miss all that so I decided to call my friends together for a dinner. My close friends helped me prepare dinner for the many who were to come that evening. I shared my Birthday with Sam, a classmate of mine who's Birthday was around the same time. It wouldn't be possible without their help because the night before, we had a Diwali celebration at vodka revolution, but let's not dive into the details of what happened that night. So finally, everyone turned up. Had a lovely time together, just made new friends at the time, so I called whoever I met after I reached Sheffield. It was a good way to make new friends since it was just a couple of months since we landed in Sheffield.

Clifford's Tower at York

4. December - Christmas & New Year

We visited the beautiful city of York on the 8th of December. It was a day trip & the university organises
trips to different cities in UK. The city of York, founded by the Romans in 71 AD has seen a lot of unique architecture over the centuries. Although there was so much to see, we couldn't cover it all in one day. The first bit of the day we spent looking at the different buildings and old forts in different parts of the city. It was a perfect blend of modern and the old, so skillfully interwoven. The old buildings were preserved while the newer ones were constructed alongside the old forts, sometimes even joining them. We went to this Christmas market in York where we went ice skating.

Santa clause at city centre.

Christmas has always been about family and sharing. I must say it was rather daunting to spend a Christmas alone, or rather without family. There were my good friends, which was really great. They were family to me here is Sheffield. The funny thing is that Christmas here was rather dead, I mean no one on the street seemed interested in the fact that it was Christmas, most just seemed like it was any other ordinary day. All I saw was 'Sale' everywhere, because the famous boxing day sale was just round the corner. Snow hadn't begun falling but it was just cold.

The days were fun filled because there weren't any classes / assignments / work for most of us, so we got a

Wonderful Christmas day

chance to meet everyone. We had exams that were fast approaching so we needed to prepare, however we did spare some time. After all it was Christmas. We went for ice skating at ice Sheffield. Many things to do during the winter months at Sheffield. We had an amazing time at Ice-Sheffield, where we went skating. For Christmas, we attended a Christmas mass for the first time in a Cathedral this year with an angelic choir, and beautiful melody through the pipe organ. We then thought of doing something different this year, we roasted a full 11 lb Turkey. It turned out pretty good. The day ended with dinner at Crookes. we decided to bake a turkey and spend time with those who were left over in Sheffield, as most had gone back home to spend time with their family.

5. January & February - Exams before the London calling

The Information Commons
(The University of Sheffield Library)

This new year I spent in Sheffield although many of my friends were heading down to London for the spectacular display of fireworks. I was hoping to get sufficient time to prepare for my exams that were scheduled at the end of the month of January. So the days passed in group and single study sessions, long hours at the library and wrecking out brains at coding theory and sums that were practically rocket science you could say. Every  passing night at the library felt a little closer to the day the exams would end. However, it wasn't all that bad.

Sheffield cathedral after the first snowfall (September 2012)

The subjects that I chose were particularly topics that I liked, so studying it was really interesting. The snowy days were spent either studying or answering exams. However, we did make time to go out to take a few snaps and have fun in the snow.
best part was about studying in a university like Sheffield was that there was enough of support from classmates & professors alike. Everyone was just an email away (and surprisingly you would get replies, most times if not always). Time spent studying at the Information Commons were times to remember. I loved the facilities it provided and the support we would get. I only hated the noise during the busy hours, during which you would need to fight for space in the 'Silent Study' zones. I put a picture to your right, yes, the entire complex is the library. Unfortunately however, most of the engineering books were in the St. George's Library down on Mappin Street (BTW the University of Sheffield has over three massive libraries at different locations across the campus). We used to spend late hours right through till the morning studying here.

Walking at dusk along the river Thames

We decided to make a trip to the capital of the UK, London. It was about time, I also thought I could get my visa sorted to go to France (that was another trip in the making). So we booked our tickets through megabus.com funny thing I noticed in the UK, trains are more expensive than even flights sometimes. I'll admit that the trains are well maintained and you do feel like boarding one, unlike in India but sometimes I just feel the rates are uncontrolled. That's why we decided to catch the bus to London, which wasn't bad either. The only drawback with this megabus was the odd timings. We had to freeze in the cold till the bus arrived at 3am, and waiting in the cold is something you never want to do, trust me on this. Three of my friends and I decided to go, so since we had company it wasn't that bad.

The London eye from across the river at night

We arrived London the next morning, tired from the waiting on the previous day. The city was essentially like any other metro I had ever seen, but it had this sense of order to all the chaos. It was interesting really this city, as we all figured out how to get around, we realised that the famous London Tube was the fastest and most efficient way to get to the different places in the city. The way the network was structured was truly fascinating and a real world engineering marvel. We visited the Buckingham Palace, the nearest stop was Victoria. We hopped off the Tube and within 15 minutes we reached the Palace it was a rainy day and it was freezing cold at the same time, this was a little annoying because all weren't at the same pace. Some of us were lagging behind. Well then, I went on for my appointment at the French consulate and joined my friends later on in the day. We were just amazed most of the time how so many people organised themselves what seemed so easily, deep down I was wishing one day India would attain such perfection of order in chaos. We first went to the famous Tower bridge at the London bridge stop.

Trafalgar Square at night

This was really beautiful as I just remember seeing this place in photographs. But actually being there was an entirely new experience. At sundown, we walked along the banks of the river Thames. As the night lights lit up the skyline, it gave the city a different character. It was as though the different colours were chosen to give this magical ambiance to this amazing city.
Ronn suggested we'd go see the famous Piccadilly circus and Trafalgar square at night. It was really amazing the flashing city lights, it was lovely to see, but not a place I would like to live. I was thankful that I was studying in Sheffield ; it was just perfect.  

M&Ms ? Yes there's an M&M world
at Piccadilly Circus 

 It was freezing all the while in but there were dancers out on the street! They had kept a hat and were collecting what people were giving them. They were really skilled, I must say.
We took the tube ans went to King's Cross, the famous station at London. There was a marking in on at the platform 9 & 3/4 which was the portal to the magical world to escape from muggles in the book Harry Potter. Many people flock to the station just to take pictures at the platform.
We were exhausted by this time & we had booked the bus back to Sheffield that same night. The cold can really get to you, especially if you're not used to it. By this time the four of us were dreaming of our warm rooms back at Sheffield. We did want to make another trip to London because one day wasn't enough to explore it all. Here are the snaps of our trip to London.
We reached back to Victoria station and we waited to board the bus back to Sheffield. We reached early the next morning before the trams began running. We caught the first tram to Netherthorpe stop where we got off and headed back to our rooms.


If you're still reading this, that means the blogpost wasn't so bad. I decided not to write the entire thing in one post because it would be just too much. My travel to France will be in Part II and a few more treks that we went on. I had also gone for a retreat to the House of the Open Door at Childs Wickham in Warcestershire. I'll be sharing links to pictures like I did in this blog. I don't write very often so you won't keep getting notifications. :) 

Do follow my blog for updates and leave comments below. 

My Post BE Work Experience (Research vs Corporate)

BE ETC 2006 - 2010. We're pointing at Aliston (Sampy).
That's me at your right, with my tongue out (no idea why)

After my graduation from Goa Engineering College, little did I realize how hard it would be to face the world after my degree. While in college, we're in a world of our own, a world where we felt we were always the best. The only responsibility we had was to have fun, yes have fun and clear our semesters. I would consider my batch at GEC (2006 - 2010) a very lucky one. We had unlimited support from our faculty and juniors alike, to be the change that we wanted to see. The most memorable events of my time was Happenings 2008, Waves 2009 & PhotoFlare 2010.  My college days were comprised of the best kind of events, both technical and cultural, filled with the excitement one can experience by only just being there. Our batch brought about the birth of the Photography & Robotics club in support with all the staff & students. While we were still in college we considered even starting a company.

Well after the years of fun ended it was just us, with our engineering degree thrown into the cruel world, just another drop to the already existing pool of thousands of engineers who passed out every year. Reading on line about lives of engineers who had passed out made me realize that it really isn't what you study, but finally its about making a living out there in the world. For me somehow, I felt oriented towards my field of study only. Yes making a living is important, but working towards a dream is important too. Somehow I didn't feel like following the herd. While in college I was eligible to attend the interviews of TCS & Congizant. The introductory seminar of Cogni was a big turn off. The statements they used gave me the impression that they looked upon students as mere parts in a bigger machine. No where were they concerned about what the students wanted, or the reason for their choice of engineering. A particular comment passed by one of the speakers made me certain that I wouldn't be joining a software firm at the time.

"Whether you're a Civil Engineer or a Mechanical Engineer we'll train you and turn you into a software engineer"   

--Speaker (Orientation Team) - Cogni

I began to think: "what's the purpose of the field of engineering that we chose? All the dreams that I had working with state of the art electronics & gadgetry my dreams all to dust?" This one choice of joining a software firm would have definitely changed my life forever. I then started to paint this bigger picture in my head, development of the nation & how people were forced into doing jobs that they either weren't trained to do or rather didn't want to do and things that I know people would probably never agree to. I imagine an India where people would be free to choose whatever they want to do, not because the herd does it, not because they get paid to do it, but because they want to do it. For many of my batch mates, these software jobs were just platforms to give them an opportunity to prepare for MBA. I think I'll require another blog all together to air my opinion on that issue.

Okay, so once I finalized that, what would I do? where would I join? Some company who would let me use the knowledge I gained for the development of technology as a whole, my purpose for choosing engineering. Siemens came along, after studying the company's profile, I decided to attend the interview, through 3 rigorous selection rounds I passed and finally felt a ray of hope that my dream would probably be given a chance at this MNC.

I passed out of GEC and there I was, no call, no letter and whenever I would call they'd say you're on the short-list and we shall contact you when there's a vacancy. It was September 2010 and I was just having fun, to a point where I realized enough was enough and I need to take responsibility and start working. A close friend of mine had begun working at the National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula Goa. He used to tell me the kind of work they do there. I found it rather interesting, micro-controller programming and circuit design. I had decided. I wanted to work in a place like that which would give me opportunity to develop, my skills in the field I studied in, Electronics.

My Research Experience:

It was here that my research experience began. Slow & sluggish is how I would define it. Funds are in plenty and the work wasn't pressurizing. They pay you to be innovative. I found this rather fascinating. I worked with UNIX systems reading and writing through CAN (Controller Area Network) Cards. The learning curve was a bit steep but Google was my friend. :) I was able to finish tasks that were given to me. Seeing potential, the scientist who was there encouraged me to write a paper, which I eventually did.

The team before alighting RV Sindhu Sankalp for our
offshore trip in the Arabian Sea

In November 2010 I joined as a Project Assistant -II under another scientist in the Marine Instrumentation Division. Well his approach towards work was a bit different. He would push harder to meet deadlines, which was actually good so I felt the importance of completing tasks on time. The work here was related to satellite data validation of Ocean Colour Monitor2. I must say the scientist was a pro at the topic (well, he had to be) but still hats off to him.! We processed the data captured from the satellite in .hfd files that were used by seadas (a software developed by NASA) to analyse the data. The technicalities can get boring for anyone, but in reality for me they were very interesting, I must say. We got to go on a long cruise on RV Sindhu Sankalp, a research vessel of NIO and numerous field trips in the river. I got to travel on account of software projects too, installing and operating Seadas on different systems in Chennai, Hyderabad & Ratnagiri. One thing was certain though, I wouldn't want to stay more than a year at the Institute even though I enjoyed the job. There was zero growth, financially, it was a contract job and the possibilities to learn something other than the particular field of research was nil. I wanted corporate. I wanted a fast & challenging work environment. There were challenging tasks at NIO, yes but it was laid back. I felt I could do more.

My Corporate Experience:

I took a break from my job and decided to do something different, to get a taste of the corporate. So there,

My colleagues at Schneider electric, Goa

after weeks of searching, I finally got a call from Schneider electric for an Engineers post in the Quality Assurance Department. This was it. My chance to experience the corporate. I was immediately absorbed after my interview. My current boss had interviewed me back then in December 2011 after seeing my experience in NIO in the field of electronic instrumentation. Schneider in Goa deals with the manufacturing of Copper & Optical fibre cables and patch panels for high speed data networks. In the corporate world, it's either your degrees or your Experience. Nothing else, yes nothing else. You need to be opportunistic if you want to climb. A degree gives you that extra push, unlike research the brightest are quickly recognized. It's pretty useless being bright in a corporate cultured work environment. If someone sees talent, they exploit it, totally. U need to be 'street smart' in a corporate environment, as my boss always told me. There is a system and a set of responsibilities. Do nothing outside those set of responsibilities, even if you can. If you do, be sure that work is coming your way. I did that mistake many a time, ended up getting lectures from my boss, as I ended up doing work outside my domain. The good thing is he was understanding sometimes, so I got to learn the tricks of working in this environment. I had got selected to work on an international project related to renewable energy. It was here that I was exposed to round table conferences of International business and product life cycle development. I got to communicate with engineers and managers in Singapore & USA, besides contacting suppliers for raw materials. There were events that were organised where I got to use my photography skills and people began to recognise. It's a small Schneider family here at Goa, which makes the work environment pleasant, yet one thing is a must, deadlines need to be met. There's a white board where representatives from every department meet everyday at 10:30am to discuss and sort out issues on a regular basis, moment you've got a responsibility, your name's up on the board across which there is a date, to be given by you. and that date is to be honoured otherwise it gets escalated. This system keeps you on track and keeps everyone updated at the same time.

Finally, after all said & done my conclusion is that there only 3 options you got if you decide to go corporate and want to climb:

1. You work for 5 - 8 years in the same department, then if you are recognised, you get a promotion, or leave for another job with a better opportunity.
2. Study more and within a couple of years, climb up the corporate ladder with better understanding and broader knowledge.
3. Get lucky.! If you're really lucky, there may get a brilliant opportunity for you to jump to an awesome position.

I decided to go with option 2. I am trying to get my things in order to do an MS. The earlier the better. It is important though, the experience, teaches you a lot. I hope my next blogpost will be about my experience in another college in some other part of the world.
:D

Wedding in France

The Journey (5th June)

After months of planning and anticipating the time had finally arrived to travel to France. Ever since I was in school, as I learnt French as a language, the very thought of being there, at the heart of the place where culture & romance are intertwined and wine & cheese were like pav & jam here in Goa, fascinated me. 

A very rainy day it was, the 5^th of June 2011, the monsoon had just kicked in. There we were; my Dad, Mom, Bro & myself, loaded the vehicle with our stuff, Goan sweets & fruits, especially one big Jack fruit which happens to be rare around those parts. 1720hrs we finally reached the airport through the heavy rain. I've been to the airport in what seemed like ages, three years since I had travelled by air, the last time being to Doha when Dad used to work there. Lots of renovation done ever since, wasn't bad. I thought I would get to tweet often by stealing a Wi-Fi signal from some airport or another, but I figured I had to settle for the traditional pen and paper, since most of the places, except Mumbai had locked their networks. 

It was a dull and rainy day, the pilot managed to lift of just before the end of the runway, finally airborne. The plane plunged into a thick black cloud, darkness everywhere, at around 1800hrs there was quite a bit of turbulence, but it was bearable. Finally, after almost an hour through the monsoon clouds we could see the Mumbai city lights. The pilot managed to touch down, he seemed inexperienced as it was quite a rough landing. We passed through transit and checked-in our luggage to the international terminal where our next destination awaited, Brussels.

Arrival in France (6th June)

0911hrs (CET i.e. +1GMT)  While the pilot glided towards the runway we could see the difference in the layout of the city. It was super-organised and super-clean. The roads, buildings, neatly lay out. There were cultivated fields on either side of the runway, a perfect balance of nature and development. If only we could have the similar planning in India, we would be way more awesome. A very pleasant flight it was indeed, after two meals, two movies, and six hours of sleep we finally arrived at the capital of the EU, Brussels. I whipped out my cell, tapped on the camera and clicked a few shots.

After walking on to the transit terminal, I swiped on Wi-Fi, desperate to tweet, but alas, the network was security protected.

Apparently, the jackass checked-in our luggage only till Brussels, there wasn't enough time to pass through transit, and re check-in our baggage till Toulouse, France. The airport was massive, and by the time we crossed though all the security layers and walked from our arrival terminal to terminal A, there was no way we could board the flight by Brussels Air to Toulouse.  

But on the brighter side, we got a little spare time in Brussels, just on the airport, but still, it was a new place, worth checking it out. After we complained to the staff of Jet Airways at Brussels, they gave us  lunch vouchers, which was ok. They booked us on another flight to Toulouse departing at 1445 (CET). Our ETA at Toulouse was 1630hrs. Yea a major part of the day wasted at the airport when we could have reached France in the morning. Mom & Dad had gone to call my sister in Toulouse, meanwhile they told us to check-in our luggage. 

“Bonjour Monsieur!”  said a well-dressed gentleman who guided us to the counter where we were to check-in.  After the formalities that were cleared by a cute blond sitting at the counter, she started speaking French, very fast. Ok I wanted to tell her slow down, because I probably would have made an effort to understand her, but I didn't cuz man, was she cute! J After she finished, I wanted to say, “Madame, Je ne comprende pas francais” but I ended up saying “I don’t speak French” Well, she spoke fluent English too, which was awesome, with a hint of French accent, now that was super-cute! She told me we had to pay excess baggage, but I explained we were international passengers, she made a few calls and we were through without any hassles. 

Ok now for the Food! The first meal in Europe! My bro and myself got two Chicago burgers, my Mom a crochet salad & Dad got himself a chef bowl salad. I was surprised with the quantity! With loads of Fries! The burger had bread, cheese, beef burger, bacon, egg, mayo, lettuce and bread on top. We ate till we were stuffed, the food was yum!

We then proceeded to the lounge. My bro and I roamed the airport, asked this brunette if I could click snaps of the tantalising Belgium chocolates that were out for display she agreed but immediately another elderly woman said 'no' since it was the airport they couldn't allow it. Never mind, I still went around clicking snaps, a unique piece of art here at the lounge!  I noticed that the people around these parts are very seasoned and well-dressed. 

Finally boarded a small aircraft to Toulouse. I slept the entire two hour flight, I didn't even know when it took off or landed till my bro woke me up. We got all our luggage except the jack-fruit (well, that’s another story altogether) We met our sister and her fiancé at the terminal. Thibaut wore a hat and a nice leather sling bag. They had booked a rent-a-car for us. We then headed out of the airport and loaded our luggage into their van. We headed out to the rented car, wow! A brand new Peugeot 308, sunscreen overhead and fully automatique, my dad fired up the engine and presto, a screen popped up, with GPS navigation. My dad liked the ride, and was impressed with its features, way more advanced than the Honda Civic. My bro took the wheel on the highway since I wanted to fiddle around with mapdroid (an android app I had downloaded which I was able to use a preloaded map without using a data plan) I tapped it open and boom, GPS navigation worked like a charm, there was no way I was getting lost!

We headed down A-62 free-way then N-21 and finally D-676 to Lot–et-Garonne, near Lassou lead by Thibaut in his red van. It took us around 2 hours to reach this pretty place where we stayed, adorned with varieties of pink and white flowers that stood out even at 2300hrs because of the wonderful lighting! The sun sets here at 2200hrs during this time of the year, pretty strange, the days in summer are really long and days in winter are really short. It took a couple of days getting used to.

We met the Mr & Mrs LeMerchand, the parents of Thibaut, who stood outside eager to meet us. They welcomed us with warm smiles and a handshake. We weren't exactly fluent in French, so Thibaut helped us out here. It was freezing out there. There were little apartments that over looked a lake at the back, which we couldn't see since it was very dark. They guided us to room number 1122. The door was swung open, and it was one of the neatest and cosiest places I have seen. It was very kind of Monique LeMarchand, Thibaut’s mum to get French bread, home-made jams of fig & strawberry and biscuits made of butter for breakfast the next day. I really felt weird not being able to text or call or message any of my friends. We took a shower and slept at 2 am.

Bon Apetite.! (7th June)

0900hrs woke up to a cloudy and drizzly morning. I opened the window. I rubbed my eyes to see if I was dreaming or if it was real, it looked as though someone placed a painting in front of the window. The lake was hop, step & jump from the place we stayed, there was greenery everywhere!

We freshened up and had the awesome breakfast that Mrs LeMarchand had brought for us, served with special tea with mint and cinnamon, first taste of the countryside. Sadly, there was no Wi-Fi so traditional pen and paper again would have to suffice. 

The day began with a visit to Thibaut’s family’s farm and his house. Had a great day, all planned by him. Thibaut explained to us how important the food and the type of wine were important. We had a long talk, then headed out for lunch into a medieval town where he had gone to school, the buildings were very classic and old, crossed the church tower and went into a restaurant called “Amourer” meaning of love, Thibaut knew the people there, so they were very hospitable. We all chose something different. I decided to go for jambon, fromage et l’oeuf (ham, cheese & an egg), served with apple cider which was truly delicious. 

We headed out later to the Casino super Marche (supermarket) at Monflanquin, which was not so far from where we stayed. We did a lot of shopping, man was it expensive, every euro I ended up converting into rupees, something which you should remember never to do, cuz the price you can never compare to the price in India. The last time I remember seeing a supermarket like this one was in Doha. It was nice to see all the best chocolates you ever longed for all in one shelf. We bought loads of those, cheese, bacon and a few essentials for the next few days. It was drizzling the entire day, so I couldn't exactly whip out the SLR and go clicking. We headed out to the Patisserie; here we bought croissants for breakfast the next day.

We then headed out to Thibaut’s parent’s place since they had invited us for dinner. On the way there, there were endless sceneries. Wheat fields as far as the eye can see, cattle grazing in the distance, just like a panorama of different sceneries stitched together in Photoshop.

We entered into their cosy home on a hill in the countryside. Max LeMarchand is the mayor at Lassou, so most of the people in the neighbourhood there knew that we were the parents of the bride (‘Marie’ in French). The table was neatly laid out with three glasses per person, bowls, plates, knives and spoons. The fireplace neatly sat at one corner, while the sliding glass doors overlooked miles and miles of fields, not even one house in the vicinity. 

Ok this was by far the longest meal on record for me, three and a half hours.!

Max LeMarchand popped open a bottle of champagne to celebrate the unity and joy of the two families. This was served with shrimp flavoured chips and peanuts. Salad of fish, garnished with lettuce, tomatoes and varied herbs was served next by Mrs LeMarchand.

Now this was my favourite: Another bottle of wine was opened by Thibaut, Gewürztraminer, a German wine brought from northern part of France and kept for around 10 years before he opened it that day. Just a sip would tingle all your senses and was the best wine I have ever tasted till date. This was served with a special duck which was fed, rather stuffed, with corn and was slaughtered just before it could migrate. The combination was so perfect.

Now came the main course. It started with pasta & rabbit meat, served with sauce avec champignons (mushrooms) that were grown in the caves of Paris. Now this was served with wine from Bordeaux! My, now that was pretty much what I thought was it, until Monique brought a cheese cake adorned with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and topped with sugar syrup. I thought we were done with the wine already, till Thibaut explained the home-made sweet wine that was brewed out of grapes in local vineyards. 

Now that was dinner! 

All along Dad and Max compared the political scenario in India and France, which apparently was incomparable due to major differences. We took a group snap with the families together, then drove back to the apartment and hit the sack till the next day, we planned to drive to Lourdes.

Lourdes (8th June)

We woke up early to a fresh morning. It was a sunny day, different from the day before. I fried bacon & eggs for us all while my bro prepared tea. 

We headed out at 0730hrs we made a pit stop at Vilneve to put in a recharge for the “Orange” sim we had with us, bought a few fruits and continued the drive. Although it was a long drive of 450 kms in total, it was a lovely experience driving through the countryside. There were fields as far as the eye could see, for almost the entire way.

We followed the route that Thibaut gave us, (Villneve à Agen à Auch à Tarbes à Lourdes) we used the GPS too, though but the directions were very handy as there were boards all over the place. Half way to Lourdes we realised that, none of us remembered to carry our passports or licences, this was a risky business because later Thibaut told us later that if we were caught, we would be put behind bars and it would turn out to be a big hassle and a waste of money.  

We finally arrived at Lourdes, at lunch time. Where I had an awesome juicy steak, brother took Jambon and Mom had chicken, and my dad chose beef. It was really heavy. We went ahead and parked the car quite a distance from the grotto (La grotte) and walked up to the church, before which we came across the house of St. Bernadette, which was well preserved. The church stood before the mighty Pyrenees, which was the border to Española (Spain) it was indeed avec grandeur. We walked to the statue of our Lady where, apparently that day there was a healing session, and many people who were disabled and sick had come for healing, to the statue of our lady of immaculate conception, where She had appeared. 

We stood in the queue to touch the holy rock it was slippery as ever with the many pilgrims all touching the rock and sliding their hands over it. We then climbed the stairs to the top of the well-structured church, one of the best churches I have ever seen before. A church choir chanted “Ave Maria…”  in unison with all the voices base, treble, soprano  and second voices, the church was indeed bursting with positive energy, I could just sit there for hours feeling peaceful from inside, but we had to leave to keep up with the schedule. We headed back after filling holy water in small bottles at the statue for relatives & friends back home. As we walked back we did a little shopping.

There were perfumeries, were perfumes one too many, you couldn't count or smell them all. I lost my sense of smell after sniffing around 15 different types of perfumes. We also took back a few souvenirs for friends back home.

I took the wheel. The dive back was a long & tiring one. Driving in Europe is a real pleasure though, because people follow all the rules of the road.  It had turned dark, and we got a bit lost, but we managed to navigate home, thanks to the GPS.  

Les Grande Parents (9th June)

Thibaut’s grand parents lived in Villreal. We followed Thibaut, through the countryside. They live in this pretty little house, decorated with a lovely jardin. The grandmother was all smiles when she saw us, the grandfather fought in WW II, because of which his hearing is impaired, but is in perfect health otherwise, while his grandmother is super-active and does everything under the sun, including over speeding on the highways.

We all sat and she planned the marriage ceremony, we understood the way they do it in France. It was indeed nice to learn so much about other cultures. They planned to play Bach during the entrance, my Mum was to do the second reading, which was in English, the rest of the service was to be in French.

For lunch we headed to the same place that Thibaut had taken us on the first day. Steak avec du fromage et l’oeuf. Oui! C’est superb.! 

I guess the whole neighbourhood at Monflanquin knew that we were from India and that my sister was to wed Mr. LeMarchand. It was nice because we were given special treatment. We bought some cheese and bread for us from the market. My mum just wouldn’t stop buying flowers for the garden here in goa.

We then headed out for a long drive through the countryside, the sceneries there just don’t stop! There were many places where we stopped for a few photos. There was an apricot plantation, horses & cows grazing & loads more!

We stopped by a Château, but that time it wasn't open, none-the-less, the drive was breath-taking and just being there was a lovely experience altogether. I will surely try and make it some other time, again. We reached home and talked to Thibaut about helping out with the wedding. He said that the people from the village have got together to help with the wedding. He said that since we have come just once, we could go sightseeing to Bordeaux, which was a unique city worth seeing since we were there, they would take care of the wedding. It was so kind of them all.

Mini Paris (10th June)

It was long drive to Bordeaux; we caught the free way and sped at 140km/hr. which was the speed limit. It was nice to be able to use all the features of the car. I set cruise-control to 140km/hr and just put my foot on the break peddle. The car picks up speed and maintains it at the set speed till you’d tap the brake. So after a long time we could actually drive for such long distance without having to slow down. My mum asked us to stop by this greenhouse where she picked up  flowers (again). There were the most beautiful collection of flowers and cacti I have ever seen. We needed to get back en-route else we wouldn't reach back on time, so I insisted we leave. We headed on our way again.  

As we approached the city we noticed the unique architecture of the city. It was very medieval-ish. We drove into the underground car parking, where we had to pay per hour and needed to swipe a credit card upon exit. Dad & mum went shopping while my bro & I went roaming around the city clicking a few pictures. The people’s dressing sense, unlike India was superb, I must say. In India most people go to see what the in-thing is, and dress accordingly. But there every person had their own fashion statement; Old men with flat hats, guys with braided hair, few had headphones on, some youngsters on skate-boards, elderly women had their own sense of style with their scarfs and well-tied hair. 

We happened to walk down this Arabic lane where people greeted each other in Arabic, “Salaam-alaikum”, reminded me of Doha. We stopped by this restaurant for dinner, choose all you want and pay later. It was not as good as the steaks that we ate before, but was awesome all the same.

We drove back home in the evening it was pretty late already and the next day was the big day, the wedding. We all needed to get set.

My Sister’s wedding (11th June)

Finally, the day had arrived. It was the reason we were all here in France, my sister’s wedding day. My mum went to the saloon to get her hair done while my bro & I went to the super Marché to get few chocolates and other stuff for our friends.

After we were done we went to collect mum & dad to get back to the apartment to get set for the big occasion. We suited-up in our newly stitched tuxedos and drove towards the church. Now here’s the most interesting part: As we drove down the road we happen to get confused with the roads. As it is we were running late. Thibaut tried giving us instructions over the phone but either he wasn't able to understand where we were, or we couldn't understand his directions. We asked some people who happened to be there. We just asked them and again, they knew who we were, and guided us accurately to the place. We headed to the church, and yes everyone was waiting! All the people dressed up very decently, we really felt we were late when the camera man started shooting us stepping out of the car, it was funny. XD

And there was my sister and the groom all dressed up, I tried to tell them to pose for a quick snap, but they all were anxious for the service to begin, despite this I forced them to stand for a quick shot. It was a lovely little church that sat upon a little green hill that was surrounded with fields. There were marvellous marble carvings inside the church.
We walked into the church as they followed, that’s how they do it there. The old priest who offered the mass spoke only French, we didn't understand much, yet it was beautiful. They exchanged rings during the service, wouldn't want to say much about it since it’s pretty much like any wedding. 

After the mass every one wished the newly wed and headed off to the community hall where snacks and drinks were served to all the neighbourhood. A special cocktail of juices, wine, fresh fruit and extra alcohol was prepared by the family. This got people quite tipsy. There were these little snacks made of different cheeses, pork, beef & a little vegetable garnishing. We stood around and talked with the people of the community, many of the French people made an effort to speak with us in English. I especially remember meeting a civil engineer who works in Paris, an interesting conversation with him. Met a couple of girls; Alice and Sandy my sister’s friends. This was it for the neighbours. The real party was for the close friends and relatives. 

This was a good tradition in my opinion, because unlike Goa, any Tom, Dick & Harry come for weddings and many times become a nuisance for the rest of the guests. Most come only to eat and/or drink.

We changed into kurta-pyjama for the dinner at their home. The place was all set for a blast! There was a music system, with a deejay that was set to rock and spot lights that were set to roll. The dinner table for the guests was neatly laid out with plates, spoons, knives, candles, flowers and lavender leaves.

A lamb was set to roast on a low flame that was rotating on a special motor for 5 hours! Just crazy, reminded me of the comic book asterix.

Starters were served. Pork was of three types: sausage, jambon, salted. We were explained to, how the meat was prepared. Rouge wine was served with the food. After this, the table was laid with potatoes & cheese, this was yum. There was a vegetable dish prepared with different vegetables from the farm all put together.

After a bit, the lamb was ready. Thibaut’s dad & his friend brought the roasted lamb to a table in the centre, everyone applauded as he cut the lamb. This was a traditional was of cooking for occasions in the southern part of France. The meat was passed on to all the people there, it was tender and soft. Thibaut’s friends prepared a skit for him. The story of how he me my sister after coming to India, acting was really awesome.

After that Thibaut’s mom brought in the wedding cake it was made up of chocolate pastry glued together with sugar syrup. This was served with champagne. This was irresistible.

Then everyone danced, most of them were high. The music that the deejay played was typical countryside. Apparently there were no neighbours to disturb, as there weren't any!  We couldn’t wait any longer, it was freezing! Guess they were used to it but we had to go. They danced till dawn, around 5am. We came back at around 3, and just slept after a warm shower.

Home sweet home (12th June)

We woke up around 7, as it was a Sunday and went for mass at Villereal. It was Pentecost. There was a baptism that day, and many children received first Holy Communion, the choir was amazing. I liked the unison in the voices; it’s really soul-touching. A parishioner sang a solo with the choir music, it really sounded recorded! They really practise hard. We met Thibaut’s granny there after mass. 

Mum bought us this cheese cake for us on the way back. The cake shops there are all so beautiful!

We left at 11pm, which was a bit too early, actually. I drove from Monflanquin to Toulouse Blagnac Airport the whole way on cruise control, reached around 2am. The flight to Brussels was on time. The return journey was more pleasant I will surely miss France, but I missed India more, there’s no place on earth like home and it’s one place I can always call my own.