Monday 9 September 2013

September

As september started, heads are shaved because of the lice on campus and piercings are appearing in everyones noses. The firstyears settled down on campus, rooms are decorated and the frogs chose their favourite place in the toilets. Routine starts to show up in my life again, don't know whether that's good or bad. I am happy here, so happy that it makes me sad to think that I'll have to leave this campus in two years. Haha.

I chose my trivenis. Trivenis are the activities you have to do here (Mahindra's answer to the IB's 'CAS'). There are four categories: action, creativity, campus service and community engagement. You have to take at least one of each category. As action, I chose breathing yoga (the highlight is on breathing). It's nice to relax one hour a week :). I also run down and up the hill every day, but that's not a triveni, I do it with a friend or on my own. The view is amazing and it's different everyday,  it makes me calm. As creativity, I'm going to learn how to play the tabla, an ancient Indian instrument. I didn't decide about my campus service yet, but as community engagement, I'll be going to the nearby village Khubavali and play there will the children, trying to learn them something. There are still some other trivenis I want to try out, there are over 90 trivenis so it's hard to choose! :)

This saturday, I went to Pune for the second time. I bought some stuff to make my room more home and less prison and it's nice to get a break of the cafetaria food sometimes, to go to McDonalds, that's the only thing that tastes exactly the same at home! Life here is cheap, but the people really try to make us, foreigners, pay a lot more! Luckily, there are some students who speak Hindi, they can help us.

I don't really know what to say, so I'll make a list of things that are cool here, or different, or maybe nice to know, or just worth saying :)

- Every classroom had it's own little garden.
- Dogs just walk in and out during class, or sleep next to you, it's all completely fine.
- We already have some classes outside now, but when monsoon is over, we'll be learning outside a lot!
- We can't close the door of our room anymore, so there's a free entrance for dogs, cats and other creatures!
- My English classroom is painted orange and all the desks and chairs are removed, so we're sitting on cushions, pretty cosy :)
- It's one big fairylight world, there are fairylights everywhere on campus.
- A lovely place on campus is the internet hill. After walking ten minutes to the top, you can see the whole valley, which makes me realize how small I am as a person. It's amazing at sunset.
- I have no more Belgian food left, so a parcel is always welcome ;)
- I don't have a coyear, but there's a girl from Luxembourg who is really nice so that's a good 'replacement'
- One bar of my precious Belgian côte d'or chocolate is 20 euros here :(
- This year, the 'satat' (satat = sustainability) project has started. The focus will be on reducing our water-usage.


That will be it for now!
This was also the last time that I updated on facebook, so if you want to know what's going on here, follow me by mail (the button should be somewhere on this page, on the right)
PS: If you want to, you can send me a letter, I love letters :) The adress is:
Louise Van Damme
Mahindra College
Village Khubavali
PO Paud
Taluka Mulshi
Pune 412 108
India


PSS: Let me know if you have any questions/... You can comment on this post :)


 

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