"Kia Ora"!!! Quite a long time since i wrote a blog. But now here I am to blog about my "kiwi" experiences. Warning : Lot of patience is required :P
My emotions were at stake as i crossed from the northern to the southern hemisphere. My lachrymal glands reached its peak during this journey and i couldn't control it. Leaving the city which i knew for 21 years, leaving my ever loving family and buddies, Yes it was a bitter pill to swallow at the Chennai International Airport. The Cathay pacific flight touched down Auckland on 17th July 2011 at 6.30 AM and what did the first thing i saw at the Auckland airport? Sniffer Dogs. Those dogs were part of the baggage checking process and i have to admit this,The dogs were so cute :) The baggage checking and X- Ray scanning process followed after that.
Tear soaked eyes and a somber face soon turned bubbly the moment i saw my uncle and Aunt. Few words about my Uncle, My inspiration, the one who taught me everything( right from how to operate a computer to how to play table tennis) I missed him dearly and now its time for the reunion after a year and half. Kissed by the icy breeze outside I said to myself " The Game starts".
After a 30 mins drive from the airport I reached my uncle's place. Dosa's were on the menu for my breakfast. After finishing the b'fast me and my aunt went to the nearby mall. Nah not for shopping , but to open up a bank account.Yeah you got it right folks a mall here will definitely have a bank apart from the usual stores( Supermarket, food court etc). A sleepy afternoon passed by and in the evening my uncle took me out for a ride in his car. A drive on the Harbor bridge was enough to make my jaw drop in excitement. One can get the best view of Auckland from that bridge. Dominoes pizza and pastas dominated my dinner menu and just when everything seem alright Chennai memories haunted me. I dint change the time in my watch and this was enough to start the crying process . My uncle's attempt to comfort me went in vain and finally he decided that my mom should take up this matter. After a 30 mins heart to heart conversation via Skype, I was convinced. But still it was HELL. The pain you undergo when you see your loved one through a computer screen and assuming that they are still besides you is just horrible
Dawn of a new day and its the first day of my Uni. Uncle and Aunt accompanied me to the bus stop and helped me to board the bus (No conductor and No foot boards in these buses :P) I dint knew where my university is but i just boarded the bus which will take me to the city. Got down, interacted with few, asked them about the whereabouts of my uni and none knew it. But a girl was so kind enough to help me and she even offered to take me to the Uni. My college was just a foot away from where i was standing but still i couldn't recognize it. Why? because a big gate and a gigantic name board was missing. In Chennai, all colleges will have a big gate and on the top of it a big name board saying XYZ college. so it is easy to identify the main entrance. But its not the case here. By this time I learnt the first chapter in abroad living according to my uncle, which reads "NO SPOON FEEDING".(My uncle said " Board the bus, go the city, interact with people, finish your work and take the return bus. I don't care how long you take to reach home but i will never come and pick u up)
After finishing the admission related works at the International students office, I was asked to enroll in the subjects( because of the delay in admission process. I assume most of you know how i struggled for getting an admission :P) They gave me a campus map and pointing a location in the map they said " This is your department, navigate yourself and enroll the subjects soon) After navigating through the confused streets of Auckland I did finally enroll. Finishing everything I walked back halfway to the bus stop and then realized that my file is missing. My file contained everything- Right from my passport to my academic transcripts. Now my heart skipped a beat and it activated the panic mode. D-E-A-D, Game over were the words echoing in my brain and I made a swift walk back to department. To my surprise the file was there in the same place at the same position how i left. Gasping for air i murmured the words "Thank You Auckland". Felt like i had a rebirth and this file fiasco made me to learn the second chapter in Int'l living according to my uncle " KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING"
Uni life, new style of education and new friends contribute to a new era in my life which is still going on. Happy with the things Auckland has taught me with respect to life. But life in abroad is never easy folks. And why did i stress so much only on the first two days?? Just a real time example of how pressure can creep into your mind and make things miserable.And remember guys "Spoon feeding"never works.Come of our comfort zone as quick as u can.
Bottom line: Life in abroad is not as easy as what people think. You need to overcome a lot of factors and one of which is emotions.Its so easy to comment and to question. Life in abroad doesn't mean that one is rich and one is settled. So stop commenting on us folks. The next thing is for God sake Stop commenting on me on the Auckland vs Chennai saga. When i say " I love Auckland" it doesn't mean that i don't love Chennai anymore. Chennai is my first home and no matter what I always love Chennai. Auckland is my second home and i show equal love on this. There were some people recently who irritated me on this topic and even asked me to stay here. Thanks for your suggestions. I know what to do and where to stay plus you guys aren't sponsoring me either. I assume that you guys are not the owners of Chennai city. So do not put your nose in my matters.And yeah there is always a line between sports and patriotism.
Ending this blog with some of the unique things i come across at Auckland ( I don't know about the other countries). Cya in the next one :) and thanks buddies for the support u give me in whatever i do. Love ya all Cheers!!!
As i say always with reference to my kiwi life "This is just the beginning, lots to come"
* Kiwis are known for their discipline, hospitality and they keep up their promises. Once they commit a task they never roll back and they expect the same from us
* Pedestrians are given the first preference on road, followed by the cyclists. Kiwis follow a disciplined driving. If you curve patterns with your bike or car in the road or disobey the rules or distract a pedestrian or a cyclist then you are doomed. Speed limits are strictly followed.
* In case of an accident, or an event there will be prior notifications through electronic displays so that you can plan accordingly.
* People always form queues to buy anything( Be it inside a mall or boarding a bus or inside a bank) and the best thing is there are no boards to say "Form a queue". It just comes on their own interest
*Everyone deserves equal treatment no matter from which background you come from. even if the prime minister breaks a traffic rule he will also be penalized.
*Peaceful and the best place to live. NZ prime minister John key will walk down the street, buy a news paper from the shop nearby and goes back to his residence. No bodyguards, no sirens and no traffic blocking
*Elections will be held peacefully here. Voting and result will be on the same day and the new govt should form within a day or two. No loud speaker campaigns, no posters and no bribe to the voters. Online voting, pre casting of votes are also there.
* Equal rights for the people. i.e A case can be filed on anyone if they commit a mistake. A cop here was using his mobile while driving and a pedestrian captured this in his mobile and sent to the higher officials. The cop was asked for an explanation and he was later suspended. If you rash drive, or drink and drive or park in a no parking area your fellow commuters/ travelers can lodge a case on you and severe penalty should be paid
*Auckland cops car have a special system and software which gives the entire criminal history of a person. they can enter the car plate number of any car passing by and the system gives a full detail about its owner. Convicted cases also include
* Last. If you are an international student/person then the doctor consulting fees is 150$ whereas the medicines cost just 10$. When u buy the medicines, the shop keeper will definitely ask for the prescription and he will keep it with himself after delivering the medicines. If u need to buy it again then first consult the doctor :P
My emotions were at stake as i crossed from the northern to the southern hemisphere. My lachrymal glands reached its peak during this journey and i couldn't control it. Leaving the city which i knew for 21 years, leaving my ever loving family and buddies, Yes it was a bitter pill to swallow at the Chennai International Airport. The Cathay pacific flight touched down Auckland on 17th July 2011 at 6.30 AM and what did the first thing i saw at the Auckland airport? Sniffer Dogs. Those dogs were part of the baggage checking process and i have to admit this,The dogs were so cute :) The baggage checking and X- Ray scanning process followed after that.
Tear soaked eyes and a somber face soon turned bubbly the moment i saw my uncle and Aunt. Few words about my Uncle, My inspiration, the one who taught me everything( right from how to operate a computer to how to play table tennis) I missed him dearly and now its time for the reunion after a year and half. Kissed by the icy breeze outside I said to myself " The Game starts".
After a 30 mins drive from the airport I reached my uncle's place. Dosa's were on the menu for my breakfast. After finishing the b'fast me and my aunt went to the nearby mall. Nah not for shopping , but to open up a bank account.Yeah you got it right folks a mall here will definitely have a bank apart from the usual stores( Supermarket, food court etc). A sleepy afternoon passed by and in the evening my uncle took me out for a ride in his car. A drive on the Harbor bridge was enough to make my jaw drop in excitement. One can get the best view of Auckland from that bridge. Dominoes pizza and pastas dominated my dinner menu and just when everything seem alright Chennai memories haunted me. I dint change the time in my watch and this was enough to start the crying process . My uncle's attempt to comfort me went in vain and finally he decided that my mom should take up this matter. After a 30 mins heart to heart conversation via Skype, I was convinced. But still it was HELL. The pain you undergo when you see your loved one through a computer screen and assuming that they are still besides you is just horrible
Dawn of a new day and its the first day of my Uni. Uncle and Aunt accompanied me to the bus stop and helped me to board the bus (No conductor and No foot boards in these buses :P) I dint knew where my university is but i just boarded the bus which will take me to the city. Got down, interacted with few, asked them about the whereabouts of my uni and none knew it. But a girl was so kind enough to help me and she even offered to take me to the Uni. My college was just a foot away from where i was standing but still i couldn't recognize it. Why? because a big gate and a gigantic name board was missing. In Chennai, all colleges will have a big gate and on the top of it a big name board saying XYZ college. so it is easy to identify the main entrance. But its not the case here. By this time I learnt the first chapter in abroad living according to my uncle, which reads "NO SPOON FEEDING".(My uncle said " Board the bus, go the city, interact with people, finish your work and take the return bus. I don't care how long you take to reach home but i will never come and pick u up)
After finishing the admission related works at the International students office, I was asked to enroll in the subjects( because of the delay in admission process. I assume most of you know how i struggled for getting an admission :P) They gave me a campus map and pointing a location in the map they said " This is your department, navigate yourself and enroll the subjects soon) After navigating through the confused streets of Auckland I did finally enroll. Finishing everything I walked back halfway to the bus stop and then realized that my file is missing. My file contained everything- Right from my passport to my academic transcripts. Now my heart skipped a beat and it activated the panic mode. D-E-A-D, Game over were the words echoing in my brain and I made a swift walk back to department. To my surprise the file was there in the same place at the same position how i left. Gasping for air i murmured the words "Thank You Auckland". Felt like i had a rebirth and this file fiasco made me to learn the second chapter in Int'l living according to my uncle " KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING"
Uni life, new style of education and new friends contribute to a new era in my life which is still going on. Happy with the things Auckland has taught me with respect to life. But life in abroad is never easy folks. And why did i stress so much only on the first two days?? Just a real time example of how pressure can creep into your mind and make things miserable.And remember guys "Spoon feeding"never works.Come of our comfort zone as quick as u can.
Bottom line: Life in abroad is not as easy as what people think. You need to overcome a lot of factors and one of which is emotions.Its so easy to comment and to question. Life in abroad doesn't mean that one is rich and one is settled. So stop commenting on us folks. The next thing is for God sake Stop commenting on me on the Auckland vs Chennai saga. When i say " I love Auckland" it doesn't mean that i don't love Chennai anymore. Chennai is my first home and no matter what I always love Chennai. Auckland is my second home and i show equal love on this. There were some people recently who irritated me on this topic and even asked me to stay here. Thanks for your suggestions. I know what to do and where to stay plus you guys aren't sponsoring me either. I assume that you guys are not the owners of Chennai city. So do not put your nose in my matters.And yeah there is always a line between sports and patriotism.
Ending this blog with some of the unique things i come across at Auckland ( I don't know about the other countries). Cya in the next one :) and thanks buddies for the support u give me in whatever i do. Love ya all Cheers!!!
As i say always with reference to my kiwi life "This is just the beginning, lots to come"
* Kiwis are known for their discipline, hospitality and they keep up their promises. Once they commit a task they never roll back and they expect the same from us
* Pedestrians are given the first preference on road, followed by the cyclists. Kiwis follow a disciplined driving. If you curve patterns with your bike or car in the road or disobey the rules or distract a pedestrian or a cyclist then you are doomed. Speed limits are strictly followed.
* In case of an accident, or an event there will be prior notifications through electronic displays so that you can plan accordingly.
* People always form queues to buy anything( Be it inside a mall or boarding a bus or inside a bank) and the best thing is there are no boards to say "Form a queue". It just comes on their own interest
*Everyone deserves equal treatment no matter from which background you come from. even if the prime minister breaks a traffic rule he will also be penalized.
*Peaceful and the best place to live. NZ prime minister John key will walk down the street, buy a news paper from the shop nearby and goes back to his residence. No bodyguards, no sirens and no traffic blocking
*Elections will be held peacefully here. Voting and result will be on the same day and the new govt should form within a day or two. No loud speaker campaigns, no posters and no bribe to the voters. Online voting, pre casting of votes are also there.
* Equal rights for the people. i.e A case can be filed on anyone if they commit a mistake. A cop here was using his mobile while driving and a pedestrian captured this in his mobile and sent to the higher officials. The cop was asked for an explanation and he was later suspended. If you rash drive, or drink and drive or park in a no parking area your fellow commuters/ travelers can lodge a case on you and severe penalty should be paid
*Auckland cops car have a special system and software which gives the entire criminal history of a person. they can enter the car plate number of any car passing by and the system gives a full detail about its owner. Convicted cases also include
* Last. If you are an international student/person then the doctor consulting fees is 150$ whereas the medicines cost just 10$. When u buy the medicines, the shop keeper will definitely ask for the prescription and he will keep it with himself after delivering the medicines. If u need to buy it again then first consult the doctor :P
There is no point in comparing NZ and Chennai.Just like comparing two sides of a coin:both are unique in their own ways and have to be appreciated for that.Well written post :)
ReplyDeletePS-Sorgame endralum adhu namma oora polagumaa :P
Thanks Gayathri :) Yeah it makes me sick when people start comparing this.
ReplyDelete