Yesterday was just one of those days. Everything seemed to be going wrong, I was convinced the universe was out to get me! There is a saying I have heard from a few people that have travelled in India, and that saying never applied more than yesterday! "India Wins Again!"
The day started off with class at 9am, where I received my first exam grade. After the exam was over last week, I was very confident that I had scored at least 80%, there was no way that I would do poorly, I nailed every question. Turns out, my mark was 60%. Myself and some of the other exchange students here apparently cannot grasp how to write an India exam compared to Canada. It is somewhat frustrating to score so low after working so hard on studying for the exam.
On my bicycle ride home, the traffic was the most insane I have seen on SB road since arriving here. (the main road between the flat and the university) One rickshaw in particular I was ready to run off the road as he kept weaving in and out cutting me off, almost hitting me a few times. The majority of the time he was slightly in front of me, which meant I was choking down fumes for 30 min on the slow ride home.
Ego slightly bruised, throat and eyes burning from the bike ride home, I arrived home in a state of slight panic, as I realized the conversion of these grades will most likely affect my chances at some government positions I applied to for this year's recruitment stream. It might not seem like such a big deal, but after spending 2 weeks pouring hours into essays and cover letters and resumes for these jobs I had hit somewhat of a breaking point that is would all be for not. But after a few emails back home to Carleton, the whole issue was clarified and as long as I get 55% here (which is actually a decent grade) I will be fine! Crisis avoided!
I spent the day relaxing at home reading an amazing book called Persepolis. India loves it's festivals and celebrations, which means our neighborhood for the better part of each month sounds like the inside of a club playing terrible techno music (the fireworks are nice though!) So for 4 hours last night, like the other nights this week the music blared and there was no refuge from it! I've had a few people in Pune tell me they weren't a big fan of all the festivals, at first I didn't understand how this could be, but I'm quickly realizing why someone would not enjoy it year after year!
All that being said, I finished off the day on a very high note, with Julie and I successfully using Parvin's pressure cooker and making an amazing Chole Masala. (yay for a small victory!!) I knew it was good when I looked over and saw Aisha, Parvin's 3 years old niece, licking the plate clean :-)
The day started off with class at 9am, where I received my first exam grade. After the exam was over last week, I was very confident that I had scored at least 80%, there was no way that I would do poorly, I nailed every question. Turns out, my mark was 60%. Myself and some of the other exchange students here apparently cannot grasp how to write an India exam compared to Canada. It is somewhat frustrating to score so low after working so hard on studying for the exam.
On my bicycle ride home, the traffic was the most insane I have seen on SB road since arriving here. (the main road between the flat and the university) One rickshaw in particular I was ready to run off the road as he kept weaving in and out cutting me off, almost hitting me a few times. The majority of the time he was slightly in front of me, which meant I was choking down fumes for 30 min on the slow ride home.
Ego slightly bruised, throat and eyes burning from the bike ride home, I arrived home in a state of slight panic, as I realized the conversion of these grades will most likely affect my chances at some government positions I applied to for this year's recruitment stream. It might not seem like such a big deal, but after spending 2 weeks pouring hours into essays and cover letters and resumes for these jobs I had hit somewhat of a breaking point that is would all be for not. But after a few emails back home to Carleton, the whole issue was clarified and as long as I get 55% here (which is actually a decent grade) I will be fine! Crisis avoided!
I spent the day relaxing at home reading an amazing book called Persepolis. India loves it's festivals and celebrations, which means our neighborhood for the better part of each month sounds like the inside of a club playing terrible techno music (the fireworks are nice though!) So for 4 hours last night, like the other nights this week the music blared and there was no refuge from it! I've had a few people in Pune tell me they weren't a big fan of all the festivals, at first I didn't understand how this could be, but I'm quickly realizing why someone would not enjoy it year after year!
All that being said, I finished off the day on a very high note, with Julie and I successfully using Parvin's pressure cooker and making an amazing Chole Masala. (yay for a small victory!!) I knew it was good when I looked over and saw Aisha, Parvin's 3 years old niece, licking the plate clean :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment