Round 1 of minors (midterms here) was done a week ago. I’m happy that the minors take all of 4 days to complete, so there isn’t an entire season of them like at home. With that said, these little 1 hour exams are the devil, and little did I know being sick with the chicken pox, combined with stomach problems and finding my feet in Delhi, would lead to disastrous consequences. Let’s just say IIT Delhi wins this round, but I’ll see this thing through.
You might ask why it’s taken so long to write a blog post about the minors being over (they finished last Tuesday). I’ve been down with something, yet again, a mild but persistent headache combined with more gastrointestinal adjustments. It’s been a trying but telling time in India, and all of this downtime has given me a lot of time to reflect. I finally have had the time to think without moving, for the first time in a very long time. A welcome relief.
To more concrete matters!
Post-minors, I was feeling well enough to have a drink with the guys. I’d been feeling under the weather pre-minors, but during minors, I recovered. Post-minor celebrations seemed like a no brainer. The next day I woke up with a hangover; the day after that, a fever. I was good enough to go out and grab meals with my friends here a few times; here’s some of the stories:
Capri Villagio, Friday the 7th: An Italian restaurant in Haus Khaz village. I got a nice chicken penne with creamy mushroom sauce; the rest of the guys received their food except for the Australian, Jono. He got his pizza right as I finished the last of my pasta. 10:30PM. That, I’m sad to say, is hardly a surprising occurrence in Indian fine dining.
Ambience Mall, Saturday the 8th: Jono, me, and two Frenchmen (Adrien and Nicolas) took an autorickshaw out to Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj. We bought baguettes and croissants in the nearby DLF Promenade, and ham and cheese in the Big Bazaar. We sat in the middle of the Ambience Mall, a Western mall parachuted into south Delhi, tearing our baguettes and creating our culinary masterpieces. Baguettes with ham and cheese.
We take an incredibly long time to split the bills here, too. Taxes are close to 35% on some of the items, and when one of us misjudges what we have to pay, we all suffer. Just a thought.
I’ve skipped a trip to Rishikesh this weekend with my friend Alex (whom I went to Jaipur and Agra with) to recover from this damned fever and headache. I really have not had a chance to experience India, to see what it is beyond the confines of IIT Delhi. It reminds me of being in the bubble back at UBC, so focused on Fizz that the only trip off campus in a week would be the necessary groceries run.
Hell, that just means I’ve got more of IIT Delhi to show. Another blog post!