Disclaimer: This is a narration of my perspective and may not be subscribed by the others who traveled with me.

As I walked to the terminal after alighting from the plane, my mind went back to the young mothers who were carrying one little one in their arm and grasping a toddler by their fingers. How do they manage these young ones and their multiple baggages and that too looking really calm and composed? Looking at them literally juggling, made me look at them in awe and admiration. My mind also went back to the moment when I was searching for the overhead lamp above my seat. The lights were way too above the seat, for me to stand up and switch it on. “Where the heaven is the switch?” Suddenly the light switched on and was that one eureka moment!!! Something made me look at where my hand was resting and there it was, resting on a small switch in the hand rest (is that what it is called?).. Why don’t airlines give a training for first time long journey travelers, even if it is an online one? It would save a lot of looking around to figure things out and will stop one from the fear of trying something out anew and that going wrong:-). That would then lose the charm of us finding things with a child like wonder, wouldn’t it?

Standing in front of the ‘no smiling’ immigration officer with his innumerable questions, my heart went on a ‘lub dub’ spree. To state a few questions – “Why are you here? How many days are you here for? When do you leave? Have you come as a group?” I was shaking in my shoes trying to stand straight, be confident and smile all the time wondering, “Can he cancel my visa if I falter?” I really really tried not to fumble with my answers in all that nervousness, and relaxed only when he said that I could join my friends.

Looks like the growing plant with the small buds brought sunshine with it to help it bloom. It was warm when we stepped out, to board our mini bus to Northampton. Driving thru the motorway towards Northampton, roads were wide and not a pothole seen or felt, road signs every short distance and fields of different shades of green on either side with an odd house dotting the landscape. Pavements that had young lads skating their way or elderly people wheeling themselves was a sight to see. As we passed thru the countryside, it was quaint and Victorian styled house on either side. Houses that were just a few steps from the road or houses that had a short drive or houses that had a winding long drive. There were houses that were built with a golden yellow shade of limestone. These were houses that were apparently built a few decades back  and some with a red shade of limestone that are ‘modern’ houses. And when there are row of such houses, it is a feast to the eyes.

Quite strangely, while it all seemed new to me, it also seemed like a déjà vu. It took me back to all that I had read about the English countryside, in the innumerable Mills & Boons and Enid Blytons. Was I grateful to all the learning these books gave me!!!

The University campus when we reached there was a different experience altogether.. Beautiful campus, lots of greenery, Cherry blossoms in full blossom, giving great company to the growing plant whose buds were slowly opening 🙂

Amongst the buildings for the various departments, voila, there was one for mental health and counselling too. Looks like stress and strain is a part of many a student’s life, across the world. To see it being addressed explicitly and as though it is a part of life and not as though it is a problem state to be in, is indeed heartening!

The next few days here at the university was certainly an eye opener..

The library at the campus is a reader’s delight. For a student, it could be a treasure trove with many a silent zone. Is there a way one could spend hours here and not attend classes? Maybe I should ask this question to a student studying at a university 🙂

Attending the different sessions and making a few school visits, gave so much to think about. There are some things which seemed so different from India and is known in the public domain too..

–          the resources are available are in plenty and are so user friendly and so oriented towards child learning

–          most schools are state funded and the quality of education in the state funded schools supercedes perhaps that in private funded schools

–          Some schools are affiliated to the Church of England and quite some parents prefer their children to study in these schools, as it makes their children to understand their faith. There are children of other faiths studying in these schools who have the freedom to stay away from any of the ‘faith’  classes, if they want to stay away. I know that we in India also have schools that are affiliated to ‘different faiths, but I am not aware of children belonging to other faiths studying in these schools; and if they have a similar freedom of not attending classes that do not teach their ‘faith’.

Cafetaria, restaurant that was milling with students during the lunch times that we were there, the campus store, the bus stand that had students waiting to board the bus to reach the Northampton town centre.. Ah, it must be a different experience to be a resident student at a university. I wondered why it did not occur to me to want to do post graduation and also at a university abroad perhaps. Better late than never was my consolation to myself:-)

 

Waking up to daylight streaming in at 5 in the morning, going for a stroll in a climate that is chill and has a nip in the air or sometimes drizzling, was amazing. Brrr, I actually walked back to my room one day with my fingers numb, swollen a bit and refusing to fold.. Took a lot of rubbing of both palms to get the circulation back.

It was beautiful to see the greenery in all that dampness. It was also a new experience to walk with the windcheater on and the umbrella open. The latter to make sure that my tracks and shoes don’t get wet :-). . Taking too much of precaution to make sure that this trip went thru smoothly, with no health challenges 🙂

There was always company to walk within the campus and outside of it, be it early in the morning or late at night. The daylight stays till almost 9 in the night, giving the feeling that we are still in the early evening. We actually walked one evening to our tutor’s house for a thoughtfully made dinner which had only vegetarian dishes and some yummy desserts. This was a 20 minute walk from the university. It was a light drizzle and we walked again, wearing our raincoats and carrying our umbrella.

Thru the walk, there were small patches of tulips. Well, it made me feel that I was in Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands. That was perhaps the only morning and evening we experienced rain during our entire visit.

Would I do this in India when it is drizzling – go for my walk with a windcheater and an open umbrella? I was sure I wouldnt, thinking of the puddles in the road side, with the fear of being ‘whooooosh’ splashed by the cars that drive over the muddy puddles.  I am though tempted to take a walk in a park in Bangalore, wearing my windcheater and carrying an umbrella and it’s drizzling 🙂

While walking back at 9 in the night, we saw a Marks and Spencers board and wanted to check the shop out. Since it was daylight still, we thought that the shop would be open. Only when someone in the group called out to say that it was 9 and that the shop will be surely closed, did we realise that IT WAS 9 in the night. It suddenly occurred to me that it would be 1.30 a.m. in India and we are walking alone in the wee hours of the morning at that time!!! Stopped me in my tracks for a moment and I had to tell myself that this was a different time zone and to keep walking.

Shops in Northampton , we heard closes early by around 530 in the evening. So if we had to go to the shops, we had to reach much early to do some shopping and many of us did it across two evenings. Lovely clothes that were economical even after the conversion :-). Difficult to stop oneself from converting, isn’t it? Looking at the labels of ‘Made in India, Made in Bangladesh, Made in China’, was the thought of ‘I wish we had these ‘Made in India’ clothes made available to us in India, at these economical prices. It would be so lovely to wear them, buying them in India and making ourselves more productive and ri

There were two evenings which will perhaps stand out in my memory, because it was a first time for me personally. The first was attending a theatre performance (a drama in the Indian parlance?) of Madame Bovary at the Royal Theatre. Four actors playing 21 characters. They just change their dresses for the different roles and dart in and out with ease. Oof, that was really amazing to watch. Mind kept trying to figure out which actor this was, thereby losing out on a small part of the performance. To convey something, they sometimes write in big font, with a white chalk on the black backdrop, The backdrop also seems to act as doors, windows and balconies when they are opened and closed. There was no mike for them to speak with. Their voices carried themselves thru the entire hall. Madame Bovary as a book is said to be intense with many a sensual overtone but this performance was humorous. What stood out was the strength and power of Madame Bovary for what she stood for. What she wanted may have been unrealistic but the actor essayed the role so beautifully, that I could not stop admiring that character. Despite all this, in the second half of the play, I could feel my head bobbing in sleep intermittently. I did though wake up in time to clap when the play ended. Blame it on jet lag, the easiest scapegoat 🙂

The second evening, was to a pub that was close to the university campus. It took me time to soak in the richness of the pub, in all its ‘drinking’ glory. This was a family pub and I did not know that there actually could be one. This one had a small play area inside and a huge one outside. We saw kids darting in and out, running and having fun while their parents were chatting and having a drink. It was an icing on the cake to have this charming young lad who works in the pub in the evening and studies at the university in the morning, just pulling a chair at our table and chatting with us asking us how we were enjoying. Definitely an enterprising lad, who will surely go places. The few hours at the pub was sheer fun, being ‘dared’ to speak the ‘truth’.

What is England without a visit to the countryside? We were taken around on a half day visit to the countryside.. Again quaint houses with thatched roofs, seeing postmen deliver post to the houses, churches with beautiful architecture and intricate work, quiet roads, beacons that were lit with fires for the beginning of the millennium, vast green farmlands that were being grazed by cattle. The cattle looked really healthy. Wonder if this is so because they graze on natural vegetation!! In one area we saw this apparatus that was used by people to lock their children in, if children were found to be naughty.. And that looked really stern (for want of a stronger word)..

A memorable working week came to an end and it was time to travel to the city of London. It wasn’t easy to leave behind the campus where not even on one day did I feel that I was old to attend classes at the university, did not feel out of place really and a place where I felt great to be in. A group of 7 women walking around laughing and giggling, at around 10 in the night, feeling safe and secure even though there was no one else walking; and getting that feeling of being in the campus one last night.

There were times when there was the odd discussion of whether we can talk loudly or giggle and laugh aloud, while we are in a public place. Again some questions – Will that bring disrespect to India and Indians? There are people who come from other parts of the world to India, who talk and laugh loud, we don’t look at them with disrespect.  Why can’t we also be ourselves and talk and laugh aloud? Needless to say, there were no answers to any of these questions 🙂

A gregarious bunch of 9 women who were whacky enough to pick lots to decide who will pair up with whom, for the accommodation at the campus.. And why pick lots?  to give an opportunity for us to get to know each other better. Amazing women-  so caring, so full of fun and women who ‘dared’ enough :-). Even as I type out this blog, a chuckle escapes from me, as I think about that week at the University. There is indeed no age for having a fun filled learning!!!

The plant that brought sunshine with it, acclimatises itself to a different soil, different temperature and also starts blossoming. I am sure it has added more color to itself and the place it was in for just a short duration. The roots are not yet embedded in the soil and hence it is free to be taken out and moved to a different location. A versatile plant this is, with all its blossoming buds 🙂

As you wait for the final part of this Traveblogue which will be published in a few days, feel free to go back and read the post a few more times to enjoy what we enjoyed..