Food – Segfault

Todo @ Home

Only 6 days left and then I am in the most beautiful place on this earth – Dehradun, which also happens to be where home is. A big YAY for the semester break. Now, since I am going home after nearly a year there are a lot of things that I must do at home. So here is my todo list – things I simply must do when I get home.

Movies

Rocket Singh
3 Idiots
Avatar

Food

Dosa, Sambhar, Idli, Utthapam
KC Momo
Dulara Chowmein
Lots of “Haldiram’s Chilli Chatak Lachha”
LAYS MAGIC MASALA – at least one packet a day, if not more
Bhindi – proper Bhindi
Gajar Ka Halwa
Kaju ki Barfi
Rasmalai
Mathri with Aachar
Roti – you only get that at home
Aloo Ke Paranthe – daily for breakfast with Hing Ka Aachar
Poha – when not having Aloo ke Paranthe for breakfast
And any and everything that mom make

Travel

Andaman
Chennai
Mahavirji

Watch

Finally watch cricket matches on TV (maybe even DD with classic Hindi commentary)
Catch snatches of useless Indian TV serials
Browse through all the useless movie channels which keep showing the same movies for 5 years
Learn about senseless news such as suspected aliens stealing cows or such on the great circus of Indian news channels
Tune in to channels which only show trailers of new and upcoming Bollywood movies for 24 hours

Enjoy

The great Dehradun winter – sunny, fog free and a pleasant 20C
Being at home

Oh, and maybe also studies for my exams in January!

14 days in hell and fried salad

Past 14 days = {Assignments, College Office}* U {Eat,Sleep}.

How I have managed to survive the past 14 days, I do not know. Nearly two assignments due each day, quizzes in between, some work here and some work there. And in between all this one has to find some time for sleeping and eating as well, and when the caterers are Aramark, one wishes that survival without food was possible.

And here I must say that I am thankful for the summer that I spent interning in Aachen. Granted, that I wanted to go home and would have loved to be there, but the time I spent alone taught me to how to quickly fix a nice and edible Indian meal in Germany and that has indeed come helpful over the past couple of weeks. One of my innovations that I am really proud of is frying rice and salad. (Mmmm, I can even smell it as I type) It is often the case that there is nothing edible (vegetarian) for dinner, but there is always a lot of Salad. And this is where my recipe comes in, just take some tomatoes, cabbage, onion, paprika and pepperoni. Chop it in small pieces, fry it and add boiled rice to it. Cook for some more time (using Indian spices, of course) and you have a wonderful Indian dinner. Other than that, there is pasta and my new love – Spaghetti.

Another saving grace has been that we usually study in groups and I personally find that really effective, it is easier to work at 5 in the morning when you are surrounded by a group of people who are as famished and tired as you are.

What with group work and my innovations with regard to cooking, I have managed to survive these couple of weeks with just a bout of flu. Hoping things improve in the future.

Spring Semester, Home and back!

Yeah, after the intersession came the spring semester. Wasn’t much different than the fall semester, now was it. Yes, there was studying to do and there was homework to do. There was the same old Aramark and there was the same great Bremen weather. And in between, there was something called the cricket world cup to forget which is the duty of all Indians.

There was some fun to be had as well, I finally managed to pay a visit to the Other Side, after ignoring it nearly for six months. It was not that I could not resist it any more but then sometimes you have to give in to your friends as well!

Soon enough, or was it four months, it was time to go home. Before that there was this beautiful thing about having to clear your room which was no fun at all. Having never packed a suitcase in my life before, I was a bit apprehensive. Though, soon enough, I got hold of the general concept which is to get all the stuff that needs to go inside the suitcase inside it and then somehow close the suitcase. And yes, I managed it, without much difficulty. Within minutes, or it seemed so, I was on my way to India, my home!

The trip back was not long at all, Shx was traveling on the same flight, so there was no question of boredom. And the excitement of going home ensured that the time flew as fast as the airplane. My family was there at the airport to welcome me, and when my brother hugged me, I knew I was home. I was eager to New Delhi, so that we could begin our six hour journey to Dehradun, our home. And when we finally reached there in the evening I was home physically as well.

It was great being back, Everything seemed somehow new and yet it was the same. There was home cooked food to be had, and all I can say that my mouth is still watering at this moment as I am writing about it. Yes, and I did meet most of my old friends from school, and it felt wonderful to be together again, after a long year. Words are not enough to describe my feeling of satisfaction of being back, of spending three long and yet very short with people who genuinely care for me and whom I love more than myself. There is no need for me to say anything for it was time to go back to Jacobs University, to Bremen and to Germany.

And so here I am, back in Germany, back in Bremen and back at Jacobs University starting my second year, a crunch year. Just waiting to see what lies ahead.

Indian food in Bremen

Mitul, Radhika, Hana and me went to an Indian gathering today. I personally am feeling wonderful. We took the train from IUB at 6:57 and reached hauptbahnof at 7:18. From the Hauptbahnof we took a tram to Roland center and from there the bus to our final destination.Upon entering the community hall I felt as if I was at a social gathering in India. To see people in Indian clothes here in Bremen was quite a wonderful experience, but the best part was undoubtedly the food. One really doesn’t realise what one has been missing until he gets a taste of it. As soon as the smell of the food wafted near me, my mouth started watering and my stomach grumbled and craved for food properly for the first time in a month. The food was really awesome – puris, aloo, chole, pulao, gobhi and not to forget the wonderful sweets – we even got a little jalebi – heavenly. I am feeling as if I had been starving for a month, and now I have finally got something to satisfy my Indian taste buds. Still, if there had been space enough in my stomach I would have eaten for as long as I could possibly do. Mine stomach was satisfied but my heart wasn’t. I mean, I am not going to get such utterly delicious food every other day, am I? There was some pretty decent Punjabi music being played and the atmosphere was totally homely. We left the place at around 9:30 and reached the University at 10:45. I have had some good days at IUB and some not so good. Yesterday night was not good, was it? Yassine and I were working on our EE homework till 5 in the morning, and only got 3 hours of sleep during the entire day. But if every day I sleep for only 3 hours and get typical Indian food, I would not mind it. For such food (or delicacies is the appropriate term) I would willingly stay awake the entire night. This has truly been my best day in Bremen.