An Outlet - Part 9

28 June, 2022 - First Day at B School

Yup. Here we are. Another big phase of my life has begun.

I woke up around 4AM, got ready and left for the airport a little before 5 AM. Thankfully, there were no last minute panics like I had imagined.

One of my uncles dropped us at the airport and we checked in and got through security with a tad bit of inconvenience. First, the bar code on dad and my boarding pass wouldn't work. Later on, we spent quite some time trying to separate our electronics and luggage to get past security check. With money and efforts put in to make such a good airport infrastructure, you'd think they'd also put up signs for how to send in baggages if they have so many rules. Not all passengers are frequent travelers.

After getting through security, we got to the shopping/waiting area and I spoke to Alex for a bit. It's an important day for me and I needed him to talk me up. He's my best friend afterall.

Our plane was pretty much on time and we reached our destination without any hassle. Oh but we were denied a better breakfast due to a miscommunication. :/

After gathering our luggage, we took a cab and headed towards my new life for the next 2 years.

Upon reaching campus, I met my roommate Steffani and she helped me get settled in and complete my registration process. Nice girl! My first impression of hers is really good because honestly I was worried about whether I'd gel with my roommate or not.

Post lunch at the mess, my parents and I shopped at the store set up on the campus basketball court. We bought a mattress, pillow, hangers, bucket, mug, dustbin and a soap case. All essentials.

This city is so fucking hot that I lost my cool after shopping. And if I wasn't sweating due to the immense heat, the 3 flights of stairs sans lift to get to my room was enough to make me go mad. I asked my parents to check into their hotel and leave me alone for a while. Harsh, yes but I just needed to relax without worrying about anyone for a while.

There were industry talks scheduled for the entire batch but I decided to screw all of that and start unpacking and making my room feel livable. Afterall, this is my home (and hopefully a safe place) for the next 2 years. I spend hours trying to decide how to arrange my 3 suitcase worth belongings but I made sure to not procrastinate and get everything out of the bag.

I also took a desperately needed rest for the remainder of the day, going out only thrice since :

1. Meet parents after they'd finished shopping at a nearby marketplace

2. Dinner with roommate and a few others

3. To help some guy with an ointment cause he was hurt

So I did meet a couple of people today. Some introduced by my roommate and some met along the way. This campus is bustling with students trying to interact with each other. Which according to me is really nice. Hopefully, I'll also be able to find some good friends to survive in this new city.

And that, folks, is how I spent my first day as a graduate student.