The Tall and Short of It

The Europeans are tall people. Well, not all of them. But the majority of them are. And those who know me know that I am a little bit vertically challenged (This was the title given to me in my IIMA Section A POTY Awards! I was indignant but that is a story for another time.)
Coming back to the topic on hand, I had dreams to meet some good French students (ooh laa laa!) and make them my BFFs. So, when the institute told us that they have some kind of Tandem program for us in order to facilitate our meeting the firangs, I was all ecstatic and immediately signed up for it.
I was assigned a French girl and immediately I had visions of roaming around the streets of Paris, soaking in the French culture and being all Parisian (don't get wrong ideas). Keeping this mind, I sent a mail introducing myself and asking her to do the same. She told me she had only recently come to Paris. My Parisian dreams were shattered, but then she said she was from Bourdeaux. I envisioned myself lazing in the vineyards of Bourdeaux, being ohh so graceful and elegant, and my plans were back on track.
Then she told me that she was a first year student, which according to my calculations made her about 19 or 20 years old. I am in the wrong side of 20 and had just overcome my quarter life crisis. But what the heck, what has age to do with friendship?
Keeping all this aside, I decided to meet her. I mailed her and asked her how would I recognise her in the school courtyard. She replied back " I am blonde, fair, Tall, actually the tallest measuring over 180 cm and I wear heels, so you can't miss me. What about you?" ON reading this, my heart skipped a beat. I would like like, actually I would not be visible next to her. But still, I replied "I am short, actually very short, dark and don't wear heels. I will find you".
I was already two strikes down. I wasn't entirely sure if I could find a way out of the third one. I went out and saw her. She came up to my shoulder as she was sitting. A sweet girl. But I am not entirely sure if she is up to be my BFF. Call me a racist, but she was too tall for it:)

Eurotrip chronicles

My other blog failed to take off. Partly because I am too lazy. And also because this gentleman laughed at my idea. And since I thought that he did have much more sense in the blogging department, I did not write. It is fun to shift the blame on others!! No offense.
I am done with my euro trip. Actually I was almost done with it the first week of November itself. I have realised I don't like to travel (future consultant, really?) on a shoestring budget (there is hope!). I have been to 11 countries, and towards the end everything appeared the same to me. Being a vegetarian (non-ova) doesn't help in this a lot as well.
The education system here reminds me of my class X CBSE days. I am cramming stuff like definitions and 15 points of social marketing. Who would have thought that MBA requires cramming? I just envisioned it to be exams full of writing globe. But, it happens!
Friends made, not many. Lessons learnt, too many. Will elaborate many of those in subsequent posts.
But I am proud of myself for living in a foreign country, with people speaking a foreign language and navigating through simple day to day activities like shopping in French supermarkets, booking train tickets and opening a bank account. I am a big girl now:)