The frenzy!

By 'frenzy' I dont mean mental agitation if you were wondering for a second looking at the topic.. but was actually referring to the wild excitement that prevailed during our planning period of coming to the UK..

It all started with both dips and me wanting to do our masters.. and the funniest part of all this is that there is not one continent we have left unturned whilst deciding where we should actually head.. from S'pore to UK, Australia to the US, we've considered all of them... and finally we hit on UK.. ( this was after sending one round of applications to the universities in aus).. with our destination clear, our next aim was to decide on the universities and then the course.. So we decided to go to the education counseling agencies to help us make the 'right choice'. We went to 'The Chopras' ( who co-incidently have their office in the same building as my bro's) to seek out advice on the top rated colleges in the UK to pursue our masters.

This was all done behind the screen.. our parents had no idea what we were up to.. so bright saturday morning, we turned up at chopras, gave them our requirements, qualifications and we were suggested a couple of colleges and courses to consider. The next step was to bring up this subject at home.. the tougher part was convincing mah bro (IIMA passout)!!! my family wanted me to give CAT or at least GMAT... not that it was tough... but to blatantly put it.. I was lazy.. I didnt have enough concentration to sit in front of those books and study.. it's another thing that I was serious on pursuing my masters.. anyhow.. the topic was brought up... I told mom & dad about the colleges and course I was intending on applying to... They didnt disagree not were they totally welcoming the idea.. their response was "Apply.. and then we'll see".. and so the application process set in (end of June).. Dips and me applied to the same universities but for diff courses.. and then came the waiting period.. which was throughly frustrating.. It was too much to handle and we were getting desperate as every day passed... both of us badly wanted this to work out... Everyday it was dips and me continuously debating on the phone, cribbing, wondering when we'd get to hear from the universities and how we should go about convincing our parents and how we'd manage the loan and visa issues.... and time seemed to be totally running out since it was july end already and courses begin in oct..

Finally, after 6 weeks of painful waiting we got a positive response... but it was not much to go on since parents had to still agree.. and until things stepped into the positive mode we were not willing to resign our jobs either.. from talking about university ratings to the benefits of the course chosen, we debated on all points to convince our family. I even prepared a power point presentation that talked about how good the uni was, how I would benefit from my course and how I would go about repaying the loan. Finally after a lot of arguments and discussions and sad faces (from me), the 'go on' mode was set in.. there was no stopping dips and me from then...

I put in my papers at work... got busy with the preparations for leaving.. booking accommodations, getting documents ready for the loan and visa purposes, making a lit of the essentials, documenting my work, making transition plans.. and there was this bit where dips and me would discuss and fantasize all that we would/could do once we were in the UK.. we used to never endingly talk over the phone about everything...

Weekdays we were buried in our work.. weekends was for us to roam, roam and roam all around b'lore coz' we had some work or the other... our endless visits to The Chopras, comemrical street, Koramangla... they are all memories that I will always cherish... until the last day of my stay in blore dips and me have been out completing some last minute work.. for that matter... we had to go to the airport to get our tickets confirmed on the day we were supposed to travel...

Its been around 2 months of tension, apprehension, happiness, excitement, insecurities and all that one can think of.. but they have been one of the most memorable phases of my life.. meeting up with all my loved ones, sending each other 'good bye- keep in touch' mails and messages... its all been there.. and this period has been very exciting for both dips n me as we have dreamt bout the life we'd live together in the UK..

And today.. here in the UK.. when dips n me recollect on all that had happened, I begin to miss every minute of my life that I lived in b'lore... and I cant wait for the day when I'd be on my flight back home.. It is of great irony that whilst in b'lore I was so much looking forward to my stay in the UK.. It has been a whole new experience at the same time I cant wait to get back home...

It is but that true that we think so much about the future that we forget to live in the present... and yet... I cant wait to get back home! :)