Apka naam kya hai?

If you're reading this, congratulations! You made it to week three! You get a cookie! You've stuck with me for these first few weeks so I hope this means that what I write has something of value to you. Or you're my family and feel slightly obligated to read because if not I would pester you with small details about what I had written. You know. To check if you really read it or not. (You know who you are!)

So Tuesday my mother and I went to JNU. As we try to enter for registration, the guards refuse to let my mother enter. Why? No answer. Knowing how frustrating the application procedure had been, the registration process was bound to be just as painful. I was not going in alone. So after arguing with the guards they let her in.

But for real. I speak so little Hindi and these people even less English. No way would I have been able to complete the proces without my mother translating. I would still be sitting there now if I were alone.

Long live bureaucracy! 

But nope didn't end there. We walked three floors four times that day to try to figure out my classes. The Russian department sent us to the English department who sent us back to the Russian department who sent us back to the English department who sent us back to the Russian department until finally someone told us "just go to the dean." While waiting at the deans office a Syrian student had told us, in less than two minutes, what we had to do. It took the administration two hours.

Students = 1 Administration = 0

Yeah I thought selfies were the bane of my existence. Big nope on that. People who work at the English department of a renowned university and don't speak English. Big yup on that.
Okay and selfies.
And mosquitos.
And Ted from How I Met Your Mother.
And.

No okay I think that's it.

Oh no wait and ants. Little red fire breathing, biting ants. SMH.

Right. Anyway.

I got my school identity card!

I think the picture really brings out my eyes. 

So I've been complaining about the procedure for a little while now, but I promise I'll stop! Soon. In the near future. At some point I'll stop. Maybe when I leave back to Belgium. We'll see. 

Friday I had my first class. It lasted all of five minutes. I came I saw I conquered? I think not. Apparently the teacher was sick and wasn't coming in. Great first day of class if you ask me. But it's not like theres a way to communicate to the students that there won't be any class. It's not like e-mails or internet exists or anything. 

I'll try again Monday. 

Second times the charm, right? 

That's hot.

So here I am sitting in the airconditioned living room wondering whether or not I should try to venture outside. Why should I not go outside you ask? It's India thats why. It's hot and humid and the pool is warmer than the outside temperature (read: hit a record of 34). I know what your thinking #firstworldproblems.

Anyway. My goal was to educate whoever my readers may be about the education system here in Delhi, but honestly, I've mostly only seen the administration side of things. And let me tell you. I am done with the administration process. So done. And it's not even officially done. So I'm enrolled, but the agreement between the two universities makes it so that I'm not enrolled in the right department, which  means we need to ask the vice chancellor permission to join the right department. Not only that, but trying to figure out what the equivalencies are for the KU Leuven is almost literally a goose chase. Minus the geese, obviously. 

And I'm afraid thats all I can tell you at this point about the university here. Apparently classes don't start until Wednesday. And class schedules don't become available, until, thats right you guessed it, Tuesday! 

Sincerely cannot wait to start this semester. 

Anyway. I love this country. 

It's hot. It's humid. It's rainy. It's wonderful. 

People here love the rains so much so that the fact that streets become rivers, puddles become ponds, mosquitos become infuriating little bloodsucking vampires that will not leave you alone no matter how much anti mosquito stuff you spray, doesn't bother them. 

Luckily though the rains weren't a problem for our National Day (July 21) celebrations. Happy Belgium Day! And just like that I felt like I was in Belgium again (I mean except for the weather, the house, the garden, the pool, the palmtrees, the people, the birds...) Yup, just like Belgium. The food though was like Belgium: complete with french fries, beers and chocolate.
But wow. It was humid. That was the first time I saw adults not care about the sweat showing through their shirts but embrace it.
"We're here, the sweat won't disappear, get used to it." 

I was interviewed. Incredibly awkward. Just awkward. They wanted to get a young persons perspective of the event. So I learned something new: I cannot give interviews. They asked me to describe what was going on. The normal answer would have been what food we were serving, what kind of beers we have, what its like to be 22 at such an event etc. Would have been great if I had said anything of the sort. But no. All my supposedly language orientated brain could talk about was that our house was made by some known architect. I also said that Belgium was founded in 1832. Oops. Needless to say, wasn't exactly the most successful interview. However if you need info on the house, I'm your girl! 

I hope I'm not losing readers (whoever you may be, and by the way I am eternally grateful to you for reading! Well, maybe not eternally, but you know until the next post comes along.) Ya'll are great. 

Until next week!


Oh right. I also dyed my hair red. 

Selfies. The bane of my existence. 

इंडिया

It's official. I've been in Delhi for nearly a week now and of course, as any twenty-two year old who is going away for a semester, I've decided to do the most cliché thing any exchange student does.

I'm going to blog about it and there's nothing you can do about it.

As most people know, I will be studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University for one semester. The semester here in Delhi starts already this Friday. However, in true Indian style, my application has still not been finalized, teachers aren't sure whether or not my chosen classes will actually be taught and well, apparently, when classes do go through, monkeys have a habit of coming into the classroom.

Needless to say I am extremely looking forward to this semester.

I'll keep this first post short. Over the next seven months I hope to post weekly updates, regardless of whether or not this will be read (lets hope the latter isn't the case).

Keep in mind that this is the first post and I still have some kinks to work out, but I guarantee that I will do my best to make this somewhat interesting! Well, maybe not guarantee but I'll do my best. Or you know we'll see what happens.