Well, the most conspicuous characteristic
of this small class has been its diversity. There are students from varied
disciplines; architecture, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and
to top it all physics. Also, the whole class comprises of international
students with not even a single British student amongst us. And yes… the whole
international community is represented with students from China, India, Brunei,
Thailand, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Italy, Malaysia, Ghana, Mexico, France and
USA. I would again reiterate (at the risk of sounding repetitive) that our
class provided the true international exposure required in today’s competitive
diaspora with students from all over the world and with a multitude of
skillsets.
Needless to say, I was the ‘Grand Old
Man’ of the class but never did I feel that I was sharing my course with people
seven or eight years younger than me. I had a little hesitation initially to
mix with them but very soon I found myself tuned to their frequency as we spent
more time together between lectures and during breaks.
I was in a group with eight of them for
my group project in the first semester. No group meeting would begin without a
reference made to football and rugby, or end without a tribute to the Chinese
art of prototyping and their love for gadgets. More often than not, our group
leader had to remind us of the theme of the meeting and urge us to stick to it,
only to find himself deviating after a few minutes of discussion giving us
insight into Chinese medicine or teaching us swearwords in Chinese. As one of
the more confident English speakers, other than my American colleague, I often found
myself struggling to decipher their English. My Greek colleague had a different
accent which was cataclysmically opposite to how my Italian colleague spoke. More
often than not, we would laugh and joke about the English expressions used and
how a wrong usage would spoil its true meaning. It was during these group meetings that I was
drawn towards the Greek art of philosophy, the Italian flamboyance, the Chinese
never-say-die attitude, the Thai simplicity, the Turkish charm, the Mexican
bonhomie and the American confidence. There was so much to learn from each one
of them. Our group found ourselves on slightly shaky ground initially when the
supervisor literally dismissed our work as a half-hearted approach. But we rose
to the occasion and truly showed ‘unity in diversity’, spending hours in the
library together and throwing new ideas around and finally managed to score the
highest marks.
As the term progressed, I found great
pals amongst them. We would find a reason in the smallest of joys or sorrows to
get together and strengthen our bond. I
have very fond and distinct memories of great evenings spent in their company
at the Stag’s Head (the student pub on campus) to wind up the day’s work or at
each other’s flats enjoying a new cuisine every time.
Enjoying
the 'Great British Summer' with a barbecue at Southampton Common
A typical Monday night at Jesters
As the year draws to a close and the
days together are almost numbered, one tends to get nostalgic at times. The
year that has gone by has not only given us colleagues but friends for life. I
am sure each one of us shall definitely miss the companionship we found in each
other. And this truly has been the best gift of the University to me. Our class
of 2012 shall always have a special place in my heart and the times spent
together shall forever remain etched in my memory!
Rohit
No comments:
Post a Comment