“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman
Andrew clasped his fingers of his right hand, firmly, between the comforting and reassuring fingers of the left hand of his female acquaintance on two occasions – while take off and then during touchdown. Andrew was the person sitting adjacent to me on the flight to London. I got a taste of the shrunken globe when Andrew exclaimed vociferously after he’d got a chance to peep onto my filled-in Landing Card. The instigating factor, out of all that I could speculate, was my mentioned birthplace that caught his chirping eyes – TRICHY, a small township in Tamil Nadu, in Southern India! There I was who was born in Trichy, flying to UK, sitting alongside a native bloke from UK, who’d just visited Trichy, out of all significant tourist places in India, and returning to UK. At that moment, I couldn’t gauge the odds of such occurrences transpiring but simply marveled at one of the many bedazzling coincidences in play.
On the day I’d arrived, London welcomed me with the most pleasant weather I’d ever anticipated. I got to travel in the much talked about London underground tube that very day to reach my place from Heathrow airport. Traveling in the tube evoked reminiscences of my travel in the New Delhi Metro Rails. If the tube plies beneath the surface of the earth in London, the Metro Rails ply overhead on an elevated bridge in New Delhi. Barring this contrary, I suppose, from the design of the tube map to the entire modus operandi of local rail transport, India has taken more than just cues from the London underground rail system to implement its currently operating Metro Rail in its capital. Nevertheless, it’d be unfair to say that India has only managed to replicate everything from nuts-to-bolts; I’d say, fairly, India has bettered the design and modus operandi wherever it could!
It’s simply an indescribable feeling to behold a sight of bouquet of animated students from various nooks of the world, gathered for the International Students Welcome Programme (ISWP) organized in the university. London – a beguiling stage – plays a perfect host to many of the aspiring students and stands true to the words of being one of the finest cosmopolitans in the world, by cohesively uniting students from different cultures and society and making them congregate under one wise and unanimous roof of education. It’s quite noteworthy to learn that almost 25% of the Brits currently residing are native inhabitants of other countries; and heartily, London continues to welcome and embrace overseas and unfamiliar citizens, with open arms!
“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – These prudent words of Saint Augustine bore its true meaning in my mind when I exchanged thoughts with various students from diverse ethnicity, on a boat trip organized on the river Thames as part of ISWP. As the light faded following the sunset, so did the cultural barriers. Although very few could pronounce each others' names, the splendid distant view of the circular London eye, the sparkling reflection of illuminated Westminster Abbey on the waters, the passing of the coveted London Bridge overhead as we sailed below, and the evidently striking cold winds, all conspired universally paving a path to find like-minded people and bond with them. We aptly decided to shun the name game. After all, what’s in a name! The indulgence in wholehearted interactions, further on, categorically helped to dispel and dissolve the accrued and preconceived notions, into the sea of truth and enlightenment. Eventually, and more pertinently, I believe, each stood conspicuously corrected with the judicious words of Aldous Huxley ringing in the back of their mind – “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.”
A recent survey declared that Britons say sorry up to eight times a day on an average. Sorry and Thank you are used by the Britons for almost anything and everything! From the part of the world I come from, it takes a lot of gaffe on an individual’s part, for him to elicit the highly expended word of the Britons. Invariably many things are implied back in my society and country. But I am aware I am dwelling in London at present and have to inculcate the customs followed here, to thrive and be accepted as one in here. That is an indispensable truth all ardent travelers bear in mind. I, having designated myself as an ardent traveler, have perpetually etched the words of James Michener in my mind – “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” So, expect me to soon hit, if not surpass, the Britons’ average of uttering sorry!
…I’ll be off on a one day journey to Brighton tomorrow. As a bird out of its nest, I intend to explore and keep my inquisitiveness craving for more, all along rediscovering myself and weaving a fine garland of friends in the journey. After all, as Tim Cahill impeccably stated – “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”…
Andrew clasped his fingers of his right hand, firmly, between the comforting and reassuring fingers of the left hand of his female acquaintance on two occasions – while take off and then during touchdown. Andrew was the person sitting adjacent to me on the flight to London. I got a taste of the shrunken globe when Andrew exclaimed vociferously after he’d got a chance to peep onto my filled-in Landing Card. The instigating factor, out of all that I could speculate, was my mentioned birthplace that caught his chirping eyes – TRICHY, a small township in Tamil Nadu, in Southern India! There I was who was born in Trichy, flying to UK, sitting alongside a native bloke from UK, who’d just visited Trichy, out of all significant tourist places in India, and returning to UK. At that moment, I couldn’t gauge the odds of such occurrences transpiring but simply marveled at one of the many bedazzling coincidences in play.
On the day I’d arrived, London welcomed me with the most pleasant weather I’d ever anticipated. I got to travel in the much talked about London underground tube that very day to reach my place from Heathrow airport. Traveling in the tube evoked reminiscences of my travel in the New Delhi Metro Rails. If the tube plies beneath the surface of the earth in London, the Metro Rails ply overhead on an elevated bridge in New Delhi. Barring this contrary, I suppose, from the design of the tube map to the entire modus operandi of local rail transport, India has taken more than just cues from the London underground rail system to implement its currently operating Metro Rail in its capital. Nevertheless, it’d be unfair to say that India has only managed to replicate everything from nuts-to-bolts; I’d say, fairly, India has bettered the design and modus operandi wherever it could!
It’s simply an indescribable feeling to behold a sight of bouquet of animated students from various nooks of the world, gathered for the International Students Welcome Programme (ISWP) organized in the university. London – a beguiling stage – plays a perfect host to many of the aspiring students and stands true to the words of being one of the finest cosmopolitans in the world, by cohesively uniting students from different cultures and society and making them congregate under one wise and unanimous roof of education. It’s quite noteworthy to learn that almost 25% of the Brits currently residing are native inhabitants of other countries; and heartily, London continues to welcome and embrace overseas and unfamiliar citizens, with open arms!
“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – These prudent words of Saint Augustine bore its true meaning in my mind when I exchanged thoughts with various students from diverse ethnicity, on a boat trip organized on the river Thames as part of ISWP. As the light faded following the sunset, so did the cultural barriers. Although very few could pronounce each others' names, the splendid distant view of the circular London eye, the sparkling reflection of illuminated Westminster Abbey on the waters, the passing of the coveted London Bridge overhead as we sailed below, and the evidently striking cold winds, all conspired universally paving a path to find like-minded people and bond with them. We aptly decided to shun the name game. After all, what’s in a name! The indulgence in wholehearted interactions, further on, categorically helped to dispel and dissolve the accrued and preconceived notions, into the sea of truth and enlightenment. Eventually, and more pertinently, I believe, each stood conspicuously corrected with the judicious words of Aldous Huxley ringing in the back of their mind – “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.”
A recent survey declared that Britons say sorry up to eight times a day on an average. Sorry and Thank you are used by the Britons for almost anything and everything! From the part of the world I come from, it takes a lot of gaffe on an individual’s part, for him to elicit the highly expended word of the Britons. Invariably many things are implied back in my society and country. But I am aware I am dwelling in London at present and have to inculcate the customs followed here, to thrive and be accepted as one in here. That is an indispensable truth all ardent travelers bear in mind. I, having designated myself as an ardent traveler, have perpetually etched the words of James Michener in my mind – “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” So, expect me to soon hit, if not surpass, the Britons’ average of uttering sorry!
…I’ll be off on a one day journey to Brighton tomorrow. As a bird out of its nest, I intend to explore and keep my inquisitiveness craving for more, all along rediscovering myself and weaving a fine garland of friends in the journey. After all, as Tim Cahill impeccably stated – “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”…
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