Something to Ponder

"There's so many different worlds

So many differents suns

And we have just one world

But we live in different ones"

-Mark Knopfler

It has been around three weeks since I arrived in Stockholm. I have seen quite a few places in and around Kista (pronounced Sh-ee-s-t-aa).where I live (and study) and a bit of the city center and the main campus (Will talk about the place and it's beauty(!) later). A lot of time that I spend travelling goes into observing people around me as I inconveniently forgot essentials like reading material, music player and camera in India. I don't know whether 20 days of observation and interaction with people on and off campus gives me enough sample set to pass general statements, here I go treading on the minefield anyway...

The Swedes... most of the ones I have observed just mean business (not in a tough sense), they say nothing which exceeds the purpose of the discussion. I did notice some attempts at humor but me being from India they seemed quite feeble :). A good friend of mine "warned" me about the coldness of Swedes, how one (being in my class) can ignore my existence for the whole duration of studies, and how people on the streets can look right through you. Mine is an international master's program and I don't have any Swedes in my class so can't verify the first statement but I do believe him based on what I see in general. I live on top of a relatively bustling mall named Kista Galleria and go through it every time I leave my apartment. No Swede, believe me, no Swede looks at you twice (one can actually go ahead and try bumping into them after the first glance). I have stayed in Indian metros during my lifetime where people don't have time for others and am used to the lack of warmth but this feels different. Let me give an interesting incident which occurred to me and a good friend. We boarded a bus and both ended up sitting opposite (facing) a Swedish lady (in her early twenties I guess, in case it matters). The journey lasted for around 20 minutes for the 3 of us and not once did the lady look anywhere else other than 90° left and 90° right. One could easily see the tension in her brows and forehead from the strain. Well this is just a one off case and since I have had many relatively lot more amicable interactions, I'll treat it as an aberration for now :).

The Desi(s)... as the Indians refer to the Indian crowd once they are out of India... Most of the desis here at KTH (even Sweden) are from South India and most of them are from Bangalore or Chennai. Rest can be counted on fingers of one hand :). Don't think "India" as a whole is represented here but I guess the scene is similar in a more attractive destination, US of A. I noticed a phenomenon that took place within the first few days, which slightly bothers me. People in a natural tendency to move into their comfort zones have formed friend circles bound by language. And I don't see these friend circles, Bangalore-Kannada circle and Chennai-Tamil circle, intersect. I suspect there is a third, smaller, Hyderabad-Telegu circle too but have never seen it so I can safely assume it doesn't intersect either. I somehow can't affiliate myself to any region/language in India because of my nomad life so far (though Hindi, my mother tongue, is the only Indian language I speak fluently) so I don't myself in any circle and find myself in all depending on the definition. I hope people come out of their comfort zones in time and truly appreciate and utilize the opportunity to interact with people from different regions in the world. First step will be to start being considerate and talk in a common language understood by everyone in the group. Seems like common sense and a basic etiquette but people more often than not forget it.

The Rest... I have met quite a few nice people in my class from different nationalities of Europe and Asia, whom I'd like to socialize with more. As yet, the interactions have been few, with many people. It'll balance out in time. Looking forward to a great fruitful stay.

The Apartment

Thought I'd just as well put my mobile camera to work. The last one is the view outside my window. I am beginning to like the apartment. Too bad I'll be here just for 10 months.

To Stockholm

I have packed my bags and left for Stockholm, Sweden, to pursue my postgraduate education in Communication Systems at KTH. Weirdly the mixed feelings I was supposed to have blended so well that I felt blandness, almost nothing.

My journey to Stockholm was via Paris on Air India and later Air France. The first leg of the trip was fun, after my anxious delayed drive to Indira Gandhi International Airport along with the Gurgaon office traffic. Almost all of my fellow passengers were French, one of the first unfamiliar environs I'll find myself in. The middle aged lady sitting next to me was from Corsica, but living in Tunis along with her family due to business. She had come down to India on a unplanned holiday, visiting Chennai and nearby rural areas. The 9 hour journey went by like a breeze discussing about India and Europe and our travels. Not to mention the screening of Star Trek and Luck By Chance.

Transit at Charles de Gaulle Airport was uneventful and so was the next flight but for the case of missing meal preference. It really did made me appreciate the Air India service. I reached the Arlanda airport at 10:30PM local time on 26th August 2009 and found my check-in baggage missing (which I did receive on 28th with a verbal apology and all the stuff intact). After filing the missing baggage report I took a "Taxi Stockholm 150000" to my apartment at Kista. At the time of posting, the fare + 1 month travel pass makes up 80% of my expenditure at Stockholm. The taxi driver did me a favor by lending his cell phone to call my flatmate down given the security measures in the building.

The apartment is quite good (pics when I buy a cam) except for the excess furniture which will be taken care of. It has a nice view of the lawn in the common area of the buildings which stand atop a mall :)

More about the place and people in the next posts.