Saturday, August 25, 2007

The hardest two years of my life...

It has come to the end.

It was more than two years ago I decided to leave a land which I decided I could never live in - nanny states and regimentation were something that I could never stomach (one of the many reasons why I can't join the army - though some of my friends, them of little faith, have fervently expressed the desire to see me take the physical).

It was about that time that I decided to throw that job at an Indian IT company away (Words cannot express how glad I am to have done that).

It was also about that time that I decided not to think of going to the United States of America - the more I see stuff like this, the gladder I am that I decided to opt out. I can but express my sympathy for the poor American people held in thrall by Cheney and his gang of crypto-fascists.

And it was also about this time that I decided to pack my bags and move home and hearth to Europe. Two years have since passed - during which I've lived in two countries, travelled to six countries (including one where I ended up by accident, spending twenty minutes as an illegal alien), in eight houses, worked on a thesis that went on interminably, wrote pitifully less, struggled with my political and religious conscience, met some people (one in particular) I am glad to have bumped into, and some others (one in particular, again) whom I wish I had never set eyes upon.

I have spent whole days, nights - and even weeks - locked up in basement laboratories struggling with little electronic monsters I detest at times - but to whom, yet, I have linked my lot for the next three years or so. I have spent whole nights partying, redefining the meaning of the word bacchanalian.

I have travelled as much as I could possibly afford. During my sojourns, most people I met were unexceptionably nice - some a little too nice, even! I have also met ignorant and racist cunts - though thankfully, very few of the latter.

I have lived in some great places with people from all over the world, and some places I'd rather forget about (and would, if it were not for those 400 euros those arsewipes still owe me!).

I have learnt to speak a new language, can speak an Indian language better than I ever could when I lived in India (Hindi, if you must know), and can hardly speak an Indian language I once spoke almost as fluently as a native speaker did (Tamil, sadly enough). Surprisingly, I found myself speaking less English in the home of English than I did in India - an irony that surpasses all else!

I have seen stereotypes of people, races, places, and genders I'd built up over the years smashed into teeny weeny bits. For instance,

1. You do not necessarily get along best with people from your own nation. This is particularly true when your country is a mosaic of nations like mine is.

2. This almost contradicts my previous observation, but I've realised that our neighbours to the west are not the evil, bearded, India-hating fanatics that we imagine them to be. They are just like us, to use a cliche, speak the same language (well, kind of - when one's from the South of India), eat the same food, and are just as warm. Oh, and round these here parts, we're all Pakis, innit.

3. Every European does not go about having sex with every person from the opposite (or the same) sex he/she meets.

4. It's okay to be gay. They're no different from the rest of us - I stayed with a gay bloke for a month before discovering that he was (gay, not that he was a bloke).

4. Every Brit is not the cold, evil bloke you see in Indian movies kicking the crap out of a poor Indian. Evil people are evil; irrespective of age, sex, and race. Nick Griffin, meet Pravin Togadia and the Shahi Imam Bukhari.

5. To espy the Union Jack does not mean that your eyes have to necessarily drift down to see the aforementioned Indian having the crap kicked out of him.

6. Being able to speak five languages doesn't make learning the sixth any easier. Especially if the sixth language is German. Ja, nach ein Jahr, kann ich nicht gut und richtiges Deutsch sprechen. :(

And now, I've finished this journey. Too soon, perhaps.

But in either case, you're speaking to Siddhu Warrier, MSc, MSc. YAY!

The author requests uncles and aunties interested in finding a phoren-educated English speaking husband for their daughters with nice bodies and empty heads (they have to be retarded to want to be with the author) to contact mum. The author's mum is requested not to reveal details of her son's financial situation to aforementioned uncles and aunties.

The request for other pretty women (age, sex, caste, religion, and race no bar) to contact the uthor still stands. The author spends half his waking hours waiting for your calls/texts. No, it doesn't look like he'll give up either.

28 comments:

Jon said...

Ah, what a nice post! I'm glad your horizons have been broadened in the last two years :-)

I just finished my MSc too, posted the dissertation to the department today. Big relief, but given the state of the document I won't be celebrating too much until I'm sure I've passed.

Siddhu said...

Cheers, mate! :)

Don't worry, I'm sure you will! They hardly fail anyone to be honest.

Ich bin ein bisschen betruken, so werde ich jetzt schlafen.

Tschuess.

Mosilager said...

met some people (one in particular) I am glad to have bumped into

awww... thanks... didn't know you felt that way about me.

Kroopa Shah (Kr00pz) said...

LOL,
Congratulations on finishing your masters!!
What now? Will you still be there or moving back to India?

twip said...

yay, congratulations!

And are you really looking for a girl to settle down with? Are you actually going to go through with an arranged marriage? Really?

:O

The Visitor said...

Congratulations Siddhu. What next? apart from appointments with uncles and aunts? :)

Unknown said...

Congratulations! India bound ?

Jormund Elver said...

I suppose only you could make an announcement of the fact that you'd completed your MSc amusing and not pompous. Congratulations, old chap. We'll raise a bottle of Scotch to this some day.

Dinesh said...

Are you coming back to singara sennai? :-)

Siddhu said...

Ranjit, brother, chetta, how on earth did you guess that was you I was referring to.

Except for the small detail we haven't technically met, innit! ;)

Siddhu said...

Thanks, Kroopa!! :)

I'm staying on here in the UK for another three or four more years; I started a PhD just now.

Siddhu said...

Thanks, Megha.

Oh, and of course I'm looking for a proper Indian girl of the same caste (fair, preferably from a little village and unpolluted by modern influences by all these city slickers and firangs). ;)

Oh, and she better be a virgin, or I'm gonna be mad.

- Siddhu 'I think I lost myself a reader' Warrier

(Just in case you were serious there, OF COURSE NOT!!!!! God forbid! :P Oh, and I thought you were on my facebook list :P)

Siddhu said...

Er...Gabriel, thanks :P.

My greetings to the left-leaning socialists in County Kerry, Ireland - from a left-of-centre liberal Indian in Edinburgh, Scotland.

(Oh, but I'm sometimes also referred to as 'Blackshirt man' and 'Fascist')

Siddhu said...

Visitor, thanks for...er...visiting. :)

Apart from finding me a good, fair, homely woman from the same caste, I've just started my PhD at the University of Edinburgh.

Siddhu said...

No, mate; in the UK for another 3 or 4 years.

Siddhu said...

Thanks, Kunal/Jormund/Woolly Mammoth/whatever you call yourself these days!

I like the use of the word 'bottle' instead of 'glass'. Good man - the right spirit.

Siddhu said...

No, Dinesh, as I was sayin, stayin on in the UK as a full-time geek for awhile still.

Jon said...

Ha! Siddhu, progressive? That's a good one!

Let us administer the test. Which would Gabriel prefer:

(a) a puppy
(b) a pretty flower from your sweetie
(c) a large formatted data file?

Jon said...

(For those who didn't get that- http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AwV1M33sz_g)

The Inquisitive Akka said...

Ach Du meine guete! Du bist jetzt ein erwachsener Mensch??:)Congratulations :) Hey my german isn't that great any more either but you must never stop trying kapiert??:)
I've been calling up lots of aunties and uncles with eligible daughters, let's see what happens!
You actually want to do a PhD now???More power to you!

Siddhu said...

Er, Jon, I'm pretty sure our progressive Irish communist friend would prefer a large, properly formatted data file! :D

I replied to our friendly neighbourhood communist bot cuz I wanted to increase the size of the file, yeah?

Siddhu said...

The comments file that is

Siddhu said...

Nein, dein Deutsch is noch besser als mein. Ich habe ein Hotelzimmer in Deutschland reservieren probieren, und ich habe kein Glueck weil mein Deutsch so ein Scheisse ist!

Siddhu said...

Und danke schoen fuer die Gruesse. Ich hoffe dass mein PhD OK sein wird.

Siddhu said...

Diesen Kommentar war fuer 'The Inquisitive Akka'.

Mosilager said...

I knew you'd come up with something to negate my brilliant deduction there... I call gender discrimination.

Jon said...

Hehehe!

You know you're arrived as a blogger when you start getting spam from Irish Communists and Indian travel sites.

Siddhu said...

Oh yes, Jon/Prophet. The ineluctable joy!!! Irish commie bots AND Indian travel bots love me!! :D

New post coming up soon, btw± :P -- if anybody care