It's been quite a while since I wrote anything. A lot has
happened but nothing that forced the words out.
Last Friday was one such occasion. On the 11th of October
I officially finished a year in Milan. An entire year.
I remember the day I came last year, it was bright and
sunny. The sky was blue, the air was crisp, and I had a whole new life to look
forward to. A year down the line, the day was dull, cold and depressing. But
somewhere within me, the warmth of last year still survived. It permeated
through me and made me smile all day.
One year, 365 days, gone in a flash. So many places, so
many faces, so many experiences, now just memories. And still a lot more to
come. The relativity of time always becomes obvious on days like these. When
just a few short weeks ago I was in India, back home for a vacation that went
by too quick. A vacation where a life altering event happened, the effects of
which I still have completely understood or appreciated or even realized. A vacation
that made me long for life back in Milan, just as I longed to go back home when
I was here. When I realized that nothing
changes back home and yet everything and everyone was different, including me.
That old habits die hard, and new ones can be costly. That culture shock is
very real even when returning back home. That India is dark and grey and dirty,
but so beautiful that one can't compare. That the connections made in this past
year, with people and with places are precious. I missed my friends even though
I was away for a few weeks and they missed me back. Such strong bonds made in
such a short time. That coming back made me happy but also restless and alone.
A month before that, I was still struggling with the
final submissions for school. The last project, the last presentation, the last
of school. Finished again with the comfort of education, and thrust unwillingly
into reality. Then there was the presentation that kept on going. The
sunglasses that we kept working on. That project culminated with a trip to
Austria. A final presentation to the
company and a final comment, "It's ready for production." Something that makes you smile, happy because
your work has been worth it, sad because it the end of it.
There was the Venice Architecture Biennale. Something
every architect dreams of seeing and being part of. An amazing experience in a
beautiful city. One that is now forever stuck in my fancy as one of the most enchanting places I will ever see. A chance encounter with Shekhar Kapoor, that
turned around an otherwise dull night. A live quartet, that made my eyes water.
Then comes the most recent trip, Oktoberfest. An
experience of a lifetime, and another thing checked off the list. Beer and
roller coasters and chocolate and beer and pretzels and beer and giggling drunk
through the streets. Where did it end and when did it begin? It's all a haze of
colours and faces and beer.
The internship has also begun bringing with it new
challenges. The commute to work being the first one.
Being thrown completely at the far end of the pool and
realizing that your paddling skills aren't as bad as you thought they were.
Understanding that a good environment, good people around and a good attitude
can make even supposedly mundane/ unwanted work enjoyable and fun. That "what's
for lunch ?" is an ever pertinent question in school or work. It's just that at
work you ask it to yourself the night before..... :P
Lastly, the weather in Milan is changing. It is
getting to that time of the year when the cold nips at you but just enough to
make its presence felt. When the warm clothes start coming out, when the meals
start getting bigger. A light drizzle, a cold shower, just a gentle warning,
winter is here.
