Tag Archives: India

The Inspection part 2

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Monday 5th April 2010

Hi again,

I know I just emailed last week, but there’s been even more fun and drama so I thought I would share it all with you!

The Inspection is all over now, and was actually quite funny. The University was so desperate to make sure that everything was in order and met the UGC guidelines that they ended up making all sorts of last-minute changes. The staff-student ratio was way too low, so about 2 days before the inspection they went round altering people’s contracts to make it seem like we had more teaching staff!

I was given a brand new contract, complete with a forged signature from the Vice-Chancellor, stating that I am now an Assistant Professor, and a member of the teaching staff! We were told we’d have to give back those contracts after the inspection, but if I offer to give a few lectures next year I can probably keep the title (although I’d feel a bit of a fraud putting that on my CV!). Continue reading →

The Inspection…and other stories

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Tuesday 30th March 2010

Hello again!

Well, so much has happened since I last wrote that I really don’t know where to start!

Work has been busy, but interesting, and I’ve been meeting with loads of NGOs to try and get our student internship up and running, and we’ve had lot of positive responses, so that’s good. I’m also busy planning activities for World Environment Day on June 5th, so we’re hoping to get a couple of guest speakers to come and give a lecture on the environment, show a film screening of “An Inconvenient Truth” and lots more fun and exciting environmentally-themed things!

The University is being inspected this week by the UGC (University Governing Committee I think), so the last two weeks have been insanely busy and every department has to have every single file and document in order ready for inspection. They’ve planned out a careful itinerary, and on Wednesday I’m giving them a presentation of our CSR programmes so far and then escorting them around our sports and recreational facilities – so I’ll have to find out where they are! Continue reading →

Simon Webbe’s biggest fan

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Friday 5th March 2010

Hi guys,
so, the adventure continues….
There’s so much to say I don’t even know where to begin!

Work has been incredibly busy. I’ve written proposals, attended a conference on community radio projects, and even given a short presentation at a press conference. A CSR Consultant came out for a week to work with us on our strategic plan, and then the University had a festival, which was exhausting!

The festival was really badly organised, and S and I ended up being in charge of security, (very random!). They had a crap bamboo barricade separating the student area from the VIPs and the stage, which we kept telling them was going to fall down, and eventually it did. The guys in charge kept telling us not to be so negative, and thought we were over-reacting and predicting the worst. The Event Manager said “Don’t worry, as soon as the band starts to play, they’ll all stop pushing forward so much, because they’ll be watching the show”. Continue reading →

1st week in India: The Beginning…

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Monday 1st February 2010

Hi there everyone!
Well, I have finally arrived and have started my new job!

For those of you who don’t know, I have just moved to Greater Noida, which is about an hour and a half outside Delhi, in India, to work for an Indian University as the Corporate Social Responsibility Manager. My job currently involves a number of things, including: improving the living conditions on the labour colony (a slum on campus where the cleaning staff and construction crew live), setting up a volunteer/internship programme with a number of local NGO’s and charities, and coordinating several student groups who want to focus on things like environmental issues, education and healthcare for the labour colony, etc.

On my first day, I was told that the hospital on campus has been dumping their bio-medical/hazardous waste outside the student residences, so I’m now drawing up a strategic plan for waste management on campus as well! Continue reading →

2009 Round-up

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Friday 8th January 2010

Hi Everyone,
My deepest apologies for not writing much over the last 5 months or so.

I think the last time I wrote it was about July and I was manically writing my masters dissertation. I’d have written sooner, but I’m afraid my life in the last 4 or 5 months has been unbelievably dull and so there really hasn’t been much to report!

Let’s see, I finished my thesis in August, and am proud to announce that I somehow wangled a distinction, and I graduated in December, so I am now, officially, Maya, Master of Science (Brief pause for applause and adoration….) Continue reading →

Home Home Home!!!

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Wednesday 2nd July 2008

Ok, where did I leave off last time?

Well, I whizzed across from Haampi to Goa for a night, and then took a very long train journey north. It was around 36 hours to Agra, and like the good Brit that I am I was well prepared for the boredom with several books, a pack of cards, my ipod and various snacks etc.
After reading for several hours, I busted out the cards for a few games of patience, which drew fascinated looks from basically everyone in a 5-metre radius of me.
They stared and talked excitedly for about 30 mins before one young man was clearly voted the one to speak to me. He stood up reverentially and asked in a shaking voice if I was doing magic.

I wasn’t sure if he was referring to Harry Potter style magic, or the more basic card tricks, but when I explained that I was merely playing a game a murmur went up around the bunks and the young man looked more puzzled than ever. He then looked at me in awe and asked how I could possibly play a card game with just one person!!
All highly amusing! Continue reading →

India, full of surprises…

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Thursday 29th May 2008

Wow, ok, it’s been a crazy few days/nights, and I’m struggling to keep track of the dates already!

In brief (who am I kidding?) – I travelled by night bus from Pokhara to Sunauli on Sunday, arriving at the Indian border on Monday morning. Crossing over was a bit bizarre, it was just a dusty road, rammed with traffic, and as I walked I kept passing signs that said “Welcome to India”. I tentatively asked several guards along the way if I shouldn’t get my passport stamped somewhere, but they just kept on waving me through!
I eventually found the immigration office off to one side of the road, but no one was paying them any attention, and hundreds of people were just walking past, so they clearly aren’t too fussed (and after all that drama getting a bloody visa too!).

However I decided I really should try to enter the country legally, to avoid any further hassles encroaching on my beach-time. I asked them to stamp me in, but the guard informed me I had to first go back and get stamped out of Nepal!
It turns out the Nepali immigration office is even harder to find, tucked in a tiny building off the main road, it was quite a search to find it!
But eventually, I did find it, and a rather put-out looking guard grudgingly stamped my passport, and back I went again, All highly amusing! Continue reading →