In love with India...

Namaste!

2011-11-11T03:40:00.000-08:00

My blog was initially written for my friends and relatives during my Exchange program / Erasmus in India. More than 200 posts later, this blog provides a mix of advices, information, pictures and personal experiences...

My readership is a lot more diverse than expected. While I was counting on tourists, expatriates and exchange students willing to learn more about India, I was positively surprised by the amount of comments left on my blog by Indians/locals. In addition, this blog gave me the opportunity to join the Belgian delegation in Bangalore.

Don't hesitate to comment!

One year in India

2007-06-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

I have been in India for more than a year (four months in 2005 and the past eight months). Time for some retrospection!

In December 2004, I had to choose my Erasmus (exchange student program) destination. I was quite interested in going to Asia even if I had never heard of any of the Asian universities mentioned on the list. The country definitely prevailed on the brandname. In order to decide on my destination, I sent a few emails to my seniors. I received prompt replies, some positive, some highly negative…

The night preceding the final decision, I dreamt of rats (the rat scene in Orwell’s 1984).

In August 2005, I was on my way to India. I spent four months at IIMB, returned to my country to finish my studies and went back to India in September 2006.

Indians frequently ask me how I like India. First of all, it is an absurd question as India is huge and diverse. Then, no country is good or bad. There are things which I like and others which I dislike.

All in all, I had an incredible time in India and met wonderful people. It was an amazing learning experience including both positive and negative situations. Back in 2004, I would clearly take the same decision… The question is…

…Is it worth prolonging the experience as I still have so much to discover in other parts of the globe?

Malaria

2007-06-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

I only used my mosquito net a few times and quit taking Nivaquine/Paludrine two weeks after reaching India. While I don't have any symptoms, I could still be infected as the disease can lie dormant for months/years.

Malaria is still a major health problem in India where 1,863,303 cases were reported in 2003. Risky areas are highlighted in red on the map below.

Source

Malaria can only be inoculated by the bite of a female anopheles mosquito. The parasites enter the host's bloodstream when bitten by an infected mosquito. The parasites multiply inside the red cells until they burst releasing large numbers of free parasites into the blood plasma causing the characteristic fever associated with the disease.

Prevention (ABCD rule)

-Awareness of risk

-Bite avoidance (insecticide-treated mosquito nets, insecticide sprays and repellent creams containing diethyl toluamide)

-Chemoprophylaxis (preventive medicines)

-Diagnosis made promptly with early treatment of an infected case

Symptoms

-Atypical fever

-Headache, body ache, back ache, neck stiffness, joint pains

-Vertigo, hallucinosis, delirium, altered sensorium

-Cough, breathlessness, chest pain

-Weakness, convulsions, coma

-Vomiting, diarrhea

-Jaundice, puffiness of lids

Discover Belgium! A selection of famous Belgians and trivia...

2007-06-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

For a change, this post is not about India but about my home country, Belgium!

"Of all the Gauls, the Belgae are the bravest." - Julius Caesar

Besides being brave, Belgians are welcoming, humble and they have a great, self-deprecating sense of humour.

Most people associate Belgium with its beers, chocolates, comics, high income tax, incomprehensible political structure and governmental problems. In fact, with a population of only 11 million people, Belgium has considerably influenced and promoted the arts, science, sport, peace, music, literature and industry.

Deep down, you probably remember a few things about Belgium... Diamond centre... Heart of Europe... Big Bang theory? Saxophone? Singing nun? Moon? If it doesn’t ring a bell, keep reading. Below are a few selected famous Belgians and trivia in bullet point format for an easy read.

Mercator Projection map (left) and Big Bang (right)

Sciences / Medicine

-The priest and astronomer George Lemaitre proposed what became known as the Big Bang theory.

-The cartographer Gerardus Mercator is remembered for the Mercator pr ojection, a world map that used straight lines to indicate latitude and longitude.

-Andreas Vesalius, the founder of modern human anatomy, authored the first anatomical textbook that could pretend to scientific accuracy.

-Robert Cailliau is a computer scientist who, together with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, developed the World Wide Web.

-Janssen Pharmaceutica has developed and brought to the market over 70 new active substances. Five of its drugs, a record, have been included on the WHO List of Essential Medicines.

Architecture

-Victor Horta initiated the architectural style of Art Nouveau in 1893 with his Hotel Tassel. Other famous Belgian representatives of Art Nouveau are Henry Van de Velde and Paul Hankar.

Victor Horta (left) and Tassel building (right)

Painting

-Belgians are credited with inventing oil painting in the 15th century.

-The surrealist artist René Magritte is well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images.

-The painter and printmaker James Ensor had an important influence on expressionism and surrealism.

Magritte (left) and James Ensor (right)

Comics / Graphic novels / Literature

-Belgium has more comic makers per square km than any other country in the world, even Japan.
-The comics artist Herge is the author of “The Adventures of Tintin” and "Quick and Flupke". Tintin is translated in more than 80 languages.
-The author Georges Simenon wrote 200 novels including the "Detective Maigret" serie. He is the third most translated French-speaking author.

Tintin (left) and Simenon (right)

Music

-Two of the world’s top 10 largest music festivals take place in Belgium: Werchter and Pukkelpop.
-Belgium hosts the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, one of the most prestigious (and most difficult) classical music competitions.
-The musician Adolphe Sax is the inventor of the saxophone.
-The singer and songwriter Jacques Brel is recognised as a master of the modern chanson. English translations of his songs were recorded by many top performers in the United States, including Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra.
-The Jazz legend Toots Thielemans is known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his whistling.

Adolphe Sax (left) and Brel (right)

Sports

-The cyclist Eddy Merckx won the Tour de France five times, 19 monuments of cycling and the world championship four times.
-The racing driver Jacky Ickx achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.
-The tennis players Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin are former World No. 1.
-The martial art expert Jean-Claude van Damme (aka The Muscles from Brussels) is best known for his action films.

Eddy Merckx (left) and Jacky Ickx (right)

Beers / Chocolate / Cuisine

-Stylistically speaking, Belgium is the most diverse beer producing country.
-Formed by successive mergers and with over 200 beer brands, AB InBev is the world's largest global brewer.
-The praline as we know it today was invented by the Belgian Jean Neuhaus in 1912.
-Fried potato strips, known as French fries, were invented by the Belgians. When American soldiers arrived in Belgium during WWI, they called Belgian fries "French" as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time.
-Ironically, given Belgian food richness, The Body Mass Index was developed by the Belgian Adolphe Quetelet.

Beer selection (left) and Neuhaus pralines (right)

Politics

-Brussels serves as capital of the European Union, hosting the major political institutions of the Union. NATO also has its main institutions in the city, along with many other international organisations and corporations.
-The politician Paul Henri Spaak (aka Mr. Europe) played crucial political roles both nationally and internationally (first president of the UN General Assembly, founding father of the Benelux and the European Union, Chairman of the EEC, Secretary General of NATO).
-The politician Herman Van Rompuy was elected as the first full time President of the European Council.

European headquarters (left) and Paul Henri Spaak (right)

Economics

-70% of all diamonds in the world come from Antwerp.
-The sea port of Antwerp is the seventh largest in the world and second largest in Europe.
-Ranking 141st/80th in terms of area/population, Belgium is the world's 18th largest exporting country (2010) and the third largest trading partner of India in the European Union (2009).

-The economist and politician Camille Gutt served as the first Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

Antwerp port (left) and Galeries St Hubert (right)

Precursor

-Belgium was the first continental European country to undergo the Industrial Revolution, in the early 19th century.

-The first railway line outside the UK opened in Belgium in 1835.

-Belgium is home to Europe’s oldest shopping arcades (Galeries St Hubert in Brussels, 1847), Europe’s first casino (La Redoute, 1763) and Europe's first modern health resort (Spa, 18th century). The term "spa" is actually the name of the small town where it was opened.

Additional trivia

-Ambiorix (Prince of the Eburones), Clovis (First King of France), Charles Martel (Founder of the Carolingian Dynasty), Charlemagne (Founder of the Holy Roman Empire), Charles Quint (Holy Roman Emperor) and Godfrey of Bouillon (Leader of the First Crusade) were all born in Belgium.

-The only man-made structures that can be seen from space are the Great Wall of China and the motorway system of Belgium (at night, due to the lights all along the motorway network).

-There are more castles per square mile in Belgium than anywhere else in the world. The Law Courts of Brussels is the world's largest court of justice.

-The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the longest and second oldest F1 Grand prix circuit still in use. Nemo33 is the world’s deepest swimming pool.

Charlemagne (left) and F1 Grand prix circuit (right)

Want more names? For more information, click on the links or pictures below to access Wikipedia.

Comics: Peyo (“The Smurfs”), Willy Vandersteen (“Spike and Suzy”), Franquin (“Spirou & Fantasio”, “Gaston Lagaffe”), Morris (“Lucky Luke”), Cauvin (“Les Tuniques Bleues”, “Sammy”), Jean Van Hamme (“Thorgal”, “XIII”, “Largo Winch”)

Painting: Rubens (Baroque painter), Anthony van Dyck (Baroque artist), Jacob Jordaens (Baroque painter), Rogier van der Weyden (Renaissance painter), Jan van Eyck (Renaissance painter), Bernard van Orley (Renaissance painter and draughtsman), Théo van Rysselberghe (Neo-impressionist painter), Emile Claus (Luminist painter), Fernand Khnopff (Symbolist painter), Félicien Rops (Artist and printmaker), Luc Tuymans (Contemporary artist )

Sports: Raymond Ceulemans (Billiard), Sven Nys (Cyclist), Erik De Vlaeminck (Cyclist), Roger De Coster (Motocross racer), Stefan Everts (Motocross racer), Thierry Boutsen (Racing driver), François Duval (Rally driver), Helene Dutrieu (Cyclist, stunt driver, pioneer aviator), Ingrid Berghmans (Judoka), Gella Vandecaveye (Judoka), Paul Anspach (Epée and foil fencer), Jean-Michel Saive (Table tennis player), Paul van Himst (Football midfielder and manager), Raymond Goethals (Football coach), Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Contemporary dance choreographer), Jacques Rogge (President of the International Olympic Committee)

Sciences: Pierre Deligne (Fields Medalist and Crafoord Prize winner/Weil conjectures), Jules Bordet (Nobel Prize laureate/Immunologist), Christian de Duve (Nobel Prize laureate/cytology), Albert Claude (Nobel Prize laureate/Cell fractionation), Corneille Heymans (Nobel Prize laureate/Respiratory control), Ilya Prigogine (Nobel Prize laureate/Dissipative structures), Zénobe Gramme (Gramme machine), Leo Baekeland (Bakelite), Ferdinand Verbiest (First steam powered car), Vincent Rijmen & Joan Daemen (Advanced Encryption Standard), Jan Baptist van Helmont (Pneumatic chemistry), Paul Otlet (Universal Decimal Classification), Abraham_Ortelius (First modern atlas), Ingrid Daubechies (Wavelets), Simon Stevin (First general solution of the quadratic equation)

Writing: Maurice Maeterlinck (Nobel Prize-winning playwright, poet and essayist), Suzanne Lilar (Essayist, playwriter and novelist), Marguerite Yourcenar (Novelist and essayist), Hugo Claus (Author, novelist and poet), Jacob van Maerlant (Medieval poet), Emile Verhaeren (Poet), , Hendrik Conscience (Writer), Amélie Nothomb (Writer)

Movies: Benoît Poelvoorde (Actor and comedian), Dardenne brothers (Filmmaking duo), André Delvaux (Film director), Chantal Akerman (Film director), Jaco Van Dormael (Film director and screenwriter), Jacques Feyder (Screenwriter)

Music: César Franck (Composer, pianist and organist), Ivan Caryll (Composer), Guillaume Dufay (Composer), Johannes Ockeghem (Composer), Orlande de Lassus (Composer), François-Joseph Fétis (Musicologist and composer), Henri Vieuxtemps (Composer and violoniste), Eugène Ysaÿe (Violonist, composer and conductor), Wim Mertens (Composer and musician), Django Reinhardt (Gypsy jazz guitarist and composer), Frédérique Petrides (Conductor and violinist), José van Dam (Baritone), Adamo (Ballade singer), Lara Fabian (Pop singer), Plastique Bertrand (Musician and presenter), 2 Unlimited (Eurodance), Technotronic (Dance/House group), Hooverphonic (Rock/pop band), Zap Mama (World music), Singing Nun (Folk)

Social: Henri La Fontaine (Nobel Prize laureate/International arbitration), Dominique Pire (Nobel Prize laureate/War refugee assistance), Auguste Beernaert (Nobel Prize laureate/Court of Arbitration), Andrée de Jongh (War resistant), Father Damien (Saint Damien of Molokai)

Economics/Business/Companies: Robert Triffin (Economist), Étienne Davignon (Politician and businessman), Albert Frère (Businessman), Tractebel Engineering (Power, nuclear), Umicore (Mining, smelting, manufacture), Solvay (Solvay Process, Pharmaceuticals), Van Hool NV (Coach, buses), Delhaize Group (Food retailer), Chimay Brewery (Trappist beer), Dupuis (Comics), SWIFT (Financial messaging network), Delvaux (Luxury leather goods), Gillet Vertigo (Sport car)

Heat waves

2007-06-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

As I come from a relatively cold country, Delhi's unexpected cold winter was perfectly manageable. By contrast, I had a tough time surviving during the hot season as my body was exposed to 46+ degrees. Heat waves are taken seriously in India and, on some occasions, I was recommended to stay inside as "the heat could make you drop dead on the street". Unfortunately, due to the high temperatures, a cable melted in my street depriving me from electricity and hence from must-have fans…

Heat waves

According to the Red Cross, excessive heat has caused more deaths in recent years than all other weather events, including floods. Young, old or overweight people are at the highest risk.

Safety advices

-Drink plenty of water

-Replace salt and minerals

-Stay indoors as much as possible

-Limit exposure to the sun

-Dress in lightweight, loose-fitting and light-coloured clothes that cover as much skin as possible

-Avoid strenuous work during the hottest part of the day

Seasons in India

While Indians traditionally note six seasons lasting about two months each (spring, summer, monsoon season, early autumn, late autumn and winter), the four official seasons are winter, summer, monsoon/rainy season and post-monsoon.

Trek to Dodital

2007-04-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

As part of my company's team building program, we experienced the beauty of the mountains during a 5-day trek to Dodital. At a height of 3024m, the Dodital lake is located in a forested bowl above Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand.

The goals

Stated goal: reaching Dodital carrying our backpacks
Additional personal goal: climbing further to the summit or staying in Dodital for potential retrospection

The planning

Day 1: 7h of jeep and 6km of uphill trekking
Day 2: 16km of uphill trekking
Day 3: 14km round trip to the summit or day in Dodital
Day 4: 14km of downhill trekking
Day 5: 8km of downhill trekking and 7h of jeep

Me (after all, it is my blog!)

I am a thin always-hungry chainsmoker who had to quit sport/basketball long ago on doctor request due to weak back and knees. I was not worried about the absence of muscles on my body but knowing that we would have to carry our bags was more of concern.

Was it my first trek? Well, yes and no. Yes, it was my first mountain backpacked trek. No, I had taken part in a two-week trek a few years ago. Carrying our bags was not requested but unfortunately, I had stuck my back so badly after a week that I had to be emergently repatriated to my country (GESA assistance provides amazingly good services!). Since then, I tried to muscle my back to avoid such experience. I was confident I wouldn’t get stuck any more but also knew that I would go through some bad times during the trek.

The team

We were a team of highly motivated and goal-oriented TSC employees. Aged between 21 and 30, we had enough cumulated energy to all reach Dodital despite some individual known/unknown physical weaknesses.

While carrying the bag was probably going to be tougher for the girls due to generally less muscular bodies, climbing to the snow-covered top would be more challenging to the guys as their body weights would bring them down deeper in the snow.

The preparation

In addition to the feedbacks from the people who went to Dodital the previous year, we also met the guy in charge of the trek. The message was clear: be mentally prepared!

Mentally prepared? I’m still not sure of what they meant. Of course, I knew I would make it. What was I supposed to do? Standing in front of my mirror and trying the Couet method?

My preparation was short and not psychologically-oriented at all. This damn bag had to be as light as possible and I went as far as to cut my soap in two pieces and to take my smallest underwear’s. The result: a bag weighting no more than 6-7kgs.

The trip

Despite a tire puncture on the way to the station, we caught the train to Hardwar on Thursday evening. The next day was going to be hard on my stomach. 7 hours in the jeep and only one stop on the side of the road for me later, we reached the starting point of the trek. The journey had finally started…

The first 6km of the trek were challenging. We had to get used to the bag and to the uneven path covered by rolling stones. I had decided to walk at my own pace and to minimize the number of breaks I would take in order to avoid wasting energy. It turned out to be the best strategy as re-starting after a break was particularly killing. In addition, it quickly appeared that my pace was faster than the group one. Hence I could fully enjoy trekking which, for me, should be a solitary activity. The view was majestic. I loved the silence and the loneliness of the mountain. Both are almost impossible to obtain in Delhi and it felt wonderful to rediscover them again.

The next few days were going to be fully relaxing, spending the day on the mountain paths and the nights in tents. The food was regularly served and despite being lost somewhere in the nature, the meal quality was highly appreciable.

We reached Dodital on the second day in the evening. The next two nights were going to be tough as the weather was extremely cold. I hardly slept, managing to rest my body for an hour or two. Strangely, despite being deprived of sleep, I felt energetic during the days. The lack of cigarettes, the absence of urban stress and the revitalizing fresh air were a perfect combination.

During the first night spent in Dodital, many of us had nightmares which were, according to our guide, a side effect of the cleansing process.

On the third day, most of us tried to climb to the summit. The snow had fully covered the ground and made the ascension slippery. Despite this constraint, the climbing seemed relatively easy. Sliding on our butts to go downhill was highly enjoyable. Back in my childhood!

Trekking downhill was physically more exhausting. While muscle pains go away quite quickly, joint pains keep increasing. My back had started hurting on day one but the pain at the knee and ankle levels luckily only appeared on the fourth day.

As expected we reached our ending (and starting) point on the fifth day and went back to Delhi.

My feedback

I LOVED TREKKING!

But truly I was disappointed at some point. On the first day, after a kilometer of trekking, five bags were down. I was really surprised and couldn’t understand it given the quality of our group. In my mind, we would all meet the stated goal or at least all try to go for it. I accept failure but only when the necessary amount of efforts had been beforehand targeted to reach the goal.

As I am an optimist person by nature, I keep in mind the fact that we all achieved something during the training. We were all at some point hero:

(Chronologically)

-Someone decided to go back to Dodital and tried to reach the summit
… and did so despite a fear of heights.
-Someone tried to carry her bag a second time despite a frail morphology
… and came back to Delhi with two toenails missing.
-Someone decided not to follow the mass by staying in Dodital
… and perfectly adopted the trekker look.
-Someone desperately fought with the slippery snow on the way to the summit
… and almost had to have one of his fingers amputated.
-Someone made it to the summit despite knee problems
… and saved my life by offering me the last piece of her chocolate (Hypoglycemia on the way up).
-Someone made it to the top
… and survived the presence of ghosts around the night camps.
-Someone made it to the summit despite belly cramps
… and survived miles away from the first beauty salon.
-Someone picked up garbages while walking on his first day to clean up the mountain a bit
… and fell from a cliff.
-Someone made his way alone to the summit
… and did so despite kilos of (photo)rolls in his bag and an addiction for pictures.
-Someone proved his team spirit and kept encouraging others
-Someone perfectly coordinated the TSC group
… and both desperately dug into the snow to get one of their shoes back.

On my side, I got the confirmation of a strong will power and I learned to smoke bidi’s!

Holi, the festival of colors

2007-03-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

Holi is is an annual and popular Hindu spring festival. It takes place over two days in the later part of February or early March. On the first day, a bonfire is lit at night to signify burning Holika. On the second day, known as Dhulandi, people go around until afternoon throwing colored powder and water at each other. A special drink called thandai is prepared, sometimes containing bhang.

In love with India...

Namaste!

One year in India

Malaria

Discover Belgium! A selection of famous Belgians and trivia...

Heat waves

Trek to Dodital

Holi, the festival of colors

The Smart Cube

Parents discovering India

Vikas in Delhi

Hunting for a flat in Delhi

Delhi

Sri Lanka… Shortcut to Delhi

Paying guest house in Bangalore

Become a background artist

Belgian delegation in Bangalore

My Pondicherry

Indian Confidence

Blood donation in India

Happy Independence Day...

Happy Rakhi!

Kaun Banega Crorepati?

On my way back to India...

Proud to be an Indian

Eve Teasing

Sarvendriyanam nayanam pradhanam

Banned!

Rule 49-O

It happens only in Bangalore

Temple Addiction

Serial blasts in Mumbai

Fighting

Black Desi and White Pardesi

I, Miss India

Bharata Natyam

How many babies did you kill today?

Share your views on the Indian software industry.

6 months with my Indian boyfriend

This happens only in India

Why do I want to go back to India?

Adaptation

You know you are Asian when...

Snakes

Economy: 2050

Money

Fisherman at work

Respect

Peaceful Marine Drive

School kids in Konark

Alcohol and cannabis

Head tilt and non verbal communication

Coffin

Following the tracks

Restoring a temple

Premarital sex

Walla in Bangalore

Security

Building site

Water

Chatting before a fishing trip

Visa

Biharri License Test

Sensuality in Konark

Mobile

Defying the waves

Autorickshaws

Be resourceful

Travelling by bike in India

On my way

Ready to go

Beggars

Appetizing prey

Literacy rate

Colourful India

Hindi

Seeking shade

Copycat

Beautiful pookalam in Kerala

Food