Dealing with the post travel depression

Lonavala waterfalls, Maharashtra

Today I'm going to talk about that feeling you get when you get back from a trip, especially when you've gone for an extended period of time or maybe you've never travelled alone before and it was your first trip, a trip that allowed you to step out of your comfort zone and you experienced something completely different than what you were used to for the first time.

Travel is addicting, very addicting. And once you get a taste of travelling, like you step out of your comfort zone and you experience a culture for the first time and you do things that you've never done before or you learned things you never even knew existed, that's called real travel, at least that's what I feel about travelling. You actually meet the locals and get to know them and their culture and traditions and you kind of become a part of it. Those of you who haven't been on the road yet, let me warn you, you are going to step into a completely different world and you’re going to get badly addicted to it. ;)

A visit to Della Resorts, Lonavala

I haven't been on a really long trip yet, my longest trip so far has been for two months to Pune. I got an internship at one of the prominent architectural firms in the US, one of the branches of which is in Pune. For any other person, it would have been like going to the office in the morning and coming back home late and then again office in the morning n so on.. But I made it a little more exciting than it would have been otherwise. After the office, I would go out to explore the city, culture, dine at different restaurants, trying the traditional Maharastrian food, meet new people, ride a bike to Lonavala at 2am which is approx 60 kms from Pune in that chilled weather and all that madness sometimes on my own and sometimes along with a friend and when I felt I no longer have any energy left to go any further, I'd return back home. I would go to Bombay on the weekends and roam around the city with friends, explore markets, and experience new things. I had the craziest time while I was there. There was this one time when I, along with a couple of friends went to Juhu and it started raining cats and dogs. We got drenched head to toe in water and when we entered a restaurant to grab something to eat, the manager wouldn’t let us sit on the couch because our clothes were wet and he had to get us huge plastic bags to sit on. People around us were looking and we were laughing our asses off. It was one of the most memorable trips I've had so far. 

It was the longest time that I've had actually been away from home. A couple of weeks before I was going to return from that trip, I was excited. I was excited to see my family and friends and sleep in my bed again and open my closet and see more than two tops and one pair of jeans and do my hair and little things like that. I was also sad because my trip was coming to an end, but I was excited to take the next step in my life.

It was really nice to come back home and be able to sleep in a clean, comfortable bed and to be in a place that was so familiar to me. But at the same time, it was so foreign to me all of a sudden. It was really weird and it wasn't like anything I had expected and I felt out of place. I was out for two months and I had experienced so many new things that I never experienced before. But all of a sudden I felt that sense of emptiness, felt sad and depressed. When you travel, you grow really fast. You learn things about yourself that you never knew before, you know your likes and dislikes. What you liked before, all of a sudden you dislike it and relationships change because of it. You'll find that you could be gone for two months and feel like what you learned is a lifetime worth of things. And then you come back home and find that everything is just the same as it was before you left. That is what affects you. That's because you come back and you feel like a changed person but everyone around is exactly the same. How can they understand what you just went through? That's when you feel like you're alone and no one really understands you and you feel sad. That's why it’s good to connect with people who have experienced a similar situation and who really understand what you have gone through and it would definitely make you feel better. But it is important for you to know that you've gone through a life transformation. You may not notice it while you're travelling, but you'll definitely notice when you come back home and that's something you might not be prepared for. No one's prepared for it. I thought because I had travelled previously many times, that I'd be fine going away for two months and coming back and getting back into society, but I could have never expected to go through what I went through after coming back from Pune. The emotions that came with it was something very unpredictable.

I had read somewhere that it takes the time that you've been gone plus half of that in order to start to feel normal. You can never feel normal once you've seen other parts of the world. You're never the same person you used to be. Once you step out, you experience new things and see the world in a completely different way, so when you're back home, you want to leave again. 

I felt depressed and it was really hard to deal with it because I didn't really understand why I was feeling that way. Wasn't I supposed to feel good and excited about the next chapter in my life? I didn't even wanna talk about that trip anymore with people. But everyone goes through a similar situation when they travel. I remember when I travelled alone for the very first time to Orissa, after returning back home, it was the most difficult time in my entire life to adapt to the same old environment and people. This time, it’s a little less, because I know it has to happen and it will happen, so let time do its trick. The only way to deal with it is to accept it and embrace it. It was hard, but I tried to get over it and I succeeded. If I can do it, so can you. Just be proud of yourself that you took this plunge to step out of the little box you've been living your entire life in and you opened yourself up to this massive world. And it’s okay to feel sad or depressed or out of the place. The more you travel, the more you understand and less you feel sad.

Xoxo <3

Summer Internship at GKKworks, Pune

I consider myself highly privileged to have had an opportunity to work as a summer intern with GKKworks, a multinational architectural firm based in Irvine, California. They have their Indian branch in Pune.

For a person like me, who had never left north India on her own, the thought of going to Pune all alone for an internship gave me goosebumps in the first place. I wasn't sure of how the nature of people in Pune was gonna be like, their culture and overall city's environment. I was nervous and scared of adjusting in a new environment.

The thought of working on U.S. projects in such a reputed firm was quite overwhelming. My first week at GKKworks was spent doing small admin jobs like stamping presentation drawings and taking print outs. But during the second week, my boss, Radhika (BIM Manager at the firm) asked me to model a project of my choice in Revit to check if I was capable of working on their on-going project. That gave me an opportunity to demonstrate my skills and I made a rendered 3D model of a clubhouse, seeing which she asked me, "Did you make that on your own?" and I said, "Yes, I made it on my own". The next moment she put me on the drawings of an on-going project - The Veteran Affairs Medical Centre, California.

Unlike my previous internships, where I worked on dummy projects to improve my software and designing skills, here, for the first time I got to work on an actual project. I put my heart and soul into it and worked hard, sometimes staying late in the office to finish off my assigned tasks. They welcomed my inputs, which was an amazing feeling.
Despite all the workload, I felt more than content and happy. I loved to spend time in the office than to go back to my apartment which I shared with three other girls and kill my time there. All my colleagues were incredible people. They freely shared their knowledge and experiences. Soft spoken and kind, they treated me like one of their own.

GKKworks is like a family to me now. They wouldn't get irritated by my frequent queries on how things work or queries related to my own college projects. It all started when Radhika came to my desk one day while I was working on the drawings and asked me if I knew the purpose of giving that particular equipment in every room, and I failed to answer. She got mad at me and told me that I should keep asking such questions and clear my doubts. She then gave me an elaborate explanation on the same.
GKKworks is one of those firms which not only gives importance to its multi million projects, but also focuses on fostering individual growth within the firm. I worked on both U.S. as well as Indian projects. It was a wonderful experience altogether. There were times when I was not able to stand upto their expectations due to lack of experience, but I can't deny the immense learning that happened through the failure.

My dream of working in a truly professional environment finally got fulfilled. At my last day at GKKworks, they threw a small farewell party for me, wishing me good luck for my future and an offer to work with them fulltime after my graduation. They say it right, "Hard work pays off".

Finally I'm extremely grateful to the Supreme force. I have absolutely no role to play in all that happened. It was truly God's grace that I was able to perform well.

Sustainable Architecture Hands-on

Image of a space frame

Last month, I was fortunate to have gotten an opportunity to attend Sustainable Architecture Hands-on Workshop by the legend himself, Prof. Anil Laul at Anangpur Building Centre. For budding architects like myself, who spend most of the time in colleges which are nowadays more of money making institutions rather than educational ones, and impart no practical knowledge, it was an amazing experience where we got an opportunity to learn various construction practices hands-on. It was a three day workshop during which we learnt:

Roofing System - Curved Funicular Shell and Flat Funicular Shell Roof,

Cladding System - Ram Lochan Tile (named after the mason who made it),

Walling System - Hollow Core Interlocking Block (Flyash, Papermache, Mud and Concrete) with surface engineering in varied sizes and shapes.

Geodesic dome, Cube on Vertex shelters, Twisted column, semi circular and flat Arches.

This workshop was a perfect opportunity to plunge into a rich pool of ideas, inspiration and practical learning that gave me a tool for personal growth as an architect and understanding of the holistic approach to achieve simpler solutions which may differ from the conventional answers to a problem.

From morning till evening, we would work on construction practices, while at night Mr. Laul would give presentations on Sustainable Architecture. His ppt sessions were so mind blowing, that we wouldn't realise how time flew!
We were 6 students from different regions of the country - Bengalis, Tamilians and Punjabis.
The workshop gave all of us a platform to exchange ideas on City Planning (how it is done today and how it should be done), Low cost housing, utilising building waste into the building yet keeping the aesthetics intact, Space Frames for maximum utilisation of natural light, etc.

Sustainable Architecture was one topic which would form a part of almost every discussion. Mr. Laul would highlight that how nowadays, some architects are designing brilliantly sophisticated and effective "green" buildings but these are still not sufficiently broadly conceived to deliver sustainability.

The accommodation and food at the Building Centre was amazing. It felt amazing to sleep under one of his concepts 'Cube on Vertex' Shelter. During the evening snacks, we would sit together on the terrace and talk about every weird thing that came into our minds and crack the most spontaneous of jokes. Dipon, being our favourite, was often called "Poha" instead of his name, because of the fact that he wore the same yellow shirt throughout the workshop.
Bal Singh, an intern at Anil Laul's, was an amazing person too. He would keep everyone's spirit alive at the workshop and would tell us his South Indian tales. Too much fun and learning.

During meals, Mr. Laul would tell us stories about his college days and we would then compare our college life to his and the conversations would last for hours.

He also wrote a book "Green is Red", which I think, is a must read for every budding architect. In this book, he has disagreed with the manner in which the green building concepts are promoted. He says, "It is the integration of the architect, the engineer, the artist and the artisan that is at the core of the principle". When asked about the title of the book, he said, "Whenever I think about the way green architecture is portrayed here in our country, I see blood, and that is why the book cover has 'green' printed in 'red' as it denotes anger".
Here's the link to his website: http://www.anangpur.org/

The workshop was a very good experience and I'm looking forward to attending more of Anil Laul's workshops. This shall be remembered for the years to come.

Mr. Laul's Mansion

Ram Lochan Tile in the making

Funicular Shell in the making

Conversations

Evening sessions with Mr. Laul

Sieving mud before preparing the mix

Semi-circular Arch in the making

With Mr. Laul

Arch made using dry aggregate takes so much load

Certificate of completion

Happy Birthday Rose

My friend Rose is the most amazing friend anybody could ask for. We’re basically like sisters. I met her on the day of our orientation at CSPA. She came with her father and she looked shy, hesitating to introduce herself to anyone on her own in the first place. A brunette beauty with beautiful grey eyes soon became a spotlight.  I went to her and said “Hi, I’m Magan”. She acquainted herself with a smile on her face. The rest of the day, we spent together, meeting new people.  Guys got attracted to her. Being shy, she kept hiding behind me, asking me this question time n again, “Do I look that bad? Why is everyone staring at me? Is there anything wrong with my face?” She became even more nervous. I asked her to calm down. It was the first day at college and every single girl was dressed up and was trying to be the centre of attraction. It was funny.

When the classes started and we became friends with other people, few other girls were always trying to make fool of Rose. I warned her, but instead, she’d go mad at me. But when she realised, she thanked me, and we became best buddies. We used to be together in every group project and by the end of the first semester; every student and professor knew that we were best buds. I would go to her house for the group projects (her father is an architect in Chandigarh so he would help us out in the projects) and we used to have fun like crazy. All nighters were no longer hard. Instead, we enjoyed working all night, taking short breaks and gossiping, and in the morning, went to college looking like sleep deprived Draculas. We did every project diligently and enthusiastically. People at college would envy us and some of them even tried to sabotage our friendship by creating misunderstandings, but we'd sit and talk and clear out the misunderstandings. That made our bond even stronger.  Not only did we have fun together, but we also rocked every project. Our professors would ask us to display our work on the panels as an example for everyone to look at and take inspiration from (Well, that’s what professors used to say! :D).

We stand by each other’s side though every thick n thin and share our most secretive of secrets. She would talk about her boyfriend for hours and I’d keep listening until she would hear me snoring and get mad at me. She laughs at everything and when she does, you see about a hundred white teeth-so bright, you almost need sunglasses. She would call me every day after college and we used to talk about how the day went. Its always fun to have a friend who is always rushing around, trying to get the latest scoop on everybody. It’s like she’s in the FBI. Right before she shares important news, Rose tosses back her hair, takes a deep breath, and quickly looks side to side, to be sure the coast is clear. She never says anything mean about people, she just wants to know what’s going on. At times, I’d get frustrated by her frequent calls but then I’d realise that we both share a very special bond of friendship that no one else does and I certainly don’t want to lose it. Then my frustration goes away.

One thing she so loves to talk about is clothes and footwear. Every other day, she buys a pair of new shoes or new dress, and then takes pictures of it and send them to me to get my approval. If I say I liked them, she would ask me if she could get one for me.

And now, we both are in different sections. She has made new friends, but no matter what, she would come to my class whenever they have a free lecture and would take me to the cafeteria and we would sit there and talk endlessly without realising that we have another lecture to attend. Then suddenly when one of us realises that, we rush to our studios like anything and enter the class huffing. We are irrevocably in love with each other’s company. She’s unpredictable at times. She goes mad at me whenever I don’t attend her phone calls and we fight like crazy. But, in the end, we always stick together. 

Today is her Birthday and I wish her a long happy life. May she continues to shine and reach unprecedented heights. Love you forever buddy! <3 J

What I learned from my sophomore year

My first year at college was very intimidating. Although ours is a ragging free campus, nevertheless some of the jerks were always trying to let us down one way or the other, and above all - The 'college politics' was often counterproductive. So, first year was a bit daunting and I didn’t make much friends, perhaps because they didn't match my taste. I always look out for people who are passionate about what they do and work hard towards accomplishing their goals. But except a handful of people, everyone has a stodgy attitude.

After the first year got over, I went to orissa for a month long fellowship with a bunch of people from different parts of India, and I was able to mix with them and by the end of the fellowship we became very good friends.

Then came my sophomore year. I was able to take on added responsibilities and made some decisions that, I think, will affect the rest of my life (in a good way). I went through the lives of some of the great personalities like  Phillipe Starck, Zaha Hadid, Laurie Baker, Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Sheryl Sandberg, Maneet Ahuja, etc. who have worked really hard and have attained a higher rank in society, really inspired me on how to pursue my career passionately and how to keep myself motivated all the time, no matter what. Before all this, I was leading a very hard life, maybe because of the people around me, who didn't allow me much free time and that life sabotaged almost every careful plan I made.

I mustered the courage to focus on my career and surprisingly, I was able to work with much more dedication than ever before. All-nighters gave me happiness and I worked in such a way as if I'm gonna apply for the one of the world's best architecture schools and I’m going to put up that work on my portfolio, so that, when the jury sees my work, they enroll me without giving any second thought. With this thought in mind, I was able to juggle with many different things at the same time easily. I recall that moment when our design professor asked me to display my work on the panels at the time of inspection of college. While I was pinning up my sheets, he asked me if those were print outs from autocad and I told him that they were hand drafted and not printed. He was impressed and appreciated the work. It feels great when hard work pays off.

The entire year, I did things my way. I had a fear of travelling alone in public transport and my dad used to drop me and pick me up from my classes. But things changed and I overcame my fear of travelling alone. We had a lot of free lectures at the end of the day during 3rd and 4th semester and almost every day I would come back home early in local buses. Apparently Punjab roadways buses do not have a decent crowd, but I carried a book along and used to read it which made the commute interesting.

When you are an architecture student, you are told to observe things around you, visit construction sites and see how work is done, etc. At first, I refrained from entering anonymous places but after my uncle took me along to a few sites and seeing him questioning the labourers about the materials used and stuff like that, I wondered how informative that is. No one, not even your professors can give you the knowledge that the people working on a site can.

FAKE RELATIONSHIPS. It’s a trend to have a boyfriend/girlfriend these days. 90% of relationships I have seen are nothing but infatuation. That’s a very immature thing in my opinion. And unfortunately, I'm surrounded by such friends who talk about their so-called lovers ad nauseam and sometimes I have to scream at them to stop! These people won’t work at the time when assignments are given and then when deadlines start approaching, they tend to bug other people around and beg for help. Well, I’m sorry, but that’s not how architectural study and for that matter any study is done! So, staying away from such people and avoiding them as much as possible is the only solution. That’s what I do and perhaps that’s the reason for me not having much friends. In the end, it’s the quality that matters, not quantity. The hard truth about relationships is that you are not aware of anything until you are mature enough and meet new and awesome people out there who tend to leave imprints on your heart forever. But while still in college and high school, you have no idea about where the person you are falling in love with would end up! Is he/she is THE ONE you would want to spend your entire life with? Maybe! May not be! I've heard people saying, "We love each other. And that's sufficient." But the truth is, that is sufficient only till you are in your own little 'dreamworld'. Where this dreamworld ends, reality begins. And that is when people end up having break ups and divorces. So, be wise and choose your life partner only when the right time arrives. Till then, focus on your career and other important things in life.

Next thing that matters, is, to get involved in group activities and play your part well. We were asked to make a group of 4 and were given group assignments. It’s a very good way to get each others' viewpoints and ideas while you share yours with them. It is better than doing the assignment all by yourself. In my case, it not only gave a platform to discuss things, but it also gave me an opportunity to improve my leadership skills. Whenever an assignment was given, I was asked to divide the work amongst 4 of us. It was a challenge in itself because two of them were hostelers and I and my friend were Day scholars. Sometimes, 2 of them used to get in a fight for doing their respective parts and then both of them would call me describing the fight and ask me to resolve it. Sometimes, it was funny watching “two little kiddos” fight like that, but sometimes it was so frustrating that I would switch off my phone when I could not take it anymore. 

Last, but not least, “Quit being busy”. This phrase is used by almost everyone when they miss deadlines or when they have to make an excuse to get over something. The things we spend most of our time on should be the things that are most important to us because we all have a fixed amount of time to get something done. Strip the phrase “I was just too busy” from your vocabulary. If someone asks about the missed deadline or why you weren’t at a specific event, give a real reason. Explain what you were doing that was more important and begin to prioritize your life around getting those important things done. We should not make excuses for our actions when we are choosing to devote our time to something that gives us happiness.

The Vacation Gal

 You must be wondering that by 'Vacation Gal', whom am I referring to or maybe not (:P)! Well, ofcourse that's me!

About a year ago, on the last day of Youth Act fellowship, I was sitting with my friends in Orissa, feeling about how you'd expect to feel after two weeks of stay in those "extreme"conditions, hot climate, no air conditioning, not even proper cooling system, fear of snakes and mongoose and even ghosts (kidding :P), devoid of all comforts. I often recall that moment when five of us got the chance to go to Bhubaneshwar to buy things for the products that we were making. After living in a confined place and without any comfort for 7 days, everyone was so excited to see the hustle and bustle of the big city. Tired of eating bland food everyday (hygienic though), we didn't miss the chance to go to Domino's and enjoy the scrumptious pizzas and garlic bread. It felt like heaven. But after coming back from Orissa, we all miss those moments badly. How we used to charge the laptop during day and save the battery for night to watch a movie; went for long walks into the lush green fields for a change; used to have long story sessions in which everyone used to narrate his/her life story; how we used to laugh to tears while teaching Mary Hindi as she was Tamil; Swati's never ending tales of her world tour and her sex god mountaineer boyfriend; teaching mausiji how to use iPhone and jenaji laptop, listening to ghost stories from jenaji at night and then refrain to go to washroom alone and take others along (haha), Ranjana's "Dolphin isn't an underwater animal, it keeps on coming to the surface of water", Swati's "SOMEBODY SWITCH ON THE LIGHT" when the light was on, are few things which remind us of those beautiful times we all spent together. And now, everybody is busy in his/her own life. Swati is in Thailand, enjoying her life, Ranjana in Delhi, Mary in Kerala, me and Rajbir are dealing with CSPA (:P).

Before I’d even unpacked my bags from Orissa, suddenly out of nowhere, an Idea of visiting and exploring the valleys of Kashmir struck my mind, maybe because I had another couple of weeks left for college to open and I didn't want to miss that opportunity. Convincing my parents was like a piece of cake. They are ever ready to go to Kashmir. We booked our flights the very next day and we along with my uncle and aunt were off to Kashmir. There is nothing like being with your family. It was such a wonderful trip.

As soon as one trip ends, the travel bug starts to bite and my mind begins to turn to when and where my next trip will be. I always feel that my next trip needs to have substance beyond just relaxation and sightseeing and so I plan my trip accordingly.

Life is too short to worry folks! Pack your bags and get going to explore the world! ;)

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
“Experience, travel – these are as education in themselves” – Euripides

A Memorable Day in Orissa!

I was selected by Happy Hands Foundation, a non profit organisation which focuses on reviving the dying crafts of India, for a month long Youth Act Fellowship which focused on reviving the traditional coir craft of India. Happy Hands Foundation provided selected fellows the opportunity to travel to a craft cluster in Satasankha, Odisha and be a part of the artists' daily lives and assist in capacity building. As part of the fellowship, the fellows worked with coir craftsmen and created new designs and introduced various accessories to the artists.

During the fellowship, we all got a chance to take a day off and go to Puri and nearby places which are famous for their architecture and cultural heritage.

The day we visited the sun temple of Konark and the Jagan Nath Temple in Puri, was an eventful one. Here, we saw a vast ocean of ancient architecture and cultural heritage.  

The street leading to the Puri temple abound in lighted diyas. We had to be careful to sidestep them while walking. Also the crowd on the street was immense so that even though we were holding each other’s hands tightly, we feared getting separated. As we got to the entrance, we realized that we had left Deepti, Mausiji and Jenaji behind. We had to call them to tell our location. After a long time, they finally found us.

Meanwhile, a hilarious incident happened. Rajbir got into an argument over price with a person selling Lord Vishnu’s idols. He started chasing Rajbir wherever he went to sell him the idols. Rajbir kept running to get rid of the man but the man stuck like a leech and followed behind. Finally he went away only when Jenaji scolded him.

By then it had started to rain. He ran to find a shelter in a shop as we did not carry our umbrellas along. By the time it stopped, the street we had to cross was flooded. Everyone except I and Rajbir was wearing chappals. So we managed to cross the road. But Swati, Ranjana and Deepti hesitated as the water was very dirty. Rajbir had an idea. He stopped the people coming on bicycles and motorbikes and asked them to provide lift to the girls. It was so funny to see them sitting on the backseats of bicycles. The waterlogged road tried to be a hurdle in our way but the child in us found enjoyment in it too!

We also spent some fun-filled time at the Konark beach. Although I could not capture all the moments of our journey due to my malfunctioning camera, it was one of the days that we would remember for all the years to come.

Staying in a village in Orissa and assisting the artisans was a challenge. But with our strong will power and sincere effort, we enjoyed our stay there. All it took was a positive attitude accompanied by self-motivation and determination. When our work was covered in Hindustan Times we felt like we broke our back for a good cause. It was a lovely experience!