Howdy fellows from here and there:
As the title says, this was "kind a" long week, or perhaps because there were lots of things to do and time just seems to pass very rapido!
Let's dig a little bit in my memory files: When I first came to belgium (September 2002) I arrived to a city called Gent. At first I was staying at an old house that belonged to the school I was supose to study in (Vlerick Leuven Gent Management school...sounds familiar?)...anyways, I was the first from the international student group, so the house felt quite empty without company. Two days after this chineese guy came to join me, which made things funnier actually. But perhaps the moment I remember the most is what happpend -or i should say WHO i meet- 5 days after my arrival in gent.
So I was in the PC room chilling out when the coordinator of my master program asks me if I could show the way to the house to a new student that was supose to arrive in the afternoon, "He comes from India, and will be in the school reception at 3pm" were her words, haven't had anything else to do at that moment I couldn't do other than agree to her request of course.
And there I was at 3:00 sharp in the reception of the school then. As soon as I entered the room I saw this fellow, whose colour differed someWHAT from the rest of the persons present in that moment...it was like identifying a chocolate crisp in the middle of a cup of milk, you get the point right? Anways..eventhough 3 years have passed by I can still recall the dialogue that followed that moment, which goes like this:
(Me): "Hey man, what's up?"
"Hello, how are you"
"Are you the dude from India? "(kind of stupid he? realizing he had THE typical indian look)
"Yes, I just arrived from brussel. I had to take a ..."
"ok ok, my name is luis, from peru..how ya doin'?
"My name is Apoorva, nice to meet you"
"Ap...riva you say?
"No no, it's a p o o r v a"
"Aprooval.."
"No my friend, a p o o r ..."
"Let's make it easier man, I've seen enough chapter of the simpsons to remember Apu...so I shall call you like that, apu, that ok with u man?"
"Well yes, if it's easier for you. Actually my mom calls me Apoo, which is the diminutive...."
"Ok man, is that ur luggage?"
"Why yes, do we go to the residence now?"
"No man, you first come with me to check out this room I spotted somewhere not so far"
And so I meet this particular character which became later on perhaps my closest friend I had on this side of the world for that first year in Belgium. This blog would be way to short to recall the stories and anecdotes we both had in the midst of that time...
But a sad moment happened when my dear friend Apu had to go back to his country in March of this year, after having lived a bit more than two years in gent. With much sorrow I had to say good bye from him of course.
And then again i got a pleasant surprise this week when my Indian fellow came back to belgium to visit the "old" friends. He actually came to Ieper, where we had a nice dinner along with ans, nicolene (my southafrican classmate from Vlerick, from which there are lots of chapters to be written about her also), and a friend of ieper, mathieu.
Besides that visit, yesterday saturday I went to a celtic music concert and then to a big party in a city called moeskcroen, where I got really, but REALLY wasted (and I mean it literally)....nothing like a nice way to end up the week he?
Ciao baby
