29/11/09: Yes, these days I am in Germany again and today for the second time I received an opportunity to be served by the German hospitality. Last time, it was during my previous stay when I was invited by Elena Martens to Paderborn, where we had some good time cooking and playing in the lush green environment of Paderborn. I had also been to the Paderborn church and some local market there. I really thank Martens lady for that.
This time, I had been to Soest today. I was invited by Soraya Bondi to her husband’s (Roland) parent’s home at Soest. I spent around 7 – 8 hours with the family. It was very kind of Soraya and her husband to pick me from Pension Pilk – the hotel in Bad Westernkotten where I am currently staying. Then we drove for about 20 min to reach their home in Soest. It was 3.00 pm and the light rain showers were in the air along with the bright sun and we saw a beautiful rainbow along the way to Soest. On arrival there, I met Roland’s parents – Mr. Lothar and Mrs Mari-lis, cute little Lennart and Ronald's brother and sister – The Scholz family. I was served with the tea and cake at their home table. We spent about 1 hour at the table. I had taken the famous Bikaneri Bhujia which was liked by the German family. For me, it was a surprise to know that they were fans of Indian food and already knew Garam Masala. It was also interesting to know that this German family was so much interested in India. Looking at their interest in Indian varieties, I have promised them to send whole Garam Masala from India.
After some chat with the family, Lothar leaded us to the beautiful ancient city of Soest. It was around 5.00 pm in the clock but being the month of November, it was as dark as 10.00 pm of Indian summer. It was amazing to see the homes which were build in 1200s, 1600s and 1700s. To my knowledge the ancient homes were built using Plaster of Paris…amazing really!!! There I also saw the leaning tower of Soest, which unlike Tower of Lisa, leans towards the right side. And another surprise was to see a catholic and a protestant’s church so close to each other. Then we went to the Christmas market and enjoyed some Irish music along with some warm drinks. Of course, I choose a non-alcoholic one!! This was our main destination where we spent some nice time at different German culture stalls. On our way back home, we went to an Italian restaurant, where I met with another surprise. This time I saw the word – annanas – on the Italian menu card. Yes, like in Marathi or in Hindi, pine-apple was called annanas. So I had a Pizza Vegitario mit annanas. Yummy!!!!! Soest, being an ancient city in Germany, is also surrounded by the wall of which two-third remains are still preserved. We were walking on one such remains during our way back to Lothar’s home. Back at their home, we rested for some time and I comfortably had a look at Mari-lis’ collection – photo-album – filled with cats. Since I also have cats at my home, I developed a different interest in those photographs. There were about 100 photographs of cats of different color and shape. Since the Scholz family has supported Cat-breeding for more than 10 years, they had a beautiful collection. With this, I took their permission and Roland-Soraya dropped me back to Pension Pilk. Really an experience to remember!!! Thanks to the Scholz family!!
This was the second time when I was treated by the hospitality of German families and both these times have become my unforgettable memories!! I wish I could also get to treat them in India along with my family :)
I will keep on updating you all with such experiences. Till then...CYA
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, November 02, 2009
Astro speaks...Part II
This is not written by me...these are predictions about me...
You are realistic, mature, practical, organized, disciplined and serious. Hard work does not bother you and you understand that it takes time to build anything of lasting value. You are thorough and attentive to details.
Your ambitions are well-grounded and you do not make promises you can't keep. You have the ability to concentrate and continue working on something until it is completely finished — and done correctly.
You have the necessary patience and persistence to be successful at anything you undertake.
You have a strong sense of responsibility and are very conscientious in fulfilling your duties.
You often do things because you feel it is expected of you. You have a certain shyness and reserve about you that does not make others uncomfortable by being around you. You dislike making a spectacle of yourself.
Your need to feel organized causes you to dislike disorder and clutter in your home or workplace.
There may be gain through older people. Those in positions of authority help you because they see that you are a hard and dedicated worker. You are a born leader with the innate ability to appraise and coordinate the efforts needed to obtain your objectives. Your mind is practical, contemplative and authoritative.
You may have difficulty taking directions from others, though, because of your own methodical analysis of all situations.
You have an alert, quick-witted, sharp and decisive mind. You love to debate and discuss almost any subject and you love any kind of mental game (especially ones that involve strategy) or challenge. You love to read and soak up knowledge. Your mind is always full of ideas and you can present them with a self-confidence and force that is very persuading to others. You have a sense of humor that is more satirical or sarcastic than it is outrightly funny. You are good with your hands and may be ambidextrous. You are very vocal and adamant in expressing yourself and your hands frequently help you convey your message. You are a leader, an executive, a salesperson, a promoter. Others tend to listen to you and follow your lead and you have a talent for directing people and making decisions. You have an aptitude for writing, especially criticism.
You aren't afraid to tell people when they are wrong. You may suffer at times from a lack of tact and hoof-in-mouth syndrome is familiar to you. Your desires are guided by reason and that allows you to succeed at almost anything you put your mind to. There may be mathematical or mechanical ability and aptitude.
You are self-assured and decisive in whatever you do. You have a lot of restless and nervous energy and you like staying busy. You get bored fairly easily and that's why you like working on several projects all at the same time. It is hard for you to sit still for very long because of the abundance of energy you have.
It may be good for you to periodically try and quiet the chatter in your mind by practicing yoga or some form of meditation. Of course, athletics and physical exercise also help in this regard.
You are realistic, mature, practical, organized, disciplined and serious. Hard work does not bother you and you understand that it takes time to build anything of lasting value. You are thorough and attentive to details.
Your ambitions are well-grounded and you do not make promises you can't keep. You have the ability to concentrate and continue working on something until it is completely finished — and done correctly.
You have the necessary patience and persistence to be successful at anything you undertake.
You have a strong sense of responsibility and are very conscientious in fulfilling your duties.
You often do things because you feel it is expected of you. You have a certain shyness and reserve about you that does not make others uncomfortable by being around you. You dislike making a spectacle of yourself.
Your need to feel organized causes you to dislike disorder and clutter in your home or workplace.
There may be gain through older people. Those in positions of authority help you because they see that you are a hard and dedicated worker. You are a born leader with the innate ability to appraise and coordinate the efforts needed to obtain your objectives. Your mind is practical, contemplative and authoritative.
You may have difficulty taking directions from others, though, because of your own methodical analysis of all situations.
You have an alert, quick-witted, sharp and decisive mind. You love to debate and discuss almost any subject and you love any kind of mental game (especially ones that involve strategy) or challenge. You love to read and soak up knowledge. Your mind is always full of ideas and you can present them with a self-confidence and force that is very persuading to others. You have a sense of humor that is more satirical or sarcastic than it is outrightly funny. You are good with your hands and may be ambidextrous. You are very vocal and adamant in expressing yourself and your hands frequently help you convey your message. You are a leader, an executive, a salesperson, a promoter. Others tend to listen to you and follow your lead and you have a talent for directing people and making decisions. You have an aptitude for writing, especially criticism.
You aren't afraid to tell people when they are wrong. You may suffer at times from a lack of tact and hoof-in-mouth syndrome is familiar to you. Your desires are guided by reason and that allows you to succeed at almost anything you put your mind to. There may be mathematical or mechanical ability and aptitude.
You are self-assured and decisive in whatever you do. You have a lot of restless and nervous energy and you like staying busy. You get bored fairly easily and that's why you like working on several projects all at the same time. It is hard for you to sit still for very long because of the abundance of energy you have.
It may be good for you to periodically try and quiet the chatter in your mind by practicing yoga or some form of meditation. Of course, athletics and physical exercise also help in this regard.
Friday, October 09, 2009
After two long years...that seemed to be too short
Two years, have passed. I have met with at least 50 new people during this span and now most of them are part of my daily life. I had some fantastic interactions with my Bengali teachers and co-learners. I guess now I am able to use my practical nerves over the innovative ones. (And even then I add such personal blogs.) In an attempt to keep myself busy, I have been learning about different new things, methods, techniques, new opportunities and business models, etc. I, also, made an attempt to learn Deutsche but I do not want to comment on the outcomes. I got an opportunity to travel little more farther than Moscow and landed in Germany. This flight cost me a service bond of some years but now I have few friends (rather identifiable people) in Deutschland. How can I forget – Wall Café, Lippstadt, Paderborn, Aachen and Vaals. In between, my "Go Goa" wish has not yet fulfilled. I am still waiting for that moment when I could be on the beaches of Goa. And that reminds me of the Dive-Agar trip. A place, rather beach, near Murud, is home-town of one of my colleague. Some months back, I got a chance of visiting the place. The place is gifted with the scenic beauty. And above all, apart from all these, after a long long time, I entered into Garba celebrations this year @Pimpri.
Not everything that happened was wonderful. My New Jersey plans completely collapsed and I should agree that as the price I paid for my raucous behavior. And since then I have knowingly maintained a distance with those involved in the episode – not for anger but for peace. I still fall little short at the tendency to carry matters towards the fruitful conclusion. And hence, I have changed two residences during these two years. Thanks to the 11 month lease and leave agreement system. And I was in the list of known-people for rickshaw drivers and bus-conductors. So let’s wait for the charts to turn lucky.
But, at the same time, I am happy that I have gracefully supported my family after my father's demise - 4.5 years back - and things have improved over the time that passed. My brother is about to complete his final year at his hotel management studies. He is enjoying his journey towards his destination. During previous year, he completed his internship at Sahara Star and I hope he will keep on conquering new peaks of success. And above all, I should thank my mom for her continuous (non-stop) support. Though, I can see things moving slowly as compared to time but they are far better than being stagnant. There is still much more to come. I can see myself getting ready for new experiences. Something like what I am doing now is booking the movie tickets. So I shall keep on updating you all.
Till then, CYA…
Not everything that happened was wonderful. My New Jersey plans completely collapsed and I should agree that as the price I paid for my raucous behavior. And since then I have knowingly maintained a distance with those involved in the episode – not for anger but for peace. I still fall little short at the tendency to carry matters towards the fruitful conclusion. And hence, I have changed two residences during these two years. Thanks to the 11 month lease and leave agreement system. And I was in the list of known-people for rickshaw drivers and bus-conductors. So let’s wait for the charts to turn lucky.
But, at the same time, I am happy that I have gracefully supported my family after my father's demise - 4.5 years back - and things have improved over the time that passed. My brother is about to complete his final year at his hotel management studies. He is enjoying his journey towards his destination. During previous year, he completed his internship at Sahara Star and I hope he will keep on conquering new peaks of success. And above all, I should thank my mom for her continuous (non-stop) support. Though, I can see things moving slowly as compared to time but they are far better than being stagnant. There is still much more to come. I can see myself getting ready for new experiences. Something like what I am doing now is booking the movie tickets. So I shall keep on updating you all.
Till then, CYA…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
