Iran Calling

Iran has finally come calling; well atleast metaphorically. I got contacted by a student in Iran who's interested in learning English, so it seems that language exchange portal isn't a complete waste, you just need to put across your offer in some detail and those interested will contact you. Ali is a university student based in Mashhad and is studying history, and wants to improve his English speaking skills so he's more comfortable with the language in holding conversations.

Mashhad, Iran

I was a little apprehensive when he wrote to me initially, since few people actually make an effort to go beyond saying 'I'd like to improve my English'. I repeatedly grilled him saying that he had to 'show' me that he wanted to really learn, not just say it but actually prove it. So we then did a Skype call. He was in his university hostel with his roommates and seemed surprised that we were having the call. You'd have expected that we'd exchange pleasantries and talk about other things first, but I just got down to the purpose of the call, asking him outright to explain 'how' interested he was in improving his skills. Perhaps a bit rushed you might say, but I wanted to put across how seriously I take my teaching and time, I'm a really sweet person!

We've established a modus operandi of Skype two times a week for quarter of an hour. Majority of that time we'll be spending on his learning, while mine relate mostly to written submissions and corrections. I'm not going to start talking fluent Persian, but it's meant as a strong preparatory for when I go to Iran and join a short term program.

On other fronts, I've tried to get in touch with the Iranian Embassies in India and Switzerland through email, but I haven't herd from them; maybe I've sent it to the wrong department so I think I'll have to just pick up the phone - something I learned from writing to the universities in Iran, always always always follow up with a phone call.

The most important and worrying thing for me though, is accommodation and knowing people in Tehran. Housing there is like in any big city, a major hassle and with the right circumstances, an absolute impossibility. This is why it's important to know people who already live there, not only to help you find a place, but to make sure you don't get swindled. 

If you're interested, there's an ongoing discussion among people who are interested to go there to learn the language, including myself. This is the forum link.   

Time to get more coffee!

 

In The Face of Adversity

Dear team Barça, 

A scoring spree in a single game may have been luck, but in two it isn't. Welcome back to your true selves. As an ardent follower of the game, and a supporter of the team, nothing makes me happier than to see you play football with enthusiasm and joy. The unanimous uproar in the dugout when Marc Bartra scored against Deportivo, the beaming smile with which Dani Alves joined him in celebration - that's the reason I and millions of others watch and support Barcelona play.

Football Club Barcelona, Mes Que un Club

The recent blip in your otherwise flawless season, was as testing a time for supporters, as it was for the players, but it also showed how much our paramount position in the game is envied. 

Never had I witnessed the celebration of a stumble with such unanimity in our season. Not just from our rivals, but also from supporters of clubs in other leagues; it seemed as if people were patiently waiting for that very moment. That however is the price of our success; that people will say and do just about anything to bring us down. Some are envious of our continued victories, while some resent our celebration of it, and then there are still those who would like to sow the seeds of discord between us.

Combined with circumstances out of our control, this can wear down our winning spirit, resulting in those rare bad days. There were games in the past where our opponents were the best side and we must respect and accept that. But as our last two games showed, we are a much better side and have a lot more to offer. So let's go out there and win the remaining games, and we would still have a spectacular season that will give us as much to celebrate, as it did to learn.

Barcelona vs Real Betis, League Match 36, 30th April, 20.30 CET

Other locations: FC Barcelona Website

Posting at Ungodly Hours

I've been doing the graveyard shift for a while now, and am surprisingly productive, but there's one thing that's making me really cranky, and it's the sight of snow first thing in the morning.

St. Gallen Weather; Looking forward to sunshine after 3 days of snow

For a few days now, every morning, the lawn outside my window has a layer of snow on it, not as much as during peak winters, but enough for you to question if it's really spring time. It riles me up; for god sake its' the end of April! That's St. Gallen for you. Anytime of the year, a few successive days without strong sunlight and temperatures plunge, forcing you to change from the summer shirt collection to woolens and overcoats like a schizophrenic.  

I'm sure some of you think I'm just being uptight, because well, its snow! Who doesn't love snow?! Yes actually we all love snow for a few days, and during the right times, like around Christmas or New Year, but this flippant behavior of the weather, irritates even the non-natives who aren't so finicky about being orderly and punctual. Today morning, (or yesterday?) the snowfall was so heavy, I even saw mini snow-plows, those ugly looking golf cart like vehicles, making rounds up and down the street, their low-pitched motors straining, as if grumbling about having to work at such odd times of the year. Yes we are all unanimous in our dislike for the weather here, old young students employees tourists natives, all of us.

On the brighter side, the weather is predicted to improve over the next few days, which is welcome news, but there's no telling when it may get ugly again. The prediction system is quite reliable, but that's not the problem, its the weather! It's like taking solace in the fact that we can see the storm coming, even though there's nothing we can do about it except open our umbrellas. Pretty darn useful -_______- 


(Next morning update)

Sunshine predicted, sunshine delivered.

University Hill, St. Gallen; See that patch of white on the bottom left corner? That's snow that still hasn't melted. Now picture the entire field pristine white, that was the state for 3 days.

Coffee Keeps Your Spirits Up

As I'd suspected, looking for a language partner online isn't easy or at the very least is a snail paced process, exchanging several pleasantries over the span of many days, establishing trust and a working schedule and adhering to it. All this only if/after you first find someone willing and interested, which itself takes a long time; and with only two months before I board my flight, this isn't a feasible process. This realization came very heavily upon me and I'd started to brood. Setbacks before step one can really put one off. So I decided to get a coffee, at a famous establishment tucked away in one of the by-lanes of the city.

Kaffeehaus, St. Gallen

Now when I say 'famous' I'm sure you imagine the place teeming with people and loud chatter, with the staff zipping about the place balancing steaming hot coffee and croissants in their hands, the cashier fervently working the cash register; that's not the case. You see, with Switzerland you have to take everything into proportion. Most large capital cities around the world, like New York, London, Sao Paolo, Berlin, or Mumbai,  have populations anywhere between 5 to 15 million. The population of Switzerland is about 8 million. Yes, the entire country, and St. Gallen is among the smaller 'cities'. So at a famous coffee house, you'd expect to find very few vacant tables at any time of the day. (The Swiss are very particular about proportion and efficiency with everything, but which is a story for another post.)

Anyway, I wasn't much of a coffee drinker before moving to this country. In fact I couldn't even understand the concept of 'hot coffee' (understandably since I come from India), and my friends thought of my idea of 'cold coffee' as some chocolate drink for toddlers. (Not to mention the fact that they think we can't discern the subtleties of different flavors since everything we eat is fire hot :/ ) I got my first real experience with coffee during exam time as my Italian friends are coffee aficionados. Those long hours during the night were really taxing and my body usually needs something to fight off sleep in those situations. Enter, the Espresso. My first reaction, was like someone drinking beer for the first time. And because I have a sweet tooth, it tasted even worse. But I have to tell you, it works like a pill; atleast the first few times I had it I felt like I'd woken up after a nice nap! :D Eventually they came up with the right mix of milk and sugar, to make exactly right and enjoyable for me.

The coffees at Kaffeehaus are the absolute definition of perfection. My friend told me the owner actually 'listens' to the machine (with his ear on it) to gauge if the milk is frothing through the beans correctly. And these beans are never sourced locally, or even bought locally wherever they may be from (labels are for people who read labels, he 'reads' the smell of the coffee); his coffee is personally brought from handpicked locations in Italy, Brazil and Columbia (Yes he visited the farm, and pays a confidant to bring them to him) That's an aficionado for you. But Kaffeehaus is much more than just about coffee; it brings with it all the culture and customs of old european coffee houses, like space to play an instrument, a wall piano in this case (you can often find someone playing), encouraging lively discussion (without chattering) or the custom of anonymously sponsoring an espresso at the counter, a kindly gesture that originated in the south of Italy, where people would come up to ask, C’è un Sospeso? (Is there a 'suspended' coffee)

Yes, the hot, frothy Cappuccino was a delightful treat in the morning, and really pulled up my spirits. I now have to think of another way to go about the process. Another website/forum may work but it's a hit or miss, and I can't afford to miss anymore, so I'll be spending sometime thinking and exploring rather than pursuing any one method. Also I apologize for the one sole picture, given my love for the place, but since they're back from their vacation, I'll be making frequent visits, and will sure put up some more along this article. Until next time, Tschuss!