After 1 hour and 30 minutes of journey, Druk Air landed at Delhi
International Airport. We proceeded to the immigration office, where we
were scolded by Indian men for not being in the queue. After completing
the immigration formalities, we went to the bus stop to get a ticket to
go to the Domestic Air Port in Delhi. At the domestic airport's
immigration office, some of our friends were asked to get a signature
from the immigration officer as they did not have their passports with
them. The officials checked our luggage thoroughly and found chili
pickles and meat pickles in one of the ladies' bags, which they
confiscated and asked her to throw away. However, upon her repeated
pleas, they returned her items.
Our next flight to Amritsar was scheduled at 2:30 PM, but we arrived at 9:30 AM, well before the scheduled departure time. Therefore, we decided to have lunch before our next flight. We ordered
rice with plain vegetable curry which cost us RS.170/-. We were
surprised to find out that the cost of this simple meal was double the
cost of rice with chicken in Bhutan. One of our friends, Norbu, ordered a
cup of beer which cost him Rs.200/-. It was amazing to see that Indian
sell beer in packs like that of hard drinks sold in Bhutan.
Exactly at 2:00 PM, a Spice bus picked us up to take us to the Spice Jet
Port. The Spice Jet aircraft lifted into the air at 2:30 PM. It took
approximately one hour and fifteen minutes to reach the Amritsar
domestic air port from Delhi. From Amritsar, we were picked up by the
University Bus, which took two hours to reach the university. Upon
arrival, we were directed to the Admission Block where the international
coordinator welcomed us and guided us to the dormitory. The coordinator
informed us that without admission being done, we must pay cash to eat
food from the mess, so we did in the evening. However, in the
morning, we all lied and said that we were still fresh and had yet to
receive our mess cards.
On 31st, we had our admission, which included submitting our original
academic transcripts, migration certificate, hotel fee, tuition fee,
laundry fee, and admitting into UMS (university management system). From
1st to 3rd August, we were given free time to explore the campus and
nearby city. The freshmen induction course started from 4th to 6th
August, which aimed to familiarize new students with the university's
rules and regulations. I, a teacher in Bhutan, became a student in India
commencing from 7th August. I struggled to get into the
classroom situation and had to fight to concentrate on lectures. I often
found myself lost in thoughts of my past school life in the 1990s,
sitting back on the chair and scribbling notes from the chalkboard.
Despite the difficulties, I believed that learning is a lifelong process
that doesn't stop until our last breath.
FUNNY INCIDENCES
1. One of our friends, Kuzang, accidentally hit his head on the glass door of a shopping mall while entering in.
2. An Assistant Lecturer from Sherubtse lost their way in the university campus while returning to apartment.
3. Several Bhutanese students were scolded by the Mess Contractor for not carrying their mess cards while attending meals.
4. On the very first day of our classes, 11 Bhutanese students got lost in the nine-storied building while trying to find the Political class.
5. Two Bhutanese Economic students got stuck in the elevator when the lights went off, and they had a near-death experience.
6. One of the History students lost their way while returning to the dormitory after class.
7. Our friend Tandin Wangchuk fell inside the Air bus toilet during turbulence.
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