My alarm was set for 7:30 am. Work at the department begins at 8 am but I was allowed a little leeway, so could get there by 8:30 am or later also, if I wanted to. I had decided I would be there latest by 8:30 am for my own schedule sake and out of respect for my colleagues who were there by 8 am.
I would get ready by 7:50 am or so and then go to the mess for breakfast. Usually in 20 mins I was done and I would sign in at work by 8:30 am. My office is very nice, the first one in the series of four offices. I would set up my computer or work on the lecture notes in the morning. My first 2-3 weeks were more relaxed since all the teaching I had to do was easy enough, and then I would have all afternoon to work on the lab manual. Initially I had internet access only in the department, so my 1st hour or so would go just in checking emails and facebook. Then I would do anything else.
I would eat snacks/lunch only after my Biotech lecture. Sometimes I would keep a sandwich or parantha from breakfast so I would not have to walk back for lunch. There were only two days I had lunch, Tuesdays – for kadhi and Saturdays – choley bhaturey. Rest were all boring daal roti. Later during the month, I had gone shopping and got some Amul drinks also, so I would have something to drink. Rest I had some Haldiram namkeen or some biscuits.
The month of February was very cold and my office did not have any sunshine, so I would go to another faculty’s office to work. He was very nice about it. Most faculty did not mind sharing offices because only that semester they got their new cubicles, before that there was just one big room with one big table for all.
Usually I would go for tea with my chemistry colleague or by myself and warm, and wake, myself around 2:30 pm. The canteen was not too far. Sometimes I would indulge in a samosa also…always good!
I would wrap up my work and sign out by 3:50 pm. All faculty would come down at 4 pm and start signing out and then it was hard to get to the register and I did lose one of my pens – because as usual, no one has a pen when they need to sign out!!
I was in my room by 4 pm. Then I would watch a little YouTube or rest or wash clothes depending on what was needed. 5 pm was tea time. Really needed tea! Evening snacks were usually good too.
From then on, it was kind of free time. Depending on the snacks during tea time, I would eat or not eat dinner. Which meant that I was really free for the rest of the day. I would do my errands e.g. pick up laundry, or go to the tailor, or buy some fruits, go to the temple etc. And I would definitely go for a walk around campus for about an hour. Sometimes I would stop by and chat with some friends I had made but otherwise I would be back in my room by 7:30 pm. Since my walk was in the evening and pollution level is high in India, the sunsets were always gorgeous! The middle picture is the long 1 km road I walked on daily. The last picture is of the mustard farm near the Law College, one of the most pleasant sights to walk by (not the smell though - there was too much dog poop around!)
If I wanted to go for dinner, I would, otherwise I would do some work in my room or watch a movie on YouTube. Bedtime was usually after 11 pm, if the night shift ladies would let me sleep! They were always talking and laughing.
My Sundays were quite good. I was at Subharti for about 9 weeks. Two Sundays I took a cab and went to the Wave mall (pictures below) and spent 4-5 hours, walking, shopping, eating and just enjoying people watching. Few Sundays I was out of town or off campus to visit relatives. I spent two Sundays on campus when I did not go out anywhere. I really enjoyed those, as I spent them relaxing.