Brrr, it's cold!

So finally, I’ve arrived at Pune and at my college.

The first thing I noticed?

It is *cold* here.

Actually, it isn’t that cold for a lot of people, because it’s only 26 degrees most of the time. But for people coming from the humid city of Mumbai, it’s a little cooler than what they’re used to. They tend to keep the fans off and avoid opening windows and God forbid air conditioned rooms!

But the main problem starts when they have roommates who’re used to this climate and might even find it “hot”.  Ceiling fans aren’t designed to give air in a certain direction, unless ‘everywhere’ can be a direction and of course, the people who are feeling hot will switch on the fan without being so considerate of the other party that's feeling cold. And so, people from Mumbai often find themselves freezing under their thin bedsheets which they thought could double as a blanket because they figured, “You know, it’s just Pune, not Shimla!” and decided to leave behind the fluffy comforter which could’ve easily saved the borrowing of bedsheets and pairs of socks from other people.

Apart from the weather, there are other such anomalies in the city that was so presumed as the ‘Shadow of Mumbai.’ For instance, rickshaw valas pretty much anywhere in the city can just decide to switch off the meter and demand any amount of money from the passenger. General stores are closed on Thursdays and on other days, do not stay open beyond ten. There is no concept of a 24 hour medical store (at least in the part of the city I’m living in). People don’t have any qualms in driving on the wrong side of the road. PMT, short for Pune Municipal Transport, is a fleet of the oldest buses known to mankind and is driven at 60 kmph even in two-way lanes without dividers. Airtel users cannot get decent network in 85% of the places. And, most importantly, somehow, you always manage to wake up by eight in the morning irrespective of the time you slept the night before, even if you’re still sleepy.

Adjusting to such a different lifestyle than my previous is definitely proving itself to be a task. Having lived in a place where everything you could possibly need or want was either at a stone’s throw distance from your house, or was easily accessible because of the various options of regular and systematic public transport, it is difficult to suddenly start living like, well, *this*. Curfews were something that I knew existed, but hadn’t followed until now. Budgets were just terms used by the financial minister or school trustees, but now, it was the word that defined the limit on the money I could spend every month. I have to actually plan my entire day around the timings of the hostel mess, failing which, I either have to go to a restaurant to eat, or not eat at all. Good lord, I actually have to wash and iron my own clothes, unless I’m ready to pay 30 bucks a shirt/jeans!

With so many changes has been my welcome to the city of Pune.

And I’m getting carried away in everything so hard, I actually don’t even know what I think about it.

Hoping to survive the next few weeks without having a nervous breakdown…