Christmas Eve with Henrik family :)

Snow capped alpine trees, Church bells ringing around, Christmas gifts all round the shopping malls, Tanenbaum (Christmas trees) with their flashing lights, prayers round the corners, I was just wondering couldn’t be a normal day. It wasn’t indeed. It was Christmas eve. Henrik, my colleague invited me to celebrate Christmas evening with his family. I was really surprised when I got the invitation from him.

Started off the evening with prayers in the Church, followed by wonderful dinner. Oh my goodness I should do lot of sports in the next year to reduce all the fat which I accumulated over the past few weeks during Christmas time. Really awesome dinner with absolute varieties of Cheese, Butter, Salamis, meat, Bread etc. Then followed by a game with the dice to distribute the gifts which everybody bought. If I attend next few Christmas eve with Henrik, I guess my houses can be decorated with full of gifts…no need to shop anymore ;) In the beginning, I was just concerned of how the evening would be because it’s a family fest that too with Oma (Grandma). Honestly, it was Oma who stole the show. Reminds me of my typical Oma in India….Then remembered Shakespeare’s “All the world’s a stage”….the second childhood…Could listen to her experiences about post world-war scenario and many other things of Germany’s transformation.

I always used to tease Henrik as Senior Consultant. Of course that’s his designation. It really amazes me how he separates professional and social life. I should really thank him who greatly helped me to integrate in to German society by inviting me for many social gatherings. I thank Henrik and Sarah who provided excellent opportunity to experience some thing special Heiligabend (Christmas eve) in Germany. Definitely an experience which will reside in my memory for long time. Vielan Dank Henrik!

Henrik’s famous phrase: Programmer: The device for converting coffee into software. :D
Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Is Germany a racist country?

When I was chatting with a friend in California, United States, he was asking how is life in Germany…I replied with optimistic tone “Great”…the next question he asked to me do you really feel safe to live and work in Germany and passed on the below link... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8347040.stm Will be worth enough to read that article from BBC before continuing reading mine..

The title from BBC states “Is Germany a racist country?” After reading that article I felt I should make my comments simply because this country offered me something which I never imagined for in the past. It’s quite easy to stereotype the small minor incidents when it is related to foreigners. If one foreigner breaks the rule lets say not following the traffic rules could lead to a conclusion that all the foreigners are like this. Same holds good when the majorities perform some attacks on the minorities. These issues are always very sensitive in any sections of the society.

I can quote numerous examples of minorities having problems in different corners of the world. For eg. Muslims in India, Tamils in SriLanka, Indian Origin in Malaysia, off late Indians in Australia, Blacks in the past South Africa, America and the example goes on and on. There are always anti-social elements in any sections of the society. When you return from a football match in East Germany is equivalent to returning from a match where Manchester United lost and talk to Hooligans after the match. So England a racist country?

Since I made lot of fortunes in German society, met highly smart intellectuals in University, work and daily life, I can now blow my trumpet “Wow, I love Germans”. Just one small incident with some drunkard in the subway train in the future will make me to write “All Germans are Racist Idiots”. Ah my goodness how opportunistic I can be. Can I forget all the wonderful experiences I made in the past just for one small incident with one stranger?

I accept the fact that it takes really time to integrate in to German society. With my experiences here for four years, I can clearly say its mainly because of the language constraints. Just imagine a situation in England or US, when you go to a shop and you buy some articles and you can’t speak English. Would you expect them to be friendly and can you integrate in to the society with out English. Just because one can not speak German fluently and finds it hard to integrate in to the society can we stereotype that Germans are racists?

For sure, there exists in some places, some situations where you feel you are discriminated. Honestly speaking I faced even in Indian society being an Indian with respect to caste, color, creed and the language I spoke. I asked the same friend who is living in California, you live in United States for so many years. How many Americans would have invited you for a dinner? The answer was straightforward “Not even one”. Does that mean so many Germans invited me for a dinner that I am writing an article in support of this society? ;) Its not just one or two days of my life in Germany to defend her but its been mammoth four years of experience to break the shackles.

Let’s accept the fact that minorities are always at the level of scrutiny and there is always thin line between mistakes and acceptance. The rule of thumb is if you as a minority want to make some fortunes in foreign land always outshine the majorities. I should say I was blessed to meet highly smart rational intellectuals during my stay here and of course I also met some RACISTS. Is still Germany a racist country?

CONCLUSION: Stereotype never helps in life.. :)

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Glühwein in Erzgebirge, Chemnitz, Germany

December is definitely a beautiful month to spend in Germany. With cultural Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market), Glühwein, wonderful decorations is definitely a treat to watch. Recently my PL Törsten invited me to his house in Chemnitz to experience the Christmas time in eastern part of Germany. Its totally different from what I experienced in West Germany. First we went to Seiffen which is located in the midst of Erzgebirge. Seiffen has some beautiful churches, museums and Weihnachtsmarkt. Really a place to be during the Christmas celebrations.

Then we went to Nussknacker (Nuts Cracker) museum. Everywhere in Erzgebirge you always find three things 1. The Erzegebirge Christmas pyramids 2. Nussknacker 3. Räuchermann. During christmas time, Räuchermänner are displayed together with christmas pyramid. Then had a chance to drink Glühwein in Chemnitzer Weihnachtsmarkt. Törsten cooked typical German food for us. All in all, it was a great weekend with Törsten’s family. Thanks to Angela who took great amount of effort to show and explain the cultural aspect of Erzgebirge and near by areas. I experienced different cultural aspects in Germany, but definitely experience with Törsten’s family is tip of the Iceberg.

I love Törsten's family!
Sathish Kumar S

Timeline 2009

Another year of stay in Deutschland…if I look back 2009…lot of fun, stress at work…lot of traveling experiences…lot of depressive moments…in the end really satisfying year…lets have a short synopses of how it turned out..

January:
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Nothing much happened in January…was freezing in the winter…Attended Merkel’s retirement function…got a gift a big bottle of wine which I can drink through out my life..,;)

February:
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Wonderful trip to Harz Mountains in Niedersachsen…It was fun filled trip with snow everywhere…Brocken is definitely a good place to hang around in winter…

March:
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Attended some traditional village fest( Vater tag, Shützenfest) in Wetzen…Got a glimpse of German country side life and to say its totally boring when compared to city life..

April:
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Had a wonderful trip to Copenhagen, Denmark with Anu and Jothir…the ship journey, train going inside the ship…amazing weather…Danish beers…amazing moments…Had a chance to see 30th birthday celebration of a German who is not married by 30…really crazy celebrations…

May:
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The great Norwegian Saga… one of the wonderful experiences I had in Europe…one of the best roadtrips one can imagine on this planet…Bergen to Oslo…Experienced the other extreme of Europe…Portugal…one of the best summer holidays I made in Europe…lovely picturesque amazing beaches…

June:
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Had a chance to make a presentation in Rotary Club Hamburg on the topic “Rise of Indian Economy”…Wonderful class trip to Ratzeburg with my ex-classmates…trip to Heide park with Guiness rides and rollercoasters…

July:
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Ran marathon for the first time in my life…completing 7Km in 36.55 minutes…really a dream come true for a fat guy who never concentrated on his fitness..;)

August:
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Went to Tegernsee in Bavaria to visit Merkel…really one of the scenic landscapes I witnessed in Deutschland…Went to Externsteine…pillar of rocks in NRW…wonderful time with a big gang…Went to Chemnitz to visit my PL Törsten’s family…really amazing experiences with his family…went to India…found my love atlast :)…had my engagement…had wonderful time with my school friends in East Coast Road in Chennai after a long time..

September:
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Visited Damo in Dubai on my return journey to Hamburg…Dubai is definitely a place to visit once in their life time…wonderful desert Safari…Sisha…Sand dunes…dates…memorable times…visited Fredericke-my ex-room mate in Uelzen…had a chance to drive tractor in German field for the first time…in Uelzen...

October:
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Other than work I couldn’t think about anything during this month… on top of it had to work for long hours and also on weekends…who cares if they pay for working on weekends.. ;)

November:
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November is the worst month to spend in Germany…Winter starting…Sun comes after 8 sets at 4…really one of the depressive month to spend…

December:
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Moved to new apartment…end to my shared apartment stories….Christmas time…Gluhwein…Christmas markets…Santa Claus…Christmas dinner…once again visit to East Germany to Erzgebirge to visit Törsten’s family…lovely experiences during Christmas time…

On the whole, 2009 was a mixed year with many challenges, fun, happiness.. on a scale of 10, 2009 would get 7…lets how 2010 is gonna be…I am sure much more challenges and fun are on the cards… ;)

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Bollywood Party - Donate to Educate!

Recently I had a chance to attend Bollywood party which was organized by Indian Students Association at Technical University Hamburg-Harburg(ISATUHH) together with ASHA (an NGO). Its a charity night where the money raised from the event goes for the development of a slum school in Delhi. It was a great initiative taken by the young, motivated, enthusiastic students in TUHH who believe they can make a big difference in the Indian society...their efforts didn't go in vain...it was a great turnout...lovely evening with gala Bollywood music and dance...Bahut Masti...!! certainly a great Indian night to remember during my stay in Hamburg for a good cause... Hats off guys!!

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Completing 27th revolution around the sun.

Three more years to hit the magic 30....time is running very fast...slowly counting white specs on my head...have to accept the fact that "I am no more young and let me curtail my tail" ;) .great lovely dinner with my good friends Rakesh and Prabu...important phone call from important person at 12 o clock...cutting of lovely cake presented by Rakesh and Prabu...followed by birthday bumps and kuthu...Thanks Rakesh and Prabu for the wonderful evening...wearing a new piece of formal shirt gifted by special person...nice strolling across the corridors of my office...lovely smiles and wishes from colleagues...lovely wishes from my Parents, well-wishers and friends...really satisfying day...Life goes on.... Life is beautiful even if its not supposed to be ;)

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Every dog has its day.. :)

Being loved by someone and loving someone is always a special feeling. It’s always god’s gift when both the partners are at the same level of feeling. Having brought up in a conservative south Indian society, I always missed the chance of experiencing this special sort of feeling. When I was in schools and colleges, marks, career, mathematical and programming variables were of prime importance to me than over showing beautiful babes ;) Even when I got a chance of getting closer to my crushes, I didn’t have the great interest and guts to convert in to a strong relation.

After thoroughly enjoying single life, after traveling to 15 countries in Europe, after completing MS and MBA, after getting job satisfaction, I always asked what was missing… definitely my sweet heart with whom I can cherish, laugh, cry, fight to the core…it was certainly very difficult for me to find a person of my wavelength in the German society simply because I was born brought up as an Indian for 23 years and also fact that there are not many Indians living in Germany…I always hated Indian arranged marriages where love is not of prime importance… So lack of attitude based girls in German society, not many Indian girls in Germany, no arranged marriage…where can I search my love…? But in the midst of all these situations, how did I get one? Let me start writing a new blogspot of how did I manage one ;)

Fortunately, a new character came in my life…I always wanted two important things from my partner.… one who loves me to the core and accept what I am…one who enjoys the company with my parents…I should say… I have got one in my life….ANITA. Are we really made for each other? Time should answer. I don't want to overlook now whats gonna happen after some decades when my heart says and throbs I love a person and that's Anita.

I love you Anita!!
Sathish Kumar S

Arabian Sand Dunes, Dubai, UAE

Temperature: 45° C, humidity: 70%, Sweating to the core. Huge sky scrappers, gigantic malls, White long clothes with black rubber bands…Which part of the globe I am in? Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait? Oh no… I could see lot of western babes on the beach with their bikinis…Am I in Middle East? Am I in Islamic orthodox country? The sign board says…Welcome to the heart of Middle East, Dubai. Had a great chance to explore this city since I booked the flight to India via Emirates and more importantly my close school friend Damo is working in Dubai. After seeing Dubai, I should say to Germans, “Germany looks under developed nation when compared to Emirates” ;) The city is surrounded by huge tall sky scrappers, luxurious hotels and gigantic malls…could never imagine how they could convert a desert to a dream come heaven. Couldn’t even remember the number of hotels and sky scrappers I saw. But honestly it’s the hard work of 80% of the people from third world countries in hot scorching sun which complements 20% of the people’s happiness.  Pity

One thing which really fascinates me about this city was the multi culture. When I stand in a big mall or any super market, I could see an European, Chinese, Indians, Pakis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans at the same time. Simply incredible example of globalization and multi cultural aspect. I could hardly see native Emirates people with their traditional dresses. Damo arranged for a Safari…went deep in to the desert…with lovely picturesque sand dunes…amazing experience with Land Rover jeep strolling on the Sand dunes…it was always my dream to be in the desert…Thanks to Damo for fulfilling this dream…then followed by amazing dinner…smoked shisha for the first time…missed a chance of seeing Belly dance because of Ramzan… had to compromise for ordinary Arabian Dance… ;) Either you want to spend all the money what you earned in life or you want to earn all the money for your life…Dubai is the ideal location…:D ..

Unfortunately I visited this city during Ramzan time. No body should drink and eat outside after the sun rise and before the sun set. I was trying to drink water after taking bath with the sweat. A man nearby came and stopped me from drinking the water. Hey I am not a Muslim…Oh no…I am in Muslim land….what kind of logic is this…Cant even drink water when I am thirsty….Oh god…A German would offer me a beer anytime even if I try to touch his wife…;) but he wont offer me one if I try to touch his car :D jokes apart…

To be honest, the respect for Indians in Middle East is definitely a big question mark? Oh god please shift the oil deposits close to the Indian Coastline as soon as possible…Oil deposits coupled with programming variables in India could be a good threat for the rest of the world na…Hmm…Sorry I am coming out of my day dreams… ;) But surely after tasting European way of life, I am sure it’s pretty difficult to lead a life in Dubai. Really? If McKinsey in Dubai pays more than what I earn in Germany, the previous sentence has to be rephrased ;)


I should really thank Damo for helping me to explore Dubai to the core. Sweet moments of life to spend some wonderful times in the Arabian Sand Dunes with a childhood friend with whom I shared, cried, laughed to the core. Damo has really suffered a lot in his younger age. When we are gazing at the huge towers of Dubai in his Mitsubishi Lancer, Damo said, he just had 5000 Indian rupees in his house on the day when his father passed away in the accident. I am so so happy for him what he is in his life after all the sufferings he had in his younger age. Thanks to Chemical Engineering which he persisted even during all the tough times. Hats off Damo!!

DUBAI must see city in the world!!

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Fisherman’s Cove East Coast Road (ECR) adventure, Chennai, India

Being born brought up in Chennai, it was always my dream to explore the famous East Coast Road and especially Fisherman’s Cove but Vitamin M(oney) was a big issue during my times in India to explore these amazing places in Chennai. Thanks to the strong exchange rate of Euros and as usual Chennai sunny weather, I could realize this dream with my school friends. I promised my school friends to give a big treat during my visit to India.

We bunked the school for solving complex Mathematical problems, bunked the college for watching the Cricket matches in Chepauk, now we bunked the offices to have a great time on the scenic Bay of Bengal…Hmm…Life at different stages…J We sat in the catamaran and went far away from the shore…finally jumped in to the sea from the catamaran….of course with life jackets…it was a great experience to float in the middle of the sea…stayed in the water for about an hour and finally back to the shore…lovely moments…

Had a lovely lunch in the food court. To say honestly, cost of living in Chennai has increased a lot as well…its not the same Chennai as it used to be…;) Then went to play a new game called Paint Ball…the rule is as follows: Five members in each team. There will be bunkers to hide and shoot the opponents. The idea is to get the flag from the opponent side and bring it back to the own territory or kill (out) all the opponents. When the bullet hits a person, the paint is splashed on the body and he is out of the game. Thought the bullet is soft and will not hurt but my friend Sridhar got hurted a bit. It was fun playing this game with all the gun and the bullets…it was never easy for South Indians to handle guns and the bullets…oh ya…that’s why its one of the safest zone on the earth…;)

Then went for a stroll in Thiruvanmiyur beach recollecting all our old memories and stories…All in all really satisfying day in my life to have such a great time with my school buddies after years of separation in foreign land. I should say was really lucky to have amazing set of friends during my school time. We complemented during different stages of our life and its so unfortunate that we are sitting in different corners of the globe to realize all our dreams and fulfill our responsibilities. But the memories and the experiences which we made in the past really binds us. Friends forever!!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Tractor fahren in Uelzen :D

After my students life, I decided to take a separate apartment and live alone...but thought why not give a try of living in shared apartments (Wohnen Gemeinschaft -WG) with Germans...it was certainly a new experience for me which gave a great insight of German life style...It certainly helped me in my cleanliness part and organization of the room...which I never cared when I was in India... :D It was mixed experience with the room mates in WG...but was quite lucky to have Friederike as our room mate after some hard experiences...the communication was one to one...she was very open when compared to other German girls...spoke amazing English...

She promised me to take to her boy friend's farm house in Uelzen before she leaves our apartment...It was a great day with Friederike, Henerik and his parents in Uelzen. Henerik helped me to ride the tractor in his farmland...never imagined I would ride a tractor in Germany being a software engineer :D followed by wonderful grilling with the wurst and potaoes..Certainly a day to remember...all the best Friederike in all your future endeavours...alles alles gute... :)

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Externsteine

If Deutsche Bahn makes a survey who exploits the Schönes Wochenende ticket (Happy Weekend Ticket) to the maximum...it must be none other than Indians in Germany...:D Had a chance once again to utilize this option with my good friends Prabu, Bharath, Arasu, Vijay, Prasanna to a place called "Externsteine"...its a distinctive rock formation located in the Teutoburger Wald region of northwestern Germany, not far from the city of Detmold at Horn-Bad Meinberg...first went to Hamm Amman temple...had a wonderful dharshan...ofcourse didn't miss the Prasatham :D..it was a gala time in the train playing 5 cards, Ass...had a great chance to bring Indian atmosphere in German trains...;) It was a perfect start to the trip...my cycle got repaired on the way to catch the morning train...Thank god two German girls came on the way...asked for help from them...they just gave a tip to park the vehicle on the lamp post nearby and helped me to take a Taxi...German girls are n't bad either ;)

Externsteine is a picturesque location with pillar like rocks standing gigantically...gives a panaromic view of Teutoburger Wald from the top...awesome lake near the rocks...definitely a great place to hang around for a weekend...it was a great day with our buddies..with perfect kalasifying, rouse, ottals...enjoyed to the core...then came the real adventure...Externsteine is not logistically connected to any big cities...there is a last bus at 18.30...if we miss the bus...the whole connection to Hamburg on the same day is disturbed and Schönes Wochenende ticket is invalid next day...this was the first time in my four years stay in Germany...the bus never turned at all...as a result we missed all the connecting trains...ultimately landed in Hannover at 22.00...had a big confusion whether to take ICE to reach Hamburg which would cost us individually the cost of Schönes Wochenende group ticket...:D since we were very tired and exhausted after all our fun..finally decided to take the ICE...all in all it was wonderful moments with our guys...A weekend to remember!!

Sathish Kumar S

Tegernsee, Bavarian Alps, Germany

Long long ago on the Christmas eve, I just asked Mr. Merkel whether I can visit him in Tegernsee in Bayern to experience Bavarian Alps and their culture. After long time, it all happened at the peak summer when sun was shining to the core in Bavarian Alps. Took a day off on Friday and started earlier on Thursday to reach Gmund (Tegernsee). It was a long journey in German standards for almost 7 to 8 hours in ICE.

Tegernsee derives its name from the Tegernsee lake on which it stands. It has got some lovely landscape and rich history. It was a lovely experience to experience this beautiful place with Mr. Merkel and Mrs. Merkel who accompanied me and showed some lovely landscapes in and around Tegernsee. We did some bike tour for almost 40 kms wandering around the lakes, mountains etc. The weather stayed decent on the first day and really sunny on the second day. Had a chance to go to the top of the mountain Wallberg (around 1722 m high) which gives a panoramic view of the city of Tegernsee and other mountain peaks nearby. Sun was shining really hard, prayers were going on in the church, could hear the music nearby, Saturday afternoon, stretch of alpine mountains blushing at me…lovely moments. It’s always a great experience to travel in all these cable cars in Germany, Austria and Switzerland which clearly shows their strength in mechanical systems.

After experiencing the landscape, its time to experience the Bavarian food and alcohol ;) To say I always cherished Bavarian food – Weisswurst, Schweinshaxe, Grill Chicken, Weiss Beer etc and etc. Had a chance to go to Wallfest which is the cultural festival for Bavarians in summer. Resembles similar to Octoberfest which I saw last year in Munich where people were dressed up with their lederhosen in typical Bavarian style.

All in all, it was great a time with Herald and Regina. I really admire both of them and made me realize that life doesn’t end even after 60s. Both of them are immensely active even in their age and very sportive and active than a 26 year old lazy guy ;) I was quite lucky to have Herald as my German mentor during my studies, who did more than mentoring to integrate in to the German society. Not many of my classmates have contact with their mentors. It’s a good feeling that we both enjoyed our company on a friendship level even though he is totally of different generation. Well intellectual conversations don’t depend on the age ;) Thanks Herald for helping me to explore Bavarian Alps and culture to the maximum.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

East German Smell - Chemnitz

Two classical characteristics which I portray most of the Germans with my experiences for four years here ...introvert character and lack of family values ;) well there is always an exception in any society...luckily had a chance to rub shoulders with one such exception..my lovely short term PL Torsten Nötzold...recently invited me to visit his family in Chemnitz, East Germany previously called as Karl-Max Stadt...had a lovely drive from Lüneburg to Chemnitz for around 5 hours in the autobahn when summer was at its peak on friday afternoon...

Initially I thought how could I manage with Torsten's family since they cant speak English...after the visit I should say my German got improved a way bit..Angela, Torsten's wife was very communicative and made the conversation more interesting and fascinating...had a perfect German breakfast with all the cheeses, butters and the salamis...dinner with traditional Potatoes and meat...explored the city with bicycle..with all packed food stuffs remembered my childhood trip with my parents...then tried to cook some Indian food for the family in the evening...but as usual ended up spicy and hot for them...:D next day went to Erzgebirge, a small hilly region near Chemnitz...weather stayed pretty decent...went to a steel mine which is worth visiting...had to travel in toy train inside the caves to explore the mines...was a great experience...
I really wonder Torsten's skill of managing both family and career...always stays cool even during stressful time with the work...works in the office from 7 till 6 in the evening...then travels 450 kms to Chemnitz during the weekend to visit his family..my goodness a perfect role model for balancing work and family...intelligence and downtoward never go together...Torsten is another exception...well now I understand why he likes C++...because he handles so many exceptions in the C++ code...;) With in a short span of time, you have offered a lot Torsten both technically and socially...Thanks to Angela and Lara for providing wonderful hospitality and warmth...the weekend which will reside in my memory for long time...:)

Hats off to Nötzold's family....
Sathish Kumar S

First Marathon of my life - "Lüneburger Firmenlauf"

There was once a discussion among my friend's circle who is the laziest guy in our group, undoubtedly I was the proud winner ;) When I used to play Cricket, the most common dismissal for me is run out ;) The maximum Km I would have walked at a stretch in my life might be not more than 2 Kms ;) So the examples and incidents goes on and on... If at all one thing which I never imagined in my life is participating in a Marathon and successfully completing it...;)

On friday morning, my friend Rakesh motivated me to give him company for the Marathon. I was concentrating on my fitness for the past five months by running a lot in Treadmill. So, I took the gamble but unfortunately had to run with other guy's name tag, Thomasz since I didn't register before. There is a lot of difference between running on treadmill and on the roads...finally completed 7 km in 36:55 minutes :D It was a great experience which would reside in my memory forever...I see a lot of difference in the mind after I started to work on my fitness.. Thanks a lot for the indirect motivators ;)

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Heide Park, Soltau - German Mechanics

After experiencing German Cars, AutoBahn(Highways), Trains...I was always expecting something exceptional from their Theme Park...Heide Park didn't spoil my expectation as well...situated at about 100 kms from Hamburg, perfect place to spend a weekend in summer...Colossos, Screaming, Wildwasserbahn, Poppenbahn are some of the must go rides in Heide park...the most frustrating part in this theme park is...one has to wait for almost 30 minutes for each of these rides...by that time you lose all your enthu...would advice to go on a weekday...Not much of a difference when compared to the Theme parks which I experienced in India...The weather stayed bright and sunny...Definitely a day to remember ;)

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Perfect Indian evening

Recently Shubhlata's family celebrated their daughter's second birthday in Hamburg. I must say one of the grand Indian parties which I attended in Germany for the past three and a half years... delicious Indian dinner with Bhajjis, Samasos, Parottos, Palak Paneer..to taste these kind of food in this part of the world is something dream come true...followed by Bollywood music and Bhangras...it was nice to see Germans shaking their butt for the Bollywood music...All in all a perfect Indian evening...Thanks Shubh for the invitation...Alles alles gute für Shubh's familien :)


Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Schützenfest, Wetzen

Every village in Germany has a club called Schützenverein (Shooting Club). Mark invited me for this Schützenfest in his village. All the members of the club were dressed up like soldiers with guns in their hand and marching towards the cemetry for the people who died in the second world war...The highlight of this festival is the king...one who shoots the nucleus exactly in one shot will be the king for that day.. ;) The highlight of any festival in village is the food and the alcohol...It was interesting to see how countrymen celebrate their festival which is definitely quite different from what I experienced in big cities and parties...Thanks once again Mark...A day to remember..!!

Sathish Kumar S

Rise of Indian Economy - Rotary Presentation in Hamburg

Probably in this financial situation through out the world, its not the right time to talk about any country's economy. Nevertheless, Tilo, Rotarian from Hamburg invited me to give a talk about Rise of Indian Economy. I already gave this presentation in another Rotary Club last year. ..So I was bit confident this time to make this presentation once again in German...Thanks to my colleague Jan who helped me to prepare and correct my slides...finally turned out to be a decent show before the elite sections of the German Society...highlighted statistical information about India's economy and optimistic figures for the next 20 years.. ;) It was a good chance for me to boast about my beloved country which I always do to the westerners ;) followed by a nice lunch in Hotel Atlantic... A day to remember...Danke Tilo nochmal!!

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Class trip to Ratzeburg

Its been more than a year, I am completely out of Student's life...the best way to get back to spirits is to meet the old classmates...Recently, we had a class trip to Ratzeburg, a small town near Hamburg...initially I thought what Ratzeburg can offer...but definitely a worth enough place to spend a weekend...we did Canoeing on the Ratzeburger lake and on the beautiful canals nearby...it was a great experience to do Canoeing for the first time...Thanks to Oli, Klass and Laura who helped me to learn a bit of Canoeing...Infact I was hardly doing anything...was busy with my Camera...they were about to push me in to the water...well they are Germans...they expect some discipline during work ;) it was interesting to take the boat on the roads and transferring it to the canals...then we did Cycling for about 20 kms in the midst of beautiful landscapes of Ratzeburg...Thank god the weather stayed absolutely fine...followed by wonderful camp fire and BBQ...a trip to remember...

Sathish Kumar S

Vater Tag in Wetzen

Vater tag(father's day) is a holiday in Germany...my colleague Mark invited me to join his group for celebrating this day in his village...drove to his village by cycle for 15kms...it was a group of nearly 20 people...actually we played the game of treasurehunt...started from one place of the village in this case starting from planet Pluto and finally reaching the sun...couldn't solve the puzzle and interpret the map properly...finally ended up in totally another planet which doesn't belong to our solar family ;) ... we had the beer wagon for carrying all our drinks...it was fun to roam inside the forest with a group of 20 people with alcohol at full swing....followed by a wonderful BBQ...it was a day to remember...Thanks Mark...my good blond friend... ;)

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Vasco Da Gama...here I come(Portugal)

Two short synopsis before going in to my experiences in Portugal.

When I was 11 years old, my mom and dad took me to Marina beach (world’s second longest beach).. an aero plane flew across the Bay of Bengal and I was asking my dad, “papa, I want to travel in plane.. will you take me”…he replied, “oh my dear, I am not so rich to take you in plane…I am sure one day you will travel to many places on your own by plane…don’t worry my son and kissed me on my face”…

When I was making my school trip to Mahabalipuram, one of the favorite spots for the westerner’s to make their holidays…I was looking at the white kids playing with their parents on the beautiful coastline of Mahabalipuram…I asked my teacher..”mam, where these people are from…they don’t seem to be from India..”.. she replied…”They are from Western world….they have lot of money to make their holidays in our country.”… I asked her… “Is it possible to go to their country mam”… she replied, “Do your duty…study well…surely one day you will travel to their country and kissed me on my face”… Let’s come back to the conclusion of these two stories at the end of this article…

Portugal was always in my list of European voyage…as usual booked my cheap tickets in Ryan Air before two months…landed in Faro in the state of Algarve…this southern coastline of Portugal has got some wonderful beaches…the interesting part is the small mountains near the coastline making it more picturesque.. the waves hitting hard at the foothills of the mountains is a sight to watch…I should say special thanks to Beate, a German who is living in Portugal for almost 25 years…showed me some wonderful unmanned beaches of Algarve…and provided accommodation for two days…it was great experience to stay in a small house in the middle of no where in the mountains…a perfect place to make my summer holidays…I cooked Sambhar and Chicken for Beate and her son which they definitely found it spicy.. ;)

Some of the must see beaches in Algarve are Lagos, Albufeira, Amoreira, Arrifana, Monto Clerigo, Sagres... each have their own flavour...all quite different from each other...Thank god sun was shining to the core...the bikinis were colorful...fortunately they were lying on the sand ;) met lot of Germans and Englanders partying to the core with their group in the beach...it was amazingly relaxing to forget all the programming variables and to sit near the beach with small moutain peaks nearby...Made a bicycle ride along the coastline for about 15 kms...great experience...Coming from a beach city of Chennai, I thought Portugal won’t fascinate me unlike other European countries..but the beaches I came across in Portugal was totally different from the beaches I came across all along in my life...one similarity is these coastline was some what similar to the beaches in Goa...now I realize why Vasco Da Gama liked Goa ;)

After saying final goodbye to Beate and her son, I moved to Lisbon from Faro...thought I have to spend my time alone in Lisbon...went to my youth hostel...boy thats where you meet people of your wavelength..the amazing back packers from Australia, US, Canada and Europe...formed a group with them and went to explore the night life of Lisbon...Lisbon has got some amazing restaurants, pubs and discos...a scenic city along the coastline...has a bridge replica to the golden gate bridge in San Fransisco..for a moment I thought I was in US...oh no...who wants to be in US after what Europe offered me... ;) Went to Sintra.. a small picturesque typical Portugues village near Lisbon...there is a beautiful castle on the top of the hill...thought could reach the top by walking...unfortunately ended up in taking a lift from the cars passing by ;) then went to Cascais, a small fishing village near Lisbon...the drive from Sintra to Cascais was awesome...a place called Cabo Da Roca is a must see place in Lisbon...the western most tip of Europe...breath taking view of the Atlantic coastline...then relaxed the fag end of my lovely trip on the beaches of Faro and finally took my flight back to Germany...

I should say Portuguese were very friendly,,,warm welcoming for the tourists in all the places...sorry Germans you need to learn more from them with respect to tourism and hospitality ;) I thought since I am travelling alone..it will be not that exciting but honestly met people from different background, countries and idea of leading a life...Yes thats what travelling offers to you...Travelling requires lot of planning, courage, swift decisions, tolerance, flexibility, adaptability which will definitely reflect in day to day life...Some people gets happiness by looking at their bank savings...some by admiring at their newly built houses...some by glaring at their BMWs or Mercedes or Toyatos..for me...the articles of my European endeavour is the right answer...

Lets come back to the conclusion of the two stories at the beginning of this article...It was always my dream to travel more than a typical Englishmen, German, American...initially I thought they are travelling a lot..its beacuse of their smartness...by goodness..after studied Economics...I realized its just merely because of the their strong purchasing parity of their currency and and after rubbing shoulders with them...I always knew that Indian analytics and programming variables is mightier and stronger than the crazy western drunkards in weekend night out parties to explore the world ;) I hope my travel experience provided some motivation for the young Indians and my fellow countrymen to lead a life away from India...

My dad’s words of travelling to many places on my own in plane and my teacher’s words of visiting foreign land and making holidays has been fulfilled in the midst of all the disturbances in this materialistic world )

Live your dreams and not dream your life!!
Sathish Kumar S