My INTERNSHIP

I know this is coming quite late, rather at a time when I'd almost be hunting for another intern (well,this time might be a research! :P)

The credit goes to Shashank Kundu,who recently showed me the Mumbai office add video. Loved it alot and could not help missing you all! :)

So here it goes for the "memorable" time spent with all of you:

I still remember the day I had to pack my bags for EI, thinking that for the first time in my life I’d be working for a COMPANY I packed a couple of formal trousers and shirts. To my pleasure, EI was so informal!

It was fun working there and did not take me long to mix up with people, call them by their names (no sir/ma’am) and sit together to share lunch!

Thanks to Balu and Ashok bhaiya who made my stay so convenient. I had to just tell them and forget! J (possibly got everything I required!)

Thanks to Suchi for “Dinner” (in and out). I would have been more grateful had I not denied your “vodka” proposal.Her daughter,Ananya, has been the most affectionate hostess I’ve ever met!

Thanks to Elgar for taking a 100 questions from Kunal and me each day and patiently answering them one by one.(Jinee khush hui ;))

It was fun irritating Dinesh, the one who used to design/animate our questions. Whatever I wanted he would never do that correctly in the first instant; there was some or the other misunderstanding! :P

I got to learn enough from Anu, Sumita Jee, and Vidula. Thank you Kushal bhai for the yummy pakodhaas and Thanks Meghna for the idly sambar(that was too good + you did not let me pay :P)

Last and most importantly, thank you so very much Kunal! I would not have enjoyed as much as I did had you not been there! Also, thanks for the daily breakfasts and masti! Had a great time at your home! J Was fun knowing you and your philosophies on the “uneasy” bus ride! :P And you are CRAZY!! Insanely crazy!

I joined as an internee for Educational Initiatives(EI), Navi Mumbai Office on the 20^th of May,2010.(http://www.ei-india.com/)

The best thing about the internship was the working part. I worked as much as any other person did; who had been working there for years! I basically worked as an educational specialist in the Mind Spark (MS) math team. Sp

They taught us all that we could possibly do in the Mind Spark(MS)

Oh! Did I tell you about MS?

Mindspark is a self-adaptive computer based programme that gives student the freedom to move at his own comfortable pace. It’s an interactive system where the difficulty rises with each correctly answered question. The system is able to identify the strong and weak concepts in a particular chapter and helps to understand those by means of “remedials.” Also the student can learn really well since he can go below and above his class level.

Yup! So I basically did vetting(that is finding out others mistakes. :P), made Q-types and pools(that is you decide on the sequence of questions and then make questions of same types in such a way that interests students.), made challenge questions, their hints and explanations, did data analysis(huge data!!!) and also worked on one remedial! J

Besides this we had lots of fun during our Ahmadabad Head Office visit where we had a formal introduction with all the members of EI. We were occupied all day meeting people and knowing about the different arms of the organization. Munching on the Junk was another pleasure J

We(me and Kunal) also did a CASE-STUDY PROJECT. We went to Gundecha Educational Academy where we interviewed students and made a report.This was pure FUN! Made me remember my school days! Also witnessed a MS session in progress.

It was Fun, Exciting, Challenging, Irritating, Shocking, Creative and a Feel-good experience!

Fun because it was my first time..was fun exploring the place

Exciting since i got to know all the ones associated to EI :)

Challenging as it took quite a time to understand and come down to the student-level, what works and doesnot work for them, writing hints in a way that is not too giving away..explaining them the CQ's in a way I thought they could best learn it!

Irritating as i would often sway back to my level and feel the question is way too easy..where as actually that was hard for the kids :P

Shocked I was when I viewed the students survey results.It was shocking to see how simple concepts like angles, area, and fractions are way to complex according to students.

Creative because we had to think of a way students would enjoy and learn! We came up with ideas which i hope will help EI in future.

Feel-Good since it's always nice to point mistakes of others! :D i enjoyed vetting the MOST! :)

To sum up: it was a memorable life experience! Never before was life so pleasant or at a few instances so unpleasant! :-D

My stint with the LOCAL TRAINS

It's been so well said that in Life, the things you often try hard to escape are the ones you will surely face! :P
All throughout, I've had this horrible notion about "Local Trains" and so have been far away from it!
But, as soon as i reached Mumbai, the very first thing i faced was: local train! :P (thanks to my friend: Aashik)

well, local trains are a part and parcel of every Mumbaikar's life and so i too had to adapt it.(atleast for a month ;))
It was all well and fine till recently (i.e. on 19th June), I had a PROPER local train expeience
So, here it is for you: My two hours long Local Train journey from Belapur to Kandivali. :)
After the oh! so many advices from all the people who cared, I entered the "Ladies Compartment"(as it's thot to be safe) It din't take me long to realize the absurd position i was in! It was like 70 odd people(imagine the rush! all squeezed in a compartment), girls n ladies of all age groups staring at me!!
i dont know y? but it definitely made me think a zillion times what was wrong with me...was it my formal dressing? (dat was d 1st time in Mumbai dat i wore my formals ;My office was very informal!:P).. or was it my hair?? my shoes? I checked myslf again ..finding everything as it is alwayz..i managed controlling my "pissed off" feeling.
Had it been just one soul i'd have well-ignored but like all 70?? wtf!!
as it is..i cunt do much about it, managed squeezing as the 4th person on a 3-seater bench , took out my novel and focussed on it! :) (that took me away from the pissed off feeling i had been going through)
Now I did not really care... they stare or not, I was into my book- "The Last Lecture": will rief you about this must-read book in another post.
well... for the first time in my life i realized how much better it is to be stared by men than women; at least doesn't bug you!! :P
It is weird when *females* stare :( n maybe coz that's not that obvious!
Anywayz after almost an hours journey from belapur , i got off at Vadala, changed my train. I missed the Bandra train..and so had to take "ANDHERI" to get off at bandra that was like just 3 stations away from Vadala :)
i was happy..coz just 3 stations away...but was not happy for long!!!
omg!!! this andheri train....mad rush!!!!! there was a stampede...i dint move a step but was literally pushed to the door where until the train moved i swung like a pendulum resting on the centre pole..
After a couple of abuses(to which i was the sole listener) i struggled my way through the crowd... all the seats were booked..needles to menion! i quietly stood there..looking around!
i came across a bunch of funny advertisements..will surely share those with you (will upload the pixz soon..dont have them rite now)
Bengali Baba, Baba Sai
Love/ friendship, instant entertainment male/female both! Earn and fun-male/female friendship
failed first and second year? direct admssion to 3rd year..save your 2 years!

Hahahahahaha! had a hilarious time till Bandra!
I got down at Bandra and took the Borivali train..that was relatively less crowded n so I got a seat the very next station. :)
I took out the novel and started reading..to my pleasure i almost finished it by the time i reached Kandiwali! :)
To Sum up:
DISLIKES:

• Had to change too many trains..alot of botheration
• went through a stampede!
• was stared by a bunch of feMALES
• Kunal made me wait for 15 minutes :P (hope this addition here forces you to come on time the next day)

LIKES:

• I completed my Novel! yupee :)..so wanted to!!!
  
• enjoyed the photograpy..never heard abt such adds :P
• did my first ever local train shopping. got myself a white clutcher :P oops..sorry i forgot mentioning abt it before.. i bargained for the same clutcher at around 6 places in Colaba :P finally got it at My price! :D (infact got dat for just 5 rupees!! :P *local train jindabaad*)
  

well...whatever it was..i somehow like them! :) no comparisons to the Delhi Metro but I'm more comfortable wid them than i was the 1st time! (unless i've to travel in the ladies compartment :P :P)
Mumbai seems so much apni-apni types!! :) looking forward to more of it! :)
(will buy novels this saturday ;) )

PS: sorry for the late post! was devoid of internet :P :P lambiii judaiiiiiiii :(