The 18-2 Team

My team this year! We're already off to a great start, and are vacillating between the best in the bronze bracket to in the lower half of the silver bracket. It is a formidable team, one of the best I've ever been on. We're going to do well in the last year of club volleyball we can play!

Friends

Kshitiz, Abhinav, and I. These two were my best friends and brothers at VIT

Thanks a lot, guys, for helping me experience the college life in India!

Ashish, my basketball buddy. He was pretty good! ... but I was better. :)

I played pool seriously for the first time at VIT. Pool with Kshitiz was a daily high-stakes affair, with chocolate bets on each game!

Support

Ms. Punnagai Munasami, Assistant Head of Bioinformatics Department and my guide

Mrs. Beverly David, International Relations Officer and my mother away from home

Dr. Anilkumar, Head of School of Biosciences and Technology

Mrs. Anita, International Affairs Officer and comic relief!

David, peon at IR Office and attentive towards all of my needs

Trainer Anna, Physical Trainer at VIT Gym and first person to teach me how to lift!

Lodging

 

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The Nelson Mandela, or International, Block. My home for the stay!

My living conditions were the best they could make for me. I had an AC in my room, and basic amenities like a fan, a a cupboard, and a bathroom. Unfortunately, I did not get to enjoy my AC room much in the sweltering conditions. Walking around the huge campus, working in a basic room with just the hum of the computer for company many times, and other work outside resulted in me returning to my room usually only for the night. However, I loved this hostel like a home, and will never forget the great times spent there with friends.

My room on the last day. What a mess!

Introduction!

My VIT ID card! I was issued this within 3 days of arriving on campus, and it was my ticket to everywhere.

Arya Recital 2011

This recital was an emotional affair. Ruhi returned as support and make-up manager for the girls. Also, the only senior in our troupe enamored us with her speech, telling us how much she loves us and how she lives to dance for us. For most of the troupe, it isn't all about dancing. Many of us find a family away from home in this small group of Arya Troupers, and we are as close as siblings. We're all going to miss our pompous Hinnah a lot, and hope she does well in college! We performed our competition piece at this recital, along with a piece with the choreographers and a couple of Bollywood/hip-hop pieces.

School Action Shot

The school team in my junior year was at the peak of its performance. We went farther and had a better league record than ever before. I've played with most of these guys for three years, and we've bonded with each other really well. These guys accompanied me on my whole volleyball journey. We have memories that will always be with us.

ICC 2011

Our confidence and domination on the stage was best seen at this performance at ICC. We won first place again, and was probably our best performance in terms of technique and energy. Not only did the troupe win for its classical piece, but our classical girls won 2nd place in the classical category as well! Way to go Arya Troupers!

MVP, Renegades 17-2

This is one of my proudest accomplishments. Our team in general improved greatly, and I'm proud of every single one of them. Everyone had something to contribute on the court, and the team was unrecognizable by the end of the season because of how much it improved. This award has my name on it, but I think it should have everyone's name on it.

CCF 2011

 

Winning, second year in a row! Although this time we weren't as sure in our performance, we were fairly certain that we were in the running for 1st place, and we won! It's a great way to start off our dance season this year, guys, but we're far from over.

Rarely can unadulterated joy be seen to such extents on our faces. Shreya, Sonam, and Aditi (left to right) are two of my closest friends on the troupe, and we have a blast outside of practice and rehearsals as well. Today was a great day for the four of us!