Freshers Week 2010

Being an auntie had its pros as well. The best one being, we could attend all the freshers parties that were held at the guild. Since this year's theme was looney toones, we had many parties such as uni toones, welcome party, welcome back party and so on. The parties were, without a doubt, amazing, as not only were there a huge number of fresh faces, but also we got to meet many of the new people. The first part of being an auntie was tough indeed, as it involved lifting luggages and boxes. But the second part of being an auntie was just helping the flats that we had been assigned with settling in and teaching them the Aston style of partying. The week went on smoothly. While in the morning we had events like city tours, campus tours and fairs, we had all sorts of parties in the evening. We even had Bhangra tunes playing at B4, where we all danced so much, that we felt our legs were about to fall off. Jokes apart, it was an amazing week, but unfortunately, came to a quick end. The daily college routine was about to set in, which we did look forward to as there were countless number of new modules that we had never studied before. It was going to be an amazing year ahead!

Aston Auntie!!

The first week at aston went by like the blink of an eye, primarily because of me being elected as an aston domestic auntie. We had our first few meetings with the Guild president and vice-presidents and the duties and responsibilities were delegated to us. The first weekend was mainly when most of the tough work was being done. All the freshers were moving in then and as aunties, our duties were to help them move in, lift their luggages and help them around the place. It was definitely not an easy things and to be frank, my muscles were sore by the end of the weekend, but it did feel amazing to have been of great help to many people. The theme of the year was 'looney toones' and we were even given t-shirts which we proudly wore during our entire term as aunties. Probably the best thing about being an auntie was that we were given free entries into the guild parties that were being for freshers week! We saw many new faces and the the university was over flowing with freshers and their family members. People had come from all corners of the world and it felt really good to see so much diversity within 40 acres of land! The weekend had passes pretty much as planned and so far, there were no mishaps from any of the aunties. The tough part was over and it was now time to re-visit the freshers week. It felt like a year ago!

Summer: Take V

Well it was sad enough to say that the summer was coming to an end and even four months seemed to be short. Ten days to my departure, I began counting the the days before which I was going to be back in Birmingham standing in front of Aston. Well on the other hand, I had innumerable things to look forward to. My new accommodation with some close friends that I had made in my first year, the one entire week of being an Aston Auntie, the beginning of new lectures and a new term, to name a few. Few things like this were the ones that probably brought me back up to my toes and helped me look forward to the next three months before I was back in Bombay for Christmas. The goodbyes were due and one thing I realised was, no matter how many times you say goodbye to someone, you just have to say it one last time before the flight attendant asks you to turn off your mobile phone. The bags had been packed, the few last minute calls had been made and before I knew it, I was back at the airport, like I was a year ago, bidding my parents and little brother farewell, as my mum discretely wiped a tear off the corner of her eye. My joyful facade dissolved away, as I stepped into the flight, plugged on my ipod and awaited Heathrow's arrival. A whole new year awaited me!

Summer: Take IV

The Bali trip was a really good way to cool down, but once again it was time to make good use of the summer holidays. I had decided to pursue an internship at the film production and distribution company iDream Independent Pictures and it was probably a very wise decision indeed as I not only got to do what I really enjoyed, but I also gained some valuable experience! The internship lasted for almost 2 months and my schedule was very tight as I used to wake up early morning and hit the gym, followed by work and meet up with some friends in the evening post work. I did feel like a grown up! The internship was very interesting as I got to write press releases for certain home productions and at the same time I got to give my opinions on which model's choose for an upcoming advertisement! Jokes apart, I gained a wide variety of knowledge and my information level about the Indian film and parallel cinema industry had shot up by a milestone. In between I even had a few trips to Chennai to attend as there were a few family occasions, so I never got tired of the job as I got the break's that I deserved. The hard part was traveling by train as the office was at quite a distance and commuting by other ways would be too time and/or money consuming. However over time, I even got accustomed to the over crowded trains and got a taste of the bombay railways. All in all, the effort and time put in was indeed worth every bit.

Summer: Take III

The time for Bali had come! We all packed our suitcases and boarded the flight for a one week holiday. The trip was brilliant. Everything about Bali was just perfect. Amazing whether, really nice people, an awesome hotel and so on. Not to mention, I did a tonne of shopping and would have easily purchased around 10 sunglasses! The vacation at Bali was something that I needed and rally hepled me cool down, although, ironically, I did'nt have much stress to cool down from. Jokes apart, the trip turned out to be very good and I enjoyed every bit of it with my family and like all other good things, when it did come to an end. We headed back to Bombay to continue the daily routine, however, it still was a vacation for me!

Summer: Take II

The summer seemed to be passing pretty much the way I had hoped for it to do so. Getting up without the ring of an alarm clock, bathing and eating at my own wish and will and the same old holiday stuff. I did a lot of 'catching up' with my family and friends and of course roamed and ate a lot around Bombay. Funny enough, I had even set a target of achieving a 6-Pack abs by the end of the 4 month long break. You may be laughing right now, but I shall have you knowing that I was pretty determined and working out at the gym became a part of my daily routine. Anothe rthing that I thoroughly enjoyed was home made food, made by my mom's own hands. Staying away from home and failing miserably at the attempt of cooking by yourself did make me realise the importance and deliciousness of my mom's food. There were even a few family events such as weddings and religious ceremonies that I had to wttend for which I travelled till Chennai. Both Mumbai and Chennai were piping hot but the best part was, the monsoons had begun and the rains seemed to cool things down a bit. There were days where it poured cats and dogs and stepping outside was next to impossible, but it was all part of the monsoon package! What I was looking forward to was the Bali trip with my family that was coming my way. Agreed, I was never as stressed, but I definitely did deserve a short and sweet vacation.

Summer: Take I

The flight had landed and even the first step at Bombay's International airport was like a step closer to home. While one part of me could not wait to curl into my blanket which had been with me all my life, the other part kept had its mind on Aston. As the flight doors opened, a gush of steamy stench filled air flooded the flight and with dull and drowsy eyes, the air hostess, who made a very good attempt to put on an air of enthusiasm and of course failed miserably, kept mouthing the words thank you without actually saying them and bid us farewell. On stepping out of the airport after collecting my baggage, there stood my parents and my little brother with the most warm and welcoming smiles. Greeting them and giving the tightest of hugs had become a ritual every time I returned from Aston and I did it yet again. A 4 month long vacation was awaiting me and honestly I could not have been more thrilled!

Last but not the Least

The final exams had come to an end, and irrespective of how good or bad they were, there was a huge sigh of relief amongst all of us. Year one had officially come to an end and we had just a few more days at Aston before we once again took off for the summer holidays to our respective homes. I guess, as always, the best way to spend the last few days was to spend as much time with the people you wont be seeing for a while. Unlike many of my flatmates, I had decided to move in with two other friends into the heights accommodation for the second year, while some were going to continue to stay on campus and others move into places like aston brook green or canal side. Well, the point being, the flat was being split up which came as a bit of a shock to all of us, as we had lived with each other for an entire year and not seeing each other's faces every morning and night was going to be a bit unusual. Well, as they say, all good things in life do come to an end, and all you could do is face it with as much courage as possible and move on. During the last few days, more than partying, most of us were lost in nostalgia and were reminiscing for most part of the day. The whole of the first year had passed before we knew it. Aston was just beginning to digest in our systems, when it was already time to pack our bags and head to the place we called home. Felt more like we were going away from home!

Exams: Take II

Well they all seemed to love the new haircut! Honestly, it was the recommendation of a very reliable friend, who, I can confidently say, had a decent sense of fashion. But everything aside, it was once again time to pull up our socks and begin revising, and well for sum of us, begin studying! The exams were once again getting closer, and well this time it came as a little more concern than the previous exams, as these were the finals! We did, unlike before the earlier exams, have 3 weeks in our hand to study for these exams, so we did not feel the burden as much, but the new and challenging syllabus compensated for that. Jokes apart, the time given to us was just right to do the kind of preparation that was required for these exams. Before we knew it, we were once again sitting behind one another in the great hall with the question paper in front of our eyes and praying to the gods that we leave the great hall with a huge smile on our countenances. The fortnight of the exams passed by like the blink of an eye and of course, a good example of the law of averages, some of the exams did not go as well as the others and some, an example of the law of a college student, were worse than them. Well I guess every dog does have his day!

A Holiday Again!!!

For an unknown reason, returning to Bombay did not turn out to be as exciting as I had hoped for it to be. It was probably the amazing whether of Birmingham, the fact that we had to study even during the holidays as the exams were right around the corner and the thought that we are going to have yet another vacation in almost a month that made Bombay a little less exciting than before, and made me miss Birmingham a little more than before. This was probably the best time to be in Birmingham. The lush green grass beautifying Aston's huge campus to the greatest possible extent, the perfectly moderate whether accompanied by a very pleasant wind which made returning to our rooms next to impossible, to name a few. Without a doubt, it once again felt great to see my family and friends and being in Bombay did give a me a couple of days to re-energise my brain and get back into the not-so-liked study cycle, but somewhere deep down, I guess I did miss Aston more than before. Ironically, this also got me wondering, if this were the case now, then how would it to be to be away from Aston for the entire summer, for 4 months!!! Although this should have been the least of my concerns and I should have been bothering about thing like, need I mention again, the much-awaited final examinations. The 3 weeks in Bombay were indeed relaxing, but I could not have been happier to return to Aston and to see my friends who would await my arrival at the coach station. Besides I had even got a new hairstyle, so I guess I was also keen on seeing their reactions!

So what's university without studies???

I guess the thought had finally been engraved in our minds that studies was a part of our lives and we could not avoid it. So the only option was to either keep complaining about it or just face it. We did begin to take studies a little more seriously as there were six examination papers to write this time and some of the modules were'nt even as easy! The modules that we had for the semester were Operations Management, Management Accounting, IT for Business, Contract Law and English Legal System, Business Decision Analysis and Macroeconomics. From all these Contract Law and English Legal System and Management Accounting were indeed challenging and Operations Management, IT for Business and Business Decision Analysis were relatively easy but filled with new concepts and thus required thorough reading and revision. But as I said earlier, we tuned our minds to accept the fact that studying was inevitable and pulled up our socks and began preparing for our examinations. The exams were around over a month away and before that we had the easter break where, once again, I went back to Bombay!

Semester II

Things had sobered down for a while and a daily routine of lectures and tutorials had set in. Parties never ceased, but they were in limit and a balance was being maintained between work and play. Even besides classes, there were times where we took time off to enjoy ourselves. Music being a deep passion, me along with two other friends used to jam in the music room and that used to feel amazing after a heavy day of lectures. Besides music, we even used to sit in groups by the lake and chat on for hours without noticing the time fly, an occasional trip to a jazz bar or any other pub to wither see a match or just to de-stress. We even used to get together once in a while and cook a meal, and that indeed was something that we all looked forward to. The academic session from after the exams to before Easter was probably the best time that we had during our first year at Aston. The whether was getting much better. While the sun began to shine bright, we could walk around in nothing but a pair of shorts, t-shirt and slippers and head to the lake side are for a portion of mouth watering barbeque and ice cream. What made it better was that there was no burden of examinations, however we still did study so as to avoid the last minute brain racking! It was, without a doubt, the best time at Aston.

Refreshers Week

On the finish of the exams, everyone had there week planned. The immediate weekend post the exams was 'propoganda night', and as planned, all of us headed down to propoganda on the friday night. Not to mention, almost the entire Business and Management class was present there, and more than dancing, we went around saying 'hi's' and ' how were your exams'!!! All in all, it was a very memorable night as by that time, we knew most of the people from our course and most of them were present there, making it seem like an Aston party. However this was not what got us anxious and impatient. In the coming weekend was another party hosted by Aston University, titled 'Refreshers' and that was indeed something we all had been looking forward to.

As always, the party lived up to our expectations, which were, considering the previous parties, considerably high! The dance floor was filled with Aston students, and the entire setup was grand. In addition to this, 'Paradox', the band that had performed at the Freshers party, performed once again and it indeed was splendid. Once again, the post-exam session of entertainment had come to an end and it was time for Semester 2. Personally, I was looking forward to the semester as many of the modules seemed quite interesting, but the only bad news was that we had a written examination for all the modules. I guess its not always fun and games. Jokes apart, I was keen on what was coming our way.

Exams!!!

The 3 weeks in Bombay flew by like I had expected. A major advantage that I seemed to possess as an international student who has done his schooling from India was that I had studied much of what we were taught in the first year in my high school. Considering this, there was not much work load that lingered above my head and all I did in Bombay, before the exams, was catching up with family and friends. Everyone wanted to hear the stories, about my university, about my friends, classes, Birmingham and so on. For a moment, I even felt like I was advertising for Aston university as I had spoken so much about it to so many people!

However, as they say, all good things do come to an end and before we knew it, it was time for the examinations. Fortunately there were only 4 papers to write as there were submissions for the other 2. As I had said earlier, having studies most of the syllabus earlier made studying for these examinations really simple. All I had to do was brush up my concepts, solve a paper or two and I was done! Ironically I could not do more than this as I had reached my room a day before the start of the exams! The next 2 weeks were probably the most intense it had ever been at Aston and yet, there was no pressure felt as such. One by one the exams got over and to a certain extent it was fun giving the exams as what we enjoyed the most was group study, sitting up late in the library, taking coffee or pizza breaks, chit-chatting and laughing away to de-stress our minds and thus, we never felt the intensity of the exams, and on the contrary, enjoyed every bit of it. The exams had come to an end by the end of the January and the routine was back to square one, parties, friends and of course, a little bit of studies.

Back To Bombay

The first 3 months at Aston passed by like the glimpse of an eye. It did begin to get a little restless towards the end of the term and I think I primarily owe that to the climate. We did hear about it but finally witnessed it as well. It definitely was not England finest feature, but on the bright side it did come across as amusing for most international students as it was one of those rare times when we were victims to snowfalls. Heavy snowfall, rainfall, wind and of course the extremely cold climate was something that we could not evade and walking around with nearly 5 layers of clothing came along as a package with living in England. Funny as it may sound, this was a reason strong enough to keep us away from our books and cuddled in our blankets!

On the contrary, Bombay's climate was poles apart from that of Birmingham's. The hot, sweaty claustrophobic atmosphere did have a charm of its own, but one that was a lot less appreciable than Birmingham's climate. 3 weeks in Bombay did move quickly, as most of that time was spent in reminiscing past memories with high school mates but at the same time, a burden lingered on our shoulders: the organisational behaviour essay's and of course the first semester examinations which began a day after my arrival at Aston! So it would be slightly inappropriate to say that the vacations were completely relaxing. Jokes apart, it was a good break from the regimented college life and it was indeed time to pull up our socks and open our text books. I had soaked in enough of the Bombay heat to help me withstand the Birmingham chill and finally, as expected, the day of arrival at the Heathrow airport had arrived. The next 2 weeks were going to involve rigorous late night study sessions in the library and the main building, the least possible amount of sleep and tonnes of coffee. However, what did keep us going was the fact the 2 weeks from now, it was yet again going to be party time!

Financial Accounting!!!

Probably the most feared module of the first semester was, without a doubt, financial accounting. Although many of us were indeed not keen on studying it, it was a compulsion and one would realise its value only after entering the real business world. The program I had opted to study was BSc (Hons) Business and Management which was also opted by nearly 400 other students. The course was a sandwich program and was one of Aston's finest and renowned courses. One of it's best features was that, one would study all the various modules of the business and management in the first year which gives him/her a lucid idea as to what he/she is interested in and wants to study. Such a course trains us to excel the real world, as a true and successful businessman does require a strong hold over all the fields of business and management.

Getting back to the point, financial accounting was that one module that everyone cribbed about but never realised its value and importance in the real world. Around a month before the start of the examinations, we had a test on financial accounting and around 2 weeks later, another surprise test. Although both were not as bad as I, who also was definitely not a big fan of financial accounting, had expected them to be, I did crib about it, before and after the tests, to the other 400 students! Funny as this may sound, it was the one module on which everyone removed their frustration on.

The other modules included marketing, international foundations of management, microeconomics, quantitative techniques and organisational behaviour. Thus we were indeed learning about a variety of fields of business and management. According to students like myself, the best feature of the first semester's examinations was the fact that there were only 4 written papers! The modules of organisational behaviour and international foundations of management had only coursework submissions which we had already given in, prior to the examinations. Although the examinations were around the corner, we never felt the pressure, or rather, they made sure we did not feel the pressure. For instance, the night before the financial accounting test was the bollywood and bhangra night party at the guild! So you could imagine our states after the paper, with barely 2-3 hours of sleep, sore feet from the dancing, aching heads from the hangover and of course a sigh of relief, from having finished the test.

The exams were right after the christmas break and as of now, none of us were even thinking about the exams, as, at least in my case, I was trading in the -5 degrees of Birmingham for the 30 degrees of Bombay. What I had for the first 3 months at Aston were indeed amazing, but I definitely could not have been more excited to go back home!

The Fun Has Just Begun...

It felt like all the good part was over and it was time to pull up our socks and lead our lives like an ideal college student. Well fortunately, that was not the case! Yes, our lectures had begun and we had to attend them regularly, along with the tutorials, but I guess Aston strongly believed in and followed the phrase, 'all work and no play makes jack a dull boy'. Not only were the classes incremental in the level of difficulty but there was so much happening in and around the university that it would be next to impossible for one to feel the pressure of studies, even if there was any. While the pleasant whether prompted us to dress up and take a walk to the city centre, we were also involved in several activities hosted by our clubs and societies.

Interestingly, I had joined the Bhangra society, and was moving my feet to punjabi tunes, even at our first meeting! The first and second week after the freshers went in being part of the society meetings. The Hindu society meeting was most interesting of all of them. Well, the fact that they served samosas and dhoklas mad it all the more interesting, but that aside, the hindu society members were given a very interesting talk about hinduism and its importance and popularity in the world. This was probably the only meeting where I learnt something and filled my stomach! The Bhangra society, on the other hand, had a group of around 10 people who were instructing the newly joint members. Personally, the most captivating thing about the Bhangra society was dancing to live music from a Dhol! At the freshers fair, we had seen over 30 different societies which included varieties from ice skiing to tennis to cinematics.

I had even joint the drama and the music society. At meetings of the drama society. We were asked to give improvisational performances and the instructor, a student at Aston himself, coached us with various exercises, breathing and voice modulation techniques. There were even many interesting interactive games that we were asked to play during the meeting. While the drama society involved more of serious training, the music society, which did have training session, mostly involved self practice. Having met many friends at Aston and being a vocalist and guitarist myself, I, along with two other friends, one being a pianist and the other being a drummer, used to get together on wednesdays and weekends and jam. The first few weeks of Aston went off very quickly and before we knew it studies was catching up and exams were indeed around the corner. However, having been at Aston for almost a month now, I can confidently say that although the revision, tests and exams are coming up, the fun has just begun!!!

Fresher's Week

The following 2 weeks were, without a doubt, one of the most lively weeks that I had ever seen at Aston. Coming up was the international fresher's week followed by the regular fresher's week. Our welcome into the university and fresher's weeks were done by what Aston called, 'Aunties'. However obscure this may sound, they were the one's who not only made moving and settling in as easy as it could get but also who showed and taught us how the parties were done at Aston.

The international week mainly revolved around getting the international students familiarised with Birmingham and Aston. More than parties, there were events like mall trips, Birmingham and Aston walking tours and other casual events like bowling nights, pub tours and so on. The international aunties were the ones who took care of almost all the events and the energy and enthusiasm that they possessed was not only commendable, but jaw dropping. However new everything did seem, the Aston Aunties made it feel like home! Helping you to move, solving your queries, teaching how to party, they did it all. The two weeks of freshers went by like the blink of an eye and the freshers parties which included the welcome party, pyjama party and bloc party to name a few encapsulated the ultimate aim of the same: if your a fresher, you need to be partying right now!

The most incredible part of the parties was that, they were all held on campus! The student union building, also called the student guild, had a huge hall which at times were meant for society meetings to be held, by day. At night, the disco lights would pop out, the bar would open up and the DJ would perch the stage, converting the so called 'society meeting area', into a thumping on-campus party arena. The energy and liveliness of everyone, right from the bartender to the DJ to the live band and to the partyholic public, was what made the freshers week a grand success. By the end of the freshers week, I had done it all, partied, explored the campus and all the buildings, toured Birmingham and of course moved into my new flat at Lawrence Tower!

A Tiny Leap

The coming week was filled with meetings and other formalities regarding my admission into Aston. The first task to be completed was the second stage of registration and although this did sound like a long, tardy process, it was done within the blink of an eye. Of course, waiting in the line before getting to the registration counter cannot be included in the process but that too was worth it as I was engrossed in a conversation with a fellow fresher. The entire process of registration involved a two minute talk with one of the university official's, a passport check and a signature. Although this did take only two minutes to complete, it felt like achieving a task after a persistent endeavor. The Aston University main building felt like a maze itself. At several of the inaugural functions, we were even told that figuring out the entire main building was a challenge, even if it was after the four year period of our courses!

In the first few days which involved registration with Aston University as well as Aston Business School, accommodation registration and so on, most of the time went by in exploring the vast campus of the university. Right from the main building, to the business school, to the library, student guild and other shops, everything seemed new to me. For starters, the concept of having a grocery shop or a pub on campus was indeed amusing to me, but all those things that one could last expect from a university were present. This turned out to be rather convenient in the days to come as not only was all my grocery shopping taken care of, but also i did not have go that far off for a drink! The whole concept seemed new and the one very important fact that I learnt as that this university was in fact way more liberal than the colleges back at Bombay. When I picked up my phone and called back home to my friends, they were shocked to hear about my university having pubs on the campus. The days of formalities had come to an end, and as few of the officials put it, with the international and regular fresher's week's coming up, it was party time at Aston!

Bull Ring!!!

Several days before leaving for Birmingham, I decided to do my research on the shopping and entertainment areas in the same. Being a shopaholic and a major foodie, I needed my regular access to all sorts of stores and restaurants. On browsing Aston University's web page, I landed upon this entertainment area, namely, the Bull Ring, which was featured on the web site! While reading the description about the Bull Ring, the one line that caught my attention instantly was that it was the largest entertainment and shopping area in Europe and was the size of 26 football fields. However hard to imagine or believe this may be, it was in fact true and one had to witness the immensity to believe it, as I did. Ironically, the entire closed area of the Bull Ring was in fact shaped like a bull, although it was a challenge to differentiate the front from the rear! All jokes apart, the entire structure was a marvel by itself and fortunately, this did turn out to be convenient for the Aston students as by the blink of an eye could one reach the centre of the biggest entertainment area in Europe. One could find anything under the sun and modestly speaking, anything from A to Z. While even a single day seemed to fall short for us to cover the entire Bull Ring, we decided to cover it in parts and surprisingly, we yet did not end up entering all the shops! Well, for now I was indeed ecstatic about all that I had seen in Birmingham and was indeed keen to know what the next few weeks had in store for me. As the week ended, the next week was about to begin with meetings with our student councillors and other formalities that had to be completed at Aston. As I fluffed up my pillow and drew my quilt over my head in my hotel room on a Sunday night, I could only dream about what the Monday would begin like.

A Whole New World!

It truly was a whole new world out there! Innumerable roads and highways crossing each other, a busy and yet friendly bustling crowd, shops that I can confidently say I lost track of after attempting to count and of course, the pleasant whether. Having come from a land of 30 degrees, the 20 degrees felt amazing, although the locals thought of it to be rather warm! After dropping off our bags at a hotel, we threw on our walking shoes, ready to explore the city of Birmingham. Ironically, all that we ever wanted, was a 2 minute walk from the hotel. While on the look out for restaurants, we walked into the humungous mall, namely Star City. It was probably one of the biggest malls that we had ever witnessed. Right form arcades, to casinos, to the cinemas, to rides and restaurants, it was all there and we could not have asked for more. We were told that there was something close to the hotel, but we definitely did not expect it to be, literally, a stone's throw away! The entire atmosphere of Birmingham just seemed very captivating. While the entire day did get exhausted in exploring the first mall that we saw in Birmingham, we were told that that was not even the city centre and that there was much more to see indeed. At first we were jaw dropped on hearing this, but what came to us as a surprise was the fact that it was just a 5 minute walk from the campus of Aston University! At this point, life seemed truly easy and comfortable and it did feel like I was about to live the dream. I was looking forward to the next day more than ever!

Bombay to Birmingham

Coming from Bombay, the financial capital and, without a doubt, one of the most advanced cities of India, I had a misconception that life could not get any better! Amazing parties, a really active social life, a busy college life and so on. While that was my impression about Bombay in the summer of 2009, little did I know that just in a few months from then, I would be doing Bhangra in the prestigious Aston University, something that I never dared to do for the first 18 years of my life! Completing the visa procedures was not as complicated as I was told it would be, and before I knew it, I was packing my bags to step into a new phase of my life. My parents and I were equally bewildered on arriving at Heathrow Airport as, needless to say, all of this was new to the three of us. Surprisingly, we did not face the slightest difficulty in going around and getting to the city of Birmingham. After having experienced the crowded, smelly, disorganised and chaotic atmosphere of Bombay's buses and trains, travelling in Heathrow's railways and Britain's National Express felt blissful. After a two and a half hour bus journey, we finally reached Digbeth Coach Station, Birmingham's Central, National Express coach station. I was on my way to Aston!!!