Well this is my first post in my blog which i have been wanting to write for the past two months.. let me tell you why i write this blog.. reason is am totally totally jobless doing nothing.. n me , being a very happy person so i want my first blog also to be filled with happy n wonderful memories.. it was the first week of June when the results of the Envisioning 2020 category of the IMAGINE CUP2010 was out.. i was all excited sitting right in front of the PC waiting for the results.. am sure students all over the world would have been sitting at the tip of the chair, bitting their nails just to see who makes it to the grand finale which was to be held in Warsaw, Poland. Bing goes my head seeing my team in the finalist page.. We were so so thrilled about the whole event.. a full sponsored euro trip :)) after some really good tiresome trips from chennai to mumbai for the polish visa we managed to get our first schengen visa stamped in our passports.. n this was the most herculean tasks in the whole trip..it was just one day before our departure that we came to know that We Are Leaving to WARSAW....!!! did all our last minute shopping.. best part was we just had six hours in mumbai to shop and prepare for the event.. We happen to meet supreeth in mumbai international airport who was also representing India for the software development..koushik, kiran , supreeth and me were smiling big and one could easily feel the happiness and excitement in the air..after a long wait in the lounge we were done with our security check and immigrations n finally boarded the Air France to Paris.. Paris was our first port of entry to the EU..Paris was so so beautiful having read about it in my french classes during school , the first sight of Paris was just too amazing.. really huge airport very crowded though..the first person who captured my attention was the blue eyed immigration officer Patrick.. very friendly n smart..the first view of Paris was filled with thunderstorms.. it was raining really heavy out there.. water was sliding over the glass ceiling of the wait lounge.. Did some small shoppings in those duty free shops.. had some salad and some coffee..We were roaming and clicking a few pics in the airport.. after the hours wait we boarded our flight to Warsaw.. there were quite a few contestants for IMAGINE CUP in the same plane.. More than 400 students was streaming into Warsaw for the 2010 Imagine Cup finals. Dreary-eyed from long flights with their luggage in hand, teams from over 70 countries have travelled from all over the globe to attend the event. Once in Warsaw the teams arrived at the Novotel hotel where all members registered and received their Imagine Cup back-packs, including a fun t-shirt, cap, rain coat and yearbook..the most exciting aspects of the Imagine Cup was we had the opportunity to meet with peers from different cultures and share stories and compare projects (and scope out the competition!) Finalists will explore and attend activities in the Novotel, Palace of Culture, and Opera House as well as offsite trips to Warsaw’s Old Town and a local castle..then Students gathered in front of the Palace of Culture and Science yesterday to celebrate the official opening of the 2010 finals, marked with the cutting of the Imagine Cup ribbon. Wearing their matching T-shirts, teams excitedly waved their country flags and listened to inspiring speeches from Waldemar Pawlak, former prime minister of Poland, Jacek Murawski, general manager of Microsoft Poland and Jon Perera, Microsoft’s general manager of education strategy..then we gave a big wave n hug to the Software Design teams from Sri Lanka and Ivory Coast that, because of travel issues, were not able to be in Warsaw, Poland at the Worldwide Finals. Software Design teams from Sri Lanka and Ivory Coast that, because of travel issues, were not able to be in Warsaw, Poland at the Worldwide Finals. The ceremony included a show from the famous local folk band Zakopower, who played with a variety of instruments from guitars and drums to cellos, violins, horns, megaphones and even bagpipes! The band created an array of sounds and flavors that matched the diversity of the student audience. Lead singer, Sebastian Karpiel Bulecka, spoke to us right after the gig…took a plenty of pics then we went for our first dinner in Novotel.. n yea the entire city was so so bright thought the time would be around 4 in the evening but to my surprise it was nine o clock then only realised i was in Poland and the sunsets really late there..had a good polish food..not spicy very blank i would say.. the deserts were just too great that they melted in my tongue as i ate them.. roamed till 2 in the night.. had a long walk in the park went to the metro station.. got a sim card then finally decided to hit the couch at three.. the morning view at 6 in the morning was just too fabulous.. stayed in the 14th floor.. again got to see the city very bright and happy.. then went for breakfast met lot of people from different countries n cultures..made new friends.. my first friend was from indonesia.. :)) After a day full of amazing ideas presented by some of the brightest students from around the world, they announced the teams going on to the second round in the Software Design and Embedded Development competitions. For Software Design, we went from 68 teams to 12 and for Embedded Development, from 15 teams to 10. The caliber of entries across the board was incredibly high so, while not everyone will continue in the competition, everyone deserves a huge congratulations for making it this far..then we got a real taste of Polish culture in the town of Pultusk. Dating back to the 10th century, the town features a medieval castle alongside the river Narew. On arrival, we were welcomed by Waldemar Malicki, the famed Polish classical pianist. He delighted the crowd with examples of well-known classical European pieces, from Chopin to Beethoven, coupled with humorous jokes and references to other well know musical tunes. After the standing ovation we were free to roam different cultural zones in the castles grounds and learn different aspect to polish life. This included:
- Jousting in traditional polish knight costumes
- Sample tradition Pierogi
- Butter making and the opportunity to taste local polish cheese
- A talk from local beekeepers giving insight into how they collect nectar
- Horseshoe and coin making from local ironmongers
- Kayaking and gondola rides up the river Narew accompanied by an accordion player
In addition to the cultural attractions, the day was an opportunity for students to get to know one another, share stories and build memories. The friendships and connections made at the Imagine Cup live on much longer than the week-long competition. We toured Warsaw’s Old Town, the historic district that lies along the bank of the Vistula River featuring medieval architecture ..then went to an Indian restaurant Namaste India to have some spicy indian food which just made us feel how much we miss home..!! at last the grand finale was held in the Opera house.. the show began with a polka dance then a short welcome video and speech by John Perera.. the came the huge minute when the awards were started to be given out..the second runner up was the delhi team from india.. we were the first runners up and the first place went to the taiwan team which was a mix of polish and an indian.. it was such a great patriotic feel when we held the tricolor flag high up in a huge stage..We were very very happy and was jumping throughout.. and cheering the other teams.. our ADE's Mark ,Satish and Mandira from The Week were highly excited about the victory.. the entire team india was filled with happiness two out of four teams from india won.. :)) with all the adrealine levels high we had a huge bash in the the final party held at Platinum Club were all the teams were celebrating their victory and the grandeur of the event..
I got to compete in a competition where my competitors from around the world becomes my family for a week and my friends for ever Imagine Cup 2010♥♥" love yea all :)
No comments:
Post a Comment