Well, it’s been some time since I blogged.

Shame on me!

I’ve just arrived back in the UK after the Imagine Cup 2006 finals in India. Unfortunately for Team Three Pair we didn’t get through to the final rounds. On the other hand we did have a really amazing week!

There are various things we’ve all learnt from our experience out in India, some technical and some not. One of the most interesting things I heard someone say was that you should “let India happen to you.” That much is certainly very true. If you go out there with certain expectations you are bound to be disappointed in one way or another. The thing that struck me most was the existence of extreme poverty and the way it co-exists so seamlessly with great wealth. One second you are in one of the most run-down, down-trodden areas you have ever seen, the next, looking at one of the most extravagant buildings you could hope to find. It certainly opened my eyes to the relative luxury enjoyed by us, the everyday folks, back here in the UK.

When we first arrived in India we were confronted by packs of roaming dogs, derelict buildings, people sleeping atop of buses, people sleeping on the pavements and cows which had fallen into open sewage works. It was a heart-wrenching and sobering experience which made me wonder what the rest of the week had in-store for us. As the night unfolded it turned out that the poverty we had seen in Delhi was everywhere, our trip to Agra certainly proved to be interesting, so much so that it had prompted one of the organizers to joke of an Xbox game based on it. Once I had gotten over the initial shock of seeing India’s median quality of life I was able to take everything in. I came to realise that my time there was an opportunity. An opportunity to take on board and understand just how much I take for granted in my everyday life and just how much I should be thankful for.

Aside from the personal realisations and cultural observations the trip has provided, It didn’t stop there. The competition itself was fantastic, despite being knocked out fairly early on, the experience was amazing. A mixture of fear, tiredness and adrenaline certainly makes for an interesting time.

Throughout the week there were various events planned for us which I thoroughly enjoyed; parties, restoration work and the Taj Mahal all added to the experience making it even better.

For those of us who didn’t go through from the early rounds it was a great chance to meet new people and catch up with those we’d met before. Everyone seemed to have a good time and the atmosphere made for a highly entertaining gig. If anyone’s out there who was in India and is now reading my random ramblings then please leave me a comment and say hi!