Life at IBA

Life at IBA
by Tracy Roque

The lush green lawns, students hurrying through corridors to reach their class before the second bell rings, the spicy biryani at the café, the frequent warnings to keep off the grass, the peals of laughter and sudden outbursts in the student lounge, the not so drop-dead silence in the library, the points with "Leadership and Ideas for tomorrow!", the blue logo on the curtains, the innumerable seminars, the famous "OMG…What's your GPA?", the shrieks of students as they work their way through tons of assignments…with various deadlines to meet, interviewers to impress and mid-term examinations to conquer… Alas, doesn't this all seem very familiar to any above-average intellectual…yes!!! Welcome to the world of IBA, dearies!!!

Despite the high pressure and speedy, relentless nature of student life here…trust me, you can have the absolute time of your life….with very few regrets actually. At IBA, there is always room for perfection and no room for delays; plenty of reports, presentations and quizzes, yet a see-saw of random days of recharging fun thrown in between the pressure-packed schedules. It is here that we learn the trade…it is here that novices are transformed into tough, competitive, hardcore professionals. By now don't you just have this splendid image created in your mind of academic excellence???

Okies…let's just go to the part that would probably captivate many…the activities...the events…the hype…in short: the LIFE at IBA!!!! Ragging in the cafeteria, singing of cheap songs and recitations of the most humorous urdu poetry on the points, the frequent stopovers at Shell - that's how it all starts off! It's here that you establish your contacts and expand your social network…by the interaction with your seniors. If you start off on the right note, nothing can really stop you from having a blast…however, if you sit, sulk and grumble over how the seniors *ruthlessly* dumped you into a pool of wet mud, you've had it!!!

Then comes the myriad of concerts, talentopias, annual dinners, election campaigns, bake sales, societies' meetings, beach trips and seminars. From the thrill of performing at gigs to performing on stage in front of an audience of 600 people, from the efforts of approaching freshies during a campaign, to the campaign dinner bills at Pizza Hut and Nando's, from the 'Personal Selling' team to the 'Guest Relations' team to the position of 'Vice-President' of the BASC, from the picture sessions with Rashid Bhai at the beach to the games of volleyball and baraf-paani to the scrumptious lunch and the amazing kulfi… all this is part and parcel of the joys and sorrows of this IBA experience… but in the end it all pays off!!! At the end of the 4 years, you know that this is what has groomed you - this has been your second home, this has been the blood flowing through your veins, this has been your LIFE and will always be, this is where you've met some of the best people you could never otherwise imagine having met, this is where you shared those precious memories of bunking class and wild Bovi Chic or Dunkin' Donuts sprees, this is where you learnt to survive and shine out as the best!!!!
*3 cheers to all IBIANS….!!!