Looking Back

Posted on Mar 04, 2014

The day unfolded beautifully for me on the 2nd of January. One of the reasons being my best friend’s engagement and the other being the first day of training at the Seagull School of Publishing. Getting to know new people seemed to be a perfect way to start my new year. All in all, the day was pretty awesome and I couldn’t have asked for a better start.

The first thing I realized was that I was totally in love with the place where I had to spend the next three months. Initially there was some awkwardness; sitting in an empty room (since I am very punctual!), staring at my phone, I started rereading millions of year-old messages, refreshing facebook every few seconds on my uber-old phone and even slower GPRS, silently cursing my network service. Slowly rest of the room filled up. Naveen sir and the rest of the members of the Seagull family gave us a warm friendly welcome to be a part of their family.

The first few minutes included the ice-breaking session, getting to know everyone and everything about the work culture, the terrific master classes that were arranged for us, tough training sessions and so much more! It really seemed like a cool place. There were books everywhere, every kind, every shape, every size and every colour one could think of. We were also given our goody bags. Inside each, there was a file with a notebook, a pen and the schedule for the month and a few handouts. Sunandini ma’am talked about what would happen during the next three months. By the time she stopped talking I was her self-proclaimed fan.

There was a break after the introduction session where we were welcomed by yummy sandwiches and coffee. By this time we were all in our comfort zone. I already made friends, exchanged numbers, made a new group on social media and so on. It seemed like all of us knew each other. Post-snack I tried to find the AC switches, the canteen and the washrooms. Success! To my surprise we had a wonderful-looking kitchen instead of the regular canteen. The washroom survey revealed how deep-rooted art was in this place. Once the coffee break was over, all the ‘senior’ family members left us to unwind.

The school turned out exactly how I’d imagined it to be. All the faculty members seemed to be friendly. The start was good, and the journey should only get better.

 

Sharmishtha Chowdhury