{Pradeep’s Mindspace}*

When I got a call from our PR manager asking if I am fine to London for a training, what do you expect I might have said? My heart skipped a beat; I was in air for some time; everything turned a bit hazy and a very predictable “Yes” came out of me. The training was scheduled for 9^th & 10^th of Jan and a selfish me had got the approval to stay over the weekend to visit my cousin Sandeep and Ash.

But it was a trip that almost didn’t happen. All arrangements made, 3 separate visa applications filled up (just to be sure), new photos taken – twice (first time they got the size wrong) and happily I went to the UK Visa centre on 20^th only to find that they were closed for X’mas holidays and would be opened only on 27^th. Bummer !! that leaves me with only 9 days to get my visa processed. So 27^th is he D-day and I have to submit the application that day itself otherwise there are going to be another set of delays. I go a day early and wait in the queue at 4:45 am (yes there was a queue of 3 people already) and submit the app at around 8:30 am. The VFS staff tells me that I would get the visa in 5 days. Ample time.. I am happy.. This is quite short-lived ’cuz I get the visa only on 11th.

Fortunately since the UK team had a “National” training programme and were kind enough to invite me. So finally I’m nervously excited.. got on an international flight for the first time and to my surprise and unlike anyone else said I get fantastic service in a gulf air flight. I reach early at both the Bahrain airport and at London Heathrow.

I am one of the guys lucky enough to have a cousin like Sandeep. He was there with the family at Heathrow and all went smooth. Thanks to my friend Ann at the traveldesk I had a reservation at the London Bridge Hotel which was fantastic. It was just across the Thames and everything seemed nearby.

The Thames Walk.

There are only a few moments in your life that gets you extremely excited. I was like that 11 year old who got his first bicycle. Got up at 6:00 am and walked almost for 3 hours to reach the Beckett house office. I should be barking mad to walk almost 5 miles at 2°C in the morning, in fact I thought I was, after I got a li’l bit of frost bite on my palms. The whole skin on my palms felt like paper. But hey… that was my first time in London.

Take a look at the gallery and keep a watch for this space for more stories…