Yes, we are finally at Indian School of Business ( ISB ) Hyderabad.
We and ISB were neighbors from past a year as we lived in "Hill Ridge Springs" the closest residential society and had a crush on ISB from the day we became neighbors and wanted to be here and finally we are "IN"; Ram Ji as a student and me being the "spouse" or call me a "Moral supporter" that sounds better. We were eager to join ISB and see our studio apartment but ISB allowed us to enter the apartment only when the calendar changes to 14 April 2012 i.e 00.00 hrs midnight of 13 April 2012 (IST).
The day arrived and This was 13th of April,2012 and as the clock struck 00:00 hrs we reached the ISB campus gate . OMG ! said I in amazement, there was such a big crowd standing at the gate welcoming all Class of 2013 students. This was amazing I never expected a midnight welcome . Also the campus gate had a small sign board saying "Welcome class of 2013" . I was overwhelmed. There is an excitement to come back to college after so many year working into the corporates And if the college is ISB the excitement doubles. The happiness and enthusiasm to be at the campus was easily traceable on the face of every coming student of Class of 2013.
We were equally excited and enthusiastic. The other exciting thing we got to know was we call the hostels out here as"villages" and our village was SV-3 , F-$$ i.e. Student Village 3 , Block F. ISB has four student villages SV-1 , SV2 , SV3, SV4 .We reached SV-3 and were amazed to see that the village hardly has anything identical to be synonymous to be called as a "village". Infrastructure seemed great and the campus was neat , green, clean and beautiful. We reached the security desk to get our apartment keys .
"WOW..." was my instant reaction as we first entered our apartment. Clean spacious rooms, A nice welcome note on the table , crockery nicely tied up with a blue lace and a big balcony overseeing the garden.We met the students coming in and had a small introduction session therein.This was all on 13 th midnight and thereafter we went on to sleep on our luxurious beds with white shining bedsheets on them which is cleaned and managed by housekeeping staff making it look even brighter and shiner. No Doubts why ISB is the best! :) As a spouse I love to have a housekeeping staff which cleans the house and bedsheets everyday.
14 morning started with a healthy breakfast at "Goel dining hall" but the free coupons were only for the student so I had to buy one for me. Anyways the food is maintained by the the "Greenpark" group and is delicious with wide variety of choices. We finished up our breakfast and continued with the registration process followed with the start of the orientation week also called as "0 WEEK" accompanied with a dean address followed by a dinner party and a DJ party at "Class of 2008 Lounge" .
Class of 2008 Lounge" is the most happening place all over the campus. The first party we attended was on our first day at campus and the theme was " Traffic light". This was just a beginning.The week started with a Bang and we had series of parties scheduled thereafter. The second day it was a " Back to School" party and the fourth day it was a "Neon' theme party and fourth day it was a party with a theme "White' and thereafter a 'Talent Night' at Amphitheater where Class of 2013 is going to present the different talent they have which includes Skit, singing, dancing etc.
Now If you have a doubt in your mind thinking are the spouses allowed ? I must say be happy because the answer is "yes" and you will be even more happy to know that "Spouses are just like any other student at campus, we can use the library, we can be part of all events and parties . Spouses can do everything what the student can except " Attending the lectures " which hardly any spouse is interested in ;) but you can always attend the speaker sessions, events ,conferences etc.
Again how will you come to know about "What can a spouse do and what not? " ISB has a SFA COMMUNITY ( Spouse and family association) This association members are people like me the spouses and the family including ( Father, mother,sister etc.) . SFA members will let you know all about "do" and "don't" at campus. SFA can organize events, parties, games , camps anything they want too. I feel I am part of the ISB family and not just a spouse. I believe the next one year is going to be a fun time. This is the seventh day I am at campus and I have attended so many parties. I have also participated in the' Talent Night' and have been to the library and Yoga classes.
I am spouse at campus and working too with a company just beside the campus so its easy for me to go . In case a spouse's office is located somewhere else he/she can take the "Free shuttle service provided by ISB for everyone at campus. Some of my newly made friends at campus are using the service to go to there respective offices.
The house keeping at ISB is amazing ,excellent and adorable. The housekeeping cleans your house everyday, changes the bedsheets, cleans the washroom and dust all the furniture too . The best thing is its all for " FREE" . No charges. ;)
You can get a maid for cooking at home or use the dining hall with "green-park" amazing food- for dining purposes. I selected a maid at home . You can get maids for every other work at a very reasonable price again the best part is you don't have to negotiate the price for your maid ISB does it on our behalf and the maids have fixed prices for everything they do. I have just fallen in love with ISB , its really a fun place to be. At least for the spouses.
A very important thing to note - The students have no time in 0 week left for you. As a spouse I find my husband busy all the time in lectures , discussion., club meeting and team building activities. He hardly gets time to sleep so expecting time from your husband is really unreasonable. Again so many of parties and gathering give you enough time to network and meet your neighbors and make friends. Networking actually works, I have been meeting so many people in last one week and have made a couple of friends . I really don't have anytime to stay back at home. Its all fun !! ;)
ISB has everything at campus. You have a cafe coffee day , subway for dining. A book store for stationery, a wellness center for medicines and even they have doctors to attend on a weekly basis. A beauty salon, A gym and a yoga center , a pool and a convenience store "MORE" for your daily need items. Moreover you have a badminton court and a "Football ' field too. For the kids you have ' play group' as well as a 'day care center ' also ISB has a small children park where children's can spend there evenings having fun. Spouses have the access to all of these places so no more worries about "How to spend my time ?" . Enjoy doing anything you want too.
I never thought being a spouse can be so much fun at ISB but it came as a surprise to me. Its not about a ISB student ,its about ISB family and we are proud to be a part of this very prestigious and fun loving family.
This is all about my experience about the 0 week at ISB , I hope the year will go as good as the first week. ISB rocks and so are its students. Looking ahead for a happening year ahead. Thank you for reading and I will keep updating this post with new experiences at ISB.
ISB ROCKS & ITS THE BEST ...!!!
