I find it extremely coincidental that I have exactly two hundred and four unread e-mails in my inbox at this moment of time. Don’t worry, these are largely e-mails from subscriber links and things like that. It’s my now-defunct inbox. My relationship with e-mails has seen me devote one e-mail ID to each phase of my life so far. I wonder if that’ll continue as I move institutions.
I feel very privileged being here. I am aware of how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to spend time in Switzerland and Europe, but the privilege is something I cannot explain – for it is intangible, and presents itself more often in the form of opportunities that I am getting. This afternoon, for example, I spent time in the lunch break with an Ambassador from the Finnish Foreign Ministry, whose work as a member of the International Law Commission I was extremely interested in.
While the opportunity itself made me really happy, it’s really humbling to see that such established people do not mind spending time with young individuals to answer their questions, or to talk to them about their experiences. It makes the community of people seem a lot warmer than you’d otherwise imagine. The diversity here is something I want to cherish and enjoy every single day, and I seem to be learning more from conversations a lot more than actual subject-matter.
I still can’t believe I’m here.
Tejas Rao 