Part 5: The Last Days in Chennai – results, farewells and reflections

Before diving into this final chapter, I want to take a moment to appreciate something I rarely acknowledge—my own consistency. When I started documenting my journey in Chennai, I didn’t expect to stick with it for this long. But here we are, at the last blog of this series. Through all the ups and downs, I kept writing, capturing the smallest moments, the biggest lessons, and everything in between. Looking back, I realize how much these blogs have helped me preserve memories I might have otherwise forgotten. So, here’s to the last one—one final glimpse into this unforgettable journey.

So we were waiting for the results, and man, they were really testing our patience. There was nothing to do all day except wait, and I don't like wasting time at all. So, I decided to make good use of it—learning new things, revising core concepts of networking and OS, and exploring advanced SQL. I kept myself busy, completed 2-3 courses on human psychology on Udemy (now that I have free access to every course), and revised networking topics.

A Feast to Break the Monotony

On 20th February, just before lunchtime, Subhashish found out that Barbeque Nation was offering a special deal for six people. After some calculations, it came to around ₹650 per person—a great deal. The only challenge? Finding six people willing to join. It was the end of the month, and everyone was running low on budget. After asking around, we finally gathered a group: Me, Waris, Subhashish, Abhinai, Karthik, and Arun.

It was my first time at Barbeque Nation, and the experience was worth every penny. The unlimited food, endless desserts, and sheer variety left us stuffed to the point where walking became difficult. It was an impromptu plan but turned out to be one of the best food experiences.

A Zoo Trip & A Celebrity Moment

On 22nd February, a group of 14 of us from the cohort decided to visit Asia’s second-largest zoological park. I dressed up in a way that, apparently, made me look like a foreigner. While walking on the road, a bus full of schoolgirls saw me and started waving and shouting, assuming I was some celebrity. Seeing an opportunity, I played along—waving back and blowing flying kisses. Their excitement doubled, and for a few moments, I genuinely felt famous.

Click here to check the photos!

Inside the zoo, we rented bicycles and roamed around. The highlight of the visit was seeing a white tiger from so close that it locked eyes with us—just a foot away. That intense stare sent chills down my spine. We also petted some deer that roamed freely inside the park. While the others decided to visit the beach on our way back, I was already exhausted from the heat and chose to head back alone.

A Bus Ride & An Unexpected Experience

As I boarded the bus, I quickly realized something was off. The conductor walked up to me, eyeing me suspiciously.

Conductor: "Where to?"

Me: [Confidently] "Kelambakkam."

He frowned, then bent down, tilted my hat up with his hand, and stared right into my eyes as if checking if I was drunk or on drugs.

Conductor: [In Tamil, frustrated]

Me: [Nervously] "Uh… I don’t know Tamil."

Conductor: [Switching to broken Hindi] "Nahi… Nahi… Nahi!"

Before I could react, he grabbed my arm and pushed me out of the bus. I stood there, dumbfounded, watching the bus leave.

For a moment, I just laughed at myself. Wow. That was an experience. There was no one around to witness my embarrassment, so technically, was it even an insult?

Shrugging it off, I asked for the right bus, got in, and made it back to the PG—this time, without any adventure.

Experimenting with Sales

One day, I got an idea to test my selling skills. I ordered 12 word-finding puzzle books from Amazon in partnership with Likhitha. We split them equally, giving me six books. I went around the classroom pitching the benefits of solving puzzles over excessive screen time, but no one seemed interested.

I realized I had to create demand. So, I started solving puzzles daily in front of everyone. My neighbors, Ali and Waris, noticed and got curious. Slowly, they started helping me find words, and soon, Ali bought two books for his niece. Shraddha also purchased one, and I gave one to Waris for free (telling others that he had bought it to create more buzz). Though I didn’t sell a lot, the experiment taught me valuable lessons about demand and influence.

The First Goodbye

On 27th February, Aditya was leaving for Pune—the first goodbye among many to come. He took a half-day at the office, and before he left, I gave him a Bounty chocolate as a small farewell gift. We hugged, knowing there was almost no chance of meeting again. And just like that, he was gone.

That evening, I couriered some of my stuff home. Later, I found out that our results had been declared—I had cleared the exam! It was a relief. They scheduled my final interview for the next day. Out of 34 people, 23 had passed. The remaining ones had to take a re-exam.

A Green Umbrella, A Misunderstanding & A Lesson Learned

On 28th February, while waiting for our final interviews, I had an idea—I believed that seeing the color green would subconsciously bring good results. So, I opened Waris’s green umbrella inside the classroom. Unfortunately, our academy head saw it from outside and came in. A friend warned me, and I quickly closed the umbrella.

He walked in, smiling, and asked whose umbrella it was. I panicked and said, “Mine.” A moment later, he asked again, and this time, I said, “My friend’s.” That inconsistency triggered him, and his expression changed. He started scolding me in front of everyone:

"Do you know who I am? Do you know what I can do?"

He asked me to bring my laptop and pen to his office. I was shivering, thinking this was the end of my journey here. Inside his office, he calmed down and started a casual conversation, asking about my background. Then, he told me that his reaction wasn’t about the umbrella but my body language when he confronted me. I realized I hadn’t handled the situation well. He asked me to write a formal apology letter and then shared his own struggles—how his poor people management skills had held him back for 11 years in the same position.

His advice stuck with me—handling people well is crucial. If I had just told him the truth, the whole scene could have been avoided. Overthinking made things worse, but in the end, nothing bad happened.

The Final Interview & The Beginning of the End

Later that day, I attended my final interview. It went well, and everyone who passed the exam got a green result. That meant we had successfully cleared everything.

Ramadan & Reflections

Ramadan started on 1st March. The first fast was on 2nd March, and I overslept, waking up just in time to eat two dates and drink some water before Suhoor ended. Thankfully, I had no tasks outside that day, making the fast easier.

On 4th March, as I write this, I’ve started a Udemy course on DevOps to pass my free time while learning something new. In a few days, we’ll receive our project allocations and move to different cities, officially marking the end of our time in Chennai (I really hope so).

Looking back, I realize how much I’ve grown. I’ve learned so many things, visited new places, read five books, and made some amazing friends—especially Waris, Ali, Shraddha, Subhashish, my always smiling roommate Pravin and ofcourse my onboarding gang. I know for sure that I’ll miss them. Not as much as my college friends but yes I'll miss them,and I am sure that they’ll miss me too.

Peace out ✌🏻