"It's not even Bad, it's Horrible"

Today was the second day of 25th SERC main school in THEP at Punjab University, Chandigarh. Although today (the 3rd day at the campus) I am feeling much better than the day I arrived (may be I am getting used to the situations), things have not been settled yet. The main problem so far here is the Horrible accommodation we are provided with. Neither we saw such arrangements in any school, conferences nor we are used to such situations in our own academic institutions. They have put fourteen participants including me in a place called Academic Staff College Hostel. Although the rooms are quite okay, the bathrooms were unimaginably pathetic on the very first day we arrived. First of all there is a common bathroom for all of us unlike usual guest houses where we get attached bathrooms. Above all, the floor of the bathroom was covered with water, there was no running water in the toilets as well as the showers. Although they said that in the evening and in the morning running water is there for two hours each yet we did not get that in the toilets. After the tiring long journey from our respective home institutes to here, we were really frustrated with the situations here. We made a formal complaint to the director of the school describing our situations and requesting him to provide us with better accommodations. But he said that's impossible and promised to make the conditions of the bathrooms better. However his reaction to our complaints was not at all satisfactory due to many of his unnecessary comments which I would prefer to avoid here. Yesterday they have however made the situations a bit better but not up-to the mark. But may be because the hectic classes, tutorials have started, the attention of the students have gradually deviated from bathrooms to academics. Anyway that does not mean that we are satisfied with the arrangements. We are unhappy with not only the bathrooms, but with the food we are getting here. We hardly have any choices. For example in the breakfast they provide only one item which of course not all people might prefer. Same is the case with other meals. As one of my fellow victim says "Its not even bad, its horrible" ;-). I hope from next time onwards the SERC national organizing committee will make sure of good arrangements to all students as well as lecturers before deciding the venue. Will update about the academic part next time, I am pretty sure I would be having many things to share as some of the finest lecturers like Prof Goran Senjanovic, Prof Rahul Basu, Prof Borut Bajc among others are giving lectures as well as taking tutorials here.