My CFA Level 1 Journey

Everyone who has cleared any level of CFA has most probably put in lot of efforts. So I am not going to write about how I went about clearing level 1. Instead, I am going to write about my journey to Nepal (I wrote L1 in Kathmandu) and the stay there, both of which were full of incidences in itself! Right from the moment I left home, it was an adventure.

Before I start, a disclaimer: It might seem, after reading this post, that Nepal is a creepy place with strange people. Far from that – Nepal is a scenic country with very friendly and helpful people. We have only ourselves to blame for all the tough time we had – it was complete mismanagement and poor planning.

So here I begin.

Journey from Mumbai to Gorakhpur was quite pleasant. Travelling for first time in AC coach was very exciting. The best thing about AC coach is that there is not much competition to stand at door! Standing at the door and watching the beautiful landscape was fun.

 When Gorakhpur arrived, I was thrilled by the thought that my first-in-my-life stepping on foreign soil was less than 2 hours away! We hired jeep to reach Sanauli, the India-Nepal border. Soon I had left India and entered Nepal. Little did I know that the real adventure had just begun!

There is almost a monopoly in bus service from Sanauli to Kathmandu. After exploring the options (very few options actually), we were lured into boarding the lone bus leaving at 4 PM. The bus agency promised us that we will reach Kathmandu by 11 PM.

If we were seriously thinking of intense study in the bus, then the thought was dealt with an immediate death – the bus’ condition was beyond any imagination. The bus was devoid of sufficient lighting. Apparently, there was no driver’s ‘seat’, so the driver stepped in gallantly with a plastic chair!

The roadside throughout the travel is full of greenery. This, coupled with a cold weather, keeps you fresh inspite of poor travel conditions. I tried to forget about exam for some time and enjoy Nepal’s fantastic countryside. The bus was running at snail’s pace and by 7:30, we were sure that we won’t reach Kathmandu before midnight.  Later, people accompanying us told that the bus service always promises less journey duration to fill the bus.  In very dim light, we pulled our books and tried to study. Chilling wind from fissures of closed windows was striking constantly.  There was a constant gush of cold wind from fissures of closed windows.

When it was 10PM, the driver turned on a ‘tape-recorder’. It had only one song, which it was playing continuously. Totally irritated after some time, we asked to stop it. The officials’ said the driver wanted some music to keep him awake – it’s for our own safety; and they had no other song to play! So we had to let it continue. By 11, we had only covered half of the way. The mountainous terrain was about to begin. An hour after dinner, the driver abruptly stopped the bus. The officials said they will come in an hour – the driver needed some sleep! It was crazy! In the mid of a valley, they wanted to sleep!  So it was that the Robinson Crusoes of the bus were Castaways for an hour, right in the middle of steep mountain terrain, with valley on one side, rocks on the other, completely isolated from the world! 

The journey restarted and without any new absurd event, we reached Kathmandu at 5 early morning. We checked in a hotel – according to receptionist, the hotel would provide any facility on demand. Surprisingly, I was not feeling sleepy. The idea of big exam just a day away was finally sinking in. I and my roommate decided to study the whole day.

With a strong resolve, we start studying. Exactly at 6, the electricity goes off. We think the hotel will immediately start the backup supply. We wait for some time, nothing happens. I reach for the phone in the room, but it is not operating. Already tired from the crazy bus journey, all this is annoying. I go down to the receptionist to understand the situation. Apparently, there is load shedding going on; hence, there will be no electricity for next three hours! According to receptionist, ‘Nepal is exporting electricity to India; hence the scarcity’ !

 I think a hot water bath would be refreshing amidst all this. I ask for hot water to the receptionist. I am sensing betrayal in his eyes.

Receptionist: You will get hot water only when electricity is back. We have solar heater which will start only with electric supply.

Me: You had said we will get any facility ‘on demand’.  

Receptionist: Only when we can provide for the facility. Here, electric supply is out of our hands!

Me: You can surely heat water on stove.

Receptionist: Shaab Ji, Nepal imports gas cylinder from India ...we cannot afford using it to heat water!

Hearing about this import-export, more than Nepal, I wanted to sympathize with Adam Smith!

The hot water bath remains just an idea. I leave for my room and get much-required sleep.

Electricity is back by 9. The telephone is working too. I ask the receptionist about their solar system. It will start in an hour, he says.

I start studying with renewed vigour. Target is to revise the full syllabus – an audacious goal.

It’s 10:30 and I check if hot water is available. I am in for another surprise. Water supply has ceased to exist in our bathroom! This is very irritating. I check with others. Equality reigns in all rooms, throughout the hotel!

I go to the receptionist. He says the water tank has run out of water; it will take an hour for tank to get full. Not wishing to hear his new theories on this matter, I stop arguing and leave.

We decide to go out and have tea. It’s cold out there, and tea is very refreshing. There is internet cafe there providing VoIP, so we call our home and tell we are ‘safe’ and ‘sound’. 

Afternoon has arrived, and we are yet to pace up our studies. Few co-travellers come and ask whether we wish to go for lunch. Lunch would be good, I think, and so we six go for lunch. By the time we return, it’s 2 PM.

I am hoping that I can bath now and start studying afresh. Alas, water is still not available. The good thing is, we have a nice balcony where we can sit and study under the Sun – this is welcoming, after so much coldness. We sit there and study. By 5 PM, it is becoming dark and cold is creeping back.  Amidst all this, we come to know that water came and went in others’ rooms; but didn’t come in our room. This is discouraging. We cannot tolerate inequality. Receptionist says we have to wait for another hour till tank gets filled! Then says there will be load shedding from 6 to 8 PM; and hands us 2 candles. For me and my roommate, it’s tea time. With no electricity, it’s dark now. With almost everything having gone wrong, energy level is down. We both are feeling dejected.  On the eve of a big exam, with so much to study, we start discussing religion and life! Try killing time and wait for a ray of light – literally and otherwise.

Fortunately, for us, water supply came by 9 PM. We had a nice hot bath after 3 days and it was blissful. Our attempts to study had failed throughout the day. It was very cold out there and I was drained, especially after the day’s events.

In retrospect, it seems that I was slowly getting comfortable with hard reality – my incomplete preparations. In all this, there was a strong lesson to learn: When we know that we are in a bad situation due to our own mistakes and now situation is helpless, the first thing to do is to get comfortable with the reality. When things are out of control, it’s difficult to just watch them and do nothing. But at times, the best way to handle such situation is just that – to do nothing. In such cases, it is good that time waits for no man. Time has to pass.

Time did pass for me and many good things happened on the exam day. The weather, though cold, was refreshing. The journey to exam centre was along the country side so full of oxygen. I had never seen a school as magnificent as the one we had as exam centre. It’s an old school, much like an old monument. Spread across a huge span of land, it is full of greenery and surrounded by hills on one side. Sitting on the lush green grass on a bright morning with sun rays providing much needed warmth, anyone will feel energized and full of spirit.

The rest, though they say, is not history yet! The journey has been great so far and inspiring to take it to the next level – CFA Level 2, here I come J