We made it!

So first year of university is over and friends are trickling back home one by one, marking the end of an amazing (academic) year. The last time I felt such relieve was at the end of A-levels. It is like sailing through the storm and suddenly finding yourself in its eye. No more covering learning objective, no more running around doing project errands, no more memorizing the never ending list of drugs and their mechanisms/side effects. Nothing. Well, at least till it all begins again in September.

Edinburgh is also finally making it's transition into summer and it literally felt like the sun started shining again the moment we finished exams. I was lying down at the meadows all afternoon soaking in the sun and gentle breezes.

And as always, in time like this I tend to start reflecting on things. The year has gone by so fast. How did I get from jumping on board an airplane headed for the UK to just coming out of an exam labeling dead body parts? It has been the best year of my life so far. I keep saying that every year but it's true! On the other hand it was also the toughest year.

You are thrown into this world where there is this huge pile of freedom to work with. I have a monthly budget and finances to manage. I can have cereal or sausages for breakfast. Lectures are optional. I can decide to go for a run or I can sleep. I can do work or I can go out. Being able to do things at your convenience is easy, but not so the responsibility that comes with it. Then there's the cultural and geographical differences; from the social scene to little things like the weather. Throw in that little thing called medicine which consists of tutorials, projects, PBL (which is pretty much House-you get a case, discuss it, present your findings and write stuff on a fancy white board), essays, and anatomy sessions. And because I like mixing things up, I pile on even more things like a half-marathon, the university newspaper and volunteer work. Oops, I almost forgot the part where I moonlight as a photographer.

From the start it was tempting to solely work on the medicine bit and eschew everything else. I decided that I wanted a life outside textbooks and coursework. That means doing stuff like making the effort to get to know people in and out of the course, exercising and investing in something other than myself. But this also means that coping with things would be more of a challenge. There were days where I frustration build up to the point where I just can't do anything. 

More on that another time. For now, let's cheers to the other great four years that's left of our degree. 

And now that exams are out of the way, BRING ON SUMMER.