The History of a Med School Sophomore - Around My World In Eight Days

For a doctor in the making, here's one truth that stands stark against the rest - nothing remains the same. 

Just as I was settling into college, I grew sick of the course.

Soon as I decide to apply the 'rip it off like a band-aid' principle to hostel life, I begin enjoying it.

Amidst a perpetual cycle of let-downs and pleasant surprises, an amalgam of moments of pride against getting stuck in a rut, came the  announcement of our batch trip.

I was left twirling in another emotional whirlpool when informed the destination of our week-long expedition -

Kerala.

God's own country. My native place. A vacation. Home. A new experience. In the same old places. 

What was I to expect?

Reporting from behind the lens, as opposed to in front,
here's letting pictures replace the proverbial thousand words, for each of the seven days:

Munnar:

Beginning with a classic landscape shot

Our ambitions soon branched out skywards.

From macro shots demonstrating 'small is beautiful',

To nature's uncanny sense of symmetry.

Lending glamour even to the unlikeliest subjects.

Never ones to be chained

We decide to take things into perspective

Focusing on things, near at hand or out of reach.

Our aim: to leave a mark wherever we may roam.

Trivandrum:

Stepping into Sree Padmanabha Temple, to witness tonnes of gold and golden sunlight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmanabhaswamy_Temple

Alappey:

Whether the grove of coconut trees in Kovalam or the houseboats in the Venice of the East - can never get enough of the water.

Cochin:

Letting sleeping dogs lie

Ketchup with friends over mealtime

Oberon Mall: My childhood fantasies in a nutshell - or glasscase.

Wonderla - was it all a dream?

Fort Kochi: Charmed by the simple things in life

Athirapilly, Trichur:

Falling in love at first sight.

Yeah, we too were stunned to silence by the scenic eye candy.

The road to happiness - or painful death - ain't easy.

No matter how tempting, when testing the depth of a stream, don't use both feet.

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt" - Mark Twain

Nineteen years  of disavowal later - Home is where the heart is.

                                                                     


Ultimately, it comes down to the choices we make - though the end may not always be in sight. Take that first step.

Wayanad:

That would be the Photographic Sabbath. End of a journey, as well as the battery-plus-memory.




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What was hard to endure, is sweet to recall. 

The trip had its highs and lows, sending us from North to South, from scaling mountains to flailing arms in the ocean. We shared secrets, we exposed our vulnerable sides, and witnessed the effect of pressure on our made-up selves.
Still, ask what we got after a week in the Southern Paradise?

New friends, beautiful memories and a fresh start.

(Photos: Courtesy Rahul)