The Shy Medic

What began as an uncertain thought ended with hopes of extending my two-month stay in Poland had I not had other commitments. As might be expected, one of the foremost motivating factors for applying for another Erasmus program is the positive experience I had in Szeged two years ago. I loved every bit of it and even  documented my experience .  Choosing Poland as my Erasmus destination- like many of the life-changing decisions I’ve made- wasn’t my first option for this year’s Erasmus program. Hi, Ms Rona! But I don’t get to complain. Neither was choosing Poznań, too. Just like the rest of the world was plunged into scepticism by the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of Erasmus was fraught with uncertainty- from deferred applications to cancelled agreements- the program was bound to go through its own shaky times. However, as the world is gradually learning to live with the virus- following sacrifices made by healthcare professionals and frontline workers- we, as students, learned ...

This article has been lying in my drafts since December. I remembered it a few days ago when I had one of my insomnia episodes. *** We are almost two months into the year 2021, and even though we're all trying to pretend the previous year didn't happen by giving it all sorts of camouflages- cue panasonic, panoramic, pantomiming among the myriad of hilarious labels I came across on the internet- 2020 did happen. And it changed the universe. From my study table, whilst I wait for my next (online) class, this was my 2020... January-  Exams and all that. If I saved a penny for every time I whined about having exams in January since the past few years, I would be close to being a millionaire. Dragging my wet boots through the snow when the sky had barely cleared to write an exam will never, ever be my favourite memory of January. Once, I had something that kept me going- my flight back home. This year was another one that made me complain less because I was going ...