II.IV.III LONDON CALLING My newfound existential crisis had to take a back seat. Regardless of my new love for emergency medicine, it had to come second – at least for the time being. Surgery was all I could think about now that the MRCS Part B exam was right around the corner. This exam is usually taken by basic specialist […]
Scotland
II.II.V SCOTLAND While the Basic Surgical Skills course itself didn’t allow much time for us to enjoy the city of Glasgow, we had a few extra days afterwards to explore more of Scotland. First up was the incredible city of Edinburgh, which genuinely felt like stepping into a medieval haven. Over the two days we spent there, we had the […]
Istanbul: Day Four
II.II.III ISTANBUL DAY FOUR One last day. One last day, and Akash, Zara, Manish, and Kamal decided to spend it shopping – again. I could never understand them. Meanwhile, Priya, Rohan, and I would be visiting one final highlight before our departure that evening: Topkapi Palace. Once the administrative and residential heart of the Ottoman Empire for nearly 400 years, […]
Istanbul: Day Three
II.II.III ISTANBUL DAY THREE Needless to say, everyone woke up hungover. I, for one, woke up hungover and full of regret over the kiss that never happened. And what better to shake it off is there than exploring more of what the city has to offer? Together with Rohan, I’d be visiting the most popular landmark in Istanbul – the Hagia […]
Istanbul: Day Two
II.II.III ISTANBUL DAY TWO Once again, everyone wanted to go shopping. I simply couldn’t bear the idea of missing out on what the city had to offer for something I could do online whenever. And so, I took to the streets on my own once again. What started off as me intentionally getting lost ended up becoming a whirlwind tour […]
Istanbul: Day One
II.II.III ISTANBUL DAY ONE And just like that, we were on the last leg of our journey – one that took us right to Turkey’s largest city and formal capital. Often referred to as the crossroads of the world, Istanbul is a city straddling two continents, where Europe and Asia meet across the Bosphorus. Shaped by Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman […]
Fethiye
II.II.III FETHIYE Bright and early, we woke up to catch yet another flight. Our next destination would be Fethiye – a laid-back coastal town on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, aptly named after the colour of its waters. Perhaps what struck me the most was how reminiscent the town felt of certain villages I’d encountered during my travels in Latin America and […]
Cappadocia: Day Three
II.II.III CAPPADOCIA DAY THREE Despite having to wake up at an unruly hour, what awaited us was worth the suffering. Spoiler alert: Akash had delivered on his promise. We’d be doing the most touristic, perhaps most cliché thing anyone could ever do in Cappadocia – a friggin’ hot air balloon ride! Needless to say, this was a first for me, as […]
Cappadocia: Day Two
II.II.III CAPPADOCIA DAY TWO The following day, we set off to explore some of Göreme’s streets – a maze of narrow, dusty lanes winding between honey-coloured stone houses and cave hotels carved into the hills. Being out and about again had me feeling more alive than ever – especially with the icy cold weather snapping us out of our grogginess. […]