THE END OF ANOTHER YEAR

2014 has flown by like a breeze. Now it's the last day of the year and I'm trying to think of what my resolutions will be for the following year. Here are a few things that you can all look forward to reading on my blog in 2015...yes I know you're all at the edge of your seats right now!

2015 is the year where I hit the age of 21. I have been on this planet for 21 years and I have so much more that I need to learn about myself and the world. Birthdays are starting to seem not as exciting as they used to be. Maybe I'm slowly having to face the reality of growing up and accepting the fact that I'm no longer the child that I feel I am deep down.

Around a year ago, I mentioned that I was one of the co-founders of SKIP Lancaster and I haven't really talked about it since. We have progressed a lot since then with our research and development and have chosen our country that we would like to base our project in - Nepal. This year we'll be going out to Nepal to conduct more research on potential projects so watch this space to find out more!

As the newly elected charities officers, myself and R are hoping to organise a few fundraisers in order to raise money for various organisations. I'll be sure to post what these are.

A medical student will always have exams in the back of their mind throughout their degree and this year is no different. In a couple of months time, I'll be taking my end of year exams and hopefully through God's blessings I'll pass and progress through to third year.

If God willing I pass, then you can all look forward to posts about the start of third year and what the work load is like.

So, I would like to wish you all a happy new year. May this year bring you all wonderful opportunities to better yourself and those around you. God bless!

RETAIL THERAPY IN MANCHESTER

I like to think that I'm not a materialistic person. Worshipping man made items have never appealed to me so I hate buying things for myself and when people buy things for me. (Except for my family of course as they sort of owe it to me for me being in their lives!)

Myself and three of my friends decided to exploit the free weekend we had to go to the Trafford Centre in Manchester to do a bit of shopping.

The fact that the centre was filled with Christmas decorations and lights got me even more excited about my favourite holiday of the year being just round the corner. 

CHILDHOOD FRIEND

For confidentiality purposes I'm going to call her SJ

Lately I've been talking to my childhood friend from Oman. I've known her from ever since I can remember. We went to church together, we were in the same classes and we did pretty much everything together. In the year 2003, everything changed.

When my mum told me that we were moving halfway across the world to England, I was devastated. Not only was I leaving my comfortable life in Oman and the friends that I shared my childhood with; I was also leaving SJ. She may deny it now but I still remember how we were both in tears when I eventually told her. I was moving to an alien country to start a new chapter in my life but I wanted her to be one of the characters in my new book. We vowed to stay in touch and at first, we both kept our promises. But like a vast majority of friendships, as life became more hectic and difficult, the frequency of the calls and efforts made to contact each other decreased; until eventually it stopped on both sides.

Five years went by...

We both changed. We grew taller. Our bodies changes. Our attitudes, morals and values were taking shape. We were starting to become individuals in our own right.

We stumbled across each other's profile on a social media site and began talking. I'm going to be completely modest and say that conversations with me don't tend to get awkward unless I want it to! However, this time around I was quite nervous to start talking to her. 

We are so different from the little girls in pigtails that used to run around the international school in Oman. Nevertheless, after all these years the conversation flowed regardless of the North Atlantic Ocean that keeps us apart. It's quite strange talking to SJ, it feels as though I'm reliving my childhood in the country that I was born and brought up in. 

I love hearing other people's stories about the one friend whom they've known for what seems like an eternity. I used to wish that I had that in my life too. But moving from country to country has made it difficult (Not that I would change that!) But now I'm beginning to see that I too have a childhood friend. Someone I used to share all my secrets with and someone with whom I will always have a million things to talk about. We may be living in different countries but hopefully our friendship will last as long as others in the world who are lucky enough to have that special friend for years to come. One day, I hope to visit you in America and relive the days we ruled Indian School of Darsait!

I know that you read my blog so hello! :) I hope I haven't made you cringe too much with this post.

A GOOD DEED OR A GUILT FREE HOLIDAY

Voluntourism

vɒlənˈtʊərɪz(ə)m,vɒlənˈtɔːrɪz(ə)m/

noun

1.     a form of tourism in which travellers participate in voluntary work, typically for a charity.

"at the core of voluntourism is the desire to help others"

It sounds like the ideal thing to do right? But there's so much controversy circling this booming sector. One of the main things that I found ethically wrong about this concept is the fact that voluntourism benefits only the volunteer. Some may say that that's a good thing, I mean who wouldn't want to feel great for giving something back to the community...

In my opinion, I think that feeling good about yourself for volunteering is very selfish. You shouldn't feel like you're a Godsend to the community for giving them your time. Most importantly, if you're thinking of volunteering, you should also think about what skills you can offer to people. It's all very well going to an orphanage and playing with the children, but what happens when you leave. Aren't you scarring the children even more than before?

Going to Morocco was something of an experience like I mentioned above. I didn't feel like I was actually doing anything no matter what project I did - except for feeding the homeless, because each of us put a small amount of money towards the food so we felt a bit more useful. Don't get me wrong, it was a great experience. But the fact that I couldn't be bothered on some days to go to projects shows that this wasn't the type of volunteering experience I had hoped for.

I would be lying if I said that I had always known about this. And yes I admit to taking pictures whilst volunteering in the past as keepsakes for the future. However, it was only recently that I realised my stupidity. I have been unknowingly treating people in a different community as zoo animals: being amazed by the conditions that they live in and then leaving.

All is not at a loss! Especially for a medic. It's been my dream for a number of years to work with MSF. An organisation that send out doctors to poverty-stricken and war-torn countries in order to provide them with free medical aid. You see something like that is my holy grail of volunteering - not only are you fearful for your life, you also provide people with something which in effect saves their lives.

So to conclude, if anyone is thinking of volunteering I suggest you research really well. Be careful not to fall into the traps of companies online that offer you "an experience of a lifetime". Ask yourself these questions:

How can I help this community?

What skills do I have?

Will they actually benefit from me being there?

Am I doing this because I need to or because of the feeling it gives me?

If you have any doubts or questions, feel free to contact me. I would be more than happy to offer as much help as I can.

RETURNING TO THE MOTHERLAND

~Image taken from Google~

The land of delicious curry, piping hot chai tea and an array of colours that become embedded in your visual cortex from the spices, dyes and sarees that you see.

The extremely polite children, the love of cricket and the infamous train journeys that take you on a whirlwind of an experience up and down the country.

Not to mention the mix of the old and new whereby you can still see how the land and its people lived hundreds of years ago mixed with areas with infrastructure and technology which is light years ahead of its time.

INDIA

I've never really felt close to my motherland, India.

Maybe it's because I was born and brought up in Oman for 9 years and was then whisked away to live in England for a further 10 years and counting.

I'm sure I wasn't the only one who had this type of childhood and yet all the other Indian teens I knew felt a strong connection back to their native land. It was as though I was being left out of the warm embrace that India was giving everyone else. But I just couldn't bring myself to connect with the land of my forefathers.

I always used to wonder why this was the case: is it the way I was tormented for my skin colour whenever I was over there or the way some aspects of the culture went totally against what I believed in? 

Recently, I have begun to appreciate all of India's glory. I've been focusing 19 or so years of my life on the negative aspects of this beautiful country.

I forgot the smell of the damp earth that fills your nose as you step out of the plane.

I forgot the experience of playing outside in the monsoon season, getting lost in the rain.

I forgot the different cultures and traditions that follow the 29 states,

each filled with their own characteristic traits.

From Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, I forgot the colours, the music, the different styles of dance, the history and every little thing that makes India one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.

By reading about British imperialism and how it affected Indians, I have begun to realise the hardships and pure terror my motherland has faced. The struggle and blood that has been shed in order to give its descendants freedom will never be forgotten.

Needless to say, I'm starting to not appreciate the stereotypes that are being associated with Indians. Nor the fact that people are using Indian traditions as a fashion statement. But it goes to show that India will always influence the world in one way or another.

So what spurred me on to realise all of this? Well, it all began when I went to Morocco. Strange, I know! In Morocco, all of the cinemas play Bollywood movies. Most of the fabrics that you see in Morocco was inspired by the delicate designs that  Indian designers portray onto the fabric. As you walk through the souks, some of the stalls even play iconic Bollywood music. The hagglers on the street ask me if I'm Indian and their faces fill with joy when I say "Yes, I'm an Indian." as they frantically attempt to act out famous film scenes. Seeing the way the Moroccans admired all things Indian made me realise how wonderful my motherland is.

I am ashamed to say that it has taken me 19 years to realise this...

But I adore India.

~Image taken from Pinterest~

FROM 45 DEGREES TO 18 DEGREES

Well I'm finally back! The Morocco page has been updated so feel free to have a snoop around and ask me any questions about my trip.

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that I have missed a few things out but I'll be sure to update the page as soon as my brain decides to work in my favour.

I have pieced together a 10 minute video of some of the highlights of my two weeks so do have a look at that.

Next on my list is a thorough tour of Italy! 

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA, SOUKS AND SERVING OTHERS

Two weeks of cuddling orphans and exploring Morocco. These are the type of holidays that I actually enjoy. I've never been a fan of going abroad to relax in the sun or get immersed in the lifestyle of countries such as Ibiza or Magaluf. You can call me old-fashioned but I believe that when you're in another country, you should spend your time there as though you are her citizen...

You should eat all the authentic food she offers you, wear her traditional clothes, live like her people and get totally engrossed in her culture. The few days that you spend in another country should make you forget about all your preconceived thoughts about your experiences of the world and it should add to the vast ocean of memories that you are beginning to collect over the course of your life.

As a medical student and a future doctor, one of the hardest things you can do is travel whilst studying/working. That's why I believe that any spare time that I have should be used to explore the world. I guess in a sense what's driving me to this is my fear of growing old and being filled with regrets.

"I wish I did that..."

"I wish I hadn't said no..."

"If only..."

These are phrases that will haunt me until God shows mercy on me and calls me up to (hopefully) spend eternity enclosed in my Creator's grace.

And the only way to stop these nightmares would be to grab each opportunity that comes my way and by always saying yes!

Anyway, I won't be posting a lot over the next few weeks. Unless I have Wifi, in which case I may pop up and say hello. But let's be honest, the chances of me wanting to be glued onto my laptop in another country where I'm going to be looking after adorable children will be very slim. Therefore, I bid you all farewell. I can't wait to get back and talk about my experiences so watch this space!

ADVENTURES IN EAST LONDON

CAMPING IN WALES

I have never been camping because I never really liked the idea of it. So when this camping trip to Wales was organised, I was a bit skeptical to say the least about whether I should go or not.

Having overcome the fear of being unclean for two nights and possibly freezing to death at night, I decided to go along with the fellow medics to the beautiful country that is Wales.

The view from our campsite was simply mesmerising! We pitched our tents on the hill and our view consisted of fields and hills behind us to the deep blue sea that stretched out as far as the eye could reach in front of us.

The following day was spent at a beach that was around 5 miles away from where we were staying - sunbathing on the boulders, feeling the warm sand run in between my toes, making sandcastles and playing games. Memories of my childhood when I lived in the Middle East came flooding back to me...

SUNSET

Being able to watch the sunset by the beach was the most amazing experience I have ever encountered.

Listening to the noise of the waves as the tide hit the rocks on the shore, mixed with the crackling sounds and the warmth of the campfire made this weekend seem surreal.