Challenges, Persistence and Life
Glad you are reading this because I have wanted to write all of this down since it happened. I also wanted to write an article for so long and here goes my very first online article.
A brief introduction about myself. I am passionate about overcoming obstacles I face in life and love taking on challenges, perhaps not always consciously.
Just in case you don’t get to the end, where I sum up my life — I have been in quite a few situations where I didn’t know what to do, but the fact that I was clueless made it even more exciting. Given a situation, I take action to do something about it. I struggle at times but I keep pushing. I question my methods, but I don’t give up on them and try to make them better. At times, I ask for help from others & some other times, I make do with the help offered.
Before the Lockdown
I wasn’t in a good mental space and the busyness of things was getting to me. But I was enjoying the moments that came my way at college. During the 2nd week of March 2020, I was at Trivandrum, participating in a drone workshop, and on the train back, we started getting calls from friends & family regarding wearing masks and being safe. That’s when the still persistent Covid announcement had made its way into our lives and caller tunes. The very next day was also our last one at college. I was at Kismath, setting new personal records on the number of chapatis I can eat (seven by the way) when I got to know that we are going into lockdown till the end of the month.
Before I go further you should know my dad’s the only one having an income in my family. Even during my school days, I remember my dad getting life threateningly sick but he survived all those times. The same happened a few times during college as well. Overworking & overthinking are his nemeses. He used to work all the time, focusing very little on eating, sleeping, or even staying hydrated. Any additional time he gets to rest, he spent it overthinking. Like father, like son, I too do the same, but in a different way, although not anywhere near the extent he does, or so I hope.
During Lockdown
As lockdown started I realized that I got a break at the right time and chose to spend it by doing something academic-related for a few days. Dad was at a point where he couldn’t work anymore and had to resign because of his health, not because he wanted to but because he had to. It was an emotional time, but now it fell upon me to get a job. Keeping in mind that I should improve my skills, I started taking up new initiatives like free courses, and classes, whilst my pending work was progressing though sluggishly. I participated in the HackWithInfy coding competition and I was among the four from college who got past the first round.
As lockdown extended, I concentrated on finishing more courses. I started to drift away from reality and time moved excruciatingly slowly. Also, I had a few responsibilities like being the class representative, IICDC team lead, core member of MixedSignals and senate representative. WhatsApp messages started piling up. I also spent time helping with the household chores, spending with my parents and occasionally calling up a few friends. There were few instances when there were serious misunderstandings as virtual interactions made it hard to convey emotions.
I continued exploring courses, training and webinars. When I came across Machine Learning, I realized it is what I wanted to master. With the situation at home, I had to get a job where I could be at their beck and call. I knew what I wanted, now the challenge was to figure out how to get it.
Because of the pandemic, there were concerns regarding upcoming placements. Gradually, I got more involved in online activities with friends. We even organized and celebrated Onam online!
As the next semester was online it was a constant struggle to concentrate for so many hours in front of a computer. I ended up not being able to pay any attention to the classes most of the time. Also eating and sleeping cycles got completely disrupted.
When recruitment started, I was excited when my friends got into big companies. I had my first ever interview with AIzonLabs for an internship and I aced it! I participated in CodeVita and I was able to get a TCS Ninja cadre job offer. I also got a better offer from IBS Software. Both of these offers were at Kochi.
Frightening Days
With rising Covid cases going to hospitals was nothing less than a nightmare. Dad’s health was seesawing. Mom and I were hoping that it would improve with care, nutrition and proper rest. But it was beyond that point. His health kept declining and eventually, he was bedridden. He was not conscious most of the time and was unable to hear properly. On the day of joining AIzonLabs for my internship, Dad had to be admitted to the hospital and we had no clue for how long. On the same day, the IBS offer letter arrived as well. Dad was admitted to the ICU. The doctors said that we had the option of shifting him to another hospital as they weren’t sure of his chances of survival. It was emotionally hard to be in this situation. The person who took care of us for all these years was at the lowest point of his life. I got help from family and friends to arrange blood donors for Dad. Meanwhile, Mom obtained a loan from the bank and he was given all the medical attention he needed. He had fought through his sickness once again and he was out of the ICU in a few days, though he was still bedridden. Family, friends and teachers who provided constant mental and financial support were a huge relief!
There were a lot of restrictions at the hospital because of the pandemic. I had an opportunity to attend NQT to get a shot at TCS digital cadre. I needed a quiet place to sit comfortably for three hours at a stretch, without interruptions as the exam was monitored. I also needed this place to have a charging port and a stable net connection. It all sounded difficult since I was the bystander for Dad. I found a few spots but it didn’t work out as they were either crowded or weren’t hygienic.
On the day of the exam, Dad got a seizure for the first time ever. Mom started panicking, I ran to call the nurse. Many people rushed in and called the duty doctor. His episode got over quickly and became stable. The doctor pulled me aside told me the probable causes. I suddenly started seeing bluish violet dots. The doctor grabbed a hold of my arm as he knew I was about to faint. I ended up attending the exam in the same room right in front of Dad. I wrote the exam distracted.
The situation in the room wasn’t suitable to attend online classes due to frequent visits by doctors and nurses. I was also not able to spend many hours for my internship or submit assignments during that period. Since the day Dad was discharged from ICU into his room, he was constantly telling me and Mom that he was alright and we could all go home. One fine morning, with all his might, putting in everything he had, he took his first few steps in several weeks and he made sure that we got him discharged from the hospital on that very day.
Back Home
After coming back home, my responsibilities increased but I was able to attend classes again. I felt an unusual joy at being able to submit an assignment on time (all these years it had been just about getting the work done).
Soon, I got an online birthday surprise during our class, where usually the strength is less than thirty but on that day almost fifty of them made an appearance. I got back to leading the IICDC team (from 18k+ teams in the beginning we made it to the top 100, the first time from MEC). I got to interact a lot more with my friends (online, but still) and got to do justice to my role as a MixedSignals core member by hosting a few events. I also contributed to Excel and spent more time on my internship. I got declared as the best employee of the year 2020 for AIzonLabs and got the name tag of being resilient by the CEO (I must say I earned it).
I had chosen to keep interactions to a minimum when given the choice. At the end of the S7 exams which were offline, I got to see everyone back at college again. That was the last time I met all of them together as the S8 exams were online.
I have made mistakes, but I stand by my decisions & I have no regrets! I always kept myself busy. Even during the lockdown, I have understood the need for soft skills. My persistence has paid its dividends.
Having fulfilled all of my duties and made use of whatever opportunity that I got in college to enjoy, learn and experience now I am at peace. Mom & dad are in good health and I have started my journey with IBS Software as a Software Engineer. Cheers!
We thought this would be a great place to talk about Fortitude, a mental health initiative by the students of Model Engineering College. Fortitude aims to build a dependable on-campus student network to provide information and help regarding mental health issues. MECians can now also avail counselling sessions from Ms. Anju Lekshmi S, a Psychological Consultant and Social Worker designated by the college.
To sign up for the same, please fill the form in the link attached. If you wish to know more details, feel free to shoot us an e-mail at reachtheofficialfortitude@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @theofficialfortitude.
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