February 7, 2024
The past two days slipped away in sickness, leaving me unable to sit down and pen my thoughts. But here I am, finally writing on the 7th of February. It's Valentine’s week, a time people often associate with love and celebrations. For me, though, today had a completely different vibe—it was all about my internship mid-sem viva, reports, and submissions.
The day began early, with me sleeping around 2 AM and waking up at 5. By 6:30, I was already on my way to the university from my city, a journey that took around 2 hours and 30 minutes. Returning to the campus after almost 3.5 months brought with it a wave of nostalgia. It felt good to be back, even if it was just for a day. But the nostalgia was quickly overtaken by the reality of tasks at hand.
Upon reaching, I headed straight to my mentor, only to find he wasn’t available. He asked me to return around 2:30 PM, so I had to wait. In the meantime, I decided to check on our project, which was selected for the university’s annual tech fest, the Tech Expo. I went to the event venue to demonstrate the project, using my teammate’s laptop since I wasn’t officially participating.
As I set up the project at our booth, my teammates got caught up with their own submissions and left me alone to handle the demonstration. I found myself explaining the project to visitors, managing everything on my own. It felt like an endless cycle of engaging with people without any support. And amidst all this, a thought struck me—no friends had reached out. Not one person called or messaged to ask if I was on campus or wanted to meet. It was a stark reminder of how things have changed
After wrapping up the viva and submissions around 3 PM, I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I wandered alone across the campus, trying to find a place to grab something to eat. Eventually, after 1.5 hours, I found a spot and sat down to have a medium-sized pizza—alone. It was a strange feeling, eating by myself in a place that once felt so full of life and connections. I’d never done this before, but today, I had no choice
Finally, it was time to head home. With my phone almost out of charge, I caught the bus and made my way back, reaching home around 7 PM. The day had left me physically exhausted and mentally drained. My step count summed it all up—8,949 steps today, adding to a weekly total of 41,565 steps.
It was a frustrating day, but one that reminded me of self-reliance and the inevitability of change. Sometimes, we just have to navigate things on our own, even when it feels heavy. Here's to hoping tomorrow is a little lighter.
