Sophomore Year

December 31, 2023

Sophomore year was a rollercoaster-academically, socially, and everything in between.

Freshman year felt like a breeze-maybe a bit too breezy. Honestly, wish India had AP classes. Could've saved a year of doing easy courses. But looking back, maybe I needed that space-to reflect, understand the system here, make friends, and figure out the country.

Had a solid friend group by now. Went out more, socialized, and dabbled in the social sciences-did a bit of sociology and economics.

Highlights of the Year

• Campus Life
  Went to a bunch of football games (beat Ohio State again, of course).
  Caught some ice hockey and basketball games too-college sports really are a whole different world.
  Played cricket on the Diag, wore a veshti for Diwali, dressed up for Halloween.
  Still lived in the dorms. Still ate pizza and salad more times than I should admit.
• The Chicago Weekend
  Took a weekend trip to Chicago for an Alan Walker concert.
  Walked the riverwalk, saw the Bean-turns out reflections of tired college students aren't that exciting-and got bullied by the wind.
  Tried deep dish pizza. It was... fine.
  Cool city though - good mix of skyline, water, and chaos.
• The Winter
  First white Christmas. Looked magical. Felt... cold and kinda lonely. Ann Arbor basically turned into a ghost town.
  Walked a mile along the Huron River - quiet, frozen, peaceful.
  Visited Detroit. Safe to say it lived up to the reputation.
  Finished playing God of War - absolutely worth every second.
• A Shift in Focus
  Winter semester changed everything.
  I took Intro to Computer Architecture and a few robotics courses-and just like that, I found my passion.
  Hardware. Systems. Robotics. That was it. I was hooked.
• Spring Break in Puerto Rico
  Old San Juan was immaculate - bright walls, cobblestone streets, piña coladas that were way too smooth.
  Spent half the time in the water, the beaches were stunning.
  Discovered a deep, possibly lifelong love for passion fruit everything.
• New Hobby: Piano
  Took Piano 101.
  Learned a couple of songs - check out this clip of me playing the Top Gun theme.
  Felt like I unlocked a whole new part of my brain.
• Back to India
  The beach, the coffee, the dosas... always feels like home.
  Also took a trip to Shimla and Darjeeling - breathtaking as always.
  A poem I wrote here.
  The diversity of India still stuns me. Different people, cultures, languages - all in one country.
  Visited the India-China border. Speechless.
  See some of the photos here.
• Summer in the Baltimore
  Got my first internship at Northrop Grumman.
  Headed to Baltimore for the summer. Excited for the work, not so much the city.
  Had my pizza stolen right out of my hands. Baltimore things.
  Worked on some cool stuff, saw some wild planes at the hangar.
  
  • Visited DC - green, clean, and such a contrast to NYC or Chicago.
  • Went to the Baltimore Aquarium, a baseball game rooting for the Orioles, and played Topgolf.
  • Weekend in NYC - jogged through Central Park, ate at the first place I saw every day.
  • Spent a week in Philly catching up with friends. Went to Atlantic City. Didn't gamble.
  • The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is still undefeated. Best planes ever.
• Quotes That Hit Different This Year:
  "This is the part where you find out who you are." - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller

Looking Back

Sophomore year had everything - confusion, discovery, boredom, beauty.
I found what I love, who I am (a little), and what I want to chase.

It wasn't perfect. It didn't have to be.

Here's to junior year.

Peace.