THE GAP YEAR, USEFUL OR A WASTE OF TIME?

October 10, 2016

One of the best things I did in my life was taking a gap year to do some different things. After finishing medical school and my internship, i decided to take 12 months off to backpack around India and immerse in her rich culture. Apart from being unclear on which way i wanted to go with my medical career, I had a whole list of things that I wanted to do.

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These included visiting temples all over india, deepening my meditation practice, completing yoga teacher training, studying Ayurvedic medicine, learning the Indian bamboo flute, and also studying Sanskrit (the ancient language of india). It was a precious time and also the perfect time to do it. On the one hand I didn’t have any responsibilities by way of work or family, but on the other hand I had worked for a year and saved up to be independent. I met other backpackers from all over the world and had many experiences that are still alive in my mind.

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India is such a diverse country and each state offers a different experience. Tamil Nadu was an immersion in the temple culture of South India. I remember visiting Chidambaram on a full moon evening and it was a festival day with all the small lights (deepams) lit up. There was a background hum of chanting and music and the whole place felt vibrant and electric with spiritual sanctity. After 6 weeks soaking in the temple towns I headed west into the fertile green state of Kerala where I enjoyed fabulous beaches and backwater boat trips. My next stop was the Himalayas and the holy Ganges river. This was the region where thousands of yogis and sages had performed their yogic practices and the towns of rishikesh, haridwar, joshimath, uttarkashi and the “char dham” were palpably buzzing. I then journeyed back south to coimbatore where i spent 3 months studying yoga and ayurveda. It was a memorable time which unexpectedly culminated in  getting married at the end of the year!

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I learned much and grew as an individual and carry many special memories from my gap year. Some people considered it a waste of time and that I was not furthering my medical training, but as soon as I returned back to Australia I just picked up where I had left off.

I’m a big fan of the gap year and recommend it to “youngsters” prior to settling down!

In Health and Wellness