When I was first planning to pursue an MBBS out of my native country, Bahrain, I was very excited and happy about the fact that I would be going to a country with cold weather, living alone, and going to do everything on my own. I was quite enthusiastic about all of this.
Little did I know, as soon as I landed in Georgia, I faced so many hardships including finding a place to live in, as the dormitory in my university was a bit costly and some renovation work was going on, so I couldn’t move in there. It came as a shock to me as I had to find houses in a country where I didn’t know anyone. Before my visit, I learned a few words of the Georgian language which helped me a bit.
Then after facing a lot of trouble, I found a place to live. One of my family friends and I moved in together. Initially, it was hard to find things to cook but gradually, we figured out everything. It is definitely not easy to stay alone. Believe me, when I say it's hard. It's been 5 years, since I am living here but not goes a single day where I don’t miss my family.
Managing time is a challenge in such cases when you have so many things to do apart from studying. Cooking, cleaning, bathing, talking to your family, and whatnot.
How to manage your studies
The first thing that you need to manage is your sleep schedule. No one will come and wake you up for studying. You have to be your own alarm. I faced a lot of problems as my mom used to wake me up. But eventually, I got used to the alarm and started waking up early. After waking up, I used to do my morning prayer and take Allah's name, first thing in the morning. Don’t forget to take God's name daily and you will feel positivity in doing everything till the end of the day.
After that, I used to have a heavy breakfast and munch on snacks in between breaks. Being a medical student, I need to study for hours and hours. Keeping myself hydrated by drinking water, and juices, studying for 2 hours, taking a break and repeating the same for the rest of the time.
During weekends, I used to spend more time on my studies, meal planning, and cooking. It all depends on us how we use our days to relax our self and make time to talk to our parents and family.
Mental health and physical health is very important as you will have to spend so many hours studying, it can drain you, but you need to keep going and keep giving your best each day. Eat at least 4-5 almonds every day which will keep your mind sharp, try to eat healthy foods, and make some time to go out with your friends. Always remember that during study time, the focus should be on studies only. Fun time is when you can enjoy and keep yourself entertained. Don’t go with myths, that you need to be studying 24/7 to be a good doctor.
It all depends on you and how you are going to do it and make your family, and friends proud. I always remember one thing even though my parents aren't here to watch me, Allah is watching me. He is seeing everything that I am doing. Remember one thing, things don't come easy in your life. We have to work hard for it and in the end, what matters is what you have learned and achieved in all the years of your medical school life.
Sometimes you will feel left out and different but, you need to find good friends around you to help you. Many things will not happen right the first time but as the proverb goes, you need to keep trying to do it and there will be a day when you will give your best.
You just need to make up your mind about everything and have a positive attitude toward everything and everyone. You have to be a better version of yourself each day. There will be bad days but remember that good days are there too and you will be doing great later on.