This is a short journey of how I enjoyed my 5th semester, often called the "honeymoon semester." This rock-'n'-roll journey of mine started when I moved to Stupa, room number 209, a residential building near our Manipal Teaching Hospital, from Deep, as my basic science courses were about to end.

It was my second day at Stupa and I met Sangam dai. He asked me about one of my friends and I, a little afraid to speak, replied promptly. Soon I also met Tej dai, Sangya didi.

As I was trying to adjust myself slowly to the new environment, which was quite difficult for me because of my introverted nature, I met many seniors who used to come to Stupa for their lunch, breakfast. I came to know Adhish dai, Prakash dai, and Ashbin dai and many others

Things got spicy when I met Kushal Bhatta dai and Rahul Goit dai. I remember the first interaction with them. They were sitting for lunch, and I came from my examination and sat in front of them. They realized I was from Manipal as I was in my college uniform. Rahul dai said, "Oh hello, don't you know who we are? Can't you greet your seniors?" I got a little afraid. I said, "Sorry, dai.". Later on, dai asked me about my name and other things.

One day, I went to Rahul dai's room on the top floor of Stupa. I had to take a lot of courage to do that. I often used to go to the terrace but never went to their room. Guess what? They welcomed me so well. I felt so loved by their attitude and behavior toward me. They have got a playstation in which they used to play FIFA. I played Uncharted 3, which was the first time I played a game in console with a controller. Next day again I went there and I met Dr. Niroz dai, PG anaesthesia. After talking for a while, they realized I was an introvert. They advised me to start playing football, stop playing video games too much.

Then MPL started, a football tournament held every year. This year, I also gave my name and got into Bhatta dai's team. It was Team Anaesthesia aka Team Mahakaal, owned by Dr. Santosh Dhakal, a very generous and kind-hearted person. I gave my jersey name as 'c0mrad1' and jersey number '404'. My name and number were unique and drew a lot of attention during the MPL season.

Things got spiced up when we won our first game. We had a great party. I never drink, so they brought Coca-Cola for me. This was my first party after coming to Stupa. Guess what happened next? We had a party every day at Stupa. Whether winning or losing the game, we used to have a party. Sometimes for team meetings, we were partying. It became a daily routine. I used to sit and listen to their talks patiently. They used to give me advice. "Comrade, do this, you should talk to other people, try to be social, don't be too introverted, you should enjoy your life." From those parties, I got to know a lot of people, especially PGs and interns from Manipal. They all knew me by the name 'Comrade'.

Soon, the MPL ended. I started learning football. Bhatta dai then suggested I play enough to make my body fit and not injure myself as I have rods in my back. Following that, I also started going to the gym and having a high-protein diet like meat every alternate day and two eggs every day. I loved that new way of life.

Soon I got the opportunity to visit OT. It was all a coincidence that I met Dr. Santosh sir on the way after our classes ended. He gave me his scrubs and took me in OT with him. It was a really an amazing experience to visit OT with him. I was lucky as nobody else from my batch visited OT before me. Hehe. After that I visited OT so many times, even when i had my postings in other departments. Sometimes during night surgeries also.

Soon, Bhatta dai and Goit dai left Stupa after completing their internship. For a few days, I literally missed them, the parties on the top floor of Stupa. After that, Sangam dai came back from his exam, and I started going to his room. Guess what? The void got filled. Sangam dai is the person who has a very big connection in Manipal. He was also like a motivator who always used to tell me, "Comrade, you have to meet new people, make new friends, make connections. In life, at some point, you'll need them." Amid all these, our parties never stopped in Stupa. We literally had a party every day, every other day, sometimes in Bastola, sometimes in Almond café.

More adventure awaited me before I met Dr. Manish dai. He lives in the room next to me. I used to go to his room and have some talks. He is a very cheerful person. Together, we would go to Kahu Dada at 2 am, sometimes at 12, sometimes in rain. He taught me driving. After that, I was the one driving and taking him up the hill. I remember he said, "Let's go to Lakeside," and I was like, "OK." But then he said, "You won't learn much driving on plain roads. Let's go to Kahu Dada. Think big so you learn big." That night, around 1 am, I took him up to Kahu Dada on his Bullet bike. That was literally my first time driving a bike, Bullet, uphill.

After that, together we visited Lakesides, had so many parties, and yes clubs. He took me to the club for the first time. I danced a little in the club and had a lots of fun. After that, it became a regular routine to go to the club. Every now and then, I would go to the club, sometimes with Manish dai, sometimes with Sangam dai, sometimes alone.

Amid all these, I got the opportunity to visit IOM to participate in National Pharmacology Quiz. There i met some amazing people like Aayushma, my old friend, Neetika, Ashik, and made some good memories. Few days later, I got my 2nd year result, and guess what ? Again party with my friends, with seniors.

My partying craze wasn't just limited in Stupa. I even went to picnics with other groups during their community visits, bunking my own posting classes.

Amid all these parties, clubs, and enjoyment, My end semester arrived. I hadn't studied anything, like literally anything, and I was like, "Oh shit, what have I done to myself? I was once a topper of my class. Now I don't even know what has been taught in the class. It's the biggest academic downfall of my life." I got just pass marks in my EOP exams because I couldn't answer a single question in the viva. My attendance was so low—60% in pedia, 65% in gyne, and 79-80% in med and surgery. I always used to play 'BrickMania' in my classroom, at last bench. I was so worried about failing the semester exam. I expressed this to Manish dai, and he said, "The way you were dancing in the club, now start studying the same way. You'll pass the exams." I started studying a week prior. And guess what? I completed almost all the topics and appeared in the exam. I did very well and am expecting to pass in all the subjects. I have promised to give a party if I pass all the subjects.

Lastly, we got a 5-day vacation. With a lot of things to do, I spent all of it sleeping day and night. On the last day of vacation, I went kayaking with some friends. It was a very unreal experience swimming in fewa lake.

In short, This semester, filled with friendships, parties, clubs, and personal growth, taught me to balance fun with responsibilities and the significance of forming meaningful connections, truly lived up to its "honeymoon" reputation.

Someday in the future, looking back, I will remember this semester as "GOOD OLD DAYS" !!