So, picture this: I stroll into M.S. Ramaiah pre-university college, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for the academic fiesta. Little did I know, my seniors had a penchant for ragging, turning my freshman year into a recurring loop of chaotic initiation. Itās like they took programming logic way too seriously, stuck in a cycle without a darn break statement!
Now, in the land of camaraderie, a peculiar divide emerged ā not the classic good, bad, and ugly, but rather the Hindi speakers vs. the rest. And there I was, awkwardly balancing on the edge like a lamb teetering on the frying pan, trying not to end up fried or charred ā just your average student caught in the crossfire between management and mischief-makers.
Oh, and hereās the kicker ā I never mustered the courage to tell anyone that my eyes were like stealthy ninjas with a visibility problem. Normal to the naked eye, but my reading abilities were in the dark. Those two years were a rollercoaster of embarrassment, navigating chemistry labs with a knack for creating unexpected explosions. No one wanted a seat next to mine ā I was the labās resident pyrotechnician.
The piĆØce de rĆ©sistance came during the final exam practicals, presenting my cockroach dissection. The examinerās deadpan expression screamed, āI wanted mandibles and tracheae, not squashed sauce!ā Phew, I somehow scraped through, proving that even a misplaced cockroach could be a stroke of genius.
Then came the degree college saga ā eyesight playing hide-and-seek, and the struggle to explain it to friends and teachers who assumed I was scheming for freebie marks. Picture this: Iām bumping into people like a comedy movie character, and they think Iām just a walking punchline. During a Shakespearean drama reading, my textbook became an enigma, leaving me as puzzled as a cat in a laser show.
In one exam, my vision pulled a disappearing act right in the classroom. Tears welled up as I explained my predicament to the invigilator ā she tried to read, but hey, even superheroes have their limits. My college life reached a point where I almost became roadkill, my eyes refusing to acknowledge an approaching car. Fed up, I threw in the academic towel, thinking my life had hit a dead end.
But, dear reader, fear not! Stay tuned for the riveting saga of how a seraphic force entered stage left, altering my worldview and helping me conquer my optical conundrum. The saga continuesā¦
End of Chapter One.
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