The balancing act

                      ( Written By Divya ) 

Architecture. Where do I start? Its more of a lifestyle choice than a career pursuit. Now non-architects might protest to the statement saying their course is equally difficult. But let me stop you right there. This is not up for debate. It is an architecture blog and no one needs to get offended by this. Im sure every professional course presents with its fair share of hurdles.

                       

When my classmates and I were at the crossroads of career choice after our schooling, the options being narrowed down to engineering,engineering and engineering, owing to the obsession of  indian parents with, yes, engineering, I found myself calling up my senior Bella, who had taken up architecture.

                   

Little did I know I should have taken the words " all nighters, criticism, pressure "etc at their face value. Writing her hints off as exaggeration, I made the decision that changed my life. Yes I know I sound dramatic n cliched.

Which is how I found myself at the railway station, two years later, waiting for the train back to college, balancing a building model the size of a spread out newspaper on my left hand with a roll of sheets as big as me on my right.

Act 1

Balancing Architecture and family

Parents have always been my support system. The poor souls being biologically programmed to love and nurture their kid. Mine have been extremely understanding, but not many get the idea of how the course works.

1. No,mum. The theory subject marks do NOT matter. I just need to pass.

2. Yes. Design is VERY important. I could lose a year if i miss two design reviews.

3. Yes, I bunked class to SLEEP. Not sneak off with my friends to a movie. Blasphemy! *offended by the very possibility*

4. No, mum. I cant make time to go to Mrs.ABC's daughter's wedding. Submission due day after. *disbelief at the very suggestion*

5. yes, I have been up all night working *defensive look*

6. yes, I HAVE to come home. I had a terrible review and I need to vent. * to be taken very seriously*

Act 2

Balancing health and architecture

Are you kidding me? That's a myth. *rolls eyes*

Unless you have superhuman speed in drafting sketching n designing. 

Or a time machine,ofcourse.

Act 3

Balancing social life and architecture

Kiss your pre-architecture friends goodbye along with that cousin's kids baptism, friend's sister's engagement,  christmas celebration at your colony and pretty much all events involving people,music,food and fun.

Sorry, I have to complete sheets. Yes. Thats right. You heard me right. Sheets.
*sigh*

                       

Act 4

Balancing relationships and architecture

A minute of silent prayer for the poor soul in a relationship with the architecture student.
Amen.

Act 5

Balancing spirituality and architecture

Talk about spirituality to the folks who sleep with models. *scoffs*

Er.. Lemme rephrase.

When you hit the sheets at 4:00am you can barely keep yourselves awake to set the alarm, much less pray. That is considering you made it to bed, given you havnt crashed on the floor alongside the model you had been working on.
Model. You know. The cardboard ones with  cute miniature walls and everything. Yeah.

Oh wait. This was the article i was supposed to keep happy and positive. Shoot.   :|