How I Almost Sailed Away (But Got Stranded at Port) – A Tale of me in Rotary Sea!
Picture this: There I was, a bioinformatics student who spends more time with DNA sequences than actual people, suddenly applying for the coolest thing since sliced bread – Rotary’s Semester at Sea program. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hop on a ship fancier than Timothée Chalamet (yes, I said it!) with free food and a chance to meet people who don’t speak in genetic code? Sign. Me. Up!
Being my father’s daughter (cue dramatic eye roll), I’d absorbed some Rotary knowledge through osmosis, thanks to his endless phone calls echoing through our house. You know, the kind where you’re trying to watch Hunger games but keep hearing “fellowship” and “service” every five seconds? Yeah, that.
So there I was, armed with certificates heavy enough to sink the very ship I wanted to board, waiting for TWO WHOLE HOURS (my blood pressure doing the cha-cha), before finally entering the interview room. Seven intellectual giants smiled at me, and I thought, “Cool, cool, cool, no doubt, no doubt, no doubt.”
First question: “Tell me about yourself.” Ha! I’d Googled this one! Thanks to my parents’ genes that made me try everything from underwater basket weaving to professional cloud-watching (okay, I’m exaggerating, but you get the point), I nailed it.
But then… oh boy. “Tell me about the life of a lizard in India before and after independence.”
EXCUSE ME, WHAT?
Did they want me to channel my inner gecko? Interview my house lizard about its great-grandparents’ freedom struggle? But turns out, they weren’t testing my reptilian telepathy – they wanted to know if I understood India’s socio-economic evolution. Who knew lizards could teach you about geography and politics? Not me!
The whole experience was like analysing a particularly wild genome sequence – confusing yet fascinating. I learned that being a Rotary representative isn’t just about looking good in a sailor hat (though I’m sure I would have rocked that). It’s about understanding world peace, sustainable goals, and our country’s position in the global community. Heavy stuff, right?
In the end, I came second. Yes, I missed the boat (literally), but hey – at least I can say I had the most entertaining first interview ever. Where else would you get to discuss post-independence lizard demographics with seven smiling intellectuals?
P.S. To the person who got first place – I hope you’re having fun on that gorgeous ship. Just know that somewhere in Tanjore, there’s a bioinformatics student and her pet lizard plotting our revenge by sequencing your DNA. (Just kidding… or am I?)
About the Author: Annette Tanu V Sashikumar is from the Rotary Club of Chennai Crown. And plot twist – she’s the daughter of this very magazine’s editor! When she’s not writing about her failed maritime adventures, she’s decoding the mysteries of life as a bioinformatics student at SASTRA University, Tanjore – basically playing matchmaker between biology and computers. Yes, that’s a real degree, and no, it doesn’t mean she can hack your DNA… yet.
“Your perspective is so fresh and unique—it’s something I’ve never read
anywhere else before.”
I feel as if I’m at the port with you, bidding farewell to that ship