June Jubilee

Half-marathon | Fun in Germany | Saying good bye | Basketball | Work or rather its absence

Hey guys, it is me again, Abhilash. I’ll be bringing you more consistent monthly newsletters over the next 3 months. This first one mainly focuses on my social life and health and wellness. Stay tuned for many exciting updates about the various projects I am working on. 

I ran a half-marathon

I stood in the theatre waiting with a black and red backpack filled with energy drinks, water, and snacks. I had just put on my brand-new running shoes, my mom's Apple watch on my wrist, Goggins in my ears, and I was off. 

$I did this run as a challenge with two remote partners

Vivek Kommi

and

Dylan Jayabahu

. During the run, I could count on their support (Vivek encouraged me 200 times on the app). Here is an excerpt from my reflection afterward explaining my two main takeaways.

This run is a real testament to my mental strength and just that, like now I know that if I truly, genuinely believe that I have to do something, I will do it. And now, it comes down to finding the projects that make me feel the same way or finding the avenues that make me believe and push me to this limit because I can do it.

I also really felt the power of a supportive community. Without the emotional and practical support of my parents and the encouragement of Aatik and all the other group members, I would not have been able to push myself so hard. Their belief in me made this otherwise impossible seeming feat a reality. 

Exchange trip to Germany: Aschaffenburg

It was a magical experience. I had much fun with my exchange family in Aschaffenburg and learned much about Germany. I recommend such a program to anybody as it is a forcing function to learn the language properly, and it helped me improve my German. I was born in Germany, and my mother has lived in the region, so it was fun to explore these streets with my French and German friends and imagine my mother as a student doing the same.

I was amazed at the incredible power that my ardor for sports had in facilitating and creating relations with these formerly unknown people from a different culture. Being able to connect though sports unlocked a new set of experiences and deepened my relationhips with them. For example, I was able to hustle training with the local basketball team. I also went biking or swimming every night with the father and during those rides we saw incredible sunsets. It was a great way of discovering the place.

It was the perfect way to kick off summer, being thrown into the deep end of an unfamiliar city that is now a place full of memories and great friends. 

Saying good bye

I have had to say farewell to many people in the past month. My German friends, for one, and some of my closest friends who are moving away. It has been fun to go out and party with them and reminisce about the old times and how it was, and now they are leaving many of us going to different schools. And, of course, last but not least, I have said farewell to TKS as the Innovate program has finished. I think that now in summer, when many of us are enjoying some hard-earned rest, it is important to remain optimistic about the new cycle that is about to come and the joys it holds, even in the face of the sadness of seeing others' relations diminish.

Basketball

I am glad to announce that the next year I will be changing teams and joining the Union Sportive Vésinet in their journey to hopefully play in regionals. I am so glad to have been with Saint Germain for so long, a great club that sparked my interest in basketball. 

Fun fact one of our coaches (from Saint Germain) son's just got drafted. You might know him as a certain Victor Wembanyama. 

Thanks for these past 3 years. This is another goodbye I have to make with a heavy heart.

Work or rather its absence

In June, I could not work on my more tech-oriented projects as much (ex: Nanogen: a solution to cure type 2 diabetes; my work on improving detection in X-ray communication). But for all that is to come, I made sure that my month of June was more socially oriented so that I could work with nothing holding me back in July. I can't wait to check back in with you in a month.

Upcoming events

• Update on Nanogen

• Publishing my Idea: to revolutionize X-ray communication using metamaterials

• My next project in alternative propulsion

• Launching my podcast

• And much more