Across borders, towards becoming

By Dr Sneha Poladi

Spent all my life in my cozy bubble,

Comfort galore and away from trouble.
But a whisper grew loud in the quiet air,

A longing for mountains that ask me to dare.

Big dreams beat wild in a restless chest,

Called me forward, refused me rest.

So I gathered my courage and stepped past the known,

Ready to rise, to leap, to grow- 

To chase the horizon and make it my own.

I packed my bags at twenty-six, heart trembling yet bold,

Leaving India’s warmth for the UK’s biting cold.

A dream in my pocket, naïve hope in my hand,

I crossed oceans of comfort for this unfamiliar land.

Inside the hospital walls, everything felt askew-

The medicine was the same, but the systems brand new.

Acronyms flew past me like birds out of reach,

And imposter syndrome settled deep, haunting each speech.

The NHS felt like a maze where I wandered alone,

Unsure of my footing, uncertain, unknown.

But colleagues stepped in with patience and grace,

Mentors lit pathways I struggled to trace.

Slowly the chaos softened its scream,

And I found my rhythm, my voice, my team.

Now the wards feel familiar, a part of my day,

A place where my purpose has learned how to stay.

It wasn’t all magic, nor stories spun bright-

Some days the grey skies swallowed the light.

I missed home-cooked laughter, the bustle, the sun,

The ease of belonging where life had begun.
But slowly, gently, the foreign turned known,

The strange streets softened, the roots had been sown.
In hospital halls where I found my true pace,

I carved out a purpose, a calling, a place.

The work that once felt daunting grew into something mine,

With chances and chapters I never thought I’d find.

Warm hearts met me where the weather did not,

And friendships bloomed in the unlikeliest spots.

Three years later, I stand between worlds I adore-

India, my heartbeat; the UK, my open door.

And though one is my first home, etched deep and true,

This new land has shaped me, claimed me, too.
Now I walk forward, belonging in two,

Rooted in the old, thriving in the new.

Sneha is an MBBS graduate from India and an ACCS Emergency Medicine ST2 in North East England, passionate about trauma, emergency care, and digital health. Beyond work, she loves travelling, reading, and spending time with friends and family, driven by a commitment to equitable, technology-enhanced healthcare.

Photo by Parker Hilton on Unsplash