Meet Dara Sam Farhadi,
MD Candidate, Class of 2022
Describe your morning – what time do you get up, what do you do first, next and what is for breakfast?
Get up between 7-8am. I first browse the news and check emails. I then get ready for the day, shower, brush teeth, etc. For breakfast, I usually have cereal or a bagel.
What happens next? What do you do for lunch?
I typically start with replying to emails, doing school work, or research depending on deadlines. I go until lunch around 12pm. I typically have something quick, reheat leftovers or warm-up ready-made meals. I try to take an hour break for lunch so that I'm set for getting back to work.
What do you do for dinner?
An hour before dinner, I try to set an hour of time for exercise. These days there are online yoga-sculpt videos or workout classes I complete with my girlfriend. It's much more enjoyable when you have someone else to jump around with. Then, we usually prepare dinner together. I'm told I have a bad habit of letting things cook for too long. I like to call my dishes extra crispy.
How do you end the day and what time do you go to bed?
Depending on how much work I have, I usually get through anything else remaining before calling it a day/night around 10pm. If there isn't anything else to do, I'll take the night off. Before bed, I like to either watch movies, play video games, go for a walk, play card/board games, or disinhibit creativity and make some art with my girlfriend. Just before bed, I enjoy reading or writing in a journal. Although, there are many nights when I'm too tired to do either.
What art are you doing and when do you do it?
I have recently been trying to work on pencil drawing. Although the art I've most recently finished was a chalk pastel series of 4 organs that I made for my two parents and grandparents for mother's/father's day. When we do work on our art, it's usually during the weekends when we're tired of staring at electronic screens.
What are you reading?
I'm currently reading Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and Do No Harm by Henry Marsh.
What are you streaming?
The Last Dance: The Untold Story of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.
How are you feeling?
How I feel usually oscillates but I try to remain hopeful but cautious.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do when the quarantine ends?
When everything is safe, I'd love to sit at a restaurant again with some good food.
You and I share a very similar schedule, down to the exercise between work and dinner! For me, that exercise is time to decompress and release the stress from the day. It is so nice to have this opportunity to learn more about you!