Humans of NSU
Preview
Interviewee Name
Nimmi Mathews
Date of Interview
Spring 4-12-2023
Location
NSU Tampa Bay Regional Campus
Brief Bio / Description of Interviewee
I’ve been riding horses for a decade now. It’s one of those things that has been part of my life for so long I can’t remember what life was before I started riding. I started in Mumbai, the city I grew up in. It started out as a summer camp. I’ve been pursuing it since. I did it competitively for four years. When I was coming to medical school a lot of people told me I wouldn’t be able to keep up with it. But I still ride once a week, a lot less than normal. I thought riding would be my escape from med school. It started out that way, but very quickly I realized how much there is a connection between working with an animal you can’t communicate with and medicine. I remember when we were taking anatomy, I had a horse that couldn’t sweat. As a result it would pant like a dog. I remember when we finished a lesson, my instructor would point out his jugular vein in his neck and tell me to hose down that area because it would help dissipate heat. So what started out as “this is a time I don’t think about school” became an opportunity to connect the things I was learning about in school. The hands of an equestrian were built for precision. Moving your pinky half an inch is telling your horse something. It’s just that subtle. It really became supplemental to being in medical school. Working with a horse teaches you humility, and the creativity you need to communicate with an animal that cannot understand you, can serve you in the long run.
Camera Equipment
Nikon Z6
Audio Equipment
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Keywords
exhibit, photographs, life stories