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College Life: September 2012

15 Oct

I have always been obsessed with keeping record of major events in my life, and that was one of the primary reasons why I started blogging. It’s imperative for me to do so because I want to look back at these times and indulge in nostalgic, bittersweet memories. Some of the things are super silly and arguably trivial, but these are all important for me to remember. Most of these things are things that I’ve done for the first time in my life. Emory has opened up many doors of new and exciting opportunities! :)

Here is my list for September 2012! :D

September 2012

  • September 2nd: Ate at The Varsity for the first time! (…after living in Atlanta for six years)
  • September 3rd: Learned Bhangra dance moves.
  • September 4th: Sat in the very front seat in a class of 120 students. (still not sure how I feel about that)
  • September 8th: Rode in the front row of the Goliath (200 ft above ground) and two other roller coasters at Six Flags. Also ate funnel cake sundaes for the first time ever!
  • September 11th: Attended my first candlelight vigil in remembrance of 9/11 victims.
  • September 12th: Wrote on Asbury Circle (the central circle at Emory) and saw former President Jimmy Carter in person!
  • September 13th: Started volunteering at Refugee Family Services where I tutor refugee children in English and math.
  • September 15th: Went to JapanFest, one of the largest Japanese festivals in the nation. Ate authentic Japanese food using chopsticks (tl;dr embarrassed myself), and watched Aikido demonstrations and other Japanese arts performances.
  • September 18th: Made the Model United Nations travelling team at Emory!
  • September 21st: Flew to Washington, D.C. and met 500 incredible Gates Millennium Scholars. Also, met a bunch of Questies (QuestBridge Finalists) that I talked to for almost a year before.
  • September 22nd: Met the sexiest men alive, (according to People’s Magazine), Yul Kwon.
  • September 25th: My article was published in the Emory newspaper.
  • September 27th: Took my first test in college (unfortunately, it was chemistry). And, to relieve that pain, saw comedian Amy Schumer from Comedy Central live!

These were the highlights of September. Just the first month of college, and already so many memories to cherish! *insert Asher Roth’s I Love College video here*

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Crossroads: A Captivating Experience

8 Oct

Aug. 23 – 11:36 AM

Our shuttle is tagging along behind the first shuttle. The green sign on the right-hand side of the interstate reads “Augusta – 105 Miles”. My backpack steadily sitting there between my shoes, and in it only my sleeping bag–I should’ve brought a pillow, but there was no room in either my carry-on or my backpack. We just passed Exit 105 (I believe we’re on I-20, but not really sure yet). Our destination is Eatonton, a city in Central Georgia.

The paragraph above was written on August 23rd, and the following is being written on October 8th. It’s amusing to reflect upon and write on something that happened over a month ago. I shall still write on it because it was just that amazing and it deserves a post on its own.

So, what is “it”? “It” is Crossroads–a retreat for Emory students through OMPS (Office of Multicultural Programs & Services). I decided to attend the Crossroads pre-orientation retreat, which took place in late-August, before orientation (as the name clearly suggests). It was my first experience with a group of Emory students and future friends, so I was naturally nervous.

The two nights turned out to be electrifying! We started with lots of icebreakers and fun introductions. After getting there, we continued with numerous activities intended to get us strangers to “bond”. I was there with forty other freshmen, and surprisingly enough, I “bonded” very well with them in the course of only two nights.

The weekend continued with team-building activities, both physical and mental. As I look back at my Crossroads experience, I am astonished by the balance it offered–the balance of fun and seriousness.

Crossroads was perhaps one of the most fun things I’ve done! I’ve done so many new things and played so many new games (Mafia, Captain’s Ball, Chubby Bunny, etc.). I’m hugely unfamiliar with most popular American party games, and I got a chance to experience most of those.

Also, Crossroads was very enriching in terms of the “serious” aspect of it. I learned what it truly means to be a minority on a college campus, what it means to have disadvantages in various places in society, and the challenges we might face in our college years and beyond.

Frankly, I loved Crossroads both because of its simplicity and complexity. The simplicity in that it was just awesome, and the people were the coolest, the nicest, and the greatest people I’ve met. The complexity in that the issues Crossroads addressed were crucial and prevalent in today’s society.

To all Emory students, I strongly recommend you participate in Crossroads. It is the best decision I made at Emory so far.

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To the Capital and Other Historic Places…

5 Oct

For the last few summers, I traveled to somewhere amazing with my family. The summer of 2010, we traveled to Los Angeles for a wedding, and then visited San Diego, Dallas, San Antonio, and drove from Dallas to Atlanta. The summer of 2011 was thus far the best summer of my life as I experienced two of the most amazing events of my life — going back to Bangladesh and going to GHP (Georgia Governor’s Honors Program) in Valdosta, Georgia.

We weren’t so sure about travelling this past summer though as I was interning almost the entire summer, getting ready for college, and we were observing Ramadan. With a last-minute decision, however, we decided to travel for only a few days. Our destinations boiled down to New Orleans, Miami, or Washington, D.C. Considering it was Ramadan, going to the beaches in Miami wasn’t the most appropriate vacation spot (funny story – we ended up going to the beaches).

We decided to go to the capital, Washington, D.C., and stop by Virginia on the way.

Our entire vacation lasted for four long days — two in Virginia and two in D.C.

In Virginia, we visited some historic sites, monuments, and the beaches. Visiting Chesapeake Bay, USS Wisconsin, Jamestown, etc. was a really exciting experience. Virginia was frankly nothing compared to the attractions of Washington, D.C. though.

D.C. was just breathtaking. The museums and the monuments are ineffable. I was amazed by the Smithsonians (even though I saw probably around 1/10th of it). It’s quite unrealistic to try to tour D.C. in two days.

What did I love most? I loved the National Museum of Natural History the most. Sure, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill, U.S. Supreme Court, and the White House are all amazing. But, the Smithsonians are just incomparable.

Anyways, I need to apologize myself for neglecting the blog so much. I’ll try to catch up with the events. Meanwhile, here are some pictures from my vacation:

I LOVE TRAVELING! :)

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Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

8 Aug

Summer is quickly flying by…

I only have two weeks left before I embark upon the biggest, and perhaps most important, journey of my life. I can scarcely fathom the idea that college will start in merely two weeks. Enthusiastically preparing for college life, I have been really busy and neglected posting according to my original goal (at least twice every week).

Today, I logged on to WordPress to find a shockingly pleasant surprise. One of my readers, someone whose blog I am in love with, nominated me for the “Very Inspiring Blogger Award”. Thank you, Rinth, for the wonder nomination.

First of all, congratulations to Rinth’s blog My Elegantly Cluttered Chamber for getting this award. She most certainly deserves it, and I’m not really sure if I deserve it. I’ve only been blogging for less than a month. I must say, though, this is a great honor to include in my tenth post! (I reached double digits, yay!)

So, as part of the rules, I have to share seven facts about myself, so here goes…

  1. My birthday is on Cinco de Mayo!
  2. I have a bucket list of more than one hundred things and it is continuously expanding.
  3. My favorite numbers are five, seven, fifteen, and seventeen (all for different reasons).
  4. I have a passion for languages. I aim to fluently speak five languages by 2015 (Bengali, Hindi, English, Spanish, and French).
  5. I started working today to diminish and hopefully eventually eradicate world hunger (sounds really ambitious) through a program called Free Rice, which is sponsored by World Food Programme of the United Nations. Users answer trivial questions on the site, and for every right answer, 10 grains of rice is donated to the WFP. I just created a group called Hopeful Helpers, and I urge all of you to join me in this noble cause: http://freerice.com/content-group/hopeful-helpers
  6. My favorite color is orange.
  7. I absolutely love music! Every day, I listen to a variety of music for about five hours or so. Right now, I am listening to Feel So Close by Calvin Harris; it’s a great song, what can I say? Hindi, English, and Bengali music are my favorites. I have tons of favorite artists, but my most favorite artists are A.R. Rahman, Sonu Nigaam, Lata Mangeshkar, K.K (Hindi), Kishore Kumar, Habib, Arfin Rumey, Nancy (Bengali), and Maroon 5, Green Day, The Beatles, Coldplay, Eminem (English).

Also, I am supposed to nominate fifteen other bloggers for the Very Inspiring Blogger award. These are the bloggers who inspire me every time I go on their blogs. Rinth is actually one of the top ones, but I don’t think I can list her blog again. So, here you go! Give these a shot. You won’t regret it.

  1. Mostly Bright Ideas 
  2. Stuff Kids Write
  3. Ernesto Villasenor, Jr. 
  4. The Political Literate
  5. Becoming Me
  6. Crazy Mind’s Eye
  7. Melissa Kania
  8. one day. one year. 
  9. Go Beyond
  10. AIS Journal
  11. Funny Phuppo
  12. The Flame Lily Diaries
  13. Lies Our Parents Told Us
  14. Manisha Dhalani
  15. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading

Fellow Inspiring Bloggers, do not forget the rules for the award. The first rule is to link back to the blog that nominated you. Then, post seven facts about yourself. Also, nominate fifteen bloggers that inspire you. And finally, post a picture of the award–which is below. See ya!

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