I got the H1N1

So in the midst of dealing with the busiest semester of college so far, I ended up with the flu last weekend. Unfortunately, it wasn't the seasonal flu, it was the much dreaded H1N1. I was in my room for pretty much the entire weekend and most of the week. I don't know where I caught it from, but I guess the flu just seems to be doings its rounds from one student to another. Now that I have had the swine, I can confidently say that unless one has previous medical complications, getting the swine is like getting any other flu. Atleast that's how it was for me besides a couple of random sever symptoms.

Staying alone in my room for 3 days wasn't much fun or was it? I watched TV, microwaved food for myself and slept. FUN. It was a good break from life in general, but I couldn't help but remember all that I was missing and would have to catch up on. However, now that I'm done catching up, it wasn't so bad after all.

I'm scheduled to receive my Swine Flu vaccine this coming week too and I wonder if I need it anymore. Yet, I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'll be getting my vaccination so I shall bid farewell to any swine flu viruses coming my way again! Later!

Explore. Dream. Discover

Mark Twain once said, "Twenty years from now you will be more dissapointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away... Explore. Dream. Discover." That pretty much sums the reason why I strive to do everything I can while at college. I don't know which industry I'm going to end up working in. I don't know which firm I'll work with. And neither do I know which country I'll work in. However, I do know that these remaining 1 and half years of my college life will never come back.

Whether it's the Consulting Workshop, the Honors program, being an RA, a Kelley Student Ambassador or searching for an internship. I don't do things because I have to, instead I do them because I want to. It's very simple, yet complex. I have a love-hate relationship with everything I do. Some days I enjoy doing it all, and sometimes it all adds up to piles of workload. I don't know what I enjoy more - the feeling I get when I complete all my tasks for the week, or the part where I'm actually struggling to keep up with things.

There's a whole lot I want to do before I graduate. I want to get CPR/First-Aid and AED certified. I can't imagine what it would be like if I can save a life. I want to go sky-diving, haven't done that before and I know I won't be able to when I'm older. So now's the time. I want learn a new language. While odds of that happening are very low, it's worth a try.

Each day I look forward to getting done with this semester. And then I remember, that would mean one less semester at college! So what do I do? I continue to explore. dream. discover. Thank you Mark Twain!

"I'm an RA and sleep is highly overrated!"

The summer of ’09 was great! I got a chance to do a lot of travelling and intern in Dubai. Yet, coming back to Bloomington is always exciting. I can hardly imagine it’s been 8 weeks since I got back for Resident Assistant training this fall. Many people ask me what I do as an RA, why I do it and what training is like. So I decided to blog about it!

Employed by Indiana University’s Residential Programs and Services, Resident Assistants serve as a freshman’s greatest resource. Each one of us at Briscoe Quad is responsible for one floor of about 50 residents. We spend a lot of our time in building a community with our residents. Our main goal through the fall semester is to help our residents settle in well at college and provide them any support they need. This ranges from help with classes, professors and academic planning to roommate troubles, balancing time and personal problems.

While building and maintaining our community is an ongoing process, we program events to enhance the college experience for our residents. Programs encompass social, academic, recreational, educative and volunteering events. These give residents an opportunity to not only take a break from work but also spend time with other members of the community.
While we build our communities and plan programs, we are also responsible for the safety and security of all our residents. When on duty, we take rounds (or community walks) of the entire building to make sure that all is well. Should there be an emergency, we are the first to respond all through the night. Between staff members and RAs, we work all day and all night, every day to ensure the safety of our residents.

True to the RPS adage, “Discover Yourself as an RA”, each day on the job is an experience. I learn so much more about myself even from simple interactions with my residents. Sometimes I feel so much older to them even though I’m not. But then I guess I can’t change the fact that I’m a junior!! Usually when you go to work, there is always a home to go back to. As RAs, we live and work in the same place. It’s not only challenging, but is also makes the job a 24hour responsibility. So whether I’m using the evening to study, do laundry, hang out with friends or stay in and watch a movie: we are expected to help when needed even if we are not on duty. It’s how we work as a team. Having each other’s back at all times is integral!

Being an RA is truly a wholesome experience. We help freshman ease transition to college life, build a community, program events, work with a diverse group of people and deal with emergencies. No wonder I’m still an RA even though I had initially decided I would do it for just 1 year!

Korea, Spring Break '09

Annyeong haseyo (Hello!)

After talking to my advisor several times and plenty of email conversations with the Head of International Programs at Kelley in Oct of 2008 I decided to apply for Spring Break abroad. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend spring break in another country instead of going to the warm beaches of the east coast. I knew I wanted to go to Korea, but I didn't know if that was the right time. Nevertheless, I went ahead as planned. Once the semester began in January, we started preparing for our visit to Seoul. I tried my hand at learning phrases from the language and acquainted myself with the food by eating at the Korean restaurant in Bloomington. Little did I know that sitting 7800 miles away, none of that would help.

Just two days in to spring break, we had long forgotten the piles of work that lies on our desks back home. At 4:30 am on Friday (13th) March one could see the excitement and the euphoria in the bus en route to Indianapolis airport. 30 hours later on Saturday , all one could see was exhaustion and fatigue in the bus to Stay Seven Hotel, Korea. In those 30 hours of travelling we flew on three flights, played cards on another person's seat, hung out inside the aircraft by clogging the aisles and ate sushi at Tokyo's Narita airport. For most of us, who did not sleep, the travel was an excellent ice-breaker that gave us all a chance to spend time and get to know each other.

On the lazy Sunday morning after all the travel, we woke up to a nice breakfast at the hotel. We used the day to do some historic sight seeing. The city of Seoul has a beautiful blend between modern towering skyscrapers and old palaces and other monuments. Roaming around also gave us a chance to familiarize ourselves with the subway system, an expertise that would come in very handy for the rest of the week!

It was not too late before we realized that non-vegetarians were going to have a rough time finding food to eat. Korean streets and restaurants are full of various kinds of meat. In the last three days we have tried the weirdest food like silkworms and quail eggs. The only thing the 4 vegetarians in the group get to eat is kimchi and rice. However, that is when the life saviours McDonald's and Subway come in! There is nothing like having familiar food in a foreign land. Occasionally, the rest of us give in and get a bite of the "Big Mac"!

Over the 7 days spent their, we visited many companies in Korea such as Hyundai and Samsung. Looking at the fully automated robotic car manufacturing plant at Hyundai took us light years ahead of our time. There was no labor to be seen. The robots did their work on each unit every 57seconds. Looking back at our Hyundai visit, I now understand why so many people in the industry don't have jobs! Our visit to Samsung was similar. If you thought the iPhone was the coolest phone in the market, Samsung would have proved you wrong. We got to see phones with video conferencing and projector features. If that was not enough, we later got to know that the multimedia function on each employee's phone is automatically disabled as soon as they step into the Samsung vicinity. The reason? Privacy of their products and R&D departments. Clearly Korea and its industries are far ahead of their time.

It's always great to travel to another country where you can legally enter a club, and so we did. But that's all I am going to write about that!

On our last day in Korea, six of us went to the Dragon Spa and Resort. Entrance charges: $7! and then we had the entire day to relax and enjoy different temperature baths, steam rooms, saunas and scrubs. We definitely did not anticipate spending 5 hours at the spa, but it was completely worth it. Few of us got the best ever traditional korean massage for a mere $25 for 30minutes. It was a perfect end to our eventful vacation, preparing us rather well for the 30 hour journey back home.

My visit to Seoul was an eyeopener. I have travelled to over 15 countries in the past 10 years many times spending just a weekend in one place. This trip however, made me realize that the fun of travelling comes from immersing oneself into the culture we visit. Talking to the people there, eating their food, walking down the local streets and spending time trying to learn more about them. I have the rest of my life ahead of me and it's better late than never to change the objectives of my travel. Such is the brilliance of college experiences.

The best part- I don't graduate for another two years and until then, the experience continues.

The Night of Nov 4th 2008

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive ... who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," said Barrack Obama, President Elect of the United States as the clock struck midnight in the eastern time zone. Hearing his voice amidst a respectful silence on our television sets, yet hearing the echoes of the same voice coming from every other room behind us, ran comforting chills through our bodies. The carefree crowd in Chicago shouted out cheers of “Yes we can” as the entire world watched for the very first time the first African-American President Elect of the United States of America walk down the ramp. In the room that we sat in, unanswered cell phones kept ringing, the clock's second hand was ticking, yet no one was distracted from watching Obama give the most influential victory speech in history of this nation.

“This is our moment. This is our time,” he said. Overwhelming emotions ran through all of us, as everyone shared subtle hugs. Silence swept in, as we all thought back into the past eight years, and looked into the future of the coming four years. Americans have faced the hardest of times in the recent past. It all started with 9/11, then the war in Iraq and finally the recent economic crisis. Change is what they needed, and Obama was their key. Yet the silence in the room shared mixed emotions. Some were ecstatic, many very hopeful, yet some re-thought into the fact if the country was ready for such a change.

30 minutes later as the drums rolled and Biden walked down the ramp along with the First Ladies and their families, Americans realized that they have “created history.” From today onwards, there is no looking back for the next four years. The realization left many speechless, but everyone knew that this is what they had long been waiting for and they too must join into the revolution that will mobilize Obama’s words, “Change has come to America.”

Being spectator to these final moments before every American begins on a long journey ahead made me realize how beautiful this day will always be in their hearts. It is the day that no American will ever forget, and no immigrant will ever regret. Students, employees, resident and every other non-American will celebrate this day, as change will come upon the Unites States helping each one of them to reach their goals and aspirations and live the American Dream.

Our next generations may never live to understand the meaning of the word “Racism” as the “change” that we are all about to embark upon will render the word meaningless. Many other notions, beliefs, clichés and biases will find their way out from our world into history textbooks. The United States is ready for change. The world must be ready too; we must all be ready to change this world to make it a better place for you and me. The biggest glass ceiling of all time has been broken by political and corporate America, which used to limit the rise of every colored person in the world. The horizons of each individual’s dreams have widened and “hope” has set in. We must all pledge to carry along with us this hope everyday to work: a hope to change ourselves, a hope to change our belief systems, a hope to forget our biases, a hope to remember those in need, a hope to make a better tomorrow, a hope to pass on a legacy of compassion and high ethical values to our children, a hope to live every moment as it comes, a hope to end racism, and a hope to broaden the narrow human mind! Let us give each person “the audacity of hope” for a better future.

-Nikhil Nanda
11/05/08 In memory of 11/04/08

A point of no return?

Life as a student at university can often be quite overwhelming. Staying away from home tends to add to the stress. I have decided to spend time outside my university campus, away from the hectic and demanding life for at least two hours every week. I thought nothing could be better than spending that time with children in need of emotional and psychological support. Thus, I decided to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club, a non-profit entity that takes care of children after school hours.

During the 75 minutes of orientation, we were informed about the demographics of children who visit the club as well as a code of conduct that each of us would have to abide by. However, there was one ethical conduct that shocked me. The speaker asked us to be careful with certain children at the club. As some of them might express their gratitude by hugging, we were asked not to hug children in the conventional way. Instead, they advised us to hug them sideways. This statement was saddening and got me thinking about the complexities of life. We live in an open-minded society. Yet, a simple hug can be misconstrued or mistaken as being a sexual assault.

I did not get a chance to react since we were at the orientation. However, the speaker's statement had a strong impact on me. I thought: have children been abused so much that we now have to think twice or feel guilty even when sharing a hug? A loving hug could make the child feel warm, comforted and protected. However, the club explained that some children come from homes where they may have undergone mental torture. Affection itself is being misinterpreted what with society being so conscious about all its actions. Nobody can trust anyone, anymore. A much-needed hug

According to me, nothing can replace a hug, whatever the relationship or equation may be. We cannot continue to go down this dark road. We seem to be switching off the lights as we go, leaving people with no ray of hope. We must seek to help those who are victims of violence. Additionally, we need to assure them that not every emotional or physical interaction leads to an assault. This will secure their future as independent and confident individuals. We need to look out for those who are in need. They could be our neighbours, friends or even family members in need of emotional or financial support. We should help our society regain its confidence in people. One bad fish spoils the pond, but I never knew that just a few could adulterate the entire ocean.

Published: The Gulf News, Dubai on October 10, 2008