Life, Work, and Lots of Rotis: A Casual Recap of My Year 2023
I just came back from the Jumma Prayer, a religious ritual that Muslims do on Fridays.
It is 02:20 PM of December afternoon with bright sun shining through my window. My mom is cooking lunch, and I sunk low on the rug, writing this.
I felt miserable the whole day, feeling depressed and disappointed. I started to consider myself “I am useless”, “I have nothing to be proud of”, and “I am the laziest person alive who is never going to make it to his dreams”.
Then I thought to myself (which I rarely do) what did I do this year?
Here’s the list.
Amal Career Prep Fellowship
This fellowship was more like self-reflection. It made me question every step of my life. I began to understand the “why” behind all of what I do. This is among the best decisions of my life.
It made me realize that I care about myself, and I have this curiosity and passion thingy to move forward, to push myself out.
(It is 02:29 PM now and lunch is half ready.)
The Citizens Foundation (TCF) Summer Camp
I volunteered before for the Akhuwat Foundation. But this was another whole experience. I spent twelve days with the TCF students of 3rd grade in the Chakra Campus, Rawalpindi.
I saw children, with limited resources and facing challenging backgrounds, walk through the gate each morning with an unwavering smile.
Their determination shattered my belief that I was stuck in a dead-end. Why was I allowing negativity to paralyze me?
What was stopping me? If you can relate, what is stopping you?
Maybe it’s the voice that whispers “ not good enough,” or the comfort of routine over the thrill of possibility. Whatever it may be.
I believe in you, and I believe in me. Start painting our own stories of hope and achievement.
It is 02:37 PM now, and just one roti remains till I have my lunch. (Roti is homemade bread, I guess. I don’t know what the English for roti is.)
Forte Force
In the final week of the Amal Fellowship, I teamed up with Rawalpindi and Islamabad fellows to work on a megaproject. I will be honest. I acted as a bad team member. My initial contribution to the planning phase fell short. But I did contribute to its implementation.
In our megaproject, Forte Force, I witnessed the excitement and engagement of the 8th-graders as we tackled topics like teamwork, leadership, and safe social media practices was more rewarding than any textbook learning
The profound satisfaction that comes from contributing to something bigger than ourselves.
And it is 02:45 PM and lunch is ready.
Yum. Yum.
I am starting again at 03:09 PM.
Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Internship
In this one-month internship, I worked in the marketing and resource department to raise awareness of cancer, raised donations, and engaged the community in writing encouragement letters and making DIY gifts for cancer patients.
This internship wasn’t just about raising funds or resources; it was about human connection. Empathy. Support. Facing the incurable with a smile.
NIGAB Internship
Sweat stinging my eyes. The Sun-baked road. Walking 2.7 km to NIGAB in the heat of July.
It wasn’t easy. There wasn’t any public transport or institute transport facility there.
I almost gave up in the middle of the internship. I do not recall what made me not to and I completed it.
The Toxic-ish Internship
Calling it an internship felt generous. It was a crash course in navigating office minefields.
It wasn’t all bad, though. The constant pressure forged an unexpected resilience within me. I learned to decipher passive-aggressive whispers, dodge poisoned compliments, and speak up ( albeit cautiously) when my self-respect threatened to implode.
All thanks to Rubina Batool (best person/best colleague) for teaching me to speak up for myself.
I had the best supervisor. Kind. Understanding. Humble. Polite.
KNCT Fellowship
Made new friends. Found another perspective to look at life.
Amazing part. I found the hidden side of myself — my competitive personality.
It wasn’t the fierce, win-at-all-costs kind of competition. It was the kind that ignited a fire within me to push my limits.
I may not be a jiu-jitsu champion, but the KNCT Fellowship showed me that my unique strengths, combined with a healthy dose of competitive spirit, can be a powerful force for growth and connection.
Zeeshan Shafqat Malik, the guest speaker at KNCT, I remember him saying, ‘Your network is your net worth,’ and it wasn’t just a cliché. He showed me how genuine connections, built on trust and mutual respect, could unlock doors and ignite possibilities.
The Citizens Foundation Rahbar Cycle 40 & 41
In the Rahbar cycle, I entered as a mentor, armed with all the life lessons I’d gathered by 22. But it was these 8th-grade TCF students who ended up becoming my teachers. They taught me that;
Life is more about laughter than judgment, resilience lives in the smallest acts of courage, and sometimes, the best lessons come from those who seem to have less, but “teach you so much more”.
Google & IBM Data Analytics Certification
My future is set: bioinformatics. The vast universe of biological data is what truly excites me, and that’s why I’m honing my data analysis skills with Google and IBM certifications.
Who knows if Google or IBM will be my future workplace after 2 years?
The possibilities are endless!
Documenting my life on Instagram
This keeps me motivated that I have to show the world that if I can do it so can they. I share my every success, my every move, and even the funniest part of my life.
Sometimes I share the saddest part too. Because I am human, I cannot be happy all the time. I cannot be successful all the time. I fail too.
To document my life, I am learning social media and content creation through HubSpot Academy, video editing on CapCut, and designing on Canva.
Arid Model United Nations, Outstanding Diplomat
The final victory on the list. I was always excited about participating in MUNs and A’MUN was the chance. I took it and I won the Outstanding Diplomat.
I was surprised that I had good negotiation, networking, diplomacy, and speaking skills.
It is 03:54 PM. Now the sun is setting. Yes, it is. Because the sun behaves strangely here in December. I am feeling a little chill.
Now, after writing these 1150+ words (says MS Word) I am feeling happy with the sense of accomplishment. Today was the early New Year celebration at KNCT which I missed.
Thanks for reading till last. I do not know how to say goodbye or put any CTA (call to action) here.
See ya later, Alligator 😊
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
