Increasing my vocabulary

If I mix water and mud vigorously, it would take time for the mud to settle down. I was the mud this week. Slowly settling but within myself bustling with life.

After a astonishing and interesting trip to Lucknow, I thought I will relax and continue exploring what the trip had ignited. Inevitably that's not what happened. I did some other stuff.

Vocabulary : I decided to work on my English vocabulary this week. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the ample number of languages in the world. Also how each one are exclusive in themselves. I get this strange desire to grasp many languages. I feel poor to know only 2 languages. After reflection I came to the realization that before wanting to learn more languages, let me go deep into English. Let me embrace English and Hindi. Right now I am swimming the surface. I am astonished with the ample number of words in English. How for every little thing there is a word.

What is more fun for me is to play around with the new words I am learning. To use the words randomly and just embrace the words.,

Also to increase my vocabulary, I am trying to read different kind of books,pushing myself to go beyond the novels I read, to get  exposure of a different vocabulary.

Internet Usage: I have used Internet since my existence but if I take a pause and think – What is Internet? I don't know the answer. I realized how illiterately I am benefiting from the Internet. I don't know about Internet, how it comes to me and how can I utilize it.

Internet safety - I don't know what is a virus but I have been ignorant about it. Will I only wake up when my device is crashed? I wrote down some questions regarding Internet, Its usage and Internet safety. I am going to research about it. I am going to push myself and research not only through books and net but I am going to be talking to people, people who have experience in this field. I think that things like cyber bullying and hacking is somewhere far in the outside world, There is less chance of it happening to me. If I notice, in my day to day life, the teasing,making fun of other and gossiping is equally tormenting. How can I first make my own environment safe? If I am emotionally safe and i am keeping people around me safe then I can face Internet bullying. Again I have been very ignorant towards Internet safety. Will I wait for a drastic event inhibit me to understand about Internet safety?

 I had a peaceful week, I just started climbing the ladder of vocabulary and Understanding Internet.

Kaa trip to Lucknow

Earth Science is a gargantuan topic. I went for a week-long trip to Lucknow to delve into Earth science, primarily go to a rock factory and explore rocks and soil.

The Train journey 

I have traveled in train before but always in A/C compartment. This trip we traveled in 2nd class. It was an authentic experience for me. There was galore of people in the train, something I am not used to of. People with tickets, without tickets and so on. At times the intense heat or the people got on my nerves, I reflected on myself and realized how privileged I am.The beggars that came in the compartment left a sinking feeling in my heart. One beggar even probed me to give him money. He was holding my feet and poking my knees. I felt very conscious and embarrassed. The train journey let me see the authentic India. The scenery outside the window was the prime part. 

Earth Science

This trip we had the constrain of no yapping about anything else except earth science. I for 75% of the time resided with the topic. Due to the constrain I was more aware of myself and I felt good about myself.

I explored Earth science in multiple ways and I embraced the topic. During the trip 70% of the time I was thinking/talking about Earth Science. I read books, saw some very engrossing videos, talked and discussed about it, played games related to it, asked questions and wondered about Earth science. I played memory game, Chinese whisper, dumb charades and word chain game on Earth Science.I really enjoyed delving into something extraordinary

I learnt about the Rocks, soil, earth's core, Plate tectonics, atmosphere, volcanoes, earthquakes and other things. I learnt plenty in the trip but it has lelt me with an ample number of questions. 

One topic that everything kept going back to was Atoms. I have skimmed the surface of atoms before but after exploring earth science I want to revisit atoms and understand it better. Earlier I had just learnt about atoms not really connected it anywhere but now it makes more sense and I have more unanswered questions.

Factory 

We went to a factory. We worked along with the workers. 

My time in the factory was mind - blowing. I saw rocks under the microscope and I was left awe-struck on how gorgeous and perfect the rocks are. When I read about rocks from a text-book, I don't feel connected or practical but when there were so many types of rocks around me I felt connected to them. I experienced first hand the differences between rocks, difference between an igneous rock and a sedimentary rock.

I worked in the factory. I cut a rock and polished it. It was nice working first hand with the rock and understanding its properties and applications. I cut a hard rock(Quartz) and then a soft rock(coal), I actually felt the difference between the two and realized what is hardness of a rock. The hands on work help me to connect my knowledge of rocks to reality. Indubitably I was left with a ton of questions and a quest to apprehend rocks more. 

Visits to few Science Institutes

Paleontology  and Fossil was a completely new topic for me. I know what a fossil is but never went beyond that. The visit to the Paleontology institute was eye-opening. I felt mesmerized with fossils and found it a preposterous thought. 

We saw a film on Antarctica, It was a great film and I got insights of a place I have never touched upon.

Basically all the different visits during the trip left me with a galore of questions and thoughts. They opened ample of doors to topics I have not delved upon before.

Lucknow city 

We visited Bara Imambara in Lucknow. I found the building fascinating and it was an interesting place. I got some exposures to the culture of Lucknow. The finest was the food, kaabas and chats:).

One thing that left me smiling was the altruism of the people we met there. They hosted us with so much of care and love that I felt special. The gift economy left me perplexed.

I am so small, so tiny, so immature and so illiterate as a human compared to all the great things in science. I am a humble and limited part of a galore cosmos. 

One conclusion I have come to after knowing a little about earth is that all the things I am doing in my day-to-day life to slowly harm the planet is actually harming me... The release of carbon in the air, the depletion of the ozone layer and many other things leading to human extinction and global warming is not destroying the planet it is destroying me. The planet has gone through even tougher times in the history. The planet is not going to be destroyed, I am being destroyed.  This no where means I don't care for the planet but this thought gives me comfort for whatever reason.

I had a very memorable trip. 

Festival

Festival is a celebration, a time for sharing, love and happiness.

I don't believe in or follow any religion. Whether gods exists or not that I don't know and I cannot say. Though I enjoy understanding and knowing about different cultures.

When I look at any festival and keep aside the whole god part, the pooja or prayer part. I see a lot of meaning in the festivals. Each festival has a relevant reason connected to our lives. Each festival represents happiness and togetherness. Each festival bring lots of sweets and other yummy food items. There also a lot of music, dance and story telling.

I believe that festivals and celebration are completely unrelated to god but to the people around me, me as a individual and the nature around. At the same time I respect and accept others customs. I even perform some if needed but I don't believe in it nor will I take initiative to perform them.

This week at campus we had Festival Week. We celebrated various festival. Most importantly we celebrated togetherness. There was no barrier of age,gender and religion.

Holi : Holi is a loved festival for it's fun and joy of play with colours. We together made natural colours. We played holi together, the air was filled laughter and joy.

I think the meaning of Holi is to have fun and spread love and play with all.

Pongal : Boys and girls alike decorated the place with rangoli and flowers. We cooked pongal on fire.

I think pongal is a festival to celebrate the harvest, to pay homage to all that helped us to get the crop. One can celebrate the happiness whatever they achieved in their work.

Christmas : One tradition is that all get together and have a Christmas dinner and exchange gifts. Again Christmas is for celebrating life, love and in the cold weather spreading warmth to one another.

New year : A new year is a new beginning and new start. A time to embrace your mistakes and move ahead. We made a old man (scarecrow) and burned it. I put all my past in the old man and burned it.

The tradition is to burn away all you mistakes, regrets and choices. Start new and fresh. I think it not about forgetting your past but accepting and embracing it.

We all Cooked together. ate together, sang together and had fun together.

I realized this is the true essence of festival. Maybe this is the reasons why festivals originated. From time to time in the year we have festivals to remind us of our existence.

Another important part is that after all fun and celebration we together clean up. Having fun is also hard work.

I think I experienced the true essence of festival, I experience togetherness in its pure form.