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...A Window to my Past...

by Nagma K. 18. October 2010 02:15

Hello world! I finally came out of my own crafted cocoon inside the lovely dorm room that I call home right now. It’s been longer than a week and I’ve been dying to get back to writing (expos does not count). I think it’s because I’ve listened to “A Window to the Past” – John Williams for Harry Potter about a hundred times by now, but I’m just feeling really nostalgic.

It seems like only yesterday I had started out my applications for university… from running from one teacher to another for recommendations, to writing out those intense application essays, to trying to cope with stress from high school, applying for scholarships, still being present at family events & gatherings… it was a whirlwind of a year. I never looked back, and I’m glad I didn’t because it helped me gain the right momentum to push myself forward into university. It was a hard decision, but I chose Rutgers. And I’m glad I did. It was a worthwhile decision - living on beautiful Douglass (even though commuting to Busch can be a pain) with friends that I would do anything for, to the lectures and classes and finally to the moments spent in between getting to know myself better, it’s been great so far.

Everyone always says “Woah! Rutgers is so huge, wouldn’t it be easier in a smaller college?,” they are wrong. Yes, a smaller college gives you a more comforting feel, but it doesn’t teach you the same lessons a large university can. It doesn’t teach you to control the extent of your independence; it doesn’t teach you how to find your unique individual amongst thousands of others. Rutgers does that. The real world is going to be larger than Rutgers with many more people competing for the same job; it’s not going to be the size of your average sized college. I’m glad I came here because it’s almost like preparation for the real world.

I’ve also realized that there are times when you really need to let go, with all that stress there needs to be some venting. So, I’m going for Garba this weekend at Livingston, an event hosted by RU AIR! If anyone did not know this, it’s a form of dance that originates from Gujarat, India. For an appropriate explanation about the traditional dance check this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garba_(dance)

Really excited to meet all the bloggers and Lee tomorrow, although I might be a tad bit late J

Take care

Love,

Nagma

PS: Really listen to this music, its so beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYsxWxywqWA


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Comments

David_Alexis United States
10/18/2010 12:30:17 PM #

Amazing post as usual. Mad excited to meet you guys today.

nagmak United States
10/18/2010 3:05:00 PM #

Laughing Thanks
Me too, extremely excited.

lee United States
10/18/2010 3:30:21 PM #

We'll be there, Nagma!  

Priya United States
1/22/2011 5:50:19 PM #

Hi Nagma,
This is Priya. I just got into Rutgers and I would love to know the difference between life as a student living on campus and out of campus. How are Indians at Rutgers?

David_Alexis United States
1/22/2011 11:05:10 PM #

Hey Nagma, if you don't mind I'll squash this one.

What's up Priya. I was a blogger last year. I lived in the Livingston Quads as a freshman and last semester I lived in Campbell Hall on College Avenue. This semester, I'm commuting.
It's kind of weird not living on campus this time around, in the sense that you have nowhere to go at the end of the day besides your own house. Also, even though you can make friends with people in your classes, the community feeling of having a group of people you'll see every day (i.e. floormates) just isn't there. (And I visit my old friends almost every day and it's still limited) Also, depending on how far from RU you live, it takes some energy to go back and forth every weekday. I don't hate it, but I definitely prefer dorming. I like being around my friends constantly. Plus, it's definitely easier to study and knock out other late-night activities when you dorm: dance, takeout runs, club meetings, etc.

As for RU's Indian community, all I can tell you is that there are plenty of organizations that center around the culture, and if you just join one I'm sure you will make tons of friends - because if they're there, that means they have the same interests. Feel free to check out http://getinvolved.rutgers.edu/ for more info! (Or, maybe Nagma can answer that particular question lol.)

nagmak United States
2/20/2011 1:20:36 PM #

Thanks David!

I couldn't have said it any better myself Smile

The Indian community is really really big at Rutgers, there are a lot of clubs devoted to the different cultures and traditions of different parts of India. For example: There is DIYA for South Asian students who want to maintain their tradition and culture away from home. If you're musically inclined or just want to develop your talent, there is RU SWARA (for both Hindustani & Carnatic vocal). There is a solely community service oriented group called Thaakat Foundation. There are just so many Indian clubs, it'll be hard to choose Laughing
David's right, the best way is to go to http://getinvolved.rutgers.edu/organizations/find-an-organization/
and look through the pages/categories and read the descriptions of the clubs you might want to join. Then, either send them an email or just go in to their general meetings and decide whether it is for you or not.

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