At the end of last year, I was filled with hopes of capitalizing on the opportunities that came my way. Throughout this year, at every juncture, I believed things couldn’t get any better, yet they continued to improve. Although I hadn’t planned for specific career milestones, I did achieve some along the way. My primary goal was to confront my inner demons and address personal challenges. While I successfully resolved many of them, there were some that proved more elusive.One persistent challenge has been maintaining discipline, and my initial attempt involved a commitment to daily bathing, even in the frigid -4 degrees Celsius weather. Despite a strong start, I faltered and broke the resolution somewhere in the second month of the year. However, in the early second half of the year, I made a conscious decision to transform my life positively. Reflecting on my journey, I realized that using my blog as an outlet to vent and confess my flaws wasn’t conducive to personal growth. Consequently, I chose to pause writing blogs until I addressed some of my character flaws and could share happier news or personal milestones. Reading my blogs felt like a one-sided therapy session, and I wanted to shift the narrative.

Today marks the conclusion of the first half of 2023. As I reflect on these past months, it’s clear that I’ve encountered some challenges. However, I believe that this year has not been in vain. Amidst it all, there are aspects for which I am truly grateful.

One of the bright spots has been my time in Canada. The beauty of this country surrounds me, and each day brings a sense of warmth and positivity. Additionally, I appreciate the work ethic prevalent here, which has propelled me forward. The progress I’ve made is commendable, and although my current domain may not align with my post-graduation plans, I consider myself fortunate to have exceptional supervisors who are not only training me in technical skills but also imparting knowledge about research methodology and problem-solving. This overall experience has boosted my confidence. However, there are still personal challenges I struggle to overcome.

February started with tests and midsems, I could not focus on my work because of the same although somehow I managed to go through the stressful midsem fortnite without much panic this time, although I could have studied a bit more for my electives. Other than this time I was involved in one of my project works and lost a track of time and couldn’t balance time and this time I was struck so deep into one of the projects that when I went home I couldn’t spend time with my family too. Through this, I realized a positive and negative quality of my character. The positive reinforcement was not just self-realization but was through the appreciation of the project mentors. The positive quality was me being stuck to the problem until it is resolved, thus helping me realize my only strength, hard work. The negative being struck to the problem until it is resolved, being cocky and skipping my regular routine, going absolutely off my schedule. And as I speak of this, it can be easily inferred that I still have discipline issues as stated in the previous blog.

The year started with me going to Bhutan on the first day of the year. Probably the nicest time I will have in the whole year, although when I was on the trip I wanted to come back and resume my work and come to campus as the semester already started and I was missing the entire first week of classes. During this trip, I had a lot of time to think, relax and enjoy the trip as well. The weather was chilly but the rooms were cozy and after a whole day of exploring the places I used to love to come to my room and work. To be honest, I was not as excited as the other members on the trip, but now when I think about it, I am not going to have that level of peace and serenity for a long time.