The bundles of joy in my life!

Myra:

My eyes did not move away from the arrivals for those 40 minutes after I got to know that the flight from London had landed. I knew the immigration and other formalities would take time but still, my eyes waited only for her. My sister was finally coming to India after 9 months since Myra was born. I hadn’t seen her in about two years but I was most excited about meeting my nine months old niece, who I only saw on video calls. She was born on 14^th of June, 2014; the day I understood the true meaning of love. A sense of family I never realized better before. Myra- Indian citizen, born in London and brought up in New York!

I finally saw my brother-in-law walking outside. My eyes still searched for my sister and I saw her holding Myra. I went running towards her. “I’ll hug you later!” And I grabbed Myra from her. I hugged the little one tight as close as I could. I couldn’t believe myself that I was finally holding her in my arms. I looked at her and right away, I fell in love. She was looking at my face, still figuring out who this over excited lady was. Then she looked at her mom (my sister) and realized I wasn’t her and started crying for her. I felt a little disappointed, but then I took all the efforts to give her all the comfort and love she wanted to consider me a part of her family. Her acceptance had become so important for me. Seeing the possibilities well up in their eyes as you spend time connecting with them is absolutely priceless. And those were the best moments of my life that I shared with her. We played peek-a-boo and all kinds of games that made her giggle.
Then came the day when we had to part our ways again. This was the worst. I was trying hard not to cry in front of the little one, knowing that I won’t be able to see her again for a longtime. She was smiling as always and waving me goodbye, too innocent to realize. I hugged her for the last time. That’s the day I realized how much better a hug feels when it comes from arms that can barely reach around you!

We continue to Facetime again. I still love the connection I share with her. She took my name recently in the cutest way possible. It is the cutest thing listening to a toddler trying to figure out how to make the sounds of your name with their newly wielded skill of speech. The way she calls me “Neaa Massii” (not a typo) and naming alphabets like I for “Ilooooo” (instead of Igloo) with the widest smile has become my favorite since that day. I try teaching her as many things I can. It makes me feel every bit the cool aunt being a part of helping her develop a rich life full of passions. With her is the most special long distance relationship I share! Something I’ll treasure for lifetime.

Nishka:

She is the daughter of my eldest sister, and unlike with my other sister; I shared the whole journey with her since the day when she got pregnant. I was with her when she went for her first ultrasound. She showed me a picture of the ultrasound and I had no idea what I was looking at. She pointed out at the various points explaining which part of the body it was. Not that I understood much that time, but all I knew then was I was super excited for being around my sister through this journey of hers. And that is what I did. I was around to see the transition of belly size from size 26 to size 36, from weighing 50 kgs to 70kgs! When she threw up for initial months even to smell of food, when she experienced her first baby kicks till the day she left for the hospital to deliver the baby.

I remember it as clear as day. It was my first day at my new workplace, when I heard the news. I remember sitting in the office conference room, getting done with all the joining formalities and I got a call from my mom, “Neha, it’s a baby girl!!” I shouted with excitement at the top of my voice, “What, it’s a girl!!” And all the other colleagues sitting with me in that room started looking at me. The look on their faces was as if I had a baby myself. (Yes, I know doesn’t make sense but well that was the look!)

It was a Monday and I was traveling to the hospital from office in the cab. I remember thinking that it felt like the longest drive ever! It was such a rush of excitement that I had never felt before. The whole ride to the hospital I thought about how I was going to hold the new born. I ran towards her room and opened the door. I instantly was so captivated with the baby smell all around the room. I stood there in amazement. I was ecstatic. I cleansed my hand using as much sanitizer I could use. I went and stood beside her bed watching her sleep. I was so anxious to hold her. She was wrapped up in a clean blanket, and looked so pure like an angel. Bundled up like a little bunny as if she was still in the womb. My brother-in-law set her in my arms and I couldn’t believe she was finally in my arms. I stared into her brown little eyes and knew instantly that I would love this little one forever more than myself.

Since that day, all of my free time is hers. I am amazed at how fond I am of both my nieces. It has been such a new experience for me. Her innocence makes me feel like a little kid again. My relationship with my sisters is unbreakable but the relationship I have with my nieces doesn’t compare to the ones with my sisters. Whenever I am with her, I feel like a kid again. It is so exciting to watch her learn new things every week since she is born. It is a feeling I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

The other day, we both were lying down on the bed. We were having some conversations only me and her understood. And she slept off in my arms that day. I couldn't think or acknowledge anything else around me. The world seemed to stop, hold its place in time, just for that perfect moment. The connection you feel when one of these precious little people surrenders to sleep, feeling safe with you, is completely disarming. When this happens you have no desire to move, to put them in bed or to do anything else but experience the moment.
Being the youngest in my family, it was very difficult to understand why everyone was always so protective about me. I began to understand how and why parents worried so much about me. Watching this little one grow up stirred up the beginnings of parental protective impulses.

The best feeling is coming back home to them. The moment I enter the house, she smiles in the happiest and most welcoming way. It doesn’t matter how low you feel, how much you screwed up at work, or how something else went wrong; when you see your nieces, all that just fades away and you actually feel as cool as they see you. Their optimism is contagious.

If only there was a way to protect them from heartache, danger or any kind of pain, I will do just that in a heartbeat. 

P.S. Some quotes mentioned are taken from one of the posts on: www.lifehack.org

Teach For India - Round II

Based on my online application I was shortlisted for the telephonic interview which was the next step in the selection process. I received an email on the 18^th of February from TFI confirming my candidature to the next stage which was a telephonic interview. And to my surprise the interviewer was himself a Fellow (2012-14) who was teaching, in a school in Yerwada, Pune. My telephonic interview was scheduled on 20^th of February. I had butterflies in stomach but I knew all I could do the best was to be myself and it would be just fine.

 

I was to get the call between 9:00PM - 10:00PM IST. My work timings are 12:00PM - 9:00PM IST so I rushed back home as soon as my shift was over. I opened my laptop and kept the TFI website open; my TFI application file was open and a bottle of water beside me. I played an episode of FRIENDS and waited calmly for the call, munching on to a snicker bar (Intake of sugar is always good to keep one energized and calm). To my surprise, the interviewer did not call till 10:00PM. I was a little tensed then, but I calmly opened my Gmail account and sent my interviewer a mail that I did not receive any call in the time slot allotted. And then I just served myself some food and sat down for dinner; just then I got a call from an unknown number. I find unplanned telephonic interviews extremely crucial, but then I just took a deep breath and answered the call. First, he very politely introduced himself, and then apologized for the delay for the call, narrated a bit about the whole Teach for India movement. Also he informed me that he will be typing down every answer of mine and thus, to spare him few moments after every answer.

During the interview, I firstly listened to every question asked carefully and then took a moment or two to collect my thoughts and then answered confidently. I got quite some time since he also took a few moments to type down whatever I said.

The questions he asked were pretty obvious. To mention a few of them;

1) Why do you want to be a Teach for India Fellow?

2) Why Teach For India and not anything else?

3) Narrate an incident where you displayed your leadership qualities.

4) What qualities are you looking forward to develop within you at TFI?

5) What goals would you want to achieve in the two year of the fellowship?

6) How would you like to manage your classroom differently than the others?

7) What qualities or values would you like to bring within the kids at your school?

8) What will be your short and long term goals are TFI?

9) Narrate a situation where you managed some problem or any situation by yourself and also mention if you succeeded at doing so and how you felt about it?

And few more, I don’t exactly remember. The interview went on for about 45minutes. At the end, he asked me if I had any questions to which I inquired as to how many applicants have been invited to the second round and how many final fellowship offers does TFI intend to make this year. He told me that TFI has no specific number as to how many offers would be made or so, TFI strictly goes for quality. Also, he told that there were approximately 35-40,000 applicants this year and about 7-10% is offered fellowship.

My interviewer also informed me that I would be getting my results in a fortnight’s time and roughly after a week, I got this message from TFI confirming my progress to the next round - Assessment Centre.

The message:

Dear Neha,

Congratulations! We are delighted to invite you to the final stage of our selection process for the 2014 Fellowship – the Assessment Center! Our process is highly selective and this year less than 30% of all Applicants have reached this final stage. We were impressed by your leadership, achievement and commitment to this movement.

The Assessment Center is an opportunity for us to meet you in person and to find out more about your experiences and interest in Teach For India. It is also a great opportunity for you to meet us and other like-minded Applicants.

I badly want to be a part of TFI and when I got the mail confirming my admit I was screamed so loud, my roommates almost freaked out! The last round to go now, this will be happening around mid-March. Fingers crossed!! :)

One of those annoying days!

Does it ever happen that you just wake in a really bad mood already? Maybe coz of a bad depressing dream or nightmare, or the anxiety of long awaited results, or fear of being unemployed! And sometimes you yourself aren’t even aware of the reason? This makes it even more annoying!! I mean think of being annoyed for no reason at all…I mean you can’t even figure out what could help! Still you drag yourself to work & try to work, but somehow every unsatisfied colleague has to complain to you on the same day. Everyone sounds just so irritated and is out just to annoy you.

Well to put it across, “When you’re in a foul mood, everything is bad.” (Read this somewhere!)

I love my mornings to be beautiful and peaceful. A bad morning can possibly affect my whole day mood and it’s really not my preference.

Umm…I think I just need to figure out what would help me cheer up: A strong coffee, a happy song, some particular person, browsing through old photographs, writing, chocolates? I think I’ll go with loads of chocolates today. I don’t know why but a huge intake of calories always makes up my mood! Loll.

A few days back, in one of these same days, I started sketching at work, and it literally helped big-time!! :D This was what I drew..

 Anyways, sorry for the ramble guys, but had to get this out somewhere if not personally on anyone. Hope the rest of you are having a good day!  :)

Teach For India

"What motivated you to apply to TFI and why is it important to you that you are accepted onto the Fellowship?"

I have a very close friend currently working in Mumbai TFI, as a Design Associate, who told me about how fulfilling the fellowship is but also made it very clear about how dedicated one has to be to survive here since the program is very demanding, difficult and rigorous. I am self motivated & driven, want to empower the future of tomorrow which is these children. My life's values & objectives match the organization's goals. 

I have hardly made any contributions towards my country till date. Though in around mid 2011, when Anna Hazare organized a hunger strike at Delhi to support the “Jan Lokpal Bill”; there was a rally carried out that time in almost every city in India. I too participated in the candle light walk from Kothrud to Parvati and also volunteered in the distribution of leaflets about the awareness for the Lokpal Bill. In the short term, kids should become loving, compassionate, understanding. They should have time to study, play games for their well-being and pass on the positivity & confidence to everyone around them. 

Talking about long term I would say, these kids are the future of our country and what we teach them today is what will be carried forward by them and passed on to the generations ahead. These kids can be the change we want to see in the country & can help us get to a better position in the long term.

Success for me in TFI will be bringing a difference in the lives of the small kids. I would strive to work hard towards all these parameters & give the kids the best I have. I want to educate them & help them differentiate between rights & wrong so that they learn & then make their decisions themselves. I am sure that managing a child's mental frame of mind will be a serious challenge initially. I wish to get them out of their emotionally distressed life and get them to motivate themselves. Learning and teaching is the best way to excite one’s imagination. I am sure of achieving these goals because The fellowship will be more of an emotional & intellectual success you can say.

I want to join “Teach for India” because here I’ll meet all diversified people but with same purpose of working towards a better future for those kids. A child can get an instant smile on my face, their innocence and their persistence to learn and grow is surprising. So I would just like to end it short and sweet that I want to be here because I know I will surely love it and do justice to those kids.

Day 11: My views on drugs & alcohol

Well, to start with this interesting topic; I was exposed to alcohol when I came to Pune for my graduation, when I did go out for dinner with my friends or spent time at my friends' houses and they'd have drinks and hookah. That was a time when I used to think bad about people who drank. Then eventually I realized that I couldn’t judge people based on that and today I do have many close friends who drink.

As I got more familiar with this place and this lifestyle, I saw teenagers who drank out of their minds and felt a little embarrassed, some who had done something while wasted and then regretted later. Some just do it to fill up their social profile pages with photos of them and their friends holding glasses of cocktails and beer bottles. They think it’s glamorous. Well, it’s really not!

I won’t deny that drinking is not at all bad. But getting addicted to it or making it just a glamorous habit could turn things bad.

Don’t get me wrong, I am no one to judge anyone by their habits but when it comes to drugs, that is a big NO NO for me! And I just can’t help but get this negative feeling about it and also about people who use them.

I’ve heard about youngsters committing suicide after taking drugs and experiencing hallucinations and many more negative things. So I could never be in a relationship with a guy who uses them; in fact I even can’t be good friends with them, it starts bothering me somewhere!

But at the end of the day, I'm never going to tell anyone what to do unless it is affecting me in a negative way.