Amal Memories
“Memories bring back memories bring back you”.
It’s been an amazing 3-month journey here at Amal. Initially, when I joined I was unaware of the fact of what I was getting myself into. My inial few weeks were a rollercoaster of emotions. Crippling anxiety, and fear used to grip me, to be very honest. Whenever the thought of Saturday struck my mind, I used to get shivers down my spine and my heart starts pounding rapidly. This happened for the first couple of weeks when I was not that much familiar with my Amal fellows.
Gradually, as days sped by and I started getting familiarized with the people here at Amal, I began looking forward to the weekends. Speaking up in sessions no longer gave me anxiety. After a month I commenced having good relations with my fellows and actually started enjoying the sessions and group discussions. I began feeling this weird virtual connection with my fellows at Amal which I have never experienced before. Because I am the kind of person who takes very long to make friends and have never had any online friends as well.
“Amal values” was my first ever Project Work here at Amal. It was just the slice of cake I was about to taste and was completely unaware of. I hung this artwork in my room and it always reminds me of the beautiful set of values Amal promotes. I can call myself a woman of principles but I never paid much heed to “values” and their significance in my life until this activity. The way our facilitators pressed and emphasized upon the importance of values in our life opened newer dimensions of thought. I started viewing things from a very different perspective. I started trying my best to reflect the basic values in my actions. This activity had a profound effect on me and my thought process.
Whenever I go out and see my cat, it reminds me of my goal that is to make an “animal shelter”. After this activity, I actually started to believe firmly in my dream becoming a possibility, prior to that it seemed a mere far-fetched dream. I used to fear that if I put this idea out to the world it would be made fun of or not appreciated, hence I always kept it to myself and never disclosed it until this activity. I remember when I first discussed this idea with my learning group I received a very encouraging response from my fellows which was very uplifting for a socially anxious person like me. Although my idea did not get selected for the mega project because of its lack of feasibility and limited time available for the completion of the mega project, this activity gave me the confidence in myself that I can pull this off and would be supported whenever I will start this.
The initial two weeks were great learning for me especially because I have been sitting idly in my home due to the prevailing pandemic. The sense of productivity it gave me was wholesome and fulfilling, which encouraged me to strive and do better in the next sessions and PWs. Also, the unexpected “most thoughtful project work award” encouraged me and ensured that my efforts are worthwhile and not going down the drain.
Prior to joining Amal, I considered myself a purposeless existence and never paid heed to the importance of values in my life. I discovered immense potential within myself. I also discovered that I am actually not that incompassionate as I take myself to be. I learned the significance of small acts of kindness and how profoundly they can impact people and I also learned that every being is capable of exhibiting the traits of kindness. I discovered my creative side while doing different Project Works. I realized that communicating with strangers is not that hard as I used to think. I learned that a smile goes a long way.
I hope that the life-long learning attitude that has been inculcated within me throughout the fellowship never sees the decline and I keep on practicing and promoting a growth mindset. I will try my best to exhibit Amal learnings throughout my life and demonstrate them in a way that others may also follow.
