Photo: Sven Menschel After two years at WUR Resource-blogger Kaavya Raveendran reflects on her time in Wageningen. It transformed her in a certain way.
Inner transformation is a very personal experience. Pause. I am going straight to the point here, but if you are wondering what, I should remind you that this blog is somewhat a sequel to the previous one. Ya so.. we all are wired a certain way but our interaction with a new environment can change many things about us with time. Two years at WUR transformed me a certain way. So here, I would like to elaborate on the positive and negative impact #WURlife has had on me.
It all started with self-discovery. People’s liberal mindset and accepting nature motivated me to break out of the regular and explore my likes, dislikes and taste for life. As I ventured into this I also gained a special sense of confidence to voice out and stand by my opinions regarding societal issues. Self-discovery has always been an overlooked priority. With more urgent and important tasks at hand, this always took a back seat and the importance of it was never felt until I reached WUR. Now the hesitation to express myself has left and pride of who I am has taken over. I am more aware, comfortable and confident in my own skin.
I have always been a proud workaholic for obvious reasons that I love to work. But what I hadn’t realized is that sometimes I used to grind and grind without having fun or just out of my obligation towards something/someone. Notably, now things have taken an interesting turn with my new work mantra. I enjoy the work I do, and I do the work I enjoy! Growing up, I was repeatedly told, “opportunity knocks, but once”, WUR taught me otherwise, ’self-worth’. I have learnt to be selective with what I take up and let the other ones go.
Everyone needs to have a moment where we finally take the leap to doing things right. Mine was at WUR
Lastly, I also realized that I shouldn’t just let time pass by. Instead, I should have the time of my life, each day. It is vital that I am happy with how I spend my time. Spending time at mundane activities is extremely dull and needs to be replaced with things that give you joy. Maybe we need to do Marie Kondo’s tidying up of our daily lives! These may be quite basic changes, but everyone needs to have a moment where we finally take the leap to doing things right. Mine was at WUR.
Growing up in India with vastly varied people has its own wonders and flaws. I changed what I identified to be my flaws. I feel the difference in how I think, how I talk and most importantly how I react. WUR made me fearless- not afraid to stand out. However, it was not all good. An unexpected negative impact has been on the quality of my spoken English. Since the last two years, I’ve had to use simpler vocabulary, smaller sentences and definitely a slower speed for talking, after repeated remarks. So I compensate for that by writing to my heart’s content.