25 Comments
User's avatar
Fiza Pirani's avatar

I'll mention a moment of mine: I sat down and talked to my grandparents about what's happening in India. I've been avoiding the conversation, because I'm afraid their opinions might rub me the wrong way (and vice versa). But it was a really thoughtful chat. I learned a lot—and they went upstairs with print-outs of some news articles I recommended.

Expand full comment
Sumera Jiva's avatar

Just found out yesterday that I’m the recipient of the 2020 Deans Excellence Award. Beyond proud of myself.

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 so proud!!

Expand full comment
laura diaz's avatar

I read 21 books this yr (for fun)and am really proud of that.

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

This is huge! It's not easy to fit leisure reading into our crazy lives, especially if it's been a while since you've read for pleasure. Kudos to you! <3

Expand full comment
laura diaz's avatar

ty!!! Joining this newsletter has been rly good for me too. Thank u :)

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

Happy to have you, Laura!

Expand full comment
Alex Rodriguez's avatar

read 15!

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Expand full comment
Farhin's avatar

I have a tendency to personalize events and recently when a moment came up, instead of thinking "What did I do?" I thought, "This isn't about me. I hope that everything is okay with that person."

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

Farhin, that is a major sign of growth and confidence and you should be immensely proud of yourself. It also feels less heavy to carry around, right?

Expand full comment
Farhin's avatar

Thank you!! Yes, for sure :)

Expand full comment
Naziya's avatar

I officially completed my masters degree and now I’m taking time to focus on improving my mental and physical health!

Expand full comment
Ariam Alula's avatar

Naziya, I'm right there w/ you!

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

Major win. Here's to better mental and physical health <3

Expand full comment
Shabnaj Chowdhury's avatar

I’ve been honest about my feelings — to my therapist, my friends, and to myself.

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

And that's not as easy as it might seem from the outside looking in. Good for you, Shabna. (Shabna, right?)

Expand full comment
Aditi Malhotra's avatar

I led sloganeering at a recent peaceful protest in San Francisco that was held in solidarity with protests across India against a new legislation by the country's ruling party that buries between the lines a longstanding anti-Muslim, Hindu-nationalist agenda that relentlessly divisive politics is pushing in the country. In the run-up to this moment, I felt overwhelming anxiety to watch violence in my homeland from afar and felt related guilt for not being able to do more than just be there in spirit. I also moved to the U.S. only 3 years back to pursue international journalism after almost 6 years of being a full-time journalist in India, reporting from the midst of India's democracy through its calm and chaos. All this to say, that the guilt exacerbates an identity-crisis that will feel like a crisis till the time acculturation takes it due course. Thank you for the opportunity to share here!

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

Aditi, thanks SO much for sharing this. I can't express just how much I can relate to that feeling of anxiety and helplessness, but can't imagine how much harder this must be for you. I'd love to talk to you more about trying to find calm amid chaos from afar. Will reach out in the new year, if that's OK? Thank you again for sharing <3

Expand full comment
Nisha Mody's avatar

I felt that a acquaintance that wanted to meet up with me while she was in town was consistently pushing my boundaries, so I told her that it wasn’t a good idea. And I wished her well. I’m so proud of myself because in the past I would have just met up with that person. Listening to my gut it’s a true win for my self-worth.

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

Yesssssss! Good on you for holding the people around you accountable (and helping them grow!) while taking care of yourself. I’m a big believer in only spending leisure time with people who I know are genuinely kind, but like you, that’s something I only learned to embrace as I got older. Proud of you, Nisha 👊🏽

Expand full comment
Alex Rodriguez's avatar

I have not done yet but finallysigned up to foster a dog in 2020

Expand full comment
Fiza Pirani's avatar

OMG OMG OMG. It's a big commitment to make, and you should be very proud of yourself for taking that first step. Fostering is a smart thing to do, especially if you're new to being a pet parent. Are you thinking of adopting a dog in the long run, Alex?

Expand full comment