Becoming familiar with the unfamiliarity – First week in Lucknow
Contributed by: Samiksha Raperia
Dated: 22nd July, 2017
First job, new city and a new face…Seemed a lot for an introvert like me but this is what I always wanted to do. I wanted a change in my life which is to get out of my comfort zone and explore the unexplored part of my life. And this week has made me realise that this is probably one of best decisions of my life (I know I might be judging it way too soon but one thing I am sure of is that I am going to learn a lot here in Lucknow with an amalgam of good and bad).
This week has been like a roller coaster of emotions for me in terms of personal as well as professional life. Before shifting here from Delhi, I had mentally prepared myself that I am not going to stress and cry over little things (I cry a lot ;p) and yes I successfully did it despite facing a lot of issues (cried only once in this week). This will probably sound funny but yes I am proud of myself for being able to cope with the stress and challenges.
This particular week has given me various opportunities to be able to proud of myself be it learning to drive scooty (overcoming my fear and getting out on the road), buying groceries for myself alone, looking for a pg on my own (without stressing or probably a bit) and especially getting out of my comfort zone and talking to people :p (Yes, this has been a challenge too..I like to be alone and enjoy my own company..I tend to avoid social gatherings) but at project KHEL in this one week I have done a lot of things out of my zone be it food walk or going for a stand-up comedian show with so many people around.
At first, I was sceptical about this big change in my life but I believe the team here at Project KHEL has made it easy for me by always being there. They have given me the space for feeling comfortable, time to grow at my pace and at the same time giving me opportunities to challenge myself and step out of my comfort zone. I remember one of my first MIM sessions here at project KHEL, I was highly disappointed with myself as of what went wrong and why couldn’t I sustain the attention of children but later on I was informed of how it was pre-planned to get me a taste of failure. This particular session made me think and realise the importance of a good facilitator and constructive criticism. I believe this was not my best and probably I can never be at my best as there will be always a scope to learn more. So, each session at Project KHEL has a learning component for not only children but facilitators as well which are rare to find.
Moreover, my connect with sports was somewhere lost after I completed graduation and went for higher studies but working here has brought me back closer to the part of my life which once mattered the most to me. Though during those days I never realised the importance of sports and only played for fun, now I am realising how it’s an innovative and fun way to engage with children and make them learn.
There are a lot of stories or probably moments which can be shared from this one week experience. One thing which will always bring joy to me is seeing children smiling and enjoying themselves in the sessions.