Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having an awesome week!
I am writing this blog because I believe my interests in writing has strengthened, and I wanted to exemplify those changes by introducing new material on why writing has become more important to me.
After graduating from high school in San Ramon, and now attending University of California, Riverside (UCR), I have learned a lot.
In college, I took the initiative to become apart of the UC Student Mentors - tutoring students, member of multiple Business clubs, Indian Associations and Cancer Awareness groups, along with recent position as a dance member for a Bollywood Hip Hop dance committee.
I am constantly busy with community services and events that I enjoy whole heartedly. In addition to being active in my community, I love writing. I started this blog in my sophomore year, after moving from Canada. And even started an Instagram + YouTube channel for my grandma who was diagnosed with cancer. She posted daily workout videos while I wrote about her cancer experiences. After losing her 6 months ago, and following shortly was losing my grandpa exactly 1 month ago, I started writing about my grandparents. They watched me grow up, and to know I was there for them in their last days makes me feel emotional, yet happy that I am old enough to remember them as I get older.
Writing is one of my favorite passions that I shared with my grandmother, along with my grandpa now and as a hobby. This passion relates to my family because it started for my family.
Here is how:
I wrote a 14 page book on my trip to India. It was summer after 3rd grade when I documented my summer vacation in Delhi, India, visiting my grandparents after 4 years. I didn’t remember much of them from childhood, so I decided to remember my grandparents in the only way I knew; Writing.
Sharing my book to the fourth graders gathered around, I read the first-page titled “My Trip, Co-Author Garvita Pal”. Granted, choosing to call myself a Co-Author when I was the only author wasn’t a J.K Rowling thing to do, but it was a start.
When I moved to California, sophomore year, I worked hard on my first assignment there; a social justice project. I researched Gun Violence, and completed a Spoken Word presentation, where I received my first A in Dougherty Valley. I loved writing, to the point where I combined it with my passion for Business. My school offered 1 business class, but I wanted to learn more. So I took business courses from Coursera and UC Scouts as extracurriculars. I now blog about these courses, additionally journalling my transfer as a new-student, on this website.
Writing allows me to express emotions, and tell stories beyond the mother-tongue. Writing is a unifying force; a way to keep memories alive and communicate across borders. I'm able to keep track of my vacation memories with words, and even display creativity through projects. Writing excites me to transform creativity onto pages, and that is something I love doing in college.
Sharing this start to my writing journey is important to frame the question: Why did I start this blog? Surely it was to share my business passions with the world, maybe even to transform this website into a business website where I sell products in the near future! That indeed was an encouraging part of it. However, I started this blog because I liked blogging. I enjoy sharing my life stories, why I am the way I am and more importantly to learn about myself. I am still growing, and I have yet so much more to know.
To do so, I must understand the present. I must understand now.
What better to live in the moment when you can write about the moment :)