07/21

9:01 (writing this on 07/22)

Drained. I love how everyday is different. Today, I spent an extra three hours at work creating my charts and graphs. Prior to that, I talked to other scientists about their work to give me a broader understanding on what I should incorporate to my project. I even drank tea with one of the staff and talked about our work! 

I love the working environment in ICRISAT. I can just walk in to another office and have a quick chat. The doors are open for everyone! Sometimes, I think about working for an international research center because of the diversity of thoughts and cultures. I practically learn about the world through my daily conversations. But, then again, I want to see the results of my work. If I do research, the results may not come until a long time! I feel more motivated when I see the direct impact, and research is very similar to public policy. It is tedious work that might not even have direct results, but when the results slowly come together, it is one of the most satisfying feelings! Being in ICRISAT continues to develop my interests and aspirations.

After work, my mind felt dead. When I would talk to people, I felt my head moving in circles (staring at a laptop screen for a long time is no bueno). But, I felt better by the end of the night. Fannie, Mariah, Olivia and I had very enlightening conversations with the other PhD students from the Conference. While talking to Shakti, I realized a lot of positive things about myself:

1) I simply things to make them less overwhelming/complicated

2) I live through the struggle, the pain and the sadness because they only make us stronger people. Mariah once told me that we all have to experience sadness in order to feel utter happiness

3) I live by Jessica's motto of "everything in life is either a great experience or a learning lesson"

4) "We are all a product of our outcome"(Shakti). We think the way we think and act because of our environment. Simple as that.

I have not had a very philosophical conversation like that in a long time. Although I was drained from the day, I greatly enjoyed our late night simpin'.