Introduction Post!

     Hey everyone, I'm Rishikaa. I am currently a junior at OU. I was born and bought up in India and came to America for college. I am majoring in Asian Studies. I have always wanted to work in the educational sector and specifically wanted to work for students in Asian countries, writing better curriculums and stuff, but I am not sure anymore. I have recently been very keen on studying the south and east Asian cultures in general- both their history and politics. I am not sure what I can do with these interests, so I am a little lost. Still, I am planning to go with the flow and not stress much. 

Visiting a temple. 2019, Monmouth, Illinois. 


    Last semester got a little too depressing for me, probably because of major changes due to Covid-19, so I took a semester off and went back home. That was very refreshing. I visited my friends and traveled south India (with all the safety precautions). For the first time, I visited Chennai, visited old churches, temples, and mosques, went to museums, and appreciated old architecture. I realized I really enjoy studying South Asian culture, and I also realized that it is perfectly okay to be a little lost in your early 20s. 
      I used to have a puppy here in Norman. I named him Raja. I had to rehome him as there were issues and I could not take him with me to India. Don't worry, he went to a very good family and I do visit him! I also have two dogs back home in India and they were overjoyed seeing me. I did spend my winters soaking in the sun and playing with my dogs. 


Andy and I when Maa said, "food is ready." 2020, Rohtak, Haryana. 


Raja in Norman, Oklahoma. June 2020.


Andy and Donny at home. November 2020, Rohtak, Haryana.

 I love watching Anime, K-dramas, C-dramas, Bollywood movies in my free time. 2020 was a great year for anime. I recently bought a Nintendo switch and have been obsessed with Animal Crossing and the Zelda games. If you play ACNH, let's visit each others' islands! I also read a lot of books, as 5 months was a lot of free time. One of my favorite reads was- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. After a very rocky year, I am back and very excited for this Spring semester. Let's do this! 
    

Comments

  1. Hi Rishikaa! Traveling to India is something that I want to do! Reading your post makes me more eager to do it. Your dogs are so cute; I just want to pet them through my screen. I love amine and k-drama: the last one I watched is True Beauty. I bought a Nintendo Switch when we were in lockdown and played ACNH & Mario Odyssey a lot (I was obsessed). But because of school, I have not so much to play ☹. Hope you’re having a wonderful day!

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  2. Hello Rashikaa! This course seems right up your alley! It's really cool that you get to study various cultures here at OU, I find that type of content very fascinating. It seems like you had a good time when you went back home, that type of stuff makes me very happy. I miss my family often and I am only a 3 hour drive away, I can only imagine how tough it can be for you. You must be a very emotionally strong individual! Also, I just had to mention that all of the dogs are adorable!

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  3. Hey Rishikaa! It’s so nice to meet you! First of all, as a senior about to graduate, it’s so comforting to hear someone else say that it’s okay to be a little bit lost in your 20s. Covid sent me into a tailspin, too, and I’m really not sure what I’m doing right now. It’ll be okay, though! There’s a whole world to explore! Your dogs are absolutely precious. I really want to get a dog this year if it’s economically feasible. I am ALSO obsessed with Zelda games. I logged WAY too many hours on Breath of the Wild this summer. The FIRST thing I when I went home for quarantine was go to Target and buy a Switch. I’d been hoping to get one on sale but I had a feeling I would need it. Honestly probably one of the best impulse buys ever. I played Animal Crossing a lot during quarantine, but I haven’t pulled it out in a while. Maybe your post will inspire me to get my island cleaned up!

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  4. Hi Rishikaa. I really like the pictures of your pets. I really like dogs, and I think it is cool you have a lot of really fun looking ones. I am really into history, so I think it is really cool that you were able to travel and visit a lot of historical and religious sites. And I hope to do some traveling of my own once this pandemic is over.

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  5. Hi Rishikaa! Your dogs are adorable! I read your comment on my blog about how your major changed from english to psychology to now Asian studies and I am so happy you found something you enjoy. I hope this semester is better for you compared to your last and I'm happy you are back and feeling refreshed and ready to go!

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  6. Hi Rishikaa! First off, I am so sorry about Raja, but I am glad you get to visit him! I love how you came here from India for college. My family is from Gujarat, so I love seeing fellow Indian students at OU. I love watching Bollywood movies also. Which one is your favorite? I personally love any movie starring Deepika Padukone. I also love ACNH! I played it so much when it first came out in March, but I haven't played it in a while due to school. We should definitely visit each other's islands though!

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  7. Hi Rishikaa! I feel your pain about leaving a dog behind, I lived with a Shiba Inu pup for a while until it was rehomed, and I miss having its little presence running around the house sometimes. I'm also a really big anime fan, and just started watching kdramas! I finished Start-Up as my first one, and really recommend it if you haven't hopped on the hype train yet.

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  8. Hey Rishikaa! I am super sorry that COVID disrupted your experience here at OU, but I am glad you were able to make the best of your time back home and return to OU now. I used to have a Nintendo GameCube and Wii, but I switched to Xbox so I do not have a Switch (or Animal Crossing, but I heard a lot about it back in early months of the pandemic). I hope this semester goes well for you and helps you figure out your career plans!

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  9. It is so great to have someone in class who grew up in India, Rishikaa: how wonderful! And of course India and all of south Asia are such an important part of Asia. I keep hoping that we will see more and more south Asian classes being offered at OU in the coming years. I went to school at Berkeley where they have so much great south Asian faculty and courses; I studied Sanskrit there, and they offer lots of south Asian languages! South Asian Studies at Berkeley
    And how great that you were able to use this strange year to do some traveling. If being lost in your twenties means visiting Chennai and other beautiful places in India, north and south. I would really like to learn more about Tamil literature; one of the best books I read last year was a retelling of a Tamil classic: The Prince by Samhita Arni... I read that and I just thought, wow, I have to learn more about Tamil literature! It's nice being a book nerd because there are always more wonderful books to read.

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  10. Hey Rishikaa! That's so cool that you're from India and came here for college. I think it's awesome that you are so passionate about your culture and history. I was lucky enough to visit Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam back in 2018 and I absolutely loved my time there. India has always been a bucket-list destination for me, especially since one of my best friends throughout middle school and high school was Indian. You seem super cool and I hope you have a great semester!

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  11. Hey Rishikaa!

    I think it is wonderful that you came to America for college. I once visited India when I was 11 years old and absolutely loved it there. Honestly, there are a lot of people I know that are seniors and still have no idea what they want to do. I believe that going with with the flow and not stressing is all you can do for the time being. It is good that you knew you needed to take a semester off, otherwise you would have burned yourself out before the new semester even began. Raja is so cute! At least you found him a loving home. I love watching anime as well!

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  12. Hi Rishikaa!
    I am glad that you decided to destress and return to India. I hope that you found your time there calming and are replenished for this semester! Your puppy Raja is SO cute! That picture with him as a small pup is so adorable. Andy and Donny are also so cute though! I hope that you find what you want to do in time, but trying to force yourself into a career is not the way to go! I definitely think that you going with the flow and just slowly figuring out what you want to do with your future is good for you and your mental health. I hope you are having a good semester!

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  13. Hi Rishikaa!
    It's all good not to have a solid idea of what you want to do yet. I'm almost graduating and i still don't have a clue, but not stressing about it is what's keeping me grounded. You seem to have a very focused interest, so I'm sure you'll figure it out soon. Moving back home for the pandemic was a good call, especially if it was to benefit your mental health. I'm sorry you could not take Raja with you, but I'm glad she's in a good and loving home and that you can still visit her! She's really adorable by the way! Also, The Glass Castle - fantastic book. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember enjoying it a lot.

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  14. Hi Rishikaa! I totally understand feeling lost lately and also know a bit about changing majors. I really like your "go with the flow" attitude and that is what I try to keep up with. Your semester off sounds like so much fun! I love traveling and am a little jealous since it has been so long since I could. I love the pictures! Raja looks so precious and makes me miss my dogs! I hope you have a great semester back!

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  15. Hi Rishikaa! I think it is so neat how you came to America for college! I am so sorry that COVID disrupted your experience here at OU. I am happy to hear that you took a semester off and went back home, it’s so important to take care of ourselves and our mental health!! I can’t imagine how hard it was to rehome Raja even though it was the best thing to do. I am glad you get to still visit him!

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  16. Hey Rishikaa! Covid-19 took a huge toll on all of us the past year and it is totally fine to take sometimes to recover from it. I find it amazing that you know what you want to study. I think that having compassion in what you are learning is important as well. What amazing photos of the dogs, they are adorable and very nice.

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  17. Hey Rishikaa!

    I wish I had taken last semester off. I was already set back a semester from the classes I needed not being offered remotely, but not taking classes would have also meant I couldn't keep my job. Getting the chance to go back home and relax must have been nice! I'm hoping I get a chance to take a small break to relax before graduating and job hunting.

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