December 2021
An Irish Life. (Image courtesy: Gogoal Falia)
This time in 2020, I was living in the Republic of Ireland. Lockdown was still in place, thousands were getting infected in the country and across the European Union, while other parts of the world were doing worse. There was uncertainty everywhere. You could hear of someone’s loved one dying every day. My friends lost members of their family; I was, however, fortunate. My family and dear ones were well. Vaccines weren’t a thing yet, although anticipation of the same made people both excited and cautious. “Anything to end this f****** lockdown,” said a dear friend of mine. Amidst all this chaos, I decided that it was time for me to pursue a doctoral program in healthcare, so that I could help not a few, but millions. Interestingly, unlike many, Aggieland was not my only choice or a certainty. I serendipitously stumbled upon it when I was looking at the SOPHAS page and then followed up on the great work being done here. Somehow, it felt right, and I applied.
I have lived the past 14 years of my life away from my hometown – often thousands of miles away for years. This has taught me the value of embracing the people and culture I am part of. Ireland is truly a special place. It gave me friends, love, joy, and sorrows. The sense of belonging the Emerald Isles of Éire gave me is incomparable. I am sure you’ve all had similar experiences and can relate to my words. It’s a feeling similar to leaving a town you lived in or a state or a house you grew up in. Thus, dear reader, I hope you can imagine my feeling when I left those wild Atlantic shores to come to Aggieland. It is easier to leave a place you know you will come back to, for example with India, as my family lives there. It was easy. In Ireland however, when I left a life amidst the pandemic, it was as if I left a part of me there. So, my journey to Aggieland was not just excitement but a sense of longing for a life lived and now left behind.
When I look at these past few months of my life in Aggieland, I feel the same sense of belonging. The school, College Station, and the people here have given me a lot, especially their kindness and patience. It is never easy to move to a new place, dear reader. Trust me, I know. Yet, I remember the kindness of officers at the airport, the generosity of my professors (who gave me their football game tickets), the warmth of my colleagues, and the never-ending colors of student life at Rudder. Even the lone cowboy preacher who proselytizes every week, with almost no one ever paying heed to him, these things have become my new life here. Has it been easy? Like everything, it has been a bumpy ride. Losing someone special in this transformation was heartbreaking. A multitude of plans that didn’t pan out hurt. A hectic academic life is tiring at times. There have been challenges, of course.
Despite it all, I am wiser than I was earlier this year. I have seen and learned to appreciate the differences between India, Ireland, the U.S., its people, culture, and education systems. Last but not the least, I have received this opportunity here as a Blog Ambassador to share my life with you. Thank you, dear readers. This is what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving month.
While this will be the last blog for 2021, I hope to return in 2022 to share my life and words with everyone here. While most of you will be with your loved ones during the holidays, I would ask one thing from you: spare a thought for those classmates and colleagues of yours who are alone by themselves, thousands of miles away from home. Give them a call, or text, or even invite them for a hearty meal. That is how memories are made, and no better place to make memories than in Aggieland.
As I conclude my blog, I share with you the song “Go Now,” by Adam Levine, from my favorite movie, Sing Street (2016):
“…Go on, be wrong
'Cause tomorrow you'll be right
Don't sit around and talk it over
You're running out of time
Just face ahead
No going back now…”
These words still remind me of the gigantic step I took when I turned in that application form to Texas A&M, for the slightest doubts I had gave way to a determination to succeed and prosper in a new land and new beginnings. I hope these words, this song, and this movie resonates with you the way it does with me.
Thank you, Aggieland.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, Happy Holidays to others.
Happy Thanksgiving and a very Happy New Year to y’all.
Gig ‘em Aggies!
– Gogoal Falia
Gogoal is a first-year Ph.D. student in the School of Public Health.
This time in 2020, I was living in the Republic of Ireland. Lockdown was still in place, thousands were getting infected in the country and across the European Union, while other parts of the world were doing worse. There was uncertainty everywhere. You could hear of someone’s loved one dying every day. My friends lost members of their family; I was, however, fortunate. My family and dear ones were well. Vaccines weren’t a thing yet, although anticipation of the same made people both excited and cautious. “Anything to end this f****** lockdown,” said a dear friend of mine. Amidst all this chaos, I decided that it was time for me to pursue a doctoral program in healthcare, so that I could help not a few, but millions. Interestingly, unlike many, Aggieland was not my only choice or a certainty. I serendipitously stumbled upon it when I was looking at the SOPHAS page and then followed up on the great work being done here. Somehow, it felt right, and I applied.
I have lived the past 14 years of my life away from my hometown – often thousands of miles away for years. This has taught me the value of embracing the people and culture I am part of. Ireland is truly a special place. It gave me friends, love, joy, and sorrows. The sense of belonging the Emerald Isles of Éire gave me is incomparable. I am sure you’ve all had similar experiences and can relate to my words. It’s a feeling similar to leaving a town you lived in or a state or a house you grew up in. Thus, dear reader, I hope you can imagine my feeling when I left those wild Atlantic shores to come to Aggieland. It is easier to leave a place you know you will come back to, for example with India, as my family lives there. It was easy. In Ireland however, when I left a life amidst the pandemic, it was as if I left a part of me there. So, my journey to Aggieland was not just excitement but a sense of longing for a life lived and now left behind.
When I look at these past few months of my life in Aggieland, I feel the same sense of belonging. The school, College Station, and the people here have given me a lot, especially their kindness and patience. It is never easy to move to a new place, dear reader. Trust me, I know. Yet, I remember the kindness of officers at the airport, the generosity of my professors (who gave me their football game tickets), the warmth of my colleagues, and the never-ending colors of student life at Rudder. Even the lone cowboy preacher who proselytizes every week, with almost no one ever paying heed to him, these things have become my new life here. Has it been easy? Like everything, it has been a bumpy ride. Losing someone special in this transformation was heartbreaking. A multitude of plans that didn’t pan out hurt. A hectic academic life is tiring at times. There have been challenges, of course.
Despite it all, I am wiser than I was earlier this year. I have seen and learned to appreciate the differences between India, Ireland, the U.S., its people, culture, and education systems. Last but not the least, I have received this opportunity here as a Blog Ambassador to share my life with you. Thank you, dear readers. This is what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving month.
While this will be the last blog for 2021, I hope to return in 2022 to share my life and words with everyone here. While most of you will be with your loved ones during the holidays, I would ask one thing from you: spare a thought for those classmates and colleagues of yours who are alone by themselves, thousands of miles away from home. Give them a call, or text, or even invite them for a hearty meal. That is how memories are made, and no better place to make memories than in Aggieland.
As I conclude my blog, I share with you the song “Go Now,” by Adam Levine, from my favorite movie, Sing Street (2016):
“…Go on, be wrong
'Cause tomorrow you'll be right
Don't sit around and talk it over
You're running out of time
Just face ahead
No going back now…”
These words still remind me of the gigantic step I took when I turned in that application form to Texas A&M, for the slightest doubts I had gave way to a determination to succeed and prosper in a new land and new beginnings. I hope these words, this song, and this movie resonates with you the way it does with me.
Thank you, Aggieland.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, Happy Holidays to others.
Happy Thanksgiving and a very Happy New Year to y’all.
Gig ‘em Aggies!
– Gogoal Falia
Gogoal is a first-year Ph.D. student in the School of Public Health.