Throughout my life, I have heard people speak about how their college days were the best days of their lives. Right from the time when my history teacher threw chalk at me, followed by the age-old dialogue, “this isn't a college, act right!” I had realized I could not reflect my understanding of so-called college life until I experienced it myself.
It all began in September of 2020, the day I installed Microsoft Teams to attend the first orientation/ the first official class of this new college which I have never even been to. The whole layout of Microsoft Teams is organized in such a disorganized manner; there is so much happening in that utterly mystifying app that I still cannot wrap my head around. The Internet can prove to be so convenient yet manipulative at times. My classmates had become Participants, with our initials being the only identity to be known through the screens of 120 devices. Little did we know, this curious way of living would become our way of life.
As regular classes commenced, things slowly fell in line. Not the way I wanted, I would say, but reckoning the fact that it isn't just me, but the whole world conversing with these faceless voices as their teachers, helped a lot. Other than that, the campus of my college, the place where I'd have connected with my classmates, had taken the form of Instagram and Whatsapp. In hindsight, these apps are not as bad when it comes to associating, but I'd have rather connected with someone over a Vada pav than being tagged in the same post.
Your story may, or may not be like mine, but one thing is for sure—we, the warriors of the ‘After Effects of the Pandemic,’ are the paradigm of the global village. Education has become much more diverse now. In the run of waking up every morning and hopelessly switching on the laptop and setting an alarm before sleeping, e-learning has definitely narrowed down the differences in adaptability. Having the power to explore a wider range of grounds has taught students like me to always be hopeful for the awaiting future.
Over the time from the first class of FY, I met such cool people and made some amazing friends who did not mind reminding me to log in to the morning lecture. Now that’s something. With each step, or if I may say, with each click, I was accepting what was happening around me. Besides, I cherish every bit of it. If not over a shared meal, I am immensely grateful for every late-night zoom meet I have had with my friends. If not in a real theatre, I am extremely thankful for the seniors to take the time and conduct online drama team sessions for us. If not on a real whiteboard, I will always appreciate our teachers preparing online presentations and video content to share with the class. Even if 70 percent of this article is my grumbling about the online technicalities, in the transition from FY to SY, I have changed so much as a person; moreover, I have learned to value and procure every kind of Change, big or small. Which so far, I feel is the biggest change in me.
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