Get to Know the Writer

This week, I decided to do something a little different. I wanted to post an article about Post-Application Stress Management, but I may have used up my creative energy in my writing class. Instead, I have made a “get to know me” post. I want to connect with the people who read my posts and I want them to feel like they know the writer. I’ve spoken a lot about my habits as a student in most of my posts but there are some things I may not have mentioned before.

1. I made a blog to feature some of my short stories back in 2018. I never launched it because I thought I would run out of content and I’m glad I didn’t; otherwise, I wouldn’t have 'Study with Aarushi', and I right now, I can’t imagine my life without it.

2. I love writing fiction. I would have never imagined myself writing for a self-help blog. But when it comes to fiction, I like to make my stories as fantastical as they can be. I like to break the rules of nature and see where the story goes when I do. I don't write as much of realistic fiction because that's what real life is for XD.

3. My best year as a student was Grade 6. I loved every single day of school and felt like I belonged in that class. My report card was almost all A’s or A+’s but I was most proud of the A- I got in French because our French teacher was known to never give a grade above a B+. That was the highlight of my Grade 6 report card.

4. I did an extra semester of Grade 3 and Grade 11 but skipped a semester of Grade 7. I have moved between UAE and Canada 3 times and since the systems work a little differently in both places, I repeated/skipped some parts of my school years. I take the repeating to my advantage because I always know what’s being taught and that helps me ace the class.

5. I have known of my career of choice for a long time but my first real inspiration/idol was Sir Frederick Banting. In Grade 6, we had to make a presentation about a famous Canadian and I chose Dr. Banting because he discovered insulin and found a way to treat Diabetes. I was, and still am, so inspired by his hard work. He did his post-graduation and research at the University of Toronto's St. George Campus and I hope to be able to pursue the same path as him.

6. I can listen to music while doing Math or Biology, but I can’t do Chemistry if there’s any kind of distraction. I’m not entirely sure what the reason behind this is, but it could be because I’m pretty comfortable with Math and Bio and not so much with Grade 12 Chemistry. Regardless, this makes doing Chemistry problems very boring for me.

7. I listen to Taylor Swift and only Taylor Swift, no matter what I’m doing. I have a playlist for Commute, Study Sessions and Sleeping. The one for my commute isn’t very long but it just about as long as it takes me to get to school or home. While sleeping, I listen to her slower, sadder songs and while studying I listen to the more upbeat ones, like her singles.

8. I’m very vocal about politics and my stance on issues in real life. I filter what I say in my blog posts but if I included everything that happens in my weeks as a senior, half the blog post would be my opinion on something a certain orange president said or did.

9. My go-to books to read when I have any free time are the Hunger Games books. I have read them so many times, but each read surprises me with something I had missed previously. I find that they are, also, really close to what we could become if things continue to be the way they are. I love comparing the books to the current scenario and trying to predict how many years we have until my favourite book series becomes reality. There's a fourth book, a prequel, being published in May and I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy.

10. On the same note, one of my favourite stand-alone books is The Handmaid’s Tale. I’m not entirely fond of the writing style but the parallels I could draw, about Women's Rights between the book and reality, were terrifying, to say the least. It was written in the mid-1970s and is still pretty relatable. So, I can conclude I like books that neatly reflect the current political scenario.

I hope this post was as interesting for you to read as it was for me to write. I would love to get to know you so go ahead and comment a fact about yourself, under this post. See you next week. -Aarushi