Bye Bye 2023!
~ From the Days of a South Asian girl
Hello everyone! Long time no see… This is the longest I have been without posting any blog posts. In this work, I just want to sum up everything that happened in the last quarter of 2023. One article is not enough to cover everything. But let me try!
September 2023
It felt like I wanted a new look. So I asked a Vietnamese girl from our dormitory building to cut my hair. The initial plan was to just trim my hair. But I ended up asking her to make my hair shorter. It was okay. But for some reason, I feel like my hair doesn’t grow any further…
I won the spring semester school scholarship for the best-performing students. I was happy because I worked hard for it. As a result, I didn’t want to pay the school fees. That was such a relief because I used all my money, including the school fees for my previous trips.😢
For the first time in my university life, right after winning the scholarship, I got a red flag from the school. A few students were hanging out in one of the girls’ rooms after midnight. I was there too (lol). Some boys were smoking, and we were a little loud. Wrong time, wrong place. Two teachers were checking the floors that night. They heard our noise and came to our room. That was very embarrassing. They called all of us the next day to the office. There were three wrongs done by us.
Boys in a girls’ room after midnight
Smoking inside the dorm
Allowing an already-graduated student from our university to live in the dorm for one night (one of the boys had already graduated from the university)
🦺 Anyways, all of us had to write a letter of apology to the school of international education, and later on, I was dismissed because I was a girl and it was okay to stay in another girl’s room after midnight and I don’t smoke.
This semester, we had Computer Vision as one of the subjects, and I liked it.
Charlie Puth came to China. Sadly, I couldn’t buy tickets. It was sold out within minutes.
I met an amazing, cool friend called Dina. She is very outstanding and her life story is something to talk about in the future.
I gave my Chinese mom - Winnie, a memorable gift for her birthday (If was a photoshoot). She loved it so much!
We had a big gala celebration for the mid-autumn festival. I sang a Chinese song with a Vietnamese girl. - Kan Yueliang Pashang Lai. It was a new experience.
October 2023
Had my next trip to Xi’an. It was one of the best and most special trips of my life. I traveled alone for the first time in my life. Traveling alone is nice, but sometimes you feel like traveling with another person will also be a better option because it will be a great help when taking photos.
Started going to the gym for the very first time. I was in good shape when I came to China. But after coming, I gained weight within a very short period. I still donno the reason why. However, I tried so many things and finally ended up getting a gym membership. I don’t regret it because I met three amazing friends from our school gym, plus I enjoyed going to the gym; it is fun!
I participated in the university sports meet. I ran the 400m, the 100m relay, and the shot put. I didn’t win. But all in all, it was a good experience.
Went on a field trip to a new city built in China - Xiong’an.
My birthday - Loved it so much. Winnie took me to the world-famous Tianjin Eye Ferris Wheel. After that, she took me to a local noodle shop, surprised me with a cake, and we ate long noodles. Usually, Chinese people eat long noodles on their birthdays, which symbolizes a long life!
November 2023
Tianjin started getting cold. The temperature dropped to 2-5 degrees Celsius.
Went to the Nankai University branch in TEDA.
The graduation photos were taken.
Nas Daily came to Sri Lanka.
Ate Papaw after a long, long time.
Participated in the International Speech Club contest in Tianjin No.1 Toastmasters Club. Got the 2nd place. Johnson became the first (as always).
December 2023
My first snowfall experience. I loved it so much. FACT: Usually, you don’t feel that cold when it's snowing. But the day after the snow, you will feel so damn cold.
Started my thesis work. My research field is anomaly detection in aerial imaging.
I got selected as one of the emcees for the NEW YEAR GALA 2024. This is the biggest event at the school. All the 6 emcees received beautiful costumes. I got a pink long formal dress. I felt like I was Aurora, the Disney princess.
The year 2023 had been the most successful year for me. For the first time in my life, before ending a year, I got the feeling of accomplishment. It gave me a huge satisfaction and happiness.
2023👉🏽2024 New Year Jump was the best! Dina, Chen Chen, and my new friend Liu Qian, all 4 of us went out of the school to see the New Year fireworks. The whole of Tianjin City was full of people. The sky was full of colorful fireworks. I was so happy. I saw a lot of beautiful fireworks. I screamed out loud. I released all the pressure, stress, and negativity I had. Since I had achieved and passed so many important milestones during the year 2023, I just wanted to live in the moment and end 2023 with a happy face.
Most importantly, choosing the right people to spend special occasions matters a lot. My 2023 ended well because of the amazing friends I have had.
My 2024, New Year Wish For You…
I hope and pray that everyone finds the right circle of friends! Good friends are like stars. They will enlighten your entire life.