Category: COVID

Entering 8th Grade

This year, I’m going into 8th grade, the last year of middle school. I’m really excited for this year and the opportunities and activities it’ll bring.

First of all, I’m going to be a leader this year. Leaders help educate 6th and 7th graders about everyday lessons in the mornings and create a bright and positive attitude for the school. I’ve already been involved in some training for that over the summer and I’ve also been helping out around the school as everyone’s been starting to get ready for the next school year. I am really excited to take my role as a leader this year and do my part for the school.

Secondly, I am going to be in UIL theater this year! UIL stands for University Interscholastic League and it is overall a competitive field. There are many subjects that are UIL, for example UIL English or UIL Math. Out of these, my school offers UIL Theater as an option for 8th graders. I was accepted into UIL theater and therefore, will be able to compete this year. I’m super excited to see what my friends and I can come up with!

Along with UIL theater, I get to do theater classes next year! These classes are run by the Theater Under the Stars program (aka TUTS). This program regularly puts on amazing musicals and plays, so I know this camp will be really fun. In the camp, I’ll learn how to develop a character better, along with tips for improv (making up a skit on the spot) and cold reading (reading material that’s just been handed to you). I am really excited!

What are some things you’re excited for that are coming up soon?

My Favorite Indie Bookstores: Blue Willow

Indie bookstores are amazing ways to find new books. I love visiting them and finding new books to enjoy. Because of this, I decided to create a new series about some of the indie bookstores I love. I’ve decided to start with one of my favorite local bookstores- Blue Willow Bookshop.

Blue Willow Bookshop hosts many events, all of which are extremely entertaining. They’ve been hosting the Tween’s Read for a few years now, which is something I really enjoy visiting. Also, during COVID, they scheduled many author visits for the new books releasing during the pandemic. Some of my favorites have been with Rick Riordan, Rick Riordan Presents authors, and a one-on-one session with Soman Chainani.

I also love the atmosphere of Blue Willow. The shop is cozy and comforting and you can feel perfectly at ease within the shelves. All of the workers are helpful and they are always ready to lend you a hand.

What’s your favorite indie bookstore?

Online School

Recently, in my English class, we had to write a selection of essays about a given topic. I decided to share with you my expository essay on the topic of Has online school affected students negatively or positively?

I tap at my keyboard frantically, hoping for at least a flicker of life. When none comes, I groan and reach for the charging cables, hoping that I won’t miss too much. I believe online school has negatively affected students by making them lazy, reliant on slideshows, and inactive classroom members.

“Please turn your cameras on, please!” begs my dance teacher as the warm-up sequence begins. Online school has made students lazy, especially in their gym classes. The teacher can’t tell what is happening unless the students put their cameras on, which most of the time, they don’t. It’s hard for the teachers and isn’t a good habit to develop in students.

I sort through the slides, realizing that I would have memorized them better if I had written them down. Online school has made students reliant on slideshows. When students have all of their information on Google Slides or Peardeck, they see no reason to take notes. Taking notes helps many people memorize information and without those notes, getting good grades is harder.

I frown as I’m the only one raising my hand for the third time in a row. Online school has made students inactive in their classes. Many times, there are only 2-3 people who participate, while in in-person school, everyone gets a chance to share their opinions. Students who don’t participate much in online school also probably don’t participate in in-person school either, so this has affected teachers.

I groan as I realize how much I’ve missed in the few moments my computer was dead, then belatedly realize I was unmuted. I believe online school has negatively affected students by making them lazy, reliant on slideshows, and inactive students.

I hope you enjoyed! What’s your view on online school?

Chennai

Days lazing at home
AC on, and so is the TV
Cuddled up close with my family
I’m finally in Chennai

Eating home-made food
Reading my old comfort books
Peaceful as can be
I’m back in Chennai

Family all around
Reconnecting face-to-face
No need for tiny screens
I’m in love with Chennai

Can’t wait to see the sights
Back after two years
Old and new combined
I’m marveling at Chennai

Packing up slowly
Never wanting to leave
But school starts again soon
I have to leave Chennai

Flying away through blue skies
Knowing I’ll be back soon
To this wonderful, wonderful place
I’ll always come back to Chennai

22 Things I Look Forward to in 2022

Here are 22 things I’m looking forward to in this new year!

  1. The School For Good and Evil movie
    This is a movie that is going to be coming to Netflix based on the popular School for Good and Evil book series. I’m really excited to watch it!
  2. Traveling more
  3. Trying a new theme on my Instagram
  4. Performing more Bharatanatyam
  5. Learning more Mohiniattam items
  6. Attending more book events
  7. Improving my writing skills
  8. Attending my school’s dance event
  9. Expanding my Ninja Foodi cooking skills
  10. Discovering new authors
  11. (Hopefully) being a leader in 8th grade
    In our school, leaders lead lessons in homeroom 2 times a week. I’ve heard that leadership class and leadership camp (which you take to become a leader) is really fun.
  12. Creating a project in my MUN class with my friends
  13. Discovering more mythological tales
  14. Visiting the library more frequently
  15. Solve a New York Times crossword by myself
  16. Spending more time with family (fingers crossed)
  17. Trying more crafts
  18. Fun projects in my Texas History class
  19. Playing around with online designing
  20. Start biking more
  21. Trying new cuisines
  22. Discover/Play new board games

First Week as a Seventh Grader

I just started school! This is my first week in person and I was so excited to meet everyone and see everything that I missed out in my virtual year. Here are some of the things that I experienced during my first week as a seventh grader.

  1. Passing Periods
    I have 5 classes each day, most of them being on the second floor (our school has 3 floors), though some are on other floors. We have 5 minutes to get to each class and after that you’re tardy. It can sometimes be a big race to get to your next class before the tardy bell rings, though I have been on time for everything so far.
  2. One Way Hallways/Stairs
    Because of COVID, our school has added one way hallways to the first and second floors. This can be a bit challenging, especially if your class is two doors down, but you have to walk all around the school in the crowd to get to it in only 5 minutes. Luckily, the crowd thins out as you walk around. We also have one way stairs, so you can only go up certain staircases and down certain staircases.
  3. Homework
    There’s a lot more homework than what I was expecting for the first week of school! A lot of it were only forms to sign, but I did have homework in my Science, English, and Social Studies class. Luckily, the homework is pretty easy, though it will most likely get harder as time passes.
  4. Computers
    We are given school computers to use for the tests and projects we do in certain classes. I got mine on Friday and have already used it in the second week quite a lot (for the beginning of year tests). It’s handy to have a second computer specifically for school work, where you can keep all of your assignments.
  5. My Favorite Classes
    My Favorite Classes so far are Theater and Science. I love theater because of all the fun activities we do and all the chances we get to learn what we like and how we do everything. Our teacher’s also very nice. I absolutely love our science teacher and the energy that she gives off. She makes learning much more fun and I’m really glad I’m in her class!

    What’s your favorite part of school?
    Also, due to school starting up, I will now only be publishing blogs on Wednesdays.

What I’m looking forward to in the 2021-2022 School Year

School is starting up soon! My middle school starts on the 23rd and I am very excited. I can’t wait to go in-person this year and experience 7th grade. There are many things that I’m looking forward to, so I thought that I’d share some with you.

  1. In-Person School
    Last year, I was virtual for all school year. For 7th grade, I get to go back in person (fingers crossed). I’m excited to see how middle school classes are in person. Meeting my friends is an added bonus!

  2. Student Council
    This year, I got into the Student Council or STUCO. I’m very excited for this opportunity and the ways that I can use it in my daily life. I can’t wait to meet others with this club!

  3. Meeting My Friends
    I’ve made some friends last year and while I have met them, I’ve only seen them about 3 or 4 times. I don’t have them in a lot of my classes, but I am glad that I will see them a few more times this year.

  4. Meeting my Teachers
    Last year, I rarely saw my teachers in-person. I am elated that this year, I’ll be able to talk to them face-to-face. This also helps with my learning, because I’ll be able to understand my lessons more.

What are (or were) your favorite parts of school?

5 Places to Visit in Chicago

There were many wonderful things in Chicago and I loved visiting all of them. 5 of them were really great places and I enjoyed them a lot. These are my top 5 places in Chicago.

  1. The Science and Industry Museum
    This museum is filled with all the types of science- from physics to patterns (Fibonacci, Golden Ratio, etc.). There were so many cool experiments and it was a really fun place. Some of my favorite parts were the Physics section, the Mirror Maze, the Model Railroad, and the Science Storms section.
  2. The American Writer’s Museum
    This Museum is filled with information about famous writers in America. The way that the information is presented was spectacular and I loved the way that we got interactive and fun exhibits while still learning. Some of my favorite parts were the typewriters, the games (fill in the blanks and write a story), and the Children’s Gallery.
  3. Shedd Aquarium
    The aquarium is a fun place with so many animals. I usually love aquariums and this one wasn’t any different. It was amazing to see so many marine animals close up. Some of my favorites were the penguins, the otters, the Color Exhibit, and the beluga whales.
  4. The Art Institute of Chicago
    The Art Institute has many wonderful artworks. They’re all very varied and diverse and are really amazing to look at. At the time we went, we could see the Obama Portraits, which were amazing. Some of my favorites included the Greek Mythology section and the Indian Mythology section (every place represents the gods differently and it was interesting to see the different representations).
  5. Tribune Tower
    I really liked Tribune Tower because of the outside. There are pieces of stone from all over the world- from Egypt to China. There are 149 rocks on the wall, which I found super cool. Each rock has a different texture and shape, so you can compare them. Some of the rocks are from famous landmarks while others are not.

Have you been to Chicago? If so, what’s your favorite place there?

My In-Person School Experience

Over the last two weeks, I’ve been to my school thrice, twice for the STAAR (end of year tests) and once for a dance recording. I’ll also be going this week, on Wednesday or Thursday for another dance performance. These are the only times when I’ve actually been in the school (for more than 5 minutes) since March 2020. Being in school was really fun, but it did get boring after a while. Here’s how I felt during my few days at in-person school.

I interacted with a lot more people than I usually do (that’s to be expected, of course). It was nice (and I’ll admit, slightly unusual) to talk to people normally. I saw people who I had never seen before. Another fun part was meeting my teachers. I’ve also only seen them through a screen, so it was nice to meet them face-to-face.

Then there was the boring part. After we took the STAAR and ate lunch, we sat in the auditorium for the rest of the day (about 3 hours). Our classes gave us “do-nows” (simple and quick work) which didn’t last long. We had to rely on what we had to entertain us (book, paper, computer, etc.). I did have enough to do luckily, but I did get bored. Overall, I will say that it was a fun time, mainly because I got to see a lot of my friends and teachers, and had a few fun conversations with them. Have you gone in-person to your school or work yet this weird year? If yes, did you enjoy the experience?

Best of 2020

2020 has been a strange year, but here are some of the things that happened.

1. Starting the year with family:

I love spending time with my grandparents. I’m glad I got to do it in the beginning of this year, even if I couldn’t make my annual summer trip to India 😭. I also got to spend some time with my uncle and aunt, before they moved countries.

2. Ending my elementary years and staring my middle school ones:


I finished 5th grade (virtually) and started middle school and the school of my choice (also virtually)! Virtual school is less than ideal, but I’ve learned to adjust. You can read about my experiences here.

3. ARCADIS Science Fair:


I participated in the ARCADIS science fair and did a project on supercooling and snapfreezing water. I learnt a lot and was really surprised when I won!

4. Mini Getaways:


Since we couldn’t travel a lot, I relied on a few small breaks to get away . My favorite one was definitely my birthday weekend getaway with a few of my friends and family. I also liked the Corpus Christi, Driftwood, and Pensacola Beach breaks.

5. Dance:


I spent a lot of time focusing on dance during these COVID times. I’ve taken place in a Bharatanatyam dance exam (for both theory and practical) and started learning a new Indian classical dance form, Mohiniattam. I performed a few solo items and recorded them. I’ve also began to learn Carnatic music to support my skills.

In Western dance, I was able to get one last performance on February in my elementary school dance company and I’m in my new school’s Drill Team. It’s less than ideal, but I’m hoping to be able to go back to performing soon.

6. Life Skills:


2020 has been a year where I learnt and tried so many new things.

  • I learned to crochet, and did a few art projects including tie-dye projects and wreaths for our door.
  • I cooked and baked (I even made my first layered cake!) and got comfortable in the kitchen. Some of the treats I made include mint chutney bread, cranberry cookies, brownies, and more. I also learned to make rice and keera kootu.
  • I’ve learned a lot of handy household chores like doing the laundry and handwashing clothes as well as ironing and sweeping.
7. Improved Technology Skills:

I started to use Instagram and I wrote on my blog more. I got better at using Google Drive, Docs, and Slides. I’ve learnt about different features on computers and got better at navigating through the digital world.

8. Writing:

I wrote 2 stories (which I’m going to edit this year) and a few short stories for my blog.

9. Reading:

I’ve read a ton this year and made friends with a few bookstagrammers. On my instagram, I took part in two challenges, the #mgbookmarch challenge in March and the #mgbooktober challenge in October. I’ve also started new series, and began to read a higher level of mglit!

(If you’re not following me yet, you totally should)

You can check out my insta here.