AMAL JOURNEY
Looking back, now when I try to think of one incident that impacted me the most in this fellowship, I find myself at a much difficult place because it’s almost impossible for me to name just one thing. Since day one, Amal has impacted me in more ways than I could’ve imagined. It has made me do things I never thought that I’d be doing. The journey that started on a random summer evening has made a different person. It would be very safe to say that Fatima 3 months back and Fatima now, are two very different persons. From interacting with so many people who I just know through a screen to diving deep in myself to fish out what I want in my life, from learning everyday leadership to preparing for a job interview, from writing reflections on courses to making videos, from having amazing conversations during sessions to stressing about the overwhelming amount of work, from feeling elated for getting praised for good work to experiencing skyrocket anxiety every time the notification, “new mail from Saad Irfan/ Rizwan Maqsood” popped up, this really has been one hell of a journey.
My Amal journey hasn’t been a straight path. There were times when things got so overwhelming and difficult that I almost wanted to just quit and there were times when I couldn’t wait for the weekend’s session despite all the hectic work. But now when I think of it, I realize that it was all worth it; that virtual tea party on a freezing evening, super amazing conversations in the sessions, interesting breakout room activities, mock interviews, sir Ali Siddique’s soul-touching motivational session… it was all so worth it. And now, when it’s going to end, I’m feeling this weird sadness which is so hard to explain (and my emotions are all over the place writing this).
I’m truly thankful for every part of this journey; all the good and the bad parts because they made it what it is for me now, they shaped me into this stronger version of myself who isn’t camera shy anymore, isn’t that awkward around new people and isn’t afraid of getting out of her comfort zone and trying new things and who now can live without Netflix. 😂
And I’m also thankful to each person who’s been there with me in this journey. Super astounding facilitators and fellows and my best friends who truly made this a never forgetting experience. ALHAMDULILLAH❤
