Safr-e-Amalš„
On March 20, 2021, at sharp 0930 hours, the wait was finally over, for I had my first virtual session of Amal Fellowship. This fellowship being a virtual one I thought would make me tedious because I had to lay on the couch in front of the laptop for more than two hours, but the hours went like seconds, and eventually, the days like hours, and sadly, the months like days. During the initial days of the fellowship, I had butterflies in my tummy, for confusing thoughts were popping in my brain. But, later on, the positive energy and an environment conducive to learning maintained by the facilitation team made me felt over the moonā. When we are enthusiastic about what we do, we feel this positive energy. Everyone every time on everything in the fellowship was portraying positivity and alacrity.
Every session was adding a new milestone to my personality, every learning group activity was teaching me something new and different. The motivating, and meticulous feedback provided by the facilitation team helped me in being sedulous at my work. The way they provided the feedback, by pointing out the positive things first, and later on, the weaknesses, was out of the ordinary, but one to cherishš¼. I have adsorbed this extraordinary way of providing feedback to my personality, and have implemented it in my group activities.
Amal fellowship has also added the element of gentleness in my life. I performed some random acts of kindness, and when I laid on the bed that night, a part of me was feeling so relaxed as the psithurism went in and out of my body. A part of me was feeling different because all I did that day was just a mere act of kindness. But, that act of goodness either saved someone or helped someone out, or made someone gladāØ. I made tea for my mother, helped my cousin in preparing for his exam, picked up a brick from the road, distributed fruits among the neighbors, and provided shelter to the cat staying in the garage.
One of the most helpful activities, that changed my perception, was the LUMS case study. It has altered the way I responded to othersā viewpoints and the way I took part in discussions with my peers. The experience of reading that case study was different from the time when I was playing the role of Saad. I developed a growth mindset, and I instilled in myself the thing that everyone has an opinion of his/her own. I must respect otherās consent instead of going straight away into denial. The choice of words matters a lot. In my perspective, women should be allowed to work instead of staying at home. The job would improve their self-esteem and emotional health. Even if I have a firm belief that the other person is wrong, I will at least listen to what he/she is trying to interpret. In a nutshell, that case study helped me in broadening my perspective and building up professionally.
How can I forget the memories of the Edhi fundraising project? Through the project, I learned that Edhi is neither a person nor an organization but a thought; a good one, a different oneš. Yes, you can be Edhi, we all can be Edhi. All we have to do is to bring a smile to someoneās face, fill someoneās empty stomach, help someone out in the hours of need. The whole experience taught me how to deal with other people and organizations that I was not familiar with. I had developed good relations with some organizations because they had warmly helped me with the donations. I had developed good convincing and communication knacks that will help me in the future.
Are you comfortable with working alone? For those saying yes are NOT right. Even when no one is working with us, a part of us is listening to our heart, and a part of us is under the leadership of our brain. So, we might be sailing our boat all alone, but there will always be a hidden intervention clearing our path. Thus, we are not alone when we are all alone. There are a lot of perks of working in a team which the Amal fellowship has taught me. In our mega project circle, there were people from different cultural backgrounds. At first, it was difficult to develop chemistry and accept otherās ideas. However, working in the team has fostered creativity with time and helped me develop a relationship of trust. It has scooped out my interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
Thus, apart from all the soft skills I have acquired, I have made really good friends. The positive and optimistic engagement with the fellows has made me humble and patient. I am more open to constructive and productive discussions. All these positive changes in me are due to the quality time spend with good people in the fellowship šø.
