January means a lot of things to a lot of different people. For some, it’s the start of a great new year! Though for high schoolers, it’s also crucial for one more thing. Semester Finals! These two words pretty much characterize the state of being about everyone at school. First of all, the semester’s also going to end on January 26th, so everyone is worried about doing good on the last few unit tests, to be able to maintain or increase their GPA. With this, we hope to start an academically strong year.

Happy New Year, everyone. As all good things come to an end, 2023 did too, but with it, it gave me and my family a lot of learnings, memories, and most of all, experiences. Come to think of it, our last moment before entering 2024 was also a moment to cherish. It was the first time we had gone to visit the Space Needle (iconic tower of Seattle) New Year celebration!

My mind was racing, a 1000 thoughts spiraling through my mind. I have to finish this assignment, that project and study for so many tests. Though the thought that cut the long line of thoughts and displayed prominently in my mind was this. Winter Ball was in a week! This being my first dance in my new school, I was excited. I was simply bursting with joy at the thought of me wearing my dress, doing my hair and makeup, and taking pictures with my friends.

Thanksgiving. What does it mean to me? Truthfully, I never even knew that this holiday existed when I was living in India for 10 years. Though when I came here, I realized it was a thing, at first just enjoying the holiday we had during this time. Over time, as I got more exposure to the tradition, I got the importance and value it had on Americans, or anyone that celebrates it.

Waking up with clammy hands, butterflies in my stomach, and a haze in my mind, I was sure I was sick. But no! I was just excited for my perfectly planned homecoming weekend. I had studied extra hard the entire week, just so that I could have a little breather for the weekend. Oh, finally it was Friday! Feet bouncing, hair waving, I got out of the bus after school on Friday afternoon, just a day before the special day and started running to my best friend. We had planned for this for so long, and our dream was finally coming true.

Something that I really love about this country is the various types of U-picking there is. U-pick is when you go into a farm and get to pick your own vegetables and fruits. We started exploring new options during Covid times as we were always searching for things to do. We started with apples. It was highly recommended by a lot of our community, since the talk of the best u pick farms was going on in all the shared community platforms. It was the perfect season as the fall leaves had just started drifting to the ground. We searched the place on Google maps and were glad to find it only a half hour away from our house. Getting ready, I wore my apple print top, signifying the occasion. The car ride had an energetic and exciting buzz around it, and finally, we arrived.

Hi everyone, I go by my virtual name Navaka. I am a girl from two worlds. My idea behind starting this blog is comprised of a lot of factors. In my life, I have attended 6 schools (both in India and USA), lived in two countries, visited 14 states in India and 13 countries in the world which includes three continents. I have always liked travelling and have written about my experiences ever since I was 6 years old. The reason I’m starting this blog is because I want to put my experiences on the table and create memories.