Attending my first summer morning class after a good four months of the break was really a challenging situation. My biological clock needed some synchronization. While the lecture was going on, my mind was heavy like a nimbostratus cloud we see on a rainy day. Like a heavy rainfall, I started doubting my capabilities and felt that I wasn’t fit to be in the class. And, like a thunderstorm, weird thoughts struck my mind. It wasn’t because of my professor, Dr. Trevor Carolan, nor because of the other students.
Eighty per cent of the classes I took at UFV were based on equations, digits, and chemical formulas, where our knowledge is mainly tested rather than our creativity.
Looking back to my seven-week journey of English 215 (Creative Nonfiction) — a class that wasn’t a required course for science students — I realize that it was one of the best decisions I’ve made lately. I’d suddenly felt that I needed a break from the world of complicated theories, and wanted to enter one of creativity and originality which allows me to explore freely without any restrictions.
Writing makes us have our own original style as the lifeless thoughts are brought to life. The inked letters touch our souls very effectively and deeply like a conversation that flows like a waterfall.
Being original and creative at the same time sounds a little tricky, but it’s not as hard as I expected. Throughout the seven weeks, Dr. Carolan trained us to craft and organize our writing and thoughts in authentic ways. Moreover, he shared with us the best methods to work on our skills not just for our assignments, but for our future writing.
What I really enjoyed in this class were the assignment topics which made me see beauty in the simplicity of our complex world. Each and every assignment topic was based on people, places, memories, and pictures where we had to use the techniques of writing to bring those feelings, moments, and smiles back to life. Every breath I take reminds me that writing is something beautiful which makes a real difference in the world.
No matter how bad things get, writing always makes me feel better and reminds me of the fact that nothing is permanent. Perhaps life starts over and over again. There are two sides to every life story like there are two sides of a coin. We are only working hard, stressing ourselves out in order to discover one side of our life story. However, the other side of our life story can be a new turning point to make your life story a unique one. Either side of the coin has the same value, and discovering our second side will make us glow during the day and the night. It helps us to take a stand and helps us fight our own battles by connecting into our innovative thoughts and making changes in our world.
Image: Simer Haer/The Cascade
