Namila Bajracharya, BA, Nepal

This is my third year in Rangjung Yeshe Institute as a BA student. One of the things I learned in these years is the significance of writing in RYI and learning in general. What I mean by writing here is the academic essays and paper that students are required to submit for different subjects. Writing academic essays was definitely not my cup of tea. I remember first year was specifically difficult because I was not used to such writings before. Now, this blog is not about how to write perfect papers or any technical aspects so to say. Rather, it is about how my view of writings have changed over the years. 

As I mentioned earlier, initially I did not understand the purpose of writings papers. Nevertheless, as I started with it, I realised that it is actually a very effective way of learning. Starting with doing a research on a certain topic, this process makes you read, reflect and contemplate on certain topic. Many times, one needs to have analytical thinking and be critical too. Generally, when one writes a paper, there needs to be a position, the thesis. To have a certain position, we surely need some reasons or arguments. One reflects upon the pros and cons, its strengths and weaknesses and so on. In addition, I personally feel that more than having a right or wrong position, it is more about seeing things from a different perspective. While in the process of writing, I sometimes get amazed and ask myself, how I did not think of it like that earlier? One find new ways of looking at things and that in itself is very fascinating to me. Finally, the writing begins. It surely is a wonderful way to express what you think. The structure you have, the sentences you choose, the words you pick, I think that they matter as they represent ones perception. Words are powerful indeed. At the end, when I am done, I get that little satisfaction of completing my little journey with that particular writing. It might not be perfect in the first go but eventually one gets better with practice. The beauty of writing is that you get to learn so many things about others as well as self. My appreciation to writing papers has definitely increased over the years regardless of how challenging it can get at times.