Puja Parekh
February 2, 2006
A2
The two central goals of this class have been
to both “know thyself” and “know that which
is greater than the ego” (25). As the semester flashed
by, I noticed that it was much easier to do the former than
the latter. One of my goals at the end of the semester, for
this reason, was to ‘understand the relationship between
myself and the place around me’. I believe that I have
made quite an effort to do this. The Observer documents my quest
quite well in the LR Final. While I had difficulty fitting in
at UT in the beginning, I eventually found a group of friends
that I could find both social and intellectual pleasures with.
My theatre troupe has allowed me to make my mark on UT, with
more than 300 people coming to watch what we had prepared for
the world to see. This class has given me to opportunity to
interact with nature as well. From the Zilker park excursion
to the random outdoor classes, I find myself enjoying all of
the time I get to spend outdoors. I actually choose to work
outside quite often now, something that I never did back in
high school.
Of my updated goals for this semester, the ones that fit the
theme of knowing that which is greater than the ego are my aims
to ‘learn through every means and source possible’
and ‘to become ore perceptive’. The soft grass of
the green mall and the fresh air of the quad are commodities
I never had available to me in the desert country of Saudi Arabia.
At UT I have the freedom to do everything from joining a book
club to a theatre troupe, and I realize that I would have a
lot to learn no matter which one I picked. I literally learn
something new every day, sometimes while doing something as
simple as taking a walk through the Union. I want to become
more perceptive because I have figured out that the key to knowing
more than just me is to keep my eyes and ears open. Observing
human behavior is something I love to do. I often find myself
walking through campus, with soothing music in my ears to drown
out my surroundings, just looking at the people I pass.
The steps I take everyday to relate more to everything around
me might be small, but they seem to be working. I have learnt
many interesting things about the UT campus and its amazing
history. I have also learnt a lot about people my age that my
suburban life never allowed me to see. What’s more, I
know that I still have a long way to go. The quest for knowledge
is not one that I can complete within a year or too. It is a
life-long journey, and this is largely what makes it so fascinating.
I love the fact that even when I’m 80 years old, my grand-child
will be able to come up to me and show me something I have never
seen before. It is this mystery about the world and life that
makes it worth living.
