Virtual reality of the digital roses
The ink-stained veil of darkness lifts slowly as the car makes its way through gloomy streets towards the airport. It is not yet dawn, I have slept only a few hours between one journey and the next, and my heart races with anticipation as I watch the sun rise over the Margalla range on a late summer morning.
Having taken this flight from Islamabad to Peshawar many times over 15 years, I have learnt to look for clouds lining the top of the Margalla mountains — if pilots can find a window in those clouds, the plane finds its way among the zig zag peaks and lands safely in the land of hospitality-the city of flowers, Peshawar.
I peer through the window at the clouds and wonder whether I will be lucky today. Then I shut my eyes tight and say a prayer under my breath, for a safe journey, one which shall take me to the end of my dreams, the top of the world, to the title I always wanted to earn and be referred to as: a “Fellow”.
It is still early when the flight lands in Peshawar, the plane gently setting itself down like a large bird of prey descending upon a startled animal. In the air I can feel the warmth of Peshawar. The light throws gentle shadows upon me and I leave the arrivals lounge with my heart pounding for my new journey at Durshal.
Joining this Fellowship after one year of graduating with a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering was a great breakthrough for me. I was overwhelmed to see the way I was greeted by the Program Managers every day and eventually I got to know that I was the only content writer among a bunch of developers and designers, which was very exciting!
I was delighted to learn that I would be working with 20 Fellows of different backgrounds, mindsets and technical capabilities. My energy soared when I saw the level of interactions I was going to have everyday. 5 different teams working on 8 different problems that so many citizens face on a daily basis manifested in innovative projects.
As a content writer, I had the great experience of researching about the latest trends in civic innovation. I learnt about the various stages a project goes through and theoretically analyzed its progress. All the other team members were restricted to their own projects due to a busy schedule and tight deadlines but as a content writer I had an opportunity to understand each and every project in detail and conduct their respective surveys. The most interesting part of my job was writing blogs. This was a thought-provoking process! A detailed survey followed by writing a number of drafts made me understand the mindset of the readers.
A very stimulating part of this Fellowship was the bonding with my own team — these tech munchkins have been my utmost support during these 6 months and I can’t get more of them. We’ve pushed ourselves out of the comfort zone to make things vibrant and memorable for the rest of our lives and this is something that everyone admires about our team.
From the research surveys to the official meetings and creating prototypes, everything was so new and agile. We had to do things frequently but innovatively which made this work distinct to my earlier assignments in my career. There was no “monotony” and I loved it!
I enjoy flexible work environments and luckily, this is at the heart of the Fellowship Program since it allows us to bring our own unique talents to the fore without imposing a rigid structure on us. The Fellowship is structured in a way that it grooms a person and enables them to become great professionals.
This was it. This was the dream job I had always wanted. The multi-colors of this position, the widened, clear beautiful sky of mentors, amazing sessions by world class enthusiasts, alumni being so supportive and what not!
My socialization never allowed me to consider the possibility of working with other genders. Growing up in a male dominant society, the collaborative environment of the Fellowship was new and gave me a mixture of new feelings to ponder upon. For the very first time, I felt as if I wasn’t working in a conventional work space. The professionalism, mix of innovative minds and extended patience to accept each other and our different genders was phenomenal!
As this cycle comes to an end, I am sad to leave behind the work environment but know that I have many memories to cherish, so many new friends to take along with me on my ongoing journey and a whole new set of skills that have empowered me to take the next big step in my career!
Written by: Marina Khan
