On What Blogging Means to Me

Lately, I’ve been thinking about blogging and the role it plays in my life. I’m only a junior in high school, and there aren’t a lot of other high schoolers out there who have a blog. Of course, there are Aree and Noori, my favorite twins and fellow 16 year-olds, but not a ton of other people.

When I first started blogging, I wasn't really sure what I was in for. I had been reading blogs on and off for a while, so I knew I didn't want to start off with the built in blogger templates. Before I wrote my very first post, I made sure that the blog looked nice. I had a header, a button, and intro image, social media buttons, and an about me page. If you can believe it, my blog has looked the exact same since day one. I know I didn't want to deal with the whole "first post" awkwardness, so I jumped right in and did a High Five for Friday.

From the beginning, I reached out to a few bloggers to help me find my way in the blog world, and get some feedback. Looking back, I can say that it's the best thing I could have done. I received overwhelmingly positive response from bloggers who were clearly obsessed with blogging, and really believed it could have a positive effect on everyone. A few weeks after I launched Hima Hearts, I learned how to make all my pictures the same size, how NOT to be a no-reply blogger, and where to place photos in posts to break up the text. I found my blogging voice, and really started getting into the groove of things.

A couple of months after I started my blog, I wrote my first "serious" post on how my summer job changed my life (no, really), and went, and it was difficult to write it all out, but I was amazed at the response. I didn’t think a lot of people would read it, because it was a lot longer than my normal posts, and heck of a lot less funny. (Although the idea that I’m funny is my own personal opinion. Am I? Please say yes). The comments on that post made me realize that there are real people behind all the beautiful blogs out there. Y’all aren’t just beautiful clothes-modeling mannequins, or baby-swaddling mothers, or recipe-creating chefs. Everyone has a million sides to them, and that’s the beauty of blogging. You don’t have to be defined to the niche of your own blog- you can write whatever you want. And you don’t have to read only travel blogs, or photography blogs- you can connect with bloggers of all types.

The first time I posted my blog link on Facebook, I was terrified. What if people judged me? What if people thought I was spamming them or clogging up their newsfeed? Once again, the response was overwhelmingly positive. People whom I barely know will come up and talk to me about how much they love my blog, or how funny they thought a certain post was. They'll ask me how I have time to do it, and the answer is simple. I make time.

I started off blogging because I wanted to document the little things in life. I wanted to take more pictures and just take the time to enjoy simple pleasures. Now? Now I blog for SO many reasons. I blog for the little happy dance my heart does when I get an email from Disqus notifying me of a comment. I blog for the friendships I've made- to see an email from Aree, or Noori, or Marla, or Brittany, or Ash, or Erica, or Rachel, or any of my other blog friends pop up in my inbox. I blog for the anonymous "Your blog is kinda sorta INSPIRING." on my paper heart at school last week. I blog to force myself to keep taking photographs. I blog, most of all, for myself. To look back on this in five years to relive the good memories.

This post isn't to mark any kind of anniversary or anything- I just felt like writing about blogging. Now, if you're a blogger, answer this: Why do you blog? If not, tell me something that you love so much that you make time for it, regardless or how busy you are, or how unmotivated you're feeling.

xo, Hima

P.S. Sorry for the seemingly random pictures throughout this post. I didn't want to steal any stock images off the internet, so I just posted some of my own mildly interesting photos to break up the text. Remember the part about photography? ;)

Being Honest

Today I'm talking about something a little bit heavier than my usual bright and lighthearted topics. I'm putting myself out there a little bit, so please read on with an open mind and enjoy!

Summer 2013 was absolutely life-changing for me. Like I mentioned earlier, I taught summer school. Breakthrough is a different kind of summer school in a few ways. According to the mission statement, "Breakthrough Silicon Valley launches high potential, underserved middle school students on the path to college and inspires high school and college students to pursue careers in education." It's a six year program for middle schoolers to ensure that they get to college, as well as an internship opportunity for older high school and college students. It was a really fulfilling experience for me to work alongside people 6-7 years older than me, and I learned so much from them, in terms of getting through high school, applying to colleges, and just life philosophies in general. 

I've learned that life is a pathway, and everything that happens to us is to keep us on our own pathway. Like so many others in this area, I had never considered teaching to be a viable career path before Breakthrough. I knew it was important, but 6 weeks of lesson planning, making Powerpoints and notes and coming up with synthesis activities alongside the brightest and most motivating colleagues on the planet have given me a whole new respect for what teachers do. Seeing a student finally break through and understand a difficult concept after not getting it for so long, because of your creativity in finding a new way to teach it to them is probably one of the best feelings in the world. Every teacher has the ability to change a student's life, and I really respect that now.

At Breakthrough, every two teachers partnered up and commandeered a crew, a group of 8 kids (both future 7th and 8th graders) who did everything together outside of classes. We were our own little families! Getting to know my crew kids and learning what some of them go through, and how they keep their heads up every day was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. The idea that my kids trusted me enough to share such personal stories and problems after knowing me for only a couple of weeks with me is amazing, and I am inspired by them every day.

At the graduation ceremony at the end of summer, I was filled with pride watching my students walk up onto the stage and receive validation for their hard work. I loved meeting their parents and being able to brag about what wonderful individuals their kids were. What I thought was interesting was that I really meant it; I wasn’t just saying it as a nice gesture- I truly believed that my students were the most capable and hardworking kids I had ever met. When the 7th and 8th grade speakers, whom I had mentored throughout the summer to speak, both gave thanks to me in their speeches, I started crying. I truly understand what it felt like to be proud of someone, and to want the absolute best for them with all your heart.

At home, I read my planet (the theme was space), that the students had written messages on, and I teared up again. I had no idea of the impact that I had on some of the kids, and I loved knowing that I had been a part of a program that changed their lives, and lead them to like learning. The student who gave me the most trouble in biology, Omar, is a pretty stereotypical cool kid. He is always teasing girls because he is secretly crushing on them, he thinks he’s amazing at sports, and he is the sassiest little seventh grader there ever was. On the first day of classes, he wrote me a letter saying that he didn’t like biology and never would, but on my planet he wrote “I don’t know how u did it, but u talked me into loving biology! Thx soooo much. I will miss u!” Of course it was in text language.

Reading this message validated my entire summer’s work: all those late nights lesson planning and grading, all of those missed parties and social events, and all of those times I had to deal with his sass without yelling at him.

Omar showed me why teachers teach. Despite the long hours, low pay, and endless pile of grading, teaching is one of the most rewarding, honorable, and important jobs in the world.

Thoughts? Similar experiences? Let me know!

<3Hima