My Petrichor Pages

I recently noticed that my blog is getting popular. I had the biggest smile on my face when I saw the stats. I never thought that these pages would ever reach anyone. In my heart I felt that they were always meant for me. A digital copy of my diary. I have so many diaries that over the years, it has become really difficult to carry them around. Hence, the blog! I've been writing here for 10 years now. It captures most major milestones of my life. All my heartbreaks, setbacks, and professional troubles can be found in these pages. It feels like I have grown up between these posts.  If you're reading my blog for the first time - Hello there! I am Aaliyah. I am a social scientist who is doing her PhD from a really amazing UK university. I am working on environmental infectious viruses and how to prevent them from spreading in rural areas of the developing countries. My work is inspired by my own disease and I want to be able to bring about a change in this world. My job involves a...

 My husband is fast asleep. I am wide awake. Lying on the couch, scrolling through the reels. I was just watching a Steve Harvey video wherein they show him a clip of a couple that had really helped him in his starting days. He remembered everything and was so grateful to them for all their help. And just like that, I had an epiphany. If you're a good soul, god will make sure that you succeed. Your life goals are his goals. He will make sure that he never lets you down. He will make sure that he gives you way more than you could ever imagine.  I still remember the day in 2013 when Oxford had rejected me for a Masters. I felt worthless. But then I got into the next best university which gave me my lifelong friends. One of the friends from my Masters introduced me to my husband. I remember back in 2020 when despite a great interview, I was rejected for a very prestigious scholarship. In 2022, a week before my wedding, I got the best scholarship I could ever dream of for my PhD. ...