February 20, 2025
Treat Yo’ Self
After an exciting weekend exploring the Golden Triangle around Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur, Team Biome jumped straight back into work mode. There was no time to catch our breath as we dove into brainstorming sessions for our GCIL project. Yesterday, we spent countless hours in a nice café, filling out our Empathy Maps and our Business Model canvas. There was a moment when we were worried that we were loitering, but we figured our earlier drink purchases granted us a few more hours. The grind was real, and so was the stress. Today was no different—we headed to Coffee Chemistry, just a short walk away, hoping caffeine would fuel our productivity. Even though the progress felt slow, I reminded myself that progress is still progress. The good thing about working from home is that we get to decide our hours. Sometimes, it’s just as important to take a break, so we treated ourselves to a well-deserved afternoon off. We began planning tomorrow’s fancy lunch as a reward banking that GCIL’s reimbursement allowance would cover the splurge, and I promised myself that I would get Chloe her smoothie bowl without banana, no matter what!
Once we called it a day, we each went our separate ways. Some of us hit the gym, others visited the cutest tailor, and I went shopping—because what better way to unwind than to splurge a little? It felt like a “Treat Yo’ Self” day straight out of Parks and Rec. I was on a mission to find gifts for my family, especially for my dad. He only wanted one thing from India: a watch from Titan World, a place I never heard of but apparently it’s the 5th largest watch brand in the world. My dad must’ve hyped it up to my family because bringing one watch turned into six (or seven if you count the one for myself that my dad offered to pay for). I managed to find three of the six on my list, which seemed like enough spending for one day… except for one more thing: boba.
Bubble tea was a staple back home. My sisters and I would get it so often that my mom had to enforce a “one boba a week” rule. So every week, my sisters would text me to get bubble tea with them even when we were in the same room. With texts like “Let’s go get boba,” or sometimes they don’t even ask and they’ll text me “Go get boba” or “You should get me boba.” Even now, they keep up the tradition, texting in our group chat to make boba plans—FOMO is real. So naturally as the eldest sister, the best way to cope was to outdo them in boba runs. So yesterday, I impulsively ordered two bubble teas from Kongsi, and they were so good that I went back again today with another GCILer. It’s easy to get lost in the stress of a project, but taking moments to relax and enjoy the little things—like a boba run—helped me unwind. It was a sweet reminder of home, and the cheaper prices here were an added bonus. Plus, I’d say I’m winning the boba war… for now.
By,
Nadia