Am I supposed to get this cultural shock?

All the audience in the hall burst out with laughter hearing my surprising stuffs about the United States. The families gathered in a presentation hall of Ramapo College as it was the Honors Family day. I was sharing my cultural difference. This laughter was brought up by the tradition of saying “sorry” in Nepal and “Bless you” in the United States. Well, the experience was actually awkward. When I sneezed for the first time in the United States, the person in front of me went “Bless you”. However, I did not understand him and I said “I am so sorry.” While expressing these things in the family day, I suddenly realized that I have experienced much more cultural shocks that I thought I would. I had read the whole book of cultural shock in the United States, but still I faced it. Am I actually supposed to get this cultural shock?

The memory of my first day on campus is still fresh in my mind. My friend and I were about the cross the road when we saw a car coming. I suppose the car was much expensive than the Maruti 800 I used to see in my country. Even if it was not, the "reflectiveness" had made me feel so. As we did in Nepal, we stopped for the car to pass by. The surprising factor was that the car stopped too, and the driver insisted us to go first.

Had it been in Nepal, the car driver would have thanked us for being the only civilized citizen in the country. This feature of US culture really shocked me. Moreover, I have not heard a single horn by cars. Well, this was something out of my knowledge I gathered from the culture shock book.

I had read and heard a lot about the “international table” where the whole college would be divided into two parts: the Americans and the Internationals. I actually planned to be the exception to this. I thought that I would get involved with the Americans more than any international students do. However, it must be a natural phenomenon that I was clinging with international students for several weeks. We created a separate environment in the cafeterias where we, the “international table” had more noise than any other tables. The interesting part is that the noise had diversity. People were speaking Nepali, Burmese, Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, and many more. I do not understand all the languages but I can ensure you that it was fun. Of course, the initial processes of learning new languages were to pronounce our own names, to learn how to say “You are beautiful” and “You are ugly”. Well, this feature was in the book I read. Though, I could not skip it. I was the “victim” of international table.

Well, I thought I was well-prepared with a huge shield of knowledge of cultural shock. Somewhere in the book, I read that people should not know you personally to wave you “hi” or “hello”. So, from the very first day, I raised my shield for the incoming shocks regarding greeting. I started to say “hey, how are you?” to each and every person I saw. My friend also made fun of me for greeting to each and every individual who passed by me. If there were two people walking together, I greeted them “hi” individually so that they did not have to share from one “hi”. Later, I found that this is not a strict rule and I am going to encounter the same person more than one time in a day. It is because I am in a liberal arts school. My book did not say that. I still got the cultural shock.

When I was in Nepal, the rumor was that one does not want to wear the clothes they take from Nepal since it is out of fashion in the States. Well, that turned out to be completely wrong. Here is no particular fashion in this country, until and unless you choose to go for the real fashion industry. Anything you wear, no matter how funny it is, is a fashion. I found Americans really enthusiastic regarding the weirdness which they prefer to call “uniqueness.” I still wear the same so called “out of fashion” dress with “bhad gaule topi” with a “khukuri” (part of the national dress of Nepal) in it. Now, I feel proud on my fashion no matter how others think. The tales about the dresses proved to be wrong for me.

My feelings about New York City can be partly controversial. Maybe I do not have a DSLR-resolution eye to see New York City as shown in the pictures. When I went there for the first time, I was not really feeling it as NYC since I did not even have goose bumps. I walked uninterestingly in the streets as the tourist who lost his way and also lost the map somewhere amidst the crowd at the Times Square. Moreover, the city was really dirty. Well, the Huffington post publishes it as the dirtiest place for some reason. I really wanted to return back to my own lovely college and hang out with friendly deers and rabbits and sarcastically friendly bears. Well, still NYC is NYC regardless of the shock I got visiting there.

I was prepared for the cultural shock. I read blogs, articles and few books about it so that I would not be its “victim.” Well, I overcame some of the obvious shocks. However, I prepared really well. I never wanted the “international table” in my case. I never learned that “hi” and “hello” is not a strict norm to follow. No books taught me that a wide smile was enough. The books tried to fit us into the American culture but never tried to live with it. Since the presentation in the Family day, I question myself Am I supposed to get this cultural shock?

Summer! A time to look for and a time not to look for

I could sense his excitement from dozens of exclamation signs in his email. My friend was very excited about his first summer in US. He told me that he was visiting some island that was “super cool”, as he would term. It kind of authorizes him to have a “super cool” summer since he is in US. With the explanations of what he did and what he saw, I get crazy to go to US as soon as possible. In fact, I feel that I am waiting so long for this fall; my wait for the outset of joys in next summer, at least. Though, summer can be painful if you get out of the enjoyment loop.

I have made a short to-do list for summer once I get to US. They are:

1.      Go to best parts of New York and feel every special bit of that place – roam to every house I owned in Grand Theft Auto and go to my girlfriend’s house next to the garage.

2.      Go to Yellow Stone and wait until a small-scale volcano erupts (obviously, I don’t want a big one).

3.      Go to a beach and suntane until I go red.

4.      Go in the middle of the ocean and have a sea life.

5.      Go to Las Vegas and bid up to the last penny in the pocket.

I can anticipate the enjoyment I will have. So, I think summer is really a great time to look for.

Summer can also be a pain in the ass, especially if you are not doing any activities similar to the list above. It’s even harder when you are not in a country where summer is synonym for fun. I personally never celebrated summer in Nepal.

Also, it is not a good time to have a better to have communication in summer-enjoying countries. I am attending a college in New Jersey, USA this fall. Being an international student, I had some important queries to ask to the college representative. So, I called the office last Friday. Phone rang and rang and rang. At last, the representative picked it up. Not to answer me. It was a voice message that said the office was only open from Tuesday to Thursday. I had to wait for three more days. I have a problem; waiting job kills me. So, summer is not a good time for good communication.

Then I thought They were also having a summer break.

Summer is, therefore, a flexible time. You can have a great shape or you can leave it in its own irregular shape. If you enjoy it, you will “enjoy” it. If you won’t, you will have sweat from your teeth as we would say here in Nepal. I am having a real hard time communicating with my college, whereas my friend is enjoying in some island doing salsa, maybe. I could never have a good summer here in Nepal as we don’t have summer break. I cannot do anything except be “patience, patience and patience”.

Knowledge vs. Degree

Today, I followed my daily routine; sit on the roof where cold air gently touches my hair and gives me room to think. I think that my troubles fly away with that air and refreshes my mind for incoming new ideas. Today, I have a different aspect of life to think about. I just had a discussion with my parents. They wanted me to get a degree in everything that I do whereas I wanted a real-time learning. I think learning is more necessary than to acquire an academic degree. The concept of knowledge only after degree builds an immense criticism in me.

In the context of Nepalese society, a degree-holder is in a demand. I would quote them the “Pandits” as people assume they are the knowledge house with every possible learning in their field. Well, “pandits”, meaning the holy spirit directly related to god, are only the people with normal degrees.

Can you guess what it would be for the people with MBBS or Engineering degree?

“People with immense learning intellectual”

Or in other words, “GOD”

Well, I agree that the rigor of the curriculum might make them knowledgeable. However, it has nothing to do with learning and degree. I would say that they have different identities. Simply gaining theoretical and some practical knowledge of the designated course would not make them “god”.

People have been performing most of the engineering skills from the ancient times. Remember the Egyptians who made pyramids with their skills who had no degrees. Also, Mayans had a good knowledge in astronomy though they were not even sure whether earth rotated the sun or the other way around.

All th eskills that we are used-to have been passed upon us by our ancestors. All the high-tech devices and scientific success are nothing but the refurnished form of simple tricks applied by the ancestors. So, these degrees have not brought any innovation to the world which could “wow” the people.

Lets take a recent example,

You must have heard about Kelvin Doe. Who was he?

The obvious answer would be He is the boy who became a youngest visiting practitioner at MIT who invented his own battery and also made a radio station.

From the fact, did he have any degree for doing so? He wasn't graduate of MIT or Harvard. In fact, he had not even completed his high school. Though, he had that knowledge and trenchant towards technology in him that paved his path to innovation.

Thing of Bill Gates or Mark Zugerberg or any other university dropout who has reached to the top position in the world. They are leading the economy but still, they have not acquired any degree. With this, I don't intend you to drop out. The gist is that learning does not need to be from getting a degree.

My interviewer of Princeton said that Bill Gates did not drop out because he could not study. Rather, he dropped out due to the disability of the degree-based curriculum which did not lead to the innovation he wanted. He clarified that ideas comes from brain and not degree.

I believe that my uncle who had only practical knowledge of working as a mechanic is a better mechanical engineer that a student with excellent GPA in mechanical engineering.

Degree never relates with learning. Knowledge can be gained at any moment with any methodology. Degree and learning are the different partitions. Learning grows with practice whereas degree only shows the way to that practice. People can learn from failures, innovations and accidental success. Kelvin did not “wow” MIT with his academic degree. Rather, he did it with much effort, failures, knowledge and innovation respectively. Microsoft and facebook did not evolve from degree. They arouse from innovation or knowledge.

The cold air is still playing with my hair. Though, the feeling of this playfulness of air has grown much deeper in my heart as I have reached to my conclusion. I don't know about the community but I am satisfied and clarified with my answers. I now feel that I must climb down the roof and go to sleep. Not a single book taught me to do so. But I will...

A salute to army

All these feelings started with the entry of an army man in our house. That man had strange behaviors. He used to come silently and be cool enough that made me wonder if he was not a REAL army. He used to bring many army stuffs in home and shared openly with my family. This was another thing to suspect on. Why is he being kind to us? May be that’s a master plan. May be he thinks we are terrorists. He was in no way an actual army for me as I thought no army would be kind.

Days proceeded. He brought the whole family in his room. It was more of a group of armies that a family of army. This made me suspect him even more. Well, fear had overtaken the suspicion. I was afraid if he would kill all my family in a single shot.

I felt his special sharp eyes on me. Whenever I passed by him or vice versa, he used to give me a sharp look with threatening eyes. Who was I to question an army why he looked at me that way? I had to get away from him as soon as possible. To avoid further eye-contact, I started to look down whenever he passed by me. Due to this, I did not have to look at his ever threatening and frustrating eyes. May be he felt weird or may be proud. It was none of my business.

He used to dine with us sometimes and we used to dine with him. Even though nobody suspected his presence, I had a huge suspicion in his phony smile. Additionally, he used to give me that killer’s look every time he smiled. However, I was not afraid of him. I felt that my parents were there to protect me from that danger. His clinks of wine glass and the strike of spoon on the plate was really confusing. I felt that there was some message in that sound too. May be a chopper would fly by our house and kill us all. I could think of nothing other than “Kill”.

I could not control my fear with his presence around me. I did not know what to do but my glass for fear was already starting to over flow. I would compare myself with Sheldon Cooper when he could not tell something he wanted to. Finally, I gathered guts to ask it to my mother.

“Haha, my dear son. He is an army and we are not terrorists. Army is also a human and he is a social being” my mother said.

I could not get her abstruse words (it was hard for me to understand then). So, I asked my mother to clarify in simpler language.

Calmly, she sat down and said that the army in our house was a very good man. Army does not mean a person with great strength and rude behavior. Infact, army are our protectors and they are very helpful. They have many hard trainings in their life but they also have a soft heart. In fact, they are more than a simple people as they have greater responsibilities and have quality to protect the country as well as to love the people living inside it.

That day, I realized how hard being an army was. They are not only the people with great guts but also a “sacrifizer”. On one hand, they are powerful and courageous while on the other hand, they are sacrificing their own family for our sake. I regretted the misconception that I had for the army in our house. His eyes were “kinder” for me. His smile was no more suspicious. Further, a good feeling came for the army.

Army is the protector and also a “sacrificer”. So, I feel like to salute the brave people of nation, army.

History comes alive_Part 1

I finally got a chance to visit the history. It was hung in each and every corner of the "Hanuman Dhoka" museum. I could fulfill my desire to know the history of Kings of Nepal. It took 2 years just to come to this place for me. I could have visited any time because money was not the hindrance for this. I was waiting for the moment when I could see beyond what was shown in the museum. I wanted to see Bhimsen Thapa's blood turning fresh in my visit and also the regime of Rana in the palace. Today, I finally found an army brother who could guide me to the palace and its rooms.  Then, I visited the palace where I got amazing experience and an instinct of proud Kings of Nepal. Their bravery touched my heart the most. So, history came alive from Prithivi Narayan Shah to Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. I also saw the unseen. The historical figures came alive in the following sequence.

Part 1 - "Jungey" supported me upstairs

I met the army brother in Nasal Chowk, the main chowk that we see as soon as we enter Hanuman Dhoka. I saw big posters of Kings of Nepal on my left starting from Prithivi Narayan Shah to Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. On the right was a vast ground (Chowk) which signaled me the historical events that happened hundred years back.

Then came the starting point of the museum. I stood in front of huge beautiful palace which was built in none other than ancient age. The big pillars and art in almost every wall fascinated me. As soon as I stepped inside, I saw the beautiful inner design and art of gods and goddess. The palace had a round stairs which was derived from typical British palace. The whole palace actually had a British fashion. Brother told me that Jung Bahadur Rana brought the design to the palace after returning from Britain. Ranas were always a cruel ruler but I respect for their love for art and bravery. Further, I am no one to judge them or to judge the history.

While I started to climb the stairs, I felt like King. Brother said that I actually walked like one. Climbing the historic stairs Jungey left, I felt that Jung Bahadur Rana was by my side assisting me to climb and inviting me to his palace. I felt that he leaded me to the Cinema Hall (collection of King Tribhuwan's memories now). So, I started the journey with Jungey's company.