The Best and Bravest Decision
Friday, October 26, 2018
Shova's parents were some of the first employees we hired at Kopila Valley and her family has been such a key part of our lives for the past 11 years. Shova grew up in our children's home and attended Kopila Valley School. In August, she left Nepal and headed for the United States, where she now attends Lafayette College. Shova took over the BlinkNow Instagram for a week to post updates about her new college life! P.S. Did you see Shova's sister Nisha's Instagram takeover last week?
Hi, this is Shova and I will be giving you updates on my college life in America. Last summer I got accepted to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and I couldn’t be happier. It is such a dream come true. After a 19-hour plane ride, I thought finally I’m here! I think dropping off to college was one of the most nerve-wracking things I have experienced so far. Two days before moving into college I couldn’t sleep at all. I was terrified of the fact that I would be so far away from everybody back home. Growing up with so much love from Maggie and all my brothers and sisters back home, I was concerned about being alone and not fitting here. Will I have friends? Will I be able to keep up with the Academics? Am I good enough to be here? These questions kept bothering me all night and I felt so homesick.
On move-in day, I couldn’t be more excited! I forgot about everything else and just focused on meeting and introducing myself to whomever I met and just having the best time. I have so much fun in international orientation week, won most of the games and just had the best first week at college! I have met so many amazing professors, advisors, and friends who are just happy to help anytime and make the best out of these four years at college. Looking back to when I was applying for college in America, I do not regret my decision at all. In fact, I think it was one of the best and bravest decisions I have made so far.
One thing I love about Lafayette College is how resourceful it is. Being an international student I always seem to have so many questions about how things work here. It ranges from very basic thing such as using a waffle maker, using excel and moodle to submit homework. I can always find help whether it is emotional or academics. Each student is assigned a peer advisor, an advisor, and a PARDner who help us guide what classes to take and how to manage time between workload and social life. They also inform us about important events happening on campus. Another thing that I find truly amazing is the office hours of professors. Office hours are hours outside of classes professors are available to discuss questions or go over topics that were confusing. Professors love office hours and they highly encourage students to use them. I love going to office hours and talking to my professors. I think it’s really important for them to know that I’m working hard.
So far college has taught me to have an open mind. College is full of students transitioning to adulthood with a lot of diverse thoughts and opinions about the world and way of life. The cultural difference is also big. Addressing professors to making friends work differently. Everybody runs on a different schedule. We have assignments to complete every day, quizzes happening every week and exams every other week. Sometimes I don’t see my roommate until the weekend! But, these differences have taught me to appreciate the time I spend with my friends more.
Adjusting to the food on campus has also been a challenge for me. I eat a lot of salty and spicy food back home, but here on campus, I find the food very mild. There are a lot of varieties of food options to choose from but sometimes I feel like I just want some simple plate of rice, lentils, and vegetables. During the third week of college, I discovered spicy Korean ramen noodles at an Asian store downtown and I cannot explain how much I love them! I cook at a common kitchen I share with my floormates and they were curious about the taste one day. I told them that the noodles are extra spicy than the regular ones and they won’t be able to take that hot, they did not believe me so I challenged them to try! I was very impressed by how they handled the pain but it was hilarious to watch.
Last Saturday, I had the 1000 nights to graduation dance and time seems to move too quickly here. Just about three months ago, I bid farewell to my family back home and started this journey. It still feels like yesterday I was dreaming about what going to college looks like and if that is even possible for me. Coming to Kopila has already changed my life from what it used to be. I would probably be married by now and going to school would not be even an option, but here I am today, at my dream college just because of the support I received from Kopila and BlinkNow. BlinkNow has made it possible to bring this dream into reality and I cannot be grateful enough. This journey has been full of ups and downs, lots of emotions in the way and so much growth and learning going on. I cannot wait to see what this opportunity shapes me into and I cannot wait to share what I learned with others. Thank you for following my takeover for the past week. I had fun sharing my experience with you.
Love, Shova
SUPPORT MORE GIRLS LIKE SHOVA ›