A small introduction to why I'm moving to Nepal for a year before college.
June 10, 2019
Being at a really rigorous high school like College Prep had its advantages and disadvantages. I learned more than I could imagine about history, law, politics, ethics, science, math, and society. I started to understand how the world around me works, how different points of view and theories could shape the world. I interned at a local organization focused on youth empowerment, I learned about environmental degradation in my AP Environmental Science class, I learned about the Constitution and how it enshrines certain rights to all American citizens. While this has happening, the world and the US were facing massive challenges ranging from climate change, political instability, and refugee crises, to police brutality, women's reproductive rights, and gun control. As the world around me felt like it was falling apart it became hard to invest myself in the more theoretical aspects of school. Math problems and analyzing 19th century literature felt increasingly like a chore. Oftentimes it felt like what I was learning served no purpose and I became disheartened. Then in the midst of applying to colleges, each test and project felt like a mere box to check off. I wasn't really learning for myself.
That's part of the reason why I want to pursue a gap year. This time will allow me to reconnect with my passion for learning and for understanding the world around me. It'll also allow me to bring what I've learned in the classroom to real life. In other words this gap year doesn't mean I'll stop my education. My Nepalese family has a hard time understanding that. But I think there's much to be learned from real life as well as from books and teachers. My "gap" year only means a break in my formal schooling. I want to keep learning! I'm going to read books on the politics and history of Nepal, I'm going to relearn Nepali via immersion, I'm going to involve myself with projects and organizations (might have to do some math), and even take a few courses!
I've always known deep down that this what I wanted to do straight out of high school. In my gap year I will be in Nepal, my mother's home country and my birth country. There are a few things I want to do! I'm planning on splitting my time volunteering as an English teacher in a village school in Bhotenamlang, taking anthropology courses with SIT study abroad, and interning with an Italian INGO on matters relating to public health. I'm also hoping to write an article for the English newspaper in Nepal! And of course, I also want to travel... mostly in Southeast Asia but also trek around Nepal.
I'm not quite sure yet exactly what the year will have in store. It will surely be challenging. Really challenging. I already know that I made the right choice. And even though my college plans are a bit up in the air as of yet, I know this year will make me a better person and student!
