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I was groomed and socialized in such a way that the only mission in my life was to become a doctor. “What do you want to be in the future?” used to be the most common question asked to those second graders who were not even ready to tie their own shoelaces. I still remember those smiles of my innocent friends in second grade who were proud to mention they wanted to become a doctor or engineer in the future. I would frequently hear answers mentioning a doctor, an engineer or a pilot; however, I seldom heard answers saying, “a teacher”, “a social worker”, or even a “player”. It was obvious the brains of those innocent kids were “pre-programmed” into a notion that becoming anything other than a doctor, an engineer or a pilot, was unacceptable. Anything else would be inferior. I, being part of the same community, had the same mentality. I used to feel proud to mention I was going to be a doctor in future. Even though thinking about blood, its stain and wounds would scare me, I knew I did not have a choice. A little girl who was scared to visit a doctor wants to become one. Forget about what my future interest would be, or what would make me happy. I wanted to be accepted by my family and, more importantly, society.
After I completed my School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exam, I realized I must live my life for myself and not for others. This realization made me think differently that I have my interests, dreams, uniqueness, and talent so I must utilize them to unlock my potential rather than pleasing the society.
How I changed my Dream to become a Diplomat from Doctor
With this mentality, I started thinking about my interests and what I really want to become. My dreams were kind of suppressed during my childhood, but I am now heading toward my goal of becoming a successful diplomat. I understood who I want to be after analyzing my activities during my secondary school days. I was active in communication with people, including tourists who used to visit Bardiya National park near my hometown. I also started getting more curious about national and international affairs. Moreover, I developed skill sets centered on being patient and listening to others with great attention.
Currently, I am pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies at Kathmandu University where I enjoy studying subjects such as Foreign Affairs, International Relations, Environmental Studies and Economics among others.
Changes take time; more specifically, positive changes take longer, but we will get to where equal social-inclusion becomes a reality. I would like to see my children, someday in future proudly stand up in the class and say, “ I want to become a successful Diplomat or a teacher, a singer or a player ”, whatever they want, not only doctors and engineers.
