I was groomed and socialized in such a way that the only mission in life was becoming a doctor. “What do you want to be in the future?” used to be the most common question asked to those 2nd graders who were not even ready to tie their own shoelaces. I still remember those smiles of my innocent friends in 2nd 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 of mentioning a doctor as my future profession. 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 SLC exam, some positive aura started coming to my mind. I started thinking differently.  I felt the need to be different and stand out. I realized I must live my life for myself and not others. I have my interests, dreams, uniqueness, and talent so I must utilize them to unlock my potential rather than pleasing the society. With this mentality, I started thinking about my interests and what I really want to become. 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. I started listening to the news with curiosity when, during my age, my society probably expected me to indulge in tv series and entertainment shows. Books, novels, and the biographies of successful people started inspiring me. Spending time at the library started becoming more pleasurable than spending time watching TV. I never got tired of attending programs and spending hours in the program hall. I also developed skill sets centered on being patient and listening to others with great attention.

My dreams were kind of suppressed during my childhood, but I am now heading toward my goal of becoming a successful diplomat. I want to actively work in the field of Environment ,Sustainable Development , gender equality and Diplomacy. Forgetting about being a doctor or an engineer, I am pursuing a Bachelor in Development Studies at Kathmandu University, and I enjoy courses in  Foreign Affairs,International Relations, Environmental Studies and Economics, to name a few. Women are still in the minority when it comes to being diplomats or ambassadors. The fact that only about 33% of women are diplomats in Nepal motivates me even more. I grew up hearing stories of role models like Hillary Clinton, Ang Sang Suki, Michelle Obama, Benazir Bhutto, Malala and others. Their stories inspire me and push me to work harder. I am aware of several challenges that lie ahead, but I am mentally prepared to fight for it , and I believe that’s what makes me unique. I have the determination to get out of the comfort zone of the norms that have been set by our society. I am willing to be different, and I am keen to change the “socially accepted” rituals and beliefs. I am also mindful that being a woman means I might have to take extra steps to get to my destination, but that’s the world we live in, and I am confident my goal will help fight that norm so that my daughter will not have to endure the same hurdles.  Changes take time; more specifically, positive changes take longer, but we will get to where equal social-inclusion becomes a reality. As gender equality issues are getting more vocal  throughout the word, I would like to see changes so that discrimination is limited to history books.  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 may  be even  a teacher , a singer , or a player ”whatever they want not only doctors and engineers. 

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