A journeyfromafruitseller to an academic
Muslim Shah’s visit to Nepal
I come fromafamilywith limited resources and mylifehas been tremendouslychallenging becauseof continuedfinancial constraints.I studied at a governmentschool with no classrooms and was taughtunder the sunonmud floors. Myfather, whowas alocalfruitselleronaroadside, left us when I was in seventh grade, whereas my mother was bedridden on account of Arthritis. Despite all these troubles, Inevercomplained‘Whyme?’ rather I asked life to ‘Tryme’. Icontinuedmy studywhilesellingfruitsonroadsidesandstreets.Theday and nightstrugglepaid offwhenIsecured5thpositioninKhyberPakhtunkhwain the DiplomaofAssociate Engineering (DAE).
Ihadalwaysdreamtofpursuing Bachelorsatareputableuniversityandthatwouldnothave happenedifitwas notforthe USAIDNeedBasedScholarshipandIMSciences,which gave me admission and motivated meto work even harder. Though successoftenstartswithfailure;in early 2017,I gotshortlisted for theGlobalUGRAD Programandsuccessfully cleared allthephasesof the selection process. Butregrettably, the US Embassy did not grant me visa. Consequently, I receivedan email from USEFPthatI was no longer part of the Global UGRADProgram.
Afterrejectioninthe GlobalUGRADProgram,Iwas heartbroken and sharedmy story with Professorsat theInstituteofManagement Sciences,Peshawar. They made me realize how this was not the end and encouraged me to stay positive as the future may hold better opportunities. That is precisely what happened. A fewdayslater, thanks to my teacher’s support, IgotselectedinAIESECProject‘DearNeighbor forNepal’,whereby I visitedNepalfor amonth. AIESECisanon-profit,non-governmentalandyouth-basedinternationalorganization, workingtoadvancetheleadershipskillsofyoutharoundtheworld and I was grateful to be a part of the project.
When in Nepal, Iwasexcitedto see places, meet new people and listen to their stories.ComparedtowhatI hadheardfromfriends at home about Nepal, the Nepal I experienced was much different. ItraveledtoplaceslikeBakhtapur,Pokhara and Ghandrukthat were a combination offarmlandsandcountryside.I livedin the PepsiCola districtwithinKathmandu.PepsiColaisaverysmalldistrictthat gotitsinteresting nameduetothe vast numberof fastfoodinternational and local restaurants in the area. Itisoneofthemostpopularsitesamongtheyouthofthecity.But due to recent ongoingconstructions, the traffic thereis pretty bad. The weather of the district Pepsi Cola was colder than what I had expected. Thus I was cold when I arrived in a mere T-Shirt. Folks of the district traditionally get upearly in the morning, go forwalksandstartpreparationforbreakfastandlunch. They havebreakfastat6AMsharp andlunchis servedbetween9AM to10AM.They taketeaand snacksfrom11 AM to 1 PMand theirfamous foodis “Dal-Bhat-Tarkari”.
The aim of the project ‘Dear Neighbor for Nepal’istoteach kids ina localschoolabout issues relating to the SustainableDevelopmentGoals (SDGs). SDGs principally compriseof17goals,but myconcentrationwasonly on threeaspectsofit, i.e. Poverty,Educationand Climate Change,asperobservingthe currentcircumstances of Nepal.Under this project,Iwasplacedat ‘GatewayAcademy’ toteachtheStudentsofGrade8, 9and10. Teachingat an internationallevelwasa wonderfulexperience. Itpolished my skills and helped me progresstowardsmyCareer Goals. I wasexposedto their cultural and social problems. I looked at these issues, especially those related to the SDGs, from a global perspective. Despite being a different culture, manyof Nepal’s problems are similar to those of Pakistan and I hoped that these can be solved holisticallyto championPeace,Growth and Social Development globally.
Aside from academics, GatewayAcademyengaged students in many extra-curricular activities like Sports,Music,Dance andKarate.The students were eagertocontributetothesociety by partakinginphilanthropicactivitieslike visitstoOrphanageHouse andGandhiHospitaletc.Since thestudentsaresupposedtocommunicateinEnglish languageratherthantheirmothertongue, I did not have much language barrier with them. Plus everyone, including the staff, was welcoming and cooperative.
Itwasquitedifficulttopractice myreligiousactivities(Islam) in the start. Butwiththepassage oftimeIfounda caring Muslimfamily, who often accompaniedmetothemosque. Their interesting company and the halal food they cooked did not let me get bored. Imademanyfriends too whotookmeoutformovies,football, restaurants,roadtrips,andconcerts.Some evenshowedmetheir places of worship liketemplesandhowpeople practiced their beliefs. Everyone was warm and open. As much as I missed my family and friends back home, I never really got homesick because I had new friends who made sure I was okay. They helped me with the adjustments I had to make like school, travelling, shopping, communicating –rather everything. I will forever remember the fun times I had with them.
I had a chance to visit the beautiful leisure city of Pokhara as well. One can trek, boat, hike, cycle, paraglide, or simply relax there next to the lake and panoramic view of the mountains. The reflection of Himalyan Mountains in the lake, the Davis Waterfall and Pokhara’s scenic beauty overall can be overwhelming. There are plenty of souvenir shops in the market section of the city with some of the finest handicrafts in the country.
In order to get a real essence of the Nepali culture, a visit to Bhaktapur is a must. This city is rich in ancient arts and other popular tourist spots. Because of the cluster of temples, pagodas, monuments, courtyard, squares, traditional houses, artistic stones, and Buddhist shrines and monasteries built there, the city is also known as an open museum. However,in the recent earthquake, the structures were highly damaged and reconstruction process was still underway. They faced a shortage of labor as the construction jobs werelow-paid.
Going to Nepal was a life-changing experience for me that I will always cherish. Being away for a month and living by myself in a completely different world taught me many things. I grew as a person and my horizon widened in ways I never would have imagined. I feel more independent, appreciative of my family and friends, open to new ideas, and confident. This adventure made me realize that anything is possible and that I can do anything. Though I must add that this would not have been possible if it was not for the support and abutment of my Professors. I am much thankful to them, IMSciences and AIESEC for providing me such a platform, where even the destitute can turn their dreams into reality.
“Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence” (Colin Powell).