Tag: Sheldon Wong

By sheldonwongg

“Oh, you’re going to Nepal? That’s … different.”

That most common response I receive when I tell people that I’ll be spending four months in Nepal (Other than where it’s located on the globe) is what I would even gain from going halfway around the world to study a subject that doesn’t even directly relate to my major. I’ve always found this question to be a little preemptive and perhaps a little ignorant. Travelling has always been a source of knowledge and inspiration for me. Whether it was a day trip to a neighboring state, or a month long trek across the world, being somewhere new was always welcomed. In fact, it become somewhat of an addiction. I craved the long bus rides and getting lost in a new city, connecting with new people. It was clear to me that anytime we set forth on a journey that is out of our comfort zones and beyond the realm of our perspectives, we give ourselves room to grow as a human being. Experiencing the world through my own eyes, ears, and touch is one of life’s greatest teachers.
Many of my more practical relatives and friends often ask me about why I spend money to travel instead of saving it for long term investments like a house, a car, or retirement. I can barely decide what I want to eat for lunch tomorrow, let alone a mortgage. And saving money for a retirement that I’m not certain to achieve seems like overkill to me. In John Avedon’s, “In Exile From the Land of Snows”, he simply states that, “If in this present atmosphere, in which everything depends on money and power, and there is not much concern about the real value of love, if we human beings now lose the values of justice, of compassion, of honestly, then in the future we will face more difficulty; more suffering will come (411).” The pressures of achieving a conventionally successfully life often arises in my thoughts, yet when I am travelling, I am brought back to compassion and love for the world. Material objects become unimportant as I am reminded of the greater forces in life driving me.
Living in an entirely new country for four months is completely different from any type of travel I’ve ever done. In many ways, I am forced to look at how I currently live my life and reexamine how it will operate in the context of living in Nepal for an extended period of time. Already, I am discovering what it means to take from the Earth and (literally) carry it on my back. In many ways, I have quickly learned the lesson of less is more. Most importantly, this trip is different because it feels like a pause on life. A break from the stresses of everyday life, thoughts about the future, and intrusive internal thoughts. It feels like a lesson in happiness and I’m so excited to learn.

“Even if we do not succeed in this life, that is all right; but at least we have tried to build a better human society on the basis of love.”

By sheldonwongg

One of the things I wasn’t prepared for when I came to Nepal was the mistaking of my identity and how common it would be. Pretty much from day one, people came up to me speaking Nepali and mistaking for a plethora of ethnicities. Coming from a strong Chinese American heritage and the diverse culture of the United States, the case of mistaken identity in Nepal was an unexpected challenge I’ve had to navigate in during my time here. In the US, I almost never get mistaken as anything other than Chinese and if I do, most people have a pretty easy time understand how I can be Chinese AND American. Here in Nepal, people’s gut reaction is to assume that I’m Nepali, and since I interact with a lot of Tibetans, I often blend in with them as well. When I tell them I’m Chinese and I’m from America, I can see the gears in their brain working. They ask, “But where are you from from?” Or “But where are your parents from?” Even though I’m ethnically Chinese, my parents were born in Vietnam and escaped as refugees during the war. Often times, they walk away more confused than before and at first, I was frustrated with my lack of ability to effectively communicate the complex history of my family. It took a lot of thinking to fully comprehend how, even though Nepal is multiethnic and multilingual, the populations perceptions of identities and physical appearance weren’t as detached as mine were. Their perceptions of Americans stems from this idealization of whiteness and despite the reality of America being an extremely diverse country, the fantasy that exists in their minds have a hard time accepting this. By no means is this phenomenon their fault, they are only reflecting what they have been acculturated to, but does bring up the larger questions of what validates a person identity and how that relates in a larger context.

By sheldonwongg

Studying in Nepal is not exactly your traditional study abroad experience. From the transportation, to the customs, to the everyday nuances, you'll find differences from every angle. However, I could not be more grateful to be studying in Kathmandu. In so many ways, I have begun to understand the ways in which the world operates and dismantle the associations I have instilled in myself. I think one of the biggest surprises I've encountered since coming to Nepal was just how wrong my preconceived notions of Nepal and Tibet were. Like most people, I thought Tibetans floated on air and didn't have the capacity to get mad at people. However, they are human, just like any other group. It sounds silly looking back in hindsight, but these stereotypes are ingrained in us and it takes a lot of reflect to fully understand how deeply embedded our ideas of the world are. The greatest form of learning I've done here in Nepal is unlearning. Unlearning what it means to be part of a global society, to associate two things together, to question the purpose of systematic belief.

One of the most humbling moments of this trip was hearing Tibetans thanking us for coming to study Tibetan and calling us courageous for being able to leave our country and travel to a place like Nepal and India. It really hit hard to realize how incredibly lucky I am to be able to travel and see life like this, but also have the comfort of knowing that it is temporary and that life as it is right now is only a point in time; a fleeting moment before I move on. I am constantly reminding myself that because of pure luck, I'm in this position and because of luck, they are in that position. I think one of the conversations I had with a member of my homestay sums it up pretty well. He said: Take what you learned here and don't forget about us [Tibetans], but when you go home, you have a place to stay, food to eat. All you have to do is be a good person.

By sheldonwongg

I’ve been in Kathmandu for roughly two months now and it has been a non-stop whirl wind of a time. During my time here, I have been exploring all of Kathmandu and have come up with a list of must-dos if you ever find yourself in this busy busy city.

Boudha Stupa

My home! I’ve been living with a Tibetan family in Boudha, Kathmandu during my time here and it’s considered one of the greatest sites for spirituality in Tibetan Buddhism. It is the largest stupa in the world and thousands of years old. While you’re here, make sure you do some Korra (circumambulating around the stupa), but make sure you are walking clockwise. Many believe that doing korra will earn good merit in life and led to a prosperous life. The stupa is also home to many shops and restaurants that will keep your time (and wallets) for the day.

Ason Markets

If you love to shop like I do, then Ason is the go to place for you. Here, you will find the best authentic bazaar shopping in the Kathmandu valley. You can find anything from traditional kurtas, to modern clothing, to miles of accessories, and souvenirs for friends. One of the really unique things that is available in Nepal is really cheap tailoring. My favorite activity is going to a fabric shop to pick out a fabric I think is super cool, then getting it tailored into a custom one of a kind shirt.

...continue reading "The Must-Dos When You Are in Kathmandu"

By sheldonwongg

Before travelling to Nepal, I spent a huge deal of my time researching Nepal, watching vlogs of people travelling through, and reading about the best spots to hit up while studying here. I created a fantasy land, one that would never be able to match the reality of Nepal. For those with preconceived notions of what this country is, no, it is not miles and miles of mountains. Nor is it starving beggars lining the streets of cities. Nepal is a complex and multi-cultural country that is not what I expected a developing country to be. It wasn’t all snow-capped mountains, but also smog and dust. And everywhere I looked, I could see the diversity that Nepal has to offer. There are men in business suits and little children in school uniforms. I came with the belief that I would be totally engrossed in an experience that was completely humbling and life changing. I thought that my semester in Nepal would be filled with constant adventure and experiences that would be pivotal to my life. In my time here in Nepal, I’ve realized that life here in Kathmandu can be just as mundane as it is in America.

Yes, I’ve gotten to do really amazing things like stay with a total of five different Tibetan families, hike around the highest mountain range in the world, and see some of the most sacred Buddhist and Hindu sites to exist. But all of that is exceptional, most of my days are filled with studying for Tibetan quizzes and trying to make friends in a completely new country. I think the biggest reality I faced was understanding how the little things in my semester here would end up leaving the biggest impact. All the monasteries and mountains have blurred together, but the nights playing cards and laughter that ensued from the misadventures will stick with me forever.