Going for it! I earned a competitive travel scholarship and landed in Kathmandu

Honors College student Mia Vallenilla, majoring in interdisciplinary studies with a focus on political science, recently returned from FIU’s inaugural study abroad trip to Nepal. She made the journey with the financial help of the prestigious Gilman Scholarship, a State Department-funded program. The Nepal excursion is sponsored by the Honors College exclusively for its enrolled students, but plenty of other study abroad opportunities at the university are available to all.

Vallenilla describes her experience as “transformational.” She shares what she learned during her 30-day stay and encourages her fellow Panthers to likewise explore the world.

 
When I first heard about the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, I thought about how incredible it would be to go abroad without breaking the bank. At the time, I was hopeful that maybe I had a slight chance to earn the scholarship. I knew that my academic performance was strong, but I also knew how competitive national scholarships like this one could be. Still, something in me said, “Why not at least try?” So, I applied. That leap of faith turned into the most transformative experience of my college life thus far. 

Before I knew it, I would be stepping foot in Nepal, compliments of that very scholarship. I chose the trip because I wanted to be in a place that didn't remind me of home – I was born in the United States but raised in Venezuela. I wanted to learn about a completely different way of life. I had a lot of opportunities to do that, although, ultimately, I experienced a number of similarities as well.

A deep dive

My time in Nepal was made all the richer for the semester-long class required in advance of our going abroad. Our professor, Prem Chapagain, originally from a remote village in the foothills of the Himalayas, gave us an ideal introduction into what we would find in his homeland.

Among the facts and information we discussed in the months before getting on a plane: the country’s more than 100 ethnic groups. Although we didn't have time to study each of them, we got a pretty good understanding of the most represented.

Once there, we met members of the five predominant ethnicities and learned firsthand about their different histories, languages and traditions. We experienced the cultures, religious customs and foods of peoples such as the Newaris of Kathmandu, the Tharu of Chitwan and the Gurung of Sidhuwad.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was our homestay in Sidhuwad, in the mountains of eastern Nepal. Our group of 12 split into two, each staying with a family.

There we ate the best Nepali food I had throughout the entire trip. Traditional dishes of the area include dal bhat, or lentils and rice, and different veggie stir-fries that our host cooked from scratch using what was grown in the home garden: potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, onions and even the lentils picked earlier in the season.

I loved walking around to look at all the gardens. We would often munch on lettuce as we did so or on berries as we hiked the mountainside. And we had the chance to pet dogs and goats and even water buffalo. Overall, we enjoyed a real window into the world of the Gurung people.

At the same time, we got a bigger picture: Nepal is a very conservative culture, and women usually stay at home. Yet the woman in whose house we boarded in Sidhuwad was a social worker who went against traditional norms. She and other women together took on various projects, among them traveling to another village to feed the homeless "outcastes," literally those whom Nepali society relegates to the bottom based on their status at birth.

And that’s something we saw: Nepal very much revolves around a hierarchical caste system. People at the lowest rung don't get education, job opportunities beyond manual labor, nor any other chance to escape poverty.

A religious experience

Religion is a central part of Nepali life. It guides people daily and even infuses their politics.

Our professor provided background on the history of Hinduism and Buddhism, the two main faiths of Nepal. Although Hinduism is by far the majority religion, Buddhism remains prominent and influential.

Thanks to our preparations in class, we understood the significance of Pashupatinath Temple, a sacred cremation site for Hindus on the Bagmati River on the eastern outskirts of Kathmandu.

I wasn't sure how I would react to seeing a dead person for the first time. Witnessing the rituals of the cremations in person, however, I was mostly curious.

There is no coffin, just a body completely wrapped in a white sheet. The ceremony involves the rinsing of the person's face in the river and then the burning of the body.

I wanted to know more and decided to focus my field research - an assignment on which my professor would grade me - on customs and traditions around death and, specifically, how that compares with our practices and thoughts around death.

My final conclusion was that Nepali culture in general better prepares people for the inevitable because it is represented in stories, in art and in other aspect of daily life. That approach, it seems to me, means that people have little fear of death.

A connection

Raised in Venezuela, I saw similarities in both the built and natural landscapes of Nepal that other students on the trip likely did not. Used to living for many years in a developing country, I did not register the poor infrastructure and endless potholes in the same way that someone else might. The topography also reminded me of Venezuela as the mountain ranges are very similar.

So the physical environment contributed to my feeling somewhat at home. Despite being on a different continent and in a completely different culture, I found a sense of familiarity.

But what moved me most wasn’t walking through ancient cities that seemed frozen in time or seeing the Himalayan peaks. It was the warmth of the people. The Nepalis showed interest in learning who we were, where we came from and what we had planned during our time in the country. Every encounter I had, from the students I met at Kathmandu University where I presented my field research, to my hosts in Sirubari who welcomed me like family, taught me more than any class could have.

The experience overall made me appreciate the opportunity to meet and learn about others halfway across the world. I would encourage my fellow students to pursue the same. I suggest that anyone interested in such a trip go with an open mind and make the most of it. Rather than a vacation, this is a chance to understand the nuances of another culture in a unique way. As a tourist, you often see only the best of a place. But a study abroad gives you the chance to understand more aspects of a society and get a fuller picture.