One of my favorite days was the one we got to spend with students and Professors from Tribhuvan University. On the bus ride there, Professor Ganguly equated TU to the MIT
of Nepal. Needless to say, I was impressed even before I got to see the beautiful campus and meet the wonderful students. When we arrived we were shown to a classroom and joined by roughly 15 fifth-year architecture students. At first, we were segregated. I was sitting with people I knew and was comfortable with and the Tribhuvan students
were sitting amongst themselves as well. After some prodding from Professor Ganguly, we begrudgingly mixed up a little bit more. A very short, semi-awkward hello between my new seatmates and I again faced forward, ready for lecture. Little did I know, the professors had something else in store for us that morning. We were told to pair up and spend thirty minutes (!) getting to know one another before regrouping and presenting one another to the class. Nothing could have made me more uncomfortable or shy. The girl sitting next to me was named Ambika. She seemed nice enough, but between the cultural differences and the seven-year age gap, I mentally prepared for an awkward half-hour ahead of me.
In that 30 minutes, I met some of the kindest people that I am lucky enough to call my true friends. Ambika and I got along so well that the 30 minutes flew by and I found myself wishing we had more time together. We took a tour of the amazing campus with Andy and
another Tribhuvan student, Momo. The four of us discussed movies, music, birthdays (me and Ambika are twins!), sports, and so much more. We found a surprising amount of similarities between our universities and lives, found humor and acceptance in our differences, and made genuine connections. Momo and Ambika introduced us to more of their friends who showed us the spots they go to just outside of campus. We went paddle boating, drank lemon soda, and lamented that we only had one more day in Kathmandu together.
The whole day was such a wonderful surprise. I made the most amazing friends in one of the most unexpected places. During our presentations of one another, Professor Ganguly noted, "there seems to be more of a generational gap than a cultural gap. Young people have so much in common even when they come from opposite sides of the world". I'm happy he pushed us out of our comfort zone and encouraged true cultural immersion. I hope to continue to foster true connections and am excited to meet more friends throughout the rest of our trip.
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