My Journey - By Diptika Khanal

Lord I am one lord I am two, lord I am three, lord I am four, lord I am five thousand miles away from home.
Today as I sit to write this article many events, promises, dedication flash past my minds eyes. 6th of December, 2007 was the first day I landed in the United States of America. Today I can proudly say that I am 10 months old in this wonderful land of opportunity. To introduce a little about myself to my readers; I come from a very small yet a very beautiful country in South Asia which is famous for having the worlds highest peak “Mount Everest” in it. The country where I come from is Nepal.

I often find myself getting nostalgic having to write about my family back in Nepal and my Alma Marter La Martiniere Girl’s College, both of which have been my source of inspiration as well as the resource from where I got to learn a lot. The lessons I learn from them were abundant.
My grand mamma, having got married at the age of 12 did not receive good education and always desired me to be like my cousin Subhadra Belbase who indeed is my idol. It was my grand mother’s dream to send me to “vilayat” which means abroad to seek good education. It was with this hope that she urged my father to send me to India to seek the best high school education.
The day I received my visa, I felt as if I had won a million dollar lottery ticket. Yes that visa was more than the worth of a million dollar to me because I had won my grand mamma’s heart which to me is priceless.
Getting the visa to come to the U.S.A. was my first luck or the key that opened many doors of opportunities for me.
Saying goodbye to my loved ones was a very difficult task for me especially wiping the tears from my grand mamma’s eyes was a great challenge for me. Her tears were the tears of happiness as well as tears of worry as I was going to come to a land where I was going to be all by myself.
I feel very content to write about my so far journey in U.S.A. William Rainey Harper College, I can say with full pride has been and will be my stepping stone to success in the near future. The hospitable nature of all the staff members, my fellow students makes me fell as if I have come from the lap of one mother back in Nepal to the lap of another mother here in U.S.A. Harper is my home away from home.
My first visit to Harper was a very memorable one. Our international coordinator, Jill Izumikawa was like a guardian angel to me. Her beautiful smile and her open heart willingness to help the international students like me have not only made me visit her often but many of the other students.
It’s often said that the first impression is the last impression. I too from the beginning had a very positive impression about Harper.
Every morning, I get up cheerfully with a radiant face looking forward to come to college and learn many new things. For me hard work has always been the ladder to success. All the professors here at Harper ensure that the student has earned the grade he or she gets rather than just giving it to them without any effort. “The price to success is an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen”. This is what all the professors here at Harper make us, the students realize.
Harper so far. (4months) has been my ladder that has helped me embark upon a new journey of life. With every step up the ladder I feel I am fulfilling my grand mamma’s dream to see me as a young, bright and a successful individual. I look forward to learn a lot from this institution and I take Harper as my parent who like our mother nurtures us and who instill in us everything that makes a perfect human being.
I have two more years at Harper before I take a transfer to the doors of another highly repudiated university. Remembering the words I learnt while I was a little girl which goes this way “Only if you dare to struggle today will you dare to succeed tomorrow.” I am daring to struggle today so that I can dare to win tomorrow by getting admission.
At the end I would like to tell all my dear friends that anything in life is possible only and if we have a vision in our mind. Having a vision about what we want in life, itself would automatically bring in a person dedication, commitment, loyalty and sincerity. And in my book of success, all of the above mentioned words are the ingredients that make a successful person.