Wise and Wild

Was it wrong to leave Nepal or is it wrong that we somehow survive as international students in a foreign land? What is wrong, the system that sets people up for failure or not trying too hard? जिन्दगीमा धेरै मानिसहरु भेट्टीछन् , कोही बताश जस्तै आउछन अनि जान्छन् कोही धेरै मिठो साथ र स्मृति दिएर जान्छन्। जो कोही पनि आएका छन् , केहि न केहि सिकाएरनै जान्छन्। आज को सिख र नैतिकताचै अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विद्यार्थीको पाठ !

Nepali by genes, Canadian by citizenship, confused by life. Welcome to season 2 of Wise and Wild, where I fight with the sheer crisis and try to win the weekly battles of what makes our lives the way we are. Nepali culture ma ‘समाजले के भन्चन’, Canada ma ‘therapy is self-care’. My life? A messy remix. Podcast ma sabai kura ‘huss ra thik cha’. A spreadsheet of emotions, a dash of cultural chaos, and 15-20 minutes of ‘WTF am I doing?’—all served with a side of momo and poutine together. For anyone who’s ever Googled ‘Is my life just an unresolved trauma?’ during their lunch break, this podcast is 100% for you. (We’ll get through this. One day. Maybe)

Choices are made and maybe for the better. Sadiksha became involved in the new culture relatively quickly, particularly by attending school pursuing nursing. While grateful and modest about choosing a demanding career, she also shares sufficient aches and pains about the choices with the new world to become socially integrated, and the struggles of the exhausted frontline staff. While the praises are well deserved, it’s also time to recalibrate our thoughts for technical career vs emotional capacity.

When we set an intention, we leave ourselves open to new ways of thinking supporting the behavior we want to change. However, change comes with an obligation. Jindagi garo cha ni hou!

Expressing our thoughts and feelings is not easy, but we can try! PLAY TO FLOURISH is a relationship-building game. In Raissa's own words, "Play to flourish is designed to foster deeper or more entertaining discussions that can transform a simple “how are you” to a “who are you”? A good question can be the tiny spark that brings back memories and ignites a forest fire of thoughts, ideas, and personal revelation. "We all need to talk to each other and share our stories more."

The Indian residential school system, one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history, has had a profoundly lasting and damaging impact on Indigenous culture, heritage, and language. Suna and Jamuna, belonging to Indigenous and Tamang communities, talk about the similarities of how colonialism has relegated both groups forcing them to stay in survival mode for generations. Finding healing through difficult circumstances and power in polity is a continuous work in progress.

Suna and Jamuna share their experience growing up in Canada, along with their mother who grew up in Nepal. The resemblance and The contrast.

As soon as we fly out, what we expect is not what it is. We are in a strange world, google maps are fuzzy to navigate and fararara IELTS English hides under the shade. Leaving everything behind that we treasure to find a new life in a foreign country is like being born again. For the first few years, Geeta and Maya continue to share being a small child who learn to crawl, walk and finally run towards their destination.

Happy 2023....Thank you for listening to Wise and Wild podcast, shouting out loud for all the people who supported me on this project. Lots of love to all the participants and listeners feedback is important to me and always open to new ideas and collaboration. Wise and Wild is available on Spotify, Apple, Google or whichever is your favorite ;)! Mentions: @chantiersjeunesse @radius_sfu @pahsung @yourbandiswack