Finding unity in diversity.

Who am I? What are my beliefs and values? Am I spiritual? Do I believe in God? I looked deep into my soul and tried to find out the answers- not an easy feat in a room full of about 100 people that came from different continents, different countries, different culture, speaking different languages and mostly whom I have met just few weeks back. We were having a workshop about diversity and the cast in up with people is as diverse as you can get with representation from 19 countries aging from 17 to 29. We have been brought up differently that has defined our ways of thinking, speaking, our manners, and our behaviors… We come from different societies- some are conservative, some liberal, but all different. I was looking at those differences until now. I was looking at the values, behaviors, and thinking pattern of other cultures that were so different from mine. However, everything changed when people started sharing their stories. At one point, I realized that we are actually not that different… I began to see the similarities in the differences we had. Was my faith and belief in my God any different from the beliefs and faith the person standing beside me had for her God? Was speaking about the feelings and life events less difficult to share just because the person is from Mexico or Japan? Would we not have reacted the same way people in Denver did after the shooting in Aurora Theater if it had taken place in Nepal? Yes, we are different in many ways- that will always keep us fascinated and curious while we are together at UWP; but at the same time we are similar in just as many ways, that will bring us to the common grounds where we can form a strong bond amongst each other- that will help us to create a unity in diversity.

Catching up with Up with People!

I had been meaning to write on my blog for so long, but I guess I have been very lazy. Although on my defense, I would like to say that the Up with People schedule is as tight as the leotards and the dancing tights we girls have to wear during our performances… ;)  (For those who don’t know what leotards are, please google it… coz that’s what I had to do the first time I heard it!) Our days are filled with movements (that includes physical exercises and dance), vocals- where I sing beautifully (if you believe me ;)), education workshops, and the technical workshops (which is familiarizing ourselves with lights, sounds, and staging). Besides these daily schedules, we were also able to meet leaders of the community during the leadership round table, scavenger hunt in downtown Denver (which our team lost ……. WHY???D:), and had cultural jam, where I danced in Taal ko Pani- a Nepali folk rock song….and No my partner is not from Nepal! He is from Nabraska, USA…..and he learned the whole dance steps in just few hours!! Collin, if for some weird reason you want to try out the dancing reality shows- you have my vote for sure!

I had an awesome time with my host family as well! It was Tylor’s (my host brother) 21^st Birthday!! I had never seen such happy birthday kid in my life ;) I guess it feels really special to be 21 in USA. It sure didn’t feel that way back home. Anyways, we celebrated his birthday by going out for dinner and doing a shot. We again celebrated his birthday with his mom on Sunday (they both share the birthday! How cool is that?) We then had dinner at his grandparent’s house- of course in the honor of the 21 years old belated birthday boy! :D It was a day filled with fun, good food, and good company! I love you Dalby family (and no Nicole, I do not think your family is crazy!!)

Culture Jam!!

My host brother's 21st Birthday!

Meet my host brother- Tylor

This is our team during the scavenger hunt at the downtown Denver- I still can't believe we lost! :(

Spending a lovely afternoon with Nicole's mom at Colorado Springs :)

We have our first Community Impact day this week, which I am really looking forward to! I will surely write about my experience in my next post….until then, ciao!

Meeting 100 people from 19 different countries and my host family!

The Arrival

I was feeling a little nervous when I arrived at the Denver airport because I was travelling alone for the first time and meeting new people in completely new environment. However, when I finally met my cast mates at the airport and at the Pinnacle center, where everyone was gathered….oh gosh! Have you ever heard the term flooding in psychology where people who have fear of something are made to face their fears all at once? That is exactly what happened with me! For a girl who felt awkward talking to new people, meeting almost 100 people from different countries at once….that was facing my fears in a different level! I tried to talk to everyone there. I don’t actually remember everyone, but I met some really awesome people. They were from 19 different countries! (I checked it out in my file later ;P) So the first day or the arrival day alone was a great achievement for me. (No pictures folks! I was so overwhelmed with what was going on around me that I completely forgot I had camera!)

The host family day

Let me begin by saying that my host family is awesome! My host sister is also my cast mate and so we have a lot to talk about (but that is not just the things we talked about haha). So the first day was the host family day- thank God! My host dad made pancakes (which were awesome!) and then, we went to the zoo!!!

Let me tell you why I was excited. I have been to a zoo only in Nepal, which had very small…..and I have never seen species which are not found in Asia- the Lion, giraffe, seals and other sea animals. Nicole (my host sister’s name) was super excited about the new elephant center….and off we went to the zoo with my host dad, Nicole, and her grandma. It was a wonderful experience to see animals that I only saw in animal planet or national geography. Oh! and I saw Dory and Nemo from finding Nemo!!

This is Nicole. She is my host sister and my caste mate!

This is Dave. He is going to Nepal again in October!

 At the elephant center they put on a small show and this guy from the zoo who was talking about elephants said that he had been working in Nepal- in Chitwan National Park, and was trying to raise funds so that they could build animal hospital there! I met him after the show and introduced myself…. He said to come around the gift shop where he will be signing his book on elephants and told me he wanted to give one to me. When I went to the gift shop, he not only gave the book but took off his necklace and gave it to me! How cool is that! He said that he met many Nepali who were quite supportive to him and his work and that he was very grateful. It amazes me how small the world is and how goodness is everywhere…..we just need to look for it!

In the evening, I showed my pictures from Nepal to my host sister. She was so excited that we could ride elephants and go into the jungle and even bathe with them in Nepal! I invited her to visit Nepal and she was super excited about it! J I met her friend in the evening during dinner and we had these heavenly tasting brownies that Nicole made….A perfect end to a perfect day! I went to bed with a smile on my face.