Nepal: Srishrika Pattaswamy (Learning on Excursions)

Today we went to listen to a lecture from Dr. Lochan Rijal who is working on restoring an old Siva temple and turning it into a music center. We started off by listening to a traditional Nepali drum performance. Listening to it in the drizzling rain made it even more magical and the whole experience was out of this world. Later we walked into the temple area, and it was so beautiful. Walking around and listening to Dr. Rijal speak was one of the best lectures I think I ever had. His dream was to build an open theater for the community and a university for music so that it can be a place for worship, gathering, and education. His dream was so unique and interesting to listen to and I had never heard of a plan like that before. Personally, I thought how it was clear how this undertaking was a public health initiative. This old temple would be a center for the community to teach and foster growth, especially for the next generation. Additionally, Dr. Rijal was so incredibly humble it was honestly bizarre. He told us that he lived in the slums next to the temple in order to build trust with the community instead of taking the “easy” path and using the government to forcibly remove them from the area. He ended his lecture by performing a song he had written on a traditional instrument, and it was such a cool thing to listen to and be a part of.

As we listened, they even gave us food which was so delicious. They worked so hard to accommodate us in the less-than-ideal weather and it is something I really appreciate. The potatoes were some of the best I’ve ever had and with the combination of the music and rain, it was simply beautiful. It will be an experience I will never forget.

 

Srishrika Pattaswamy 

Hometown: New Berlin, WI

Major: Biology

Program: UW Global Health Community Health and Health Disparity in Nepal

During this program, I want to get a deeper level of understanding of the inner working of a different country’s public health system. I also want to immerse myself in Nepal’s culture and experience how that goes hand-in-hand with the health system.

I chose this program specifically because I have always wanted to visit Nepal and see the mountains. Another aspect that drew me to this program was staying with a host family. I think living with a host family is the best opportunity to learn about the culture and people to get the best experience.