Challenge 59: French

49. Describe your most important academic accomplishment or intellectual experience to date. We don’t want to know about test scores or course grades, rather we want to know about your creativity, your willingness to take intellectual risks or your affinity for scholarly endeavors. (MIT)

I thought being able to speak three languages was enough. I spoke Nepali since I was a small, I could speak some Hindi from all the movies I used to watch, and I could speak English. And then came eighth grade where I had a choice between taking Hindi and French, which was completely foreign to me. Of course, I chose French. But, I had no idea how challenging it would be. It was a completely different dialect than what I was used to. However, I told myself that it wouldn't be so bad and took on the challenge.

In the beginning I struggled with it. I would try to memorize all the rules, the gender of every other object, how to make words plural or singular, and what not. But, even when I tried my hardest, I would still end up with a B. I was disappointed and was going to quit without giving it much thought. Anyway, that would leave me with other options. However, I still had to finish my language credits, and wanting to give it another try, I didn't quit.

Then, it started getting easier in the second year. I started to understand almost everything the teacher would say in class. I started to speak French with my friends outside of class. We shared many jokes together. We would speak French if we didn't want others to know what we were talking about. We would talk in French to improve out pronunciations and "liaisons." I even started to listen to French songs!

Learning the language also meant learning about the culture and different aspects of the French society. I learned more about the country, its people, and their ways of living. From pourboire to collocation, I saw what it would be like to like in France. And now, that has inspired me to visit France, maybe study there, or live there for a few years. I could use what I learned in class to gain a first-hand experience in the country itself.

Taking on the challenge to learn French proved to be wonderful after all. By the end of the third year of learning French, my language credits were complete. I could have quit right there and moved on to something different. However, I stuck to the challenge and wanted even more to master as much of it as possible in the two years left in High School. And, although I am not as fluent in French as I would like to be, learning another language proved to be my most important and wonderful accomplishment in High School.

Challenge 58: Give Money

249. If you had to give away a large sum of money, how would you do it?

Living and studying in India, I lost touch with what was happening in Nepal. All that I had in mind were the busy streets, the noisy traffic, the good-for-nothing government, trash, and the newly-established malls. Therefore, when I came across a book in the school library based on Nepal, I instantly checked it out to find out what it was about. The book was called Little Princes and it was written by the founder of Next Generation Nepal, a charity foundation, Conor Grennan. It talked about how his reluctant volunteering in an orphanage in Nepal led him on a journey to rescue hundreds of children who had been abandoned by child traffickers in Kathmandu during the Civil War. While I read the book, I was inspired and awed by his determination and strength to save these children who were strangers to the author.

The book described his journey to Humla, a remote area of Nepal from where the cold never leaves. I learned about families who struggle to survive in the bitter weather. I learned about the heartless Maoists barging in through the homes of these poor people, demanding money and food. I learned about the sadness and pain with which these poor parents gave away their children to men who promised the parents that their children would go to safety from the ongoing Civil War. The men were nothing but demons, asking for a great amount of money from the parents only to abandon their children in the streets of Kathmandu.

After learning of the Next Generation Nepal organization from the book, I decided to pay the website a visit. I found a section where it talked about ways to raise money for the organization to help it in its missions. I quickly went through the list and found something about a documentary on Paper Orphans. After I saw the video, I was frustrated. I was angry at the slow development of the country, the corruption, the ignorance, and the poverty.

So, if I had a great amount of money to give away, I would give it all to organizations like Next Generation Nepal that helped to make a difference in Nepal. I would donate it so that people who are suffering in remote places where the government doesn't reach would get some benefit out of it.

Today, I know more about my country than I did yesterday. And tomorrow, I will try my hardest to make a difference in Nepal.