I wrote this piece after having a life-changing experience at an orphanage in Nepal. It changed my perspective of the world a lot and made me more motivated to use my privilege to help others. This piece was published in ‘Young Post’ of the South China Morning Post.

When you mention “school”, many people, myself included, have a slightly negative reaction. We instantly picture the endless waves of tests, the sleep-inducing lessons and the towering piles of homework. We have all heard of people who overcome endless obstacles in order to get an education, but they are out of sight, out of mind — only mentioned in passing when our parents reprimand us for not working hard enough.

My parents have always tried to drill the significance of a good education into me. They have told me time and time again that it is the best gift they could give me; it is something that can never be taken away from me; it is a gift that will keep on giving.

I now realise that although I used to think I understood the importance of education, I had never once truly appreciated the meaning of their words and how fortunate I was to grow up in the security of knowing that my education was a given.

Spending time at Mountain Children Home, a home to 31 orphans in Nepal, changed that. In order to finish their last two years of secondary education, six days a week, the older kids walk a total of up to three hours daily through a jungle: met with the looming threat of tigers, black bears and leopards. 

Doesn’t it seem straight out of a movie?

Upon asking them whether they enjoyed school, one of the boys answered, “Yes, but sometimes I am lazy.” I laughed and agreed, saying, “I get lazy too”. However, he continued by saying, “Sometimes I don’t want to walk.” I froze for a second, realisation slowly sinking upon me that the “laziness” I thought we shared was completely different: mine is a privileged and first-world childish laziness in which I fail to appreciate the true value of my education and waste my youth aimlessly scrolling through social media and flipping through Netflix; whereas his “laziness” is physical exhaustion in having to walk long hours through a jungle to obtain his education, armed with a heavy backpack and sometimes forced to trek through the rain.

The older children have not exactly had a happy experience at school when they were younger, which makes it even more demanding of my respect that they still maintain a positive attitude towards school. They often had to endure physical punishment from their teachers — even in seemingly insignificant instances when they did not know how to answer a question. Thankfully, this practice has recently been declared illegal.

But would you blame them if they hated school?  

Even though the younger children in the Home were not proficient in English, most of their subjects’ textbooks, such as Maths, were written in English: hindering them from properly understanding what they were being taught. 

Yet another obstacle to be overcome.

While talking to the education minister of Nepal, she expressed that Nepal’s education system has been developing slowly partly due to Nepal’s history — during the Rana regime from 1846 to 1951, the Ranas hindered the education system by barring the general public from an education. Furthermore, after that period, Nepal had a civil war that only ended 16 years ago.

Hence the current state of Nepal’s education system.

Despite all this, when speaking to the older children at the Home about their dreams, it was filled with so much positivity and hope for the future: ranging from being on the Nepal national football team to being businessmen and women, engineers and baristas.

My feelings for them are not of pity and sorrow, but rather, of immense admiration and respect. 

I have never met a group of people who constantly smile from ear to ear, a place where laughter and giggles are guaranteed to ring the air, a community that fills my heart to the brim with love and deep appreciation. 

Although they may not have countless shiny diamonds and stacks of wealth, they have what I believe to be the most priceless asset of them all: the ability to find the silver lining in life.

(featured image is my own)