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UNI, a Home away from Home
My long awaited dream of visiting USA and studying in a new environment came true when I got one year Tibet Fund scholarship last year in 2009. The moment I got the news that I would be soon flying to America and studying at University of Northern Iowa, where one of my former colleague got her Doctorate degree, I thank God and share this wonderful news to my wife, daughters and my family members. Their joy found no bond. They all congratulated me and for a moment, I could not believe that good news.
I know about America only through movies and through people who came from America. They all gave me a picture of a place of busy people, busy traffic, tall buildings, lots of freedom etc. In fact, there isn’t anyone here who does not want to go to America. Everybody wants to be there in USA.
Well so on 31st December 2009, the day after my 11th wedding anniversary, all my family members came to the airport to see off me. It was my first time I was leaving my family for a whole year. The fact that I was going there for a year in absence of my dear wife and my three little daughters, made me sob. Tears were coming out automatically.
I gave all of them hug and went inside the immigration counter. I produced my IC( Identity Certificate), since I am a refugee and I don’t have Passport. The person at the gate took my IC and didn’t let me go. He just kept me while he let others who were coming after me go. At that point, I really felt heartbroken not to have an Independent country. After discussing something with the official at the airport, he finally let me go in. I was so relieved. I thought he would not let me go at all. Thank God that didn’t happen.
I landed on JFK airport on 1st January 2010. The co-coordinator of the Tibet Fund had come to fetch me. While driving from the airport to Manhattan, where I was supposed to be staying for three days, I was shocked to see cars zooming here and there but without a single sound of honk! What more surprised me was the absence of single person walking on the road. Back in my place, there used to have lots of noise from the vehicles and people walking here and there on the road. Well I stayed in hotel Pennsylvania at Manhattan, one of the famous place in New York.
I landed on JFK airport on 1st January 2010. The co-coordinator of the Tibet Fund had come to fetch me. While driving from the airport to Manhattan, where I was supposed to be staying for three days, I was shocked to see cars zooming here and there but without a single sound of honk! What more surprised me was the absence of single person walking on the road. Back in my place, there used to have lots of noise from the vehicles and people walking here and there on the road. Well I stayed in hotel Pennsylvania at Manhattan, one of the famous place in New York.
On 4th January, I flew here in Iowa. The plane landed me at Cedar Rapids airport. I was received by the co-coordinator of the International students’ Office. It was night, snow everywhere but despite that my car was going at a speed of almost hundreds! Back in my place, if there would be a little snow, all the vehicular movement will be stopped, may be because it’s a hilly area. Anyway, the journey from Cedar Rapids to my university took almost an hour and throughout the journey I was just praying for God. There was snow on the either sides and I was worrying our car might slip and a big full stop might come in my life here in a foreign country.
I reached my dormitory and it was Barlett. I even remember having difficult pronouncing the name of the dorm. I was put in one room and felt asleep wondering about everything. The next morning, I got up and found snow everywhere. All the snow on the roads and pavements were shoveled right from the early morning. I went and stroll around the campus. I fell in love with the campus. For few days, I really had difficult time adjusting with the jet lag, new environment, cold weather and the fact that I was very far from my family. But gradually I got used to.
Now it’s almost a year since I have been studying here. I learnt a whole lot of new things from this University. The university is very good and a perfect place to study. It is not very close to big towns and cities, the facility at the university is also good. The food at the two dinning centers were good in a sense you can try any kind of food there. Even when the dinning centers are closed other cafes and eateries are available with nutritious food. There are so many faculty members who are always there to help. The students here are also very friendly and ready to help when sought help from them. The local community people are also good and humble. They have a very high degree of love for the University. Everybody, be it child or adult used to wear the purple and yellow attire with words “ Panthers or UNI”.Apart from the physical structures and facilities, the University has a wide variety of course, particularly the university is well know in the mid west for its Education courses and I am lucky to be one of the students of Education Department. There are also so many organizations and different activities are arranged by these organizations. There isn’t any way one could feel bored in this big University campus. I have witnessed activities throughout the year. Beside my, there are six other Tibetan students here at UNI and thus we formed our own Tibetan Organization UNITS ( University of Northern Iowa Tibetan Students).
One of the most important reason why I enjoyed my stay here at the University of Northern Iowa was the fact that the university invited His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Right from the beginning of the year, the Dalai Lama committee and the university had been doing lots of things in and around campus to bring awareness about Dalai Lama and the Tibetan culture. I participated in all the activities hosted here and there. Even though, we Tibetans don’t have Independent country, the university has looked at us as like any other students of Independent countries. I also got lots of opportunities to tell about Tibet and to share and display the culture of my country.
On 18th May 2010, His Holiness visited the university and the organizer had arranged a special audience for the Tibetan students with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They had also arranged one photographer to take pictures of us one by one. And that day was one of the most memorable day in my life. It was life your relatives coming here to visit you knowing that you are all alone in a new country. Tears welled up my two tiny eyes, when he spoke to us about our stay here and studies. Later the next day, we attended His two talks and it was a great chance to see and hear Him speak.
So I have not words to say how grateful I am to the University. I was really able to see the United States of America from this University. I came here expecting lots of new things to learn and I feel I got whatever I wanted. I will go back with lots of things to share with my family, my colleagues and my students. U also want my students and daughters to come and experience some life in UNI.
I came here empty handed but now I am going back home with in fact a handful of knowledge, experience and above all good memories. I wish my students and my daughters could come here so that they can also get the same good experience I have got.
Thank You UNI. UNI is really a home away from Home.
